Most "free" scheduling tools are free until the moment you need them to finish the job. Here's what each one actually gives you without paying, and who each one is best for.
All five tools below will help a group find a time for free. The differences show up at the edges: whether the organizer needs an account, whether your group sees ads, how it feels on a phone, and whether you can send the calendar invite once a time is picked.
A quick note up front: we make Commonhour, so we're not neutral. We've tried to be fair anyway, and each tool gets a section on where it does well.
| Commonhour | Doodle | Rallly | When2Meet | Crab Fit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account needed to create | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ads | None | Yes, on the free tier | None | None | None |
| Calendar invite once a time is picked | Free | Paid plans only | Pro only | Not available | Not available |
| Marking times on a phone | Tap each time | Tap each option | Tap each option | Drag across a grid | Drag across a grid |
| Best-time summary | Ranked list, best time on top | Vote counts per option | Vote counts per option | Shaded grid | Heat map |
| Free-tier limits worth knowing | 12 responses without an account | 10 time options per poll | Polls kept 30 days after their last date | None listed | Events deleted after 3 months without activity |
Based on each tool's public site and pricing pages as of September 2026. Plans change, so check the tool's own pricing page before you rely on a detail.
Propose some dates and a time window, share one link, and people tap the times that work. The plan ranks every option, with the best time on top and a note of who's missing. When you pick a time, you get a Google Calendar link, an Outlook link, or an .ics file, with everyone who's free already added as a guest. That last step is free on every plan. There's also an all-day mode for picking whole days.
Worth knowing: without an account a plan takes up to 12 responses; a free account removes that limit. People can only answer "free" or "not free", with no "if need be" option.
The best-known name in the category, with the deepest set of business features: calendar sync, integrations, and admin controls for teams. If your company already pays for Doodle, it's a solid choice.
Worth knowing: the free tier needs an account to create a poll, caps polls at 10 time options, and shows ads to you and everyone you invite. Calendar invites are on paid plans. Commonhour vs. Doodle.
A clean, ad-free, open-source meeting poll. People can answer "if need be", which helps when a time is possible but not ideal, and you can host it yourself if that matters to you.
Worth knowing: finalizing a date and sending the invite are part of the paid Pro plan, and free polls are kept for 30 days after their last date. Commonhour vs. Rallly.
The long-running classic: no account, no ads, and a grid you paint to show when you're free. It's fast on a laptop and familiar to a lot of students.
Worth knowing: dragging across the grid is fiddly on a phone, you read the best time off a shaded grid yourself, and there's no calendar invite at the end. Commonhour vs. When2Meet.
An open-source take on the When2Meet idea with a more modern design, a live heat map, automatic time zones and an Android app. It's free and funded by donations.
Worth knowing: events are deleted after three months without activity, and like When2Meet it stops at showing you the overlap. You announce the time yourself.
What's the best free alternative to Doodle?
It depends on what you use Doodle for. If you want a clean poll without ads, Rallly and Commonhour both fit. If you mainly want to send the calendar invite once a time is picked, Commonhour does that for free, while Doodle and Rallly keep it on paid plans.
Do any of these tools need an account to respond?
No. Commonhour, Rallly, When2Meet and Crab Fit let people respond without an account. Doodle lets people respond without one too, but the organizer needs an account to create a poll.
Which free scheduling tool works best on a phone?
Tools where you tap each time that works are easier on a small screen than tools where you drag across a grid. Commonhour and Rallly are tap-based. When2Meet's drag grid is the hardest to use on a phone.
Is this comparison biased toward Commonhour?
We make Commonhour, so read it with that in mind. We've tried to be fair: every tool here has a section on what it does well, and we point out where another tool would suit you better.
More questions? See the full Commonhour FAQ.