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Calendly VS Substack

Compare Calendly VS Substack and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Calendly logo 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.

Substack logo Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.
  • Calendly Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Calendly

Website
calendly.com
Pricing URL
Official Calendly Pricing
Release Date
2013 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Georgia
City
Atlanta
Founder(s)
Tope Awotona
Employees
100 - 249
Edit details

Substack

Website
substack.com
Pricing URL
-
Release Date
-
Startup details
Country
United States
Edit details

Calendly features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Calendly has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, which simplifies the process of scheduling meetings for both the scheduler and invitee.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Calendly integrates seamlessly with various calendar services (Google Calendar, Outlook, iCal) and other tools like Zoom, Slack, and Salesforce.
  • Customizable Availability
    Users can set their availability preferences down to the minute, allowing for precise control over when they are available for meetings.
  • Automated Reminders
    Calendly automatically sends out reminders to meeting participants, thereby reducing no-shows and ensuring everyone is prepared.
  • Group and Collective Scheduling
    Calendly supports scheduling for groups and teams, making it easier to coordinate meetings with multiple participants.

Possible disadvantages of Calendly

  • Limited Free Plan Features
    The free version of Calendly offers limited features, such as restricted event types and fewer integration options compared to the paid versions.
  • No Option for Meeting Notes
    Calendly does not have built-in functionality for adding detailed meeting agendas or notes directly within the booking system.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic usage is straightforward, some users may find a steeper learning curve when trying to utilize Calendly's more advanced features.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    Calendly relies on a stable internet connection for real-time updates and notifications, which can be a drawback in areas with unreliable connectivity.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Sharing available time slots publicly can sometimes raise privacy concerns, especially for users who are particular about their personal information.

Substack features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.
  • Built-in Monetization
    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.
  • Direct Audience Connection
    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.
  • Discovery and Community
    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.
  • No Upfront Costs
    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.
  • Content Ownership
    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

Possible disadvantages of Substack

  • Revenue Share
    Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenues, which can add up for writers with a large subscriber base.
  • Limited Customization
    The platform has limited customization options compared to building a custom website or using more flexible CMS options.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on Substack means depending on its policies and infrastructure, which could pose risks if the platform changes its terms or features.
  • Competition
    As more writers join Substack, it can become challenging to stand out amidst the growing competition.
  • Email Deliverability
    Writers may face issues with email deliverability, as some newsletters may end up in spam folders.
  • Payment Processing Fees
    Besides Substack's fee, payment processors like Stripe also take a percentage, further reducing net earnings for writers.

Analysis of Calendly

Overall verdict

  • Calendly is considered a good choice for individuals and businesses looking for an efficient way to manage appointments and streamline their scheduling process. Its ease of use and robust feature set make it a valuable tool for enhancing productivity.

Why this product is good

  • Calendly is a highly regarded scheduling tool due to its user-friendly interface, seamless integrations with other calendar apps like Google Calendar and Outlook, and its ability to automate appointment scheduling. It eliminates the back-and-forth emails needed to find a convenient meeting time. Users appreciate the numerous customization options, such as setting availability, buffer times between meetings, and limiting the number of meetings per day.

Recommended for

  • Professionals who need to manage multiple appointments and meetings.
  • Businesses seeking to provide clients with a straightforward way to schedule consultations.
  • Teams that require coordination and scheduling across different time zones.
  • Freelancers looking to automate client booking processes.

Analysis of Substack

Overall verdict

  • Substack is a good choice for writers seeking autonomy and a straightforward way to monetize their content. However, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer working within the framework of a larger publication or those unfamiliar with the challenges of building and maintaining a subscriber base.

Why this product is good

  • Substack is a platform that allows writers, journalists, and content creators to publish and monetize their newsletters. It is praised for its ease of use, built-in subscription system, and direct-to-consumer model which enables writers to retain control over their audience and content. The platform has attracted both independent writers and established journalists seeking the freedom to monetize their work without traditional media constraints.

Recommended for

  • Independent writers and journalists
  • Content creators looking to monetize their work
  • Individuals seeking a direct relationship with their audience
  • Those who appreciate simplicity in publishing

Calendly videos

+ Add

Calendly Sucks! Here's What I'm Using Now Instead...

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Calendly Tutorial: Book Yourself Solid on Autopilot
  • Review - Review: Calendly

Substack videos

+ Add

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos:

  • Review - E1016 Substack CEO Chris Best empowers writers via email newsletter platform, raised $15M from a16z
  • Review - Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$
  • Review - Beehiiv vs Substack (2024) - Which is Better?
  • Review - My Experience with SUBSTACK: An Honest Review of Substack

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Calendly and Substack)

Calendly

Substack

Appointments and Scheduling
100 100%
Appointments and Scheduling
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
Blogging
100% 100
Appointment Scheduling
100 100%
Appointment Scheduling
0% 0
CMS
0 0%
CMS
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Calendly and Substack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Calendly and Substack

Calendly Reviews

  1. Edi Malkovich
    Best scheduling app

    Very simple and easy to use. Eliminate this back and forth hustle with booking calls.

Acuity Scheduling alternatives for businesses outgrowing it
Calendly is the meeting-scheduling default โ€” connect calendars, share a link, and let people book time, with round-robin and team routing on paid tiers. If your "Acuity problem" is really just meetings and your business doesn't hinge on deposits, packages, or a service storefront, Calendly is cleaner and more focused than Acuity for that job. It's not the tool for a salon or...
Source: opencals.com
The Best 24 Appointment Scheduling Apps and Booking Software
I have frequently used Calendly in the past, primarily for scheduling job interviews. What I appreciate about Calendly is that the free version still allows you to connect one calendar, book unlimited meetings, create a custom Calendly link, and send out automatic email notifications and reminders to invitees who book with you.
Source: blog.hubspot.com
neetoCal, a calendly alternative, is a commodity and is priced accordingly
neetoCal is not the first company to compete with Calendly. We are not even the second company to compete with Calendly. We are probably the 30th player in this crowded space. With so many players in the market, scheduling software seems like a commodity.
Source: blog.neeto.com
I've poked around a while ago at some Calendly alternatives (specifically was lo... | Hacker News
Calendly is only $12/month for their professional plan which saves you money if you even schedule only one meeting a month with it.
Source: news.ycombinator.com
The Best Alternatives to Doodle That You Should Check Out
Some may remember the Zoom.ai application. This app has been rebranded as CalendarHero, which resembles Calendly. You can suggest different meetings at different times and then share a link with invitees. Invitees can then indicate their preferred meeting time.
Source: trafft.com

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter thatโ€™s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers to monetize their newsletters. It is a service often favoured by readers because itโ€™s a convenient all-in-one solution for writing a successful podcast that...
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
What sะตts Substack apart is its sะตamlะตss intะตgration of contะตnt crะตation and subscription-basะตd monะตtization. Substackโ€™s usะตr-friะตndly intะตrfacะต, distribution tools, and support for various contะตnt formats make it a popular choice for indะตpะตndะตnt crะตators looking to connะตct dirะตctly with thะตir audiะตncะต and turn thะตir passion into a sustainablะต incomะต strะตam.
Source: www.geeksforgeeks.org
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
Source: www.authorityhacker.com
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
Like a few of the other platforms weโ€™ve looked at, Substack takes a cut of your earnings rather than charging a 10% platform fee.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
Any good Mailchimp alternatives?
My question for you is, what is keeping you from making $31 per month from your list? Are you using any feature that Substack (free until you get paid) can't handle?
Source: www.indiehackers.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Calendly might be a bit more popular than Substack. We know about 119 links to it since March 2021 and only 98 links to Substack. 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.

Calendly mentions (119)

  • AI Almost Sold Me a Subscription I Didn't Need
    Claude took a different path but landed in the same place. It suggested Calendly, Cal.com (open source), and SavvyCal as products I can subscribe to. When I explained that my work calendar was behind corporate SSO and I cannot use my personal computer to link calendars, it pivoted to bridging apps like Sync My Calendar and DAVx5 to push data from my Android to the cloud. It did mention Google Calendar's Booking... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Tools for Building a Modern JavaScript Booking Application
    However, if you are looking for an out-of-the-box solution with minimal technical involvement, it is reasonable to consider SaaS platforms such as Appointedd, Calendly, and Scheduly. These products may not provide the same level of flexibility and customization as the DHTMLX Booking widget, but they can be the right choice when speed and ease of deployment are the main priorities. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Calendly and Accessibility Problems
    Calendly is a scheduling platform. I decided to use Calendly on my homepage, giving someone the ability to choose a time and book a call. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year 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 / over 1 year ago
  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Calendly โ€” Calendly is the tool for connecting and scheduling meetings. The free plan provides 1 Calendar connection per user and Unlimited sessions. Desktop and Mobile apps are also offered. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

Substack mentions (98)

  • SpaceX to buy Cursor AI coding agent operator Anysphere for $60B
    The thing is, even the center of the road academics who refrain from such comparisons are noting the similarity. The MAGA movement meets the traditional defining characteristics of fascio. We can be rigid and say that only Mussoliniโ€˜s political movement can be properly be called fascist. But if we call Hitler and the Nazis fascists as well, then we open the door to any movement that meets the criteria. And Trump... - Source: Hacker News / 26 days ago
  • AMA: I'm Eric Ries (The Lean Startup) & Author of New Bestseller Incorruptible
    Yes, it's much different in other countries. See https://substack.com/@doks/p-198191751. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Show HN: Playing with genomics foundation model tutorial/explainer article
    Hi folks, I got curious about how genomics foundation models work and wrote an article explaining how they are trained + can be used. Feel free to use the following as learning resources if you wish to jump into ML for comp bio stuff, it may help: - Code: https://github.com/dillondesilva/nt-promoter-region-classification - Article/Tutorial:... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • CBP Directive 3340-049B: Border Search of Electronic Devices
    The vast majority of people from the developed world have no problems going through any border in the developed world. Your experience is probably representative, but that's not what we're talking about. My understanding is that de facto you have no rights at all in China. The Americans take this sort of thing very seriously, which is why it's in the news and talked about. Some guy gets imprisoned for 37... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • GitHub โ€“ DOS 1.0: Transcription of Tim Paterson's DOS Printouts
    There was never a serious claim DOS copied CP/M code. The controversy was mostly about legality of reimplementation of the API, plus some pretty vague claims about copying the design: https://substack.com/@nemanjatrifunovic/note/p-178321556. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Calendly and Substack, you can also consider the following products

Acuity Scheduling - Automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & payments using the worlds friendliest online scheduling software.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

Doodle - Make meetings happen. With Doodle, scheduling becomes quick and easy.

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

SimplyBook.me - Online scheduling software that offers you a beautiful customisable booking website (or widget to your own website) to accept bookings and payments with the possibility of selling products as well.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

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