FREE TOOL

Free scheduling that doesn't nickel-and-dime you

Calendly limits you to 1 event type on free. Cal.com charges $12/mo for basic features. SoloStack gives you unlimited event types, unlimited bookings, and full customization — powered by Google Calendar API + Netlify Functions.

Calendly $10–16/mo

Cal.com $12–40/mo

→

SoloStack $0/mo

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THE SCHEDULING TAX

What scheduling tools actually cost you

Free tiers are bait. The features you need are always behind a paywall.

scheduling-tools-pricing.com

Calendly Free $0/mo

1 event type only
Basic calendar sync
No reminders
No custom branding
No group events
No integrations
Calendly branding

Calendly Standard $10/mo

Unlimited event types
Remove branding
Reminders
No round-robin
No workflows
Per-seat pricing
$10/mo per team member

Cal.com Team $12/mo

Unlimited event types
Custom branding
Workflows
Per-seat pricing
$12/mo per user
Self-host complexity
Limited free tier

Acuity $16–49/mo

Payment collection
Custom intake forms
Multi-calendar
No free tier at all
Owned by Squarespace
$49/mo for 6+ calendars
Vendor lock-in

PER-SEAT TRAP

↓

SoloStack gives you all of this for $0/mo

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FEATURE MAP

Scheduling feature → SoloStack equivalent

Every feature you use in Calendly or Cal.com has a free, controllable equivalent.

Feature	SoloStack Equivalent	Calendly Cost
Booking page	Astro page + Netlify Functions API	Free (1 type)
Calendar sync	Google Calendar API — real-time read/write	Free
Multiple event types	`config.json` — unlimited types, any duration	$10/mo
Email reminders	Resend scheduled functions — customizable	$10/mo
Custom branding	Full CSS control — your colors, fonts, logo	$10/mo
Group booking	Config flag — multiple attendees per slot	$16/mo
Timezone detection	Browser API — auto-detect + convert	Free
CRM integration	Same database — bookings auto-log to contacts	$10/mo (Zapier)
Team scheduling	Multiple hosts in `config.json` — no per-seat fee	$16/mo/seat

HOW IT WORKS

The booking flow

A visitor picks a time. The system handles everything else automatically.

Visitor Picks a date + time

Booking Page Astro page — shows available slots

Static + API

Netlify Functions booking-slots · booking-create

Serverless

Google Calendar

creates event checks availability

Calendar API

Resend Confirmation email

Transactional

Neon CRM Logs booking + contact

Database

CLAUDE CODE

Manages event types, availability rules, and booking logic in plain English

SIMPLE CONFIGURATION

Your scheduling system is a JSON file

No complex dashboard. No 47-tab settings page. One config file controls everything.

booking/config.json


  "hosts": [
    "name": "Michael",
    "email": "m@solostack.dev",
    "calendarId": "primary"
  ],
  "eventTypes": [
    
      "slug": "intro",
      "title": "15-min Intro Call",
      "duration": 15,
      "buffer": 5
    ,
    
      "slug": "demo",
      "title": "30-min Demo",
      "duration": 30,
      "buffer": 10
    ,
    
      "slug": "strategy",
      "title": "45-min Strategy",
      "duration": 45,
      "buffer": 15
    
  ],
  "availability": 
    "days": [1,2,3,4],
    "start": "09:00",
    "end": "17:00"

Unlimited event types

Add as many event types as you need — different durations, buffer times, and descriptions. Calendly limits free users to 1.

Flexible availability

Set working days, hours, and buffer time between meetings. Block out Fridays. Set different hours for different days. It's just JSON.

Automatic CRM logging

Every booking creates a contact in your CRM and logs a booking_created event. No Zapier needed — same database, zero integration.

MANAGE IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Control your schedule with Claude Code

Instead of clicking through Calendly's settings, you type what you want. Claude Code updates the config and deploys.

claude — solostack/departments/sales/booking

you: |

Bookings for next week (Mar 17-21):

┌───────────────┬──────────────┬─────────────┬────────────┐
│ Day           │ Time         │ Who         │ Type       │
├───────────────┼──────────────┼─────────────┼────────────┤
│ Mon Mar 17    │ 10:00 AM     │ Sarah C.    │ Demo       │
│ Mon Mar 17    │ 2:00 PM      │ James K.    │ Strategy   │
│ Tue Mar 18    │ 11:30 AM     │ Priya P.    │ Intro      │
│ Wed Mar 19    │ 9:00 AM      │ Alex R.     │ Demo       │
│ Thu Mar 20    │ 3:30 PM      │ Maria L.    │ Strategy   │
└───────────────┴──────────────┴─────────────┴────────────┘

  5 bookings total  │  Friday: blocked (no bookings)

you: |

Added new event type to config.json:

  slug:     "strategy-call"
  title:    "45-Minute Strategy Call"
  duration: 45 minutes
  buffer:   15 minutes

✓ Config updated
✓ Booking page rebuilt
✓ Available at /book/strategy-call

→ Deployed. Live in 30 seconds.

you: |

Updated availability in config.json:

  Before:  Mon-Thu, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  After:   Mon-Thu, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
           Fri: BLOCKED (no bookings)

✓ Existing Friday bookings: 0 (no conflicts)
✓ Config updated and deployed

→ Fridays are now blocked from booking.

THE MATH

Annual cost comparison

Real numbers. No asterisks. Calculated for a solo founder or small team.

	Calendly	Cal.com	Acuity	SoloStack
Monthly cost	$10–16	$12–40	$16–49	$0
Annual cost	$120–192	$144–480	$192–588	$0
Event types	1 (free)	Limited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Custom branding	$10/mo	$12/mo	$16/mo	Full CSS
Team members	$10/seat	$12/seat	$49/mo	Unlimited
Reminders	$10/mo	Yes	Yes	Yes (Resend)
CRM integration	Zapier	Zapier	Zapier	Built-in
Data ownership	Calendly	Cal.com	Squarespace	You
Vendor lock-in	Yes	Partial	Yes	None

HONEST TAKE

When SoloStack isn't the right fit

We're not for everyone. Here's what you should know.

No payment collection (yet)

Acuity and Calendly can collect payments at booking. SoloStack doesn't have this built in yet — but Stripe integration is on the roadmap and straightforward to add.

Google Calendar only

SoloStack uses the Google Calendar API. If your team is on Outlook/Microsoft 365, this won't work out of the box. Google Workspace or personal Gmail accounts work perfectly.

No mobile app

There's no dedicated iOS/Android app for managing bookings. You get push notifications via Google Calendar and can manage everything through Claude Code on your laptop.

Setup takes 30 minutes

Calendly is instant — sign up and go. SoloStack requires setting up Google Calendar API credentials and deploying to Netlify. It's a one-time setup, but it's not instant.

FAQ

Common questions

Does it sync with Google Calendar? ▼

Yes. SoloStack uses the Google Calendar API directly. When someone books a slot, it creates an event on your Google Calendar in real-time. It also reads your calendar to check availability — no double bookings, ever.

How do I customize the booking page? ▼

The booking page is an Astro component with full CSS control. Tell Claude Code 'change the booking page colors to match our brand' or 'add a company logo to the booking page' — it updates the page instantly. No template constraints.

Can I have multiple event types? ▼

Unlimited. Add as many as you want in config.json — 15-minute intro call, 30-minute demo, 60-minute strategy session, group workshop. Calendly limits free accounts to 1 event type. SoloStack has no limits.

Does it send reminders? ▼

Yes. Google Calendar handles event reminders automatically (email + push notifications). You can also set up custom reminder emails via Resend scheduled functions — 24 hours before, 1 hour before, whatever you need.

Can I embed it on my website? ▼

Yes. The booking component is an Astro component that can be embedded on any page in your site. You can also expose the booking API as a standalone endpoint that any website can call via JavaScript.

What about timezone handling? ▼

The booking system detects the visitor's timezone automatically via the browser and shows available slots in their local time. The Google Calendar event is created with the correct timezone. No confusion, no missed meetings.

Can multiple team members use it? ▼

Yes. Add multiple hosts in config.json, each with their own Google Calendar and availability rules. The booking page can show a specific host or let visitors choose. No per-seat pricing — add as many hosts as you need.

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Related tools and resources from across SoloStack

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Free scheduling that doesn't nickel-and-dime you

What scheduling tools actually cost you

Scheduling feature → SoloStack equivalent

The booking flow

Your scheduling system is a JSON file

Unlimited event types

Flexible availability

Automatic CRM logging

Control your schedule with Claude Code

Annual cost comparison

When SoloStack isn't the right fit

No payment collection (yet)

Google Calendar only

No mobile app

Setup takes 30 minutes

Common questions

Explore More

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