SimplyBook.me

Overview

SimplyBook.me is appointment-booking software for service businesses that need clients to book across several channels and want to manage payments and staff scheduling in one place. Its flexible provider and booking limits suit businesses that expect to grow, though lower plans put firm ceilings on both.

Key features

Booking and payment: Booking pages support payments and deposits, with group and recurring bookings, reviews, and automated reminders. Clients can book through websites, social media, Google, and client apps, giving businesses several routes to appointments.

Calendars and teams: Two-way sync with Google Calendar and Outlook helps coordinate schedules. Plans support multiple providers, system users, roles, and team calendars. There is no round-robin scheduling, so it is a poor fit for businesses that need bookings automatically rotated among staff.

Integrations: Connections include Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero, WordPress, and APIs, alongside more than 5,000 integrations. That breadth is useful for businesses fitting bookings into an existing workflow.

Security and support: Security measures include ISO 27001, SSL, SSO, daily backups, and GDPR compliance. HIPAA-enabling features require specific settings and are not active by default, so healthcare users must configure them rather than assume HIPAA support is enabled. Live human support is available 24/7, with weekday chat and email; agents cover English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, and Ukrainian.

Mobile: Web, iOS, and Android access includes admin apps for managing bookings and client apps for making them.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and has no time limit, but it must be renewed monthly. It allows 50 bookings per month, one custom feature, and one provider. It is a useful starting point for a solo provider with modest volume, but the renewal requirement and tight caps make it less suitable as demand grows.

Basic costs €11.9 per month billed annually or €13.9 per month billed monthly. Its 100-booking limit, three custom features, and five providers suit a small operation, but the booking quota leaves limited room for growth. Standard costs €24.9 per month billed annually or €29.9 per month billed monthly, and raises those limits to 500 bookings, eight custom features, and 15 providers. It is the more practical step up for a growing team that has outgrown Basic.

Premium costs €49.9 per month billed annually or €59.9 per month billed monthly. Its 2,000-booking allowance, unlimited custom features, and 30 providers give larger teams more headroom. Enterprise has custom pricing, custom booking and provider limits, and unlimited custom features, making it the tier for organizations that need individually set capacity.

Annual billing offers a 17% saving. A 14-day trial does not require a credit card or payment information; it includes most custom features, with several exclusions. The free plan and trial reduce the cost of evaluating the service, but neither removes the need to check whether the paid tier's booking and provider limits fit your operation.

Platforms

SimplyBook.me runs on the web, iOS, and Android. Clients can book through websites, social media, Google, and client apps, while the mobile apps support both booking management and client bookings.

Who it's for

Solo professionals can start with the free plan if 50 monthly bookings and one provider are enough. Small businesses and expanding teams can move up through plans with larger booking quotas, more custom features, and additional providers. It also serves large teams and enterprises, though Enterprise uses custom pricing and limits. Businesses that require automatic round-robin assignment should choose another scheduler.

Pros and cons

Pro: Multiple booking channels, payment collection, deposits, reminders, and two-way calendar sync cover much of the appointment workflow in one service.

Pro: Provider limits rise from one on Free to 30 on Premium, with a custom-capacity Enterprise tier for larger organizations.

Pro: The no-card 14-day trial and time-unlimited free plan make it possible to evaluate the service without an upfront commitment.

Con: Free renews monthly and allows only 50 bookings, one custom feature, and one provider, so it can quickly become restrictive.

Con: Paid tiers also cap monthly bookings, and the lower plans limit custom features and providers.

Con: Round-robin scheduling is absent, and HIPAA-enabling settings need to be configured separately.

Alternatives

For salon-focused options, compare Salon and Spa Scheduling Software; for a broader appointment-scheduling shortlist, see Appointment Scheduling Software.

Salonist is another freemium option with a free plan, trial, and a 50-appointments-per-month free tier.

Setmore is worth considering for its free plan, which supports up to four users.

Salonized is a paid alternative with a free trial and an Appointments plan at €21 a month.

Acuity Scheduling is a paid option with a free trial and a Starter plan at $20 a month.

Orbis Salon is a paid alternative with a free trial and a Lite plan at £4.99 a month.

GlossGenius is a paid option with a free trial and a Standard plan at $28 a month.

Zoho Bookings offers a free plan for one user and a 15-day premium trial without credit card details.

Kitomba is another option for salon businesses.

Verdict

SimplyBook.me is a strong fit for service businesses that want booking, payments, calendar sync, and team scheduling with a free starting point and plans that scale by provider and booking volume. Choose it for its broad booking channels and growing-team capacity; look elsewhere if you need round-robin assignment, or if the monthly quotas and HIPAA setup do not suit your requirements.