When it comes to online calendar and appointment booking software, there is no shortage of options to choose from. And for the longest time, I have been using Acuity Scheduling for my own scheduling and client scheduling needs.
But recently I switched to a different tool that I discovered a few months ago and I fell in love with it and I made the switch and I haven’t looked back. So today I want to go into detail, give you a tour of that tool and share its features and help you decide if it is the right tool for you.
The tool I am talking about is TidyCal.
What is TidyCal?
TidyCal is a relatively new scheduling software that offers a clean and user-friendly interface. You can create unlimited booking types and customize your availability for each booking type. You can connect TidyCal to your personal calendar account and see all your appointments and other existing obligations.
TidyCal has a free plan that allows you to create unlimited booking types and you can also offer unlimited bookings per month. However, you cannot offer paid bookings on their free plan and you can only connect your TidyCal account to one calendar. However, if you want to try it out and see for yourself, the free account is a good place to start.
The best part about TidyCal is the paid plan. It is a lifetime plan which means you pay once and you can use it forever, for as long as you need it. The one-time payment is only $39, so it’s definitely worth it for a tool you’ll use frequently in your business.
Here’s how TidyCal dashboard looks when you’re logged in:
As you can see, I have a lot of different types of bookings created, and I want to give you an overview of the features of TidyCal. So the best way to do this is to create a new booking type so you can see all the features available.
Creating a new appointment in TidyCal
To create a new appointment or booking type, all you need to do is click the button at the top of the screen. Once you’ve created a new booking type, you can give it a title. I’m going to call this Test Booking and it will automatically generate your booking URL so you can easily share it on social media, your website, email private chats, wherever you want.
Basic TidyCal Features
Here you can provide a description of your appointment and specify how long the appointment is for. And then you can set whether you are available for this booking weekly or only on specific days.
You can customize the time you can take appointments. Sunday and Saturday are unchecked by default, but you can of course toggle them if that is the only time you have for taking client appointments. And usually this will default to 8am to 5pm, but you can easily specify different windows.
So maybe on Monday you’re available from 8 AM to 10 AM. And then maybe in the afternoon you’re available from 3 PM to 5 PM. This lets you add custom availability for each day of the week. And maybe you don’t want to take appointments on Fridays and Wednesdays, so if you toggle them off, those two days will be unavailable on your calendar.
You can also specify specific dates that you’ll be unavailable. So maybe you want to block off your birthday, your anniversary, your child’s birthday, or something like that.
TidyCal Advanced Features
As I mentioned earlier, there are also advanced booking type settings, which let you specify whether there is a buffer between meetings, how far in the future people can book with you.
For example, they might not be able to book 60 days in advance, more than 60 days in advance, and maybe you don’t want them to book within two hours of the current time. You can also specify the interval between available time slots and the maximum number of bookings you want to take per day, per week, or per month.
TidyCal Video Conferencing Integrations
You can then integrate with Google Meet as well as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. If you conduct meetings over the phone, you can set up a physical location or no location at all. On top of that, if you use a different video conferencing tool, you can set up a custom solution.
TidyCal Other Booking Type Settings
You can enable guest invitations and group bookings, and if you’re on a paid plan, you can charge for your bookings. They support both Stripe and PayPal, and you can set up custom intake forms that let you ask a few questions when someone books with you.
In addition to that, you can customize the email reminders that your clients go to after they book with you. And once they’ve booked, you can redirect them to a confirmation page.
Another great feature is that you can make bookings private. In other words, if you set a booking type to private, it won’t be visible on your public bookings page. But, you can still share the URL of that appointment with anyone who asks privately.
TidyCal Booking Directory
Another interesting feature is that you can choose to display your bookings in a directory of booking types to get more attention. Basically, TidyCal has a directory of different service providers, businesses that offer bookings.
And if you tick that, people can search for your specific category and book an appointment right from there. I haven’t tested this feature thoroughly but it could be a great way to get clients from unexpected sources.
These are the main features when you’re creating a booking type in TidyCal. Once you’re set up, all you have to do is click Create Booking Type and it will create the new booking type and give you a link that you can share with people so they can book an appointment with you.
TidyCal Scheduling Page
And this is what a typical scheduling page looks like. As you can see here, potential clients can see the details of each booking type. They can select the date and even change their time zone, although this should be automatically detected.
And then once they click on a specific time or specific date, they can choose a time slot, fill out the questions, and book an appointment with you. As you can see, TidyCal has a very clean aesthetic that looks very soft and easy on the eyes. And that’s why I actually prefer it over the edginess.
At any point, if you need to update the booking type, you can do so. You can come here and you can change any of these details and then click Update Booking Type.
General TidyCal Settings
Now, if you go to settings here, this is basically where you can set the currency for your appointment, change your booking page details, and also change the theme color of the booking page.
Under integrations, you can add your Google account or Office 365 account or Apple account to sync with your calendar. For video conferencing, like I said, you can connect your Zoom account, your Microsoft Teams account, and Google Meet.
I’m not going to show you the payment integration settings because they contain personal Stripe information. However, you can integrate your Stripe and PayPal accounts.
In the advanced settings, you can also connect your Zapier account. This allows you to send TidyCal bookings to other apps like Asana or integrate with custom applications using an API key.
Additionally, you can embed your booking page on platforms like Squarespace, WordPress, or Wix. Simply copy the provided code and it will appear seamlessly on your website.
TidyCal Pros and Cons
TidyCal Pros:
- Ease of Use
- Unlimited Appointment Types
- Group Bookings
- Paid Bookings
- Integration with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams
- Integration with Zapier
- Custom Booking Pages
- Can be Embedded on Any Website
- Email Reminders Can Be Customized
- One-Time Payment
TidyCal Cons:
- Potential clients may see TidyCal branding on your scheduling page, but this is a small price to pay due to the one-time cost of the tool (also, other schedulers like Calendly and Acuity also have their branding on their scheduling pages)
- No ability to accept deposits for your appointments like Acuity Scheduling
AppSumo Lifetime Deal
TidyCal AppSumo Lifetime Deal offers a one-time payment of $39 for a powerful scheduling tool with unlimited booking types, calendar integration (Google, Apple, Outlook), paid bookings (via Stripe and PayPal), and group bookings. It’s a budget-friendly alternative to Acuity and Calendly, perfect for professionals and small businesses. With no recurring costs, this deal gives you lifetime access to all features at an unbeatable price.
Summary
TidyCal is an intuitive and affordable scheduling tool that offers unlimited booking types, calendar integration, and customization features. It offers a free plan with basic functionality and a one-time payment lifetime plan for $39, making it a budget-friendly alternative to Acuity Scheduling. Users can customize availability, integrate video conferencing tools (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams), accept paid bookings (via Stripe and PayPal), and embed scheduling pages on websites. While it lacks a deposit payment option and there is some branding on the scheduling pages, its affordability and ease of use make it an attractive choice for professionals and businesses.
FAQ
1. What is Tidical?
Tidical is an easy-to-use online scheduling tool that helps individuals and businesses manage appointments, integrate with calendars, and automate the booking process.
2. How much does Tidical cost?
Tidical offers a free plan with unlimited booking types and a lifetime paid plan for a one-time payment of $39.
3. What integrations does Tidical support?
Tidical integrates with the following:
Calendar: Google Calendar, Office 365, Apple Calendar
Video Conferencing: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal
Automation: Zapier for connecting with other apps
4. Can I accept payments for bookings?
Yes, Tidical’s paid plans allow you to accept one-time payments through Stripe and PayPal. However, it does not support deposits or recurring payments.
5. Does TidyCal have a mobile app?
Currently, TidyCal does not have a dedicated mobile app, but it is fully responsive and works well on mobile browsers.
6. Can I customize my booking page?
Yes, you can change the theme colors, booking page description, email reminders, and even embed the booking page on websites like WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix.
7. Does TidyCal allow group bookings?
Yes, you can enable group bookings and guest invitations for shared appointments.
8. Can I remove the TidyCal branding?
No, the TidyCal branding remains on the scheduling page, but it is common among scheduling tools unless you opt for a higher-tier plan from competitors.
9. Can I block unavailable dates?
Yes, you can block specific dates like holidays, personal events, or vacations so that no bookings are made on those days.
10. How does TidyCal compare to Calendarly and Acuity?
TidyCal offers similar features but at a lower cost due to its lifetime pricing model. However, it lacks advanced payment features like deposit collection, which Acuity offers.
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