Free Online Booking Systems in Australia: What ‘Free’ Really Costs (2026)
Several booking systems have a genuinely free plan in Australia: Square Appointments (free for a single location), Setmore (free for up to 4 users), SimplyBook.me (free for 50 bookings a month and 1 provider), Zoho Bookings (free for one user), Calendly (free for one event type) and Google Calendar appointment schedules (one booking page with a personal Google Account). “Free” usually means limits: on staff, bookings, event types, reminders or branding, plus card fees if you take payments and your own time to set it up. Fresha and Timely have free trials, not free plans. Checked on each vendor’s own page on 19 October 2026.
A free booking system is a sensible place to start when you’re testing an idea or have very few bookings. The catch is rarely a hidden fee. It’s the limit you hit just as the business starts working, or the setup time you didn’t count. This guide shows what each free plan includes and where the costs start.
Free online booking systems in Australia compared
| System | What’s free | Main limits on the free plan | Where costs start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | $0 for a single location, no employee limit | No waitlist, Google Calendar sync, SMS and email confirmation notifications, cancellation fees or staff-management features | Card fees 1.6% in person, 2.2% online (Afterpay 6% + 30c). Plus $40 or Premium $90 a month per location. |
| Setmore | US$0, up to 4 users, unlimited appointments | Email reminders only (one reminder), Setmore branding, no deposits or 2-way calendar sync | Pro US$5 per user a month billed annually (US$12 monthly). Card fees from your payment provider. |
| SimplyBook.me | A$0, 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | Booking and provider caps; white label only from Premium | Basic A$14, Standard A$28, Premium A$80 a month (17% less yearly). SMS 100 credits for $8. |
| Zoho Bookings | Forever Free plan for one user | One user | Basic A$12.41 or Premium A$18.61 per user a month (A$9.31 and A$13.96 billed yearly), including local taxes |
| Calendly | One event type, one calendar connection | No reminders or payments on Free | Standard $12 a month per seat ($10 yearly); Teams $20 ($16 yearly). Currency not named on the page. |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules | One booking page with a personal Google Account or Workspace Business Starter | No payments, email verification or extra schedules on the free version; no SMS | Paid Google One or Workspace plans add more schedules, reminders and, on Workspace plans, payments through Stripe |
| Fresha | No free plan; 7-day trial | n/a | From A$44.95 a month (Independent) or A$29.95 per team member (Team), ex GST |
| Timely | No free plan; 14-day trial | n/a | From $42 per staff member a month, ex GST |
Sources, all checked 19 October 2026: Square Appointments pricing (AU), Setmore pricing, SimplyBook.me pricing, Zoho Bookings pricing, Calendly pricing, Google’s appointment schedules and premium features help pages, Fresha pricing and Timely pricing. Plans change often, so check before you sign up.
What “free” really costs
- Card fees. If you take payments through a free system, you pay processing fees on every transaction. On Square that’s 1.6% in person and 2.2% online.
- Limits you’ll grow into. One provider, 50 bookings a month, one event type or a single location are fine at the start. When you hire your first staff member or get busy, you move to a paid plan.
- Reminders and texts. Several free plans limit reminders (Setmore Free sends one email reminder; Calendly Free lists no reminders). Texts are usually extra.
- Their branding, not yours. Removing the provider’s branding is often a paid feature, such as on Setmore Pro or SimplyBook.me Premium.
- Your time. Free plans are do-it-yourself: entering services, durations, prices, staff hours and policies, and testing the booking flow on a phone. Count the hours you’d spend at your own hourly rate.
What is the best free online booking system?
It depends on your business:
- Already using Square for payments? Square Appointments’ free plan is the obvious first look.
- A small team that doesn’t need texts? Setmore’s free plan covers up to 4 users.
- Solo and quiet to start? SimplyBook.me (50 bookings a month) or Zoho Bookings (one user).
- Meetings and consultations rather than services? Calendly or Google Calendar appointment schedules.
For a full comparison including paid systems, see the best online booking systems for Australian small businesses and what booking software really costs. Salons comparing the two big names should read Fresha vs Timely in Australia.
How can I create an online booking system for free?
- List your services Name, duration and price for each, plus any time you need between jobs.
- Set your real availability Your working hours, breaks and days off, so customers only see times you can actually work.
- Pick a free plan that fits Use the table above, and check the limit you’re most likely to hit first.
- Test it on your phone Book yourself, cancel, and check what the customer sees and receives.
- Share the link Put it on your Google Business Profile, Instagram bio and website.
Our step-by-step guide covers this in more depth: how to take bookings online.
What is like Calendly but free?
Calendly itself has a free plan with one event type. Similar free options are Google Calendar appointment schedules (one booking page with a personal Google Account), Zoho Bookings’ Forever Free plan for one user, and Setmore’s free plan for up to 4 users. For service businesses with a menu of services and prices, Square Appointments, Setmore and SimplyBook.me are closer to what customers expect than a meeting scheduler.
When paying makes more sense than free
Free is fine while you’re testing. Paying starts to make sense when you’ve got staff with their own hours, more bookings than the free cap, or you’d rather spend your evenings on customers than on software settings. InstantBookingPro isn’t free, and it’s clear about what you pay:
- $59, $79 or $119 a month including GST, a flat plan price, plus a one-off $149 setup (introductory offer).
- Set up for you: we build your branded booking page and admin console from your services, prices and hours, typically live within 24 hours.
- No commission on new or returning clients.
- It doesn’t take payments or send SMS, so there are no card or text fees, and you take payment the way you do now.
See it for salons and barbers, cleaning businesses and car washes, try the live booking demo, or if you’re just opening, see the starter package with a website.
Outgrown free, or don’t want to set it up yourself? Your branded booking page, set up for you, from $59 a month including GST. Typically live within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free online booking system in Australia?
Which booking sites are free?
Is there a free salon booking system in Australia?
How can I create an online booking system for free?
What is like Calendly but free?
What are the hidden costs of free booking software?
Plans and prices checked on each vendor’s own page on 19 October 2026. They change often; confirm current details before you choose.
Get instant online bookings
We build and launch your branded booking system for you — typically live within 24 hours.