ShareAvailability vs Calendly
One gives you plain text to paste anywhere. The other gives you a booking link. Here's when to use each.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ShareAvailability | Calendly |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Generates plain-text availability from your Google Calendar | Creates a booking page where people pick a time |
| Output | Text you copy and paste into any message | A link the other person clicks |
| Recipient needs account? | No | No |
| Reads Google Calendar? | Yes (read-only) | Yes |
| Auto-books the meeting? | No | Yes |
| Works in email, Slack, text, DMs? | Yes, everywhere | Link works anywhere but feels formal |
| Timezone handling | Auto-detects, converts to any timezone | Auto-converts for recipient |
| Group scheduling | No (designed for 1:1) | Yes |
| Automated reminders | No | Yes |
| CRM integrations | No | Yes (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) |
| Price | Free forever | Free (1 event type) / $10+/user/month |
| Best for | Coffee chats, interviews, networking, casual scheduling | Sales teams, consultants, high-volume schedulers |
How Each Tool Works
ShareAvailability
- Connect your Google Calendar (one click, read-only)
- Pick your date range and working hours
- Get a plain-text list of your free times
- Copy and paste it into whatever message you're writing
Mon (3/3): 9am-12pm, 2-5pm
Tue (3/4): 10am-12pm, 3-6pm
Wed (3/5): 9-11am, 1-4pm
Calendly
- Set your availability rules and event types
- Get a booking link (calendly.com/yourname)
- Share the link with the other person
- They click the link, pick a time, meeting is auto-created
https://calendly.com/jsmith/30min
The core difference: Calendly automates the entire booking process. ShareAvailability automates only the part where you figure out when you're free. With Calendly, the other person interacts with a scheduling page. With ShareAvailability, they interact with you.
When Calendly Is the Better Choice
Calendly is built for people who schedule external meetings as a core part of their job. If scheduling is a workflow, not a one-off, Calendly earns its price.
- Sales teams booking demos and discovery calls with inbound leads
- Consultants who need clients to self-book paid sessions
- Recruiting teams scheduling high-volume candidate interviews
- Customer success teams running onboarding and check-in calls
- Anyone who needs automated reminders, follow-ups, and CRM integrations
If you book 10+ meetings a week with people outside your company and need those meetings to auto-create calendar events, send reminders, and log to your CRM, Calendly is the right tool.
Pricing Comparison
ShareAvailability
Free
No paid tiers. No feature gates. No catches.
- ✓Unlimited availability generations
- ✓All features included
- ✓Multiple calendar support
- ✓Timezone conversion
- ✓Custom working hours per day
Calendly
$0 - $16+/user/mo
Free tier limited to 1 event type.
- ✓Free: 1 event type, basic features
- ✓Standard ($10/mo): unlimited event types, integrations
- ✓Teams ($16/mo): round-robin, collective scheduling
- ✓Enterprise: SSO, audit logs, advanced admin
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between ShareAvailability and Calendly?
Calendly is a booking platform. You send a link, the other person picks a time, and a meeting is auto-created. ShareAvailability generates a plain-text list of your available times from Google Calendar. You copy it, paste it into any message, and the other person replies with what works. No links, no booking pages, no accounts needed.
Is ShareAvailability a free Calendly alternative?
It solves a different problem. ShareAvailability is completely free with no paid tiers. If you want to share your availability as plain text instead of sending a booking link, it is the better fit. If you need automated booking workflows, reminders, and CRM integrations, Calendly is the better choice.
When should I use Calendly instead of ShareAvailability?
Use Calendly when you schedule a high volume of external meetings, need automated reminders and follow-ups, or want CRM integrations. The booking link workflow saves real time when you book 10+ meetings a week with people outside your company.
When should I use ShareAvailability instead of Calendly?
Use ShareAvailability for coffee chats, job interviews, networking, client calls, or any situation where sending a scheduling link feels too transactional. It gives you the same information as Calendly (your real free times from Google Calendar) but lets you share it as natural text in any message.
Can I use ShareAvailability with Google Calendar?
Yes. ShareAvailability connects to your Google Calendar with read-only access. It sees when you are busy and when you are free, but never reads event names, attendees, or details. Your data is fetched once and immediately discarded.
Does the other person need an account to see my availability?
No. They receive plain text in whatever message you send them. There is no link to click, no page to visit, and no account to create.
How much does ShareAvailability cost compared to Calendly?
ShareAvailability is completely free with no paid plans. Calendly has a free tier limited to one event type, with paid plans starting at $10 per user per month billed annually.
Related: ShareAvailability vs all scheduling tools | Full blog post: ShareAvailability vs Calendly | Calendly alternatives without booking links
Just need to share when you're free?
ShareAvailability connects to your Google Calendar and gives you a clean, copy-paste list of your available times. No booking links. No account for the other person. Free.
Try ShareAvailability free →