Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cal.com VS Hero Patterns

Compare Cal.com VS Hero Patterns and see what are their differences

Cal.com logo Cal.com

Cal.com (formerly Calendso) is the open source Calendly alternative.

Hero Patterns logo Hero Patterns

A collection of repeatable SVG background patterns
  • Cal.com Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-08
  • Hero Patterns Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-02-06

Cal.com features and specs

  • Customizable
    Cal.com allows extensive customization to fit various branding and scheduling needs, which makes it adaptable for different types of users including businesses and individuals.
  • Open-source
    Being an open-source platform, Cal.com provides the flexibility for developers to modify and extend the software as per their specific needs, fostering a collaborative development environment.
  • Integrations
    Cal.com offers a wide range of integrations with other software tools like Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoom, enhancing its functionality and making it easier to fit into existing workflows.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Cal.com has an intuitive and clean interface that makes it easy for users of all technical skill levels to set up and manage their scheduling.
  • Privacy-focused
    Cal.com emphasizes data privacy, ensuring user information is handled securely, which is crucial for users who need to comply with regulations like GDPR.

Possible disadvantages of Cal.com

  • Learning Curve
    Although it is highly customizable, the plethora of options and features may result in a steeper learning curve for new users who are not familiar with such scheduling tools.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of Cal.com comes with limitations that may not be sufficient for growing businesses or advanced users who require more comprehensive features.
  • Dependency on Integrations
    Cal.com's effectiveness heavily depends on its integrations. Without these integrations, some users might find the tool less useful or incomplete, especially if their primary tools are not supported.
  • Support
    While open-source has many benefits, it may also mean that immediate, personalized support could be limited compared to fully commercial solutions. This might pose a challenge for users needing quick resolutions.
  • Performance
    As an open-source platform, the performance might vary depending on how it is hosted and managed. Suboptimal configurations could lead to slower performance or downtimes.

Hero Patterns features and specs

  • Free to Use
    Hero Patterns is completely free, making it accessible for anyone without a budget constraint.
  • Easy to Implement
    The patterns are simple to integrate into any project through either SVG or CSS, saving time and effort.
  • Wide Range of Patterns
    It offers a diverse collection of patterns, which can suit various design needs and styles.
  • Customizable
    Users can easily customize the colors and opacity of the patterns to better fit their design requirements.
  • SVG Format
    Patterns are available in SVG format, ensuring scalability and crisp rendering at any resolution.
  • No Attribution Required
    There is no need to provide attribution for using Hero Patterns, which is convenient for commercial use.

Possible disadvantages of Hero Patterns

  • Limited to Patterns
    Hero Patterns focuses solely on patterns, so it may not cover other design elements needed in a project.
  • Generic Designs
    Some patterns may be too generic or common, making it challenging to create unique designs.
  • Manual Integration Needed
    Users need to manually copy the SVG or CSS code into their projects, which could be cumbersome for some.
  • Not Frequently Updated
    The library may not be updated regularly with new patterns, potentially limiting fresh design options over time.
  • No Advanced Editing Tools
    The platform does not offer advanced design tools for further customization beyond basic color and opacity adjustments.

Analysis of Cal.com

Overall verdict

  • Cal.com is generally considered a good option for scheduling and calendar management.

Why this product is good

  • Cal.com is praised for its open-source nature, allowing for greater customization and integration flexibility. It offers a user-friendly interface and supports various calendar integrations, making it a versatile tool for individuals and businesses alike.

Recommended for

  • Freelancers who need a simple yet effective scheduling tool.
  • Small businesses looking for a customizable scheduling solution.
  • Developers who appreciate open-source software and need a tool they can modify.
  • Businesses seeking a platform that can integrate with existing tools and workflows.

Analysis of Hero Patterns

Overall verdict

  • Hero Patterns is a good resource for those who need customizable, scalable, and easy-to-use background patterns. Its ease of integration and comprehensive selection of patterns make it a valuable tool for front-end projects.

Why this product is good

  • Hero Patterns offers a variety of repeatable SVG background patterns that are free to use and customize. This makes it a popular choice for web designers and developers looking for an easy way to enhance visuals without creating patterns from scratch.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking for quick design elements
  • UX/UI designers needing scalable and customizable backgrounds
  • Projects requiring pattern diversity without the need for intensive design resources

Cal.com videos

What can you do with Cal? | Cal.com Version 1.1 Launch | 10 new languages

More videos:

  • Review - Cal.com Version 1.0 Launch Event

Hero Patterns videos

@Acai28 Explains Clone Hero Patterns

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to add SVG Hero Patterns to your website backgrounds with Wallpaper Stack for RapidWeaver

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cal.com and Hero Patterns)
Productivity
87 87%
13% 13
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Appointments and Scheduling
Appointment Scheduling
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cal.com and Hero Patterns

Cal.com Reviews

I've poked around a while ago at some Calendly alternatives (specifically was lo... | Hacker News
I tried using https://cal.com for a bit but ended up just switching over to https://zcal.co and it has been great so far. All these other scheduling tools end up trying to do too much and always seem to end up a bit clunky and charge absurd amounts for it

Hero Patterns Reviews

6 Clever SVG Pattern Generators for Your Next Design
Hero Patterns, a project by UI designer and illustrator Steve Schoger, is a good place to start.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cal.com should be more popular than Hero Patterns. It has been mentiond 56 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cal.com mentions (56)

  • 5 Side Project Ideas for Developers to Monetize as Micro-SaaS in 2025
    Take Cal.com (https://cal.com/), formerly known as Calendso. It started as an open source alternative to Calendly which offers a free, self-hostable version for users. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Using Clerk SSO to access Google Calendar and other service data
    BookMate is an open-source, publicly accessible, lightweight clone of popular booking services like cal.com or Calendly. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • My Journey into Open Source: First Contributions and Lessons Learned
    Then, I came across Cal.com, a fantastic open-source project for scheduling meetings and managing tasks (super useful for productivity!). I knew the basics of Git but wasn’t quite there with forking, merging branches, and all the intricate Git processes. After some YouTube tutorials, I started to get the hang of things. 😅. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Start your own (side) business with open-source in mind
    Cal.com is an open-source event-juggling scheduler for everyone, and is free for individuals. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Fellow HSP entrepreneurs, how do you manage your energy and stress?
    I force clients who want to talk to me to book a call. I use cal.com (free) and my Google Calendar (which its linked to) only allows calls on specific days/times. I have a few "Call Blocks" where they can book. That let's me do calls in a small section of my week, with ample downtime to recover the rest of the week. I'm still learning how many calls a day I can handle. Currently anything more than 2 is too much. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Hero Patterns mentions (16)

  • Glam up my markup: beaches
    Technical : I started with what I thought was going to be the hardest feature - the animated background. The subtle changing colors remind me of how waves come and go out of view. The pattern comes from https://heropatterns.com/ (CC BY 4.0). I thought I would need js for this, but using an external svg file + embedded style sheet is all this is. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Top 10 SVG Pattern Generators
    Hero Patterns: A collection of repeatable SVG background patterns for you to use on your web projects. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • An Afternoon with SVGs | Frontend Challenge Entry
    Next I spruced up my form's visuals a bit by heading to Google Fonts and finding one that had camping vibes - eventually landing on Amatic SC. Then I had the wild idea of making the form look like a piece of paper, so that I could make the submit button fold the paper up into an envelope or paper airplane and fly off screen if it was submitted successfully (This was EXTREMELY high hopes and I didn't even get... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • The 7 best plugins to use in your Tailwind project
    Tailwind-heropatterns is a plugin that makes it easy to add beautiful SVG backgrounds to your website. The backgrounds the plugin provides come from Hero Patterns, a site that provides a collection of SVG patterns you can use in your project. The plugin provides utility classes to make it convenient to use these SVG patterns. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • How to generate those header beams like in the Tailwind docs?
    Not animated. I thought there might be a tool for that like https://heropatterns.com/ or so, but I couldn't find one. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cal.com and Hero Patterns, you can also consider the following products

Calendly - Say goodbye to phone and email tag for finding the perfect meeting time with Calendly. It's 100% free, super easy to use and you'll love our customer service.

MagicPattern - The best design toolbox with 10+ tools for anyone

TidyCal - Optimize your schedule with custom booking pages and calendar integrations

Patterninja - Create patterns online

SavvyCal - A scheduling tool both the sender and the recipient will love.

Trianglify - Tweakable, one-of-a-kind hero images for your next project