Are you looking for an easy way to schedule appointments with your clients? If you’re still scheduling appointments through email or phone, an online appointment booking system can save you time and make things much easier for your clients, too.

In this article, I’ll explain how to add online appointment booking to your WordPress website and share several popular tools you can consider.

The Challenges of Traditional Appointment Booking

Scheduling appointments through email or phone can be time-consuming and involve a lot of back-and-forth to find a suitable time. This is especially challenging when your services require advance booking, such as consultations or in-person services.

It’s very important to offer a quick, smooth way for website visitors to schedule appointments.

How to Schedule Clients on Your WordPress Website

If you have a WordPress site, there are two primary methods for online appointment booking:

1) Use a WordPress Booking Plugin

A WordPress booking plugin adds scheduling capability directly to your website. Your visitors can select a service, choose an available date and time, and submit their information without leaving your website.

There are many WordPress appointment plugins available, with different features and pricing options. Before installing any plugin, remember to go through the steps to evaluate a WordPress plugin.

2) Use an Online Scheduling Service

Another option is to sign up for an online scheduling service such as Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, or Setmore.

These services host the scheduling system for you. You can usually add a booking button or link to your website, and many services also let you embed the scheduling form directly on a page.

This option can be easier for beginners because you don’t have to maintain another WordPress plugin.

Which Option Is Better?

Both are great options – one is not better than the other.

A WordPress plugin gives you more control because the booking system is part of your website. However, you’re responsible for keeping the plugin updated and making sure it keeps working properly with WordPress and your other plugins.

An online scheduling service is often easier to set up and maintain because the company handles the software. However, you’ll be relying on that company for your scheduling system, and you’ll need to pay for a subscription if the features you need aren’t included in the free plan.

Consider what will be easiest for you to manage long term.

Schedule Clients Using WordPress Plugins

1) Simply Schedule
By N Squared

simply scheduling

Simply Schedule Appointments is a popular appointment-booking plugin designed specifically for WordPress. It offers a free Basic edition, along with paid versions that add features such as Google Calendar integration, custom booking form fields, group bookings, video meeting integrations, online payments, text reminders, and team scheduling. The free version should be enough for most small businesses, though, and I like that it works well with the Divi theme.

2) WP Booking Calendar 
By wpdevelop, oplugins

booking calendar

WP Booking Calendar is another popular WordPress booking plugin. It offers time-slot appointments, full-day bookings, events, and other reservation types. Like Simply Schedule Appointments, there is a robust free version, and the paid versions add more advanced features and configuration options. It has a wide range of booking options, so it may be a good choice if you need more than a simple appointment calendar.

3) Bookly 
By Nota-Info

bookly

Bookly is a WordPress booking plugin for many types of appointment-based businesses. The free version provides basic online booking, while paid features and add-ons expand the system with options such as online payments, staff management, notifications, and other scheduling tools. Bookly is designed for different types of service businesses, so it can be a good option if you need a more comprehensive booking system.

Schedule Clients Using Online Scheduling Tools

If you don’t want to install and maintain another WordPress plugin, an online scheduling service may be a better option. These services are designed specifically for scheduling and often include calendar synchronization, appointment reminders, online payments, video meetings, and client management. Here are three popular choices:

1) Calendly

calendly

Calendly is one of the most well-known online scheduling services. You can create an appointment type, set your availability, connect your calendar, and share your scheduling link with clients. You can also embed Calendly on your website so visitors can schedule an appointment without leaving your site.

Calendly offers a free plan, although it is fairly limited. The free plan includes one event type, one calendar connection, and one-on-one scheduling. Paid plans add features such as multiple event types, multiple calendar connections, reminders, payments, and integrations with other business tools. 

2) Acuity Scheduling

acuity

Acuity Scheduling is another popular option, especially for service businesses that need more advanced appointment features. You can use Acuity to let clients schedule appointments, send email reminders and confirmations, accept payments, and manage different calendars. It also supports different payment platforms – including Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Venmo.

3) Setmore

setmore

Setmore offers a free online booking system that works well for small businesses. The free plan supports up to four users and includes unlimited appointments, a customizable booking page, email confirmations and reminders, payment options, and integrations with other apps. The Pro plan adds features such as two-way calendar synchronization, recurring appointments, SMS reminders, video appointments, and the ability to remove Setmore branding. 

Final Thoughts…

An online scheduling tool will help streamline your business and make this easier for your customers. 

When choosing a scheduling tool, consider how easy it is to use out of the box, how well it integrates with your website, and whether it’s reasonably priced.  While I’ve highlighted a few tools for scheduling clients on your WordPress website, many more options are available.

I recommend starting with free options or low-cost plans so you can try them with minimal risk. Once you’ve picked a tool you like, add online booking to your WordPress website and see how much smoother scheduling becomes for you and your clients!

Do you have any favorite scheduling plugins or tools? Please share in the comments below!

(Originally published in March 2105. Updated September 2026)

 

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