WPThumbs
Themes Plugins By purpose By industry Best-of lists Fix it guides
Free Plugin by Bookly v28.1

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System

Appointment booking system for WordPress — schedule appointments, manage calendars, send reminders, take payments. Start booking today!

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System

The facts

Rating
4.4★ from 575
Active installs
60k+
Price
Free
Last updated
25 Aug 2026
Added
Oct 2014
Requires WP
3.7
Tested up to
WP 7.1
Requires PHP
5.3.7
Downloads
3,932,823

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Bookly is a free WordPress plugin designed for online scheduling and appointment booking. It enables businesses to accept bookings directly through their website, automating the reservation process and managing appointments efficiently. The plugin is suitable for various types of businesses, including hair salons, photography services, and transportation companies.

With Bookly, customers can easily book appointments on any device by selecting services and available time slots. They receive email and SMS notifications regarding their bookings, which helps reduce no-shows and improves customer experience. The plugin is user-friendly and does not require coding knowledge for setup.

Best for: This plugin is best for small to medium-sized businesses looking to streamline their appointment booking process.

What it does well

  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • Responsive booking form for all devices
  • Automates appointment notifications via email and SMS
  • Easy to set up without coding experience
  • Suitable for various types of businesses

Where it falls short

  • Online payments and unlimited services are not available in the free version
  • Additional features require the Bookly Pro add-on

Verdict

Bookly provides a straightforward solution for businesses needing an online booking system. Its free version is a good starting point, but additional features may require investment in the Pro add-on.

From the developer

Bookly's own description of Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System, lightly tidied.

Bookly is a free scheduling plugin for WordPress that allows accepting online bookings on your website and automating your reservation system. Manage your booking calendar, services, client base, save time and money – all in one place. Join more than 70,000 businesses all around the world that have already automated their online booking system!

Bookly is designed to grow your online sales and make easy appointments. This is a one-stop shop for any businesses from hair salons or photography to wealth management and transportation. You can start easily with the free version of Bookly and once your business scales you can operate ultimate scheduling software with the paid version available with the Bookly Pro add-on, and various add-ons.

PLEASE NOTE that online payments, unlimited number of staff members and services, and ability to install add-ons are NOT AVAILABLE in the free version. If you would like to find out more about features available with the Bookly PRO add-on, please check our demo.

Bookly Homepage | Pro Features (Bookly Pro add-on required) |
Add-ons (Bookly Pro add-on required) | Bookly Help Center | Demo

1. Benefits for the customers

Online Scheduling with Bookly couldn’t be any easier for your customers. The booking form is perfectly responsive on any device, and all that customers need to do is pick their desired service and time, provide you with a few personal details, and voilà – it’s done! Your customers will receive an email or SMS notification before the appointment, and it will be automatically added to your Appointment Booking Calendar.

1.1 When you install Bookly on your website, your customers will be able to:

– quickly schedule and book appointment without having to directly contact you or your employee;
– make a booking on any device, since Bookly design is fully responsive;
select the category, the service, and employee to perform the service;
define the dates and time that work best for them and the booking system will offer only available time slots;
– fill in the minimum amount of contact details;
– get an email and SMS notification confirming their online reservations;
get SMS reminder about an upcoming appointment.

1.2 Bookly Key Benefits

  • Saves time – no action necessary after booking is confirmed
  • Friendly booking interface – easy navigation
  • Minimal data input required
  • Responsive booking form – works on any device
  • Never forget a booked appointment with SMS and email notifications

2. Benefits for the business owner

No coding experience required to set up Bookly. We did our best to make it as easy and quick as possible to install and start using Bookly free scheduling software on your WordPress website. And with our Bookly Pro add-on and other add-ons, you will bring online scheduling experience for you and your customers to the next level.

You will be able to navigate the Booking Admin Panel like a pro, approve and adjust your appointments, and automate your online scheduling to concentrate on the most important part of your business – serving your customers and grow sales.

You can change the layout and modify the appearance of the booking form to match your business, website, and branding, manage your services and the customers’ list and send email and SMS notifications – all in one place.

You can use a wide range of Bookly features to configure your Appointment Scheduler and manage your bookings effectively:

– easily and effectively manage your Customer list and Appointment Calendar online from the Admin panel;
– add an unlimited number of clients to your searchable and sortable Customer list;
– add new customer directly from the calendar;
– setup and customize SMS settings right from Bookly backend;
notify customers and a service provider about approved, pending and canceled appointments via SMS and Email notifications;
– view calendar in monthly/weekly/daily format;
– filter, search and sort booking list;
– automatically approve or cancel appointments.

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

Alternatives

Other plugins for taking bookings.

MetForm

MetForm

93

Elementor forms builder to create WordPress forms like contact form, booking form, feedback form, survey form,...

Free 600k+ installs 4.7★ (504)
Calculated Fields Form

Calculated Fields Form: complete WordPress form builder for contact,booking,quote,payment forms & more,wit...

Free 40k+ installs 4.9★ (970)
Appointment Booking Plugin

Appointment booking plugin for WordPress. Let clients self-schedule 24/7, accept payments at booking, and redu...

Free 100k+ installs 4.9★ (99)
Simply Schedule Appointments

Unlimited appointments, booking calendars, and notifications. Powerful appointment booking plugin and booking...

Free 50k+ installs 5★ (155)
Booking Calendar

WP Booking Calendar plugin for full-day bookings, time-slot appointments, rentals & events. Accept booking...

Free 40k+ installs 4.7★ (653)