Zoho CRM is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.4. Zoho CRM wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Calendly on 2.
Small and midsize businesses that want Salesforce-style power on a budget
Freelancers, salespeople and recruiters who book lots of meetings
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Zoho CRM | Calendly |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Business & Sales | Business & Sales |
| Category rank | #5 of 10 | #7 of 10 |
| Developer | Zoho Corporation | Calendly LLC |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Zoho CRM better than Calendly?
Zoho CRM is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.4. Zoho CRM wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Calendly on 2.
Which is cheaper, Zoho CRM or Calendly?
Zoho CRM: Free for up to 3 users; Standard from $14/user/month billed yearly. Calendly: Free plan; Standard is $10 per seat a month billed yearly, or $12 monthly. On value for money, Zoho CRM scores higher.
Do Zoho CRM and Calendly work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Web.
Which is more private, Zoho CRM or Calendly?
Zoho CRM scores higher on privacy (8.8/10). Zoho says it never sells your data or runs ads. App Store label links contact, location, usage and content data to your account, with no tracking. Play says nothing is shared with third parties.
Strengths and weaknesses
Zoho CRM
- Deep customization at a low price
- Free edition for up to 3 users
- Strong privacy stance with no ad business
- Busy interface with a steeper learning curve
- Customer support can be slow or uneven
Zoho CRM gives you deep customization for far less than the big enterprise names. Blueprint enforces your sales process, the Zia assistant predicts deals and even writes formulas from plain English, and it plugs into dozens of other Zoho apps. Zoho's promise of no ads and no data selling is a real plus. The downsides: the interface is busy, setup takes effort, and support quality varies.
Full Zoho CRM review
Calendly
- Invitees book without needing an account
- Free plan covers one event type
- Connects to HubSpot and Salesforce
- Free plan allows one event type and one calendar
- AI features need the pricier Plus plans
- Per-seat pricing gets costly for teams
Calendly ends the back-and-forth of finding a meeting time. Connect your calendar, share a link, and people pick a slot that's actually free. Paid plans add reminders, round-robin team scheduling, routing forms, payments through Stripe or PayPal, and now AI note-taking on the Plus tiers. The free plan works for one meeting type. Per-seat pricing adds up quickly for bigger teams.
Full Calendly review
