This appointment scheduling software comparison is for small businesses with one location that give appointments to customers: a salon, a practice, a workshop, a studio, a consultancy. We compared ten providers on their pricing pages and public feature lists, as of September 2026, and ordered them by five criteria. terminio.ai is on the list, and in first place. Weigh that as you read: for every provider we say who it is the best appointment booking software for, even when that is not us.
What we looked at: appointment software for small business
A comparison is only as good as its criteria. For every provider we read the pricing page and the public feature list and asked the five questions a small business with one location actually has. Anything not on the provider's website we treat as not documented, not as a no. Where a provider names its server location, we say so. Prices are as the provider states them, some plus VAT.
- Price per month for one location, and whether a commission or a fee per booking comes on top
- Whether your customers need an account or an app to book
- WhatsApp reminders: included, an add-on per message, or email and SMS only
- A deposit at booking, so long appointments do not stay empty
- Phone: whether someone picks up and books into the calendar while you are with a customer
1. terminio.ai: WhatsApp and phone in one
terminio.ai is built for small businesses with walk-in customers: salons, practices, workshops, studios, consultants. Your customers book on your own page from services with duration and price, with just a name and a mobile number, no account and no app. Reminders go out on WhatsApp from your own number, with no cost per message. Deposits run through Stripe with card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Hosting is in the EU, and the app runs on web, iPhone, Android and smartwatch.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Free costs €0 with 50 bookings and five WhatsApp reminders a month, Pro €19.99 with unlimited bookings and reminders, Pro Voice €129.99 with the AI phone assistant, a German phone number and 200 call minutes, then €0.25 per minute. No commission, no setup fee, cancel monthly. Staff are unlimited in every plan, Free included.
What is missing: terminio.ai is a young provider focused on Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There is no marketplace that brings you new customers, no link to practice management or patient records, and no point of sale with stock. Pick it if your phone rings while you work and you want WhatsApp reminders at a fixed price.
2. Calendly: online scheduling software for meetings
Calendly is a meeting link. You send it, the other side picks a slot, and the appointment lands in both calendars. For consulting, sales and conversations between professionals it is hard to beat, because syncing with Google and Outlook is its core. Customers need no account, there is no commission, and anyone who receives a Calendly link knows what to do.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Free costs €0 with one event type, Standard $10 per seat a month, team features from the Teams plan, deposits from Standard. There is no WhatsApp, reminders go by email and SMS, and there is no phone assistant. Pick Calendly if you mostly arrange conversations. As soon as customers should book from a list of services, it is the wrong tool.
3. TIMIFY: for businesses with many resources
TIMIFY is built for businesses and chains with many resources and locations, a mature, established system. Customers book as guests without an account, there is no commission, a booking page of your own and an app. Deposits run through Stripe or PayPal. If you schedule several branches, rooms or machines, you will find more structure here than in most small tools.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Classic costs €0 with one resource, Premium €25 a month plus VAT, and the team calendar only starts there. WhatsApp is not documented on the website, reminders go by email and SMS, and phone is only available through partners. Pick TIMIFY if you run several locations and SMS reminders are enough.
4. eTermin: German system, servers in Frankfurt
eTermin is a solid German system with servers in Frankfurt. For practices and offices that care where their data sits, that is a clear argument. Guest booking without a customer account can be switched on, there is no commission and a booking page of your own. The product is web-based; an app of its own is not documented on the website.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Lite costs €19 and Pro €29 a month plus VAT, each additional calendar €5, with a one-month free trial. Deposits from Pro. WhatsApp is not documented, reminders go by email and SMS, and calls are handled by partners on a pay-per-use basis. Pick eTermin if server location decides and one or two calendars are enough.
5. Terminland: a cheap start for one person
Terminland is an established online scheduler from Germany with a booking page of your own, no commission and no marketplace standing between you and your customers. The pricing is modular: you pay for one schedule and add what you need. For one person working alone, the entry price is lower than at most providers on this list.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Easy costs €14.90 a month plus VAT for one schedule, each additional one €6.90, with a 30-day trial. Deposits are an add-on from Profi, SMS too, and phone runs through a VoiceBot partner as an add-on. WhatsApp and an app are not documented. Pick Terminland if you work alone and email reminders are enough.
6. SimplyBook.me: flexible, with WhatsApp on credits
SimplyBook.me is an international booking tool with many add-on features to pick from. Customers book without an account, there is no commission, a booking page of your own and an app. You add only the features you need. WhatsApp is possible, but on credits rather than a flat rate. Voice booking runs on the web and in messengers, not on the phone.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Free costs €0 up to 50 bookings with one provider, Basic €13.90 a month, deposits from Basic, WhatsApp credits €8 per 100 messages, and 1 to 30 providers depending on the plan. Pick SimplyBook.me if you want a cheap start, like to assemble features one by one, and send few reminders a month.
7. Acuity Scheduling: mature, but English only
Acuity Scheduling belongs to Squarespace and has been around for years. The product is very mature: intake forms before the appointment, packages, vouchers, deposits through Stripe, Square and PayPal, a booking page of your own, an app and a smartwatch app. Customers book without an account, and there is no commission. Product, app and support are in English.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: from $16 a month billed yearly, 1 to 36 calendars by plan, no free plan, a seven-day trial. WhatsApp is not documented, reminders go by email and SMS, and a phone assistant is not documented. Pick Acuity if you and your customers work in English and you need intake forms or packages.
8. Microsoft Bookings: when Microsoft 365 is already there
Microsoft Bookings is part of Microsoft 365 Business, not a product of its own. If you pay for the suite anyway, you get Bookings without a cent extra. It sits right inside Outlook and Teams, exactly where your calendar and meetings already live. Customers need no account, there is no commission, and you get a booking page of your own.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: included in Microsoft 365 Business, the suite starts at about €12.50 per user a month, and there is no free plan of its own. Online payment is not documented, reminders go by email, SMS only in North America, and there is no app of its own. Pick Bookings if your business runs on Microsoft 365 and time slots with email confirmation are enough.
9. Shore: established salon software from Munich
Shore is established scheduling software from Munich, used for years in hair salons and beauty studios. It comes with a booking page of your own, a deposit at booking, WhatsApp reminders from the Wachstum plan and the Shore Business mobile app in every plan. There is no commission and no marketplace: your customers stay yours, and the booking page carries your name.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: from €49.90 a month billed yearly, no free plan, a 14-day trial, team size 2 to unlimited by plan. A phone assistant is not documented. Pick Shore if you want salon software with WhatsApp from Germany and a yearly contract is fine with you.
10. Treatwell: marketplace with salon software
Treatwell is a beauty marketplace first and salon software second. New customers find you through the Treatwell app without you doing anything, and software, point of sale and marketplace come from one system, with the Connect app for the team. Your booking page is a widget or a page on a Treatwell subdomain, not your own address.
According to the provider's pricing page, September 2026: Connect from €39 a month, plus 35% on a new marketplace customer's first booking and 2% on online prepayments. WhatsApp is not documented, reminders go by email, SMS and push. Pick Treatwell if your salon is new and needs reach. Once your customers are regulars, you are paying for a marketplace you no longer need.
Verdict: which provider for whom
The order follows the five criteria, not name recognition. If you have walk-in customers, want WhatsApp reminders and can no longer answer the phone yourself, you end up with terminio.ai. If you schedule conversations, Calendly; if you pay for Microsoft 365, Bookings. One line per provider:
- terminio.ai: small businesses with walk-in customers, WhatsApp reminders and a phone assistant at a fixed price
- Calendly: consultants and sales teams arranging conversations between calendars
- TIMIFY: businesses and chains with several locations or many resources
- eTermin: practices and offices for which servers in Frankfurt are decisive
- Terminland: sole traders with one schedule who want a cheap start
- SimplyBook.me: businesses that pick features one by one and send few reminders
- Acuity Scheduling: English-speaking businesses with intake forms, packages and vouchers
- Microsoft Bookings: businesses on Microsoft 365 that want to stay in Outlook
- Shore: salons and beauty studios that accept a yearly contract
- Treatwell: new salons that need reach and pay commission for it
