Compare booking apps

AppBuild.diy compared with 5 providers and the option to vibe code your own app: prices, fees, contracts and whether you get your own branded app.

Best for: booking & appointments businesses that want their own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with 0% AppBuild commission on paid plans.

Your business. Your own app.

A look inside AppBuild: branded app starter, contact and directions example, loyalty rewards example, push notification example.

See booking & appointments apps

AppBuild app example showing branded app starter — AppBuild booking & appointments app comparison — Branded app starter

AppBuild app example showing contact and directions example — AppBuild booking & appointments app comparison — Contact and directions example

AppBuild app example showing push notification example — AppBuild booking & appointments app comparison — Push notification example

Providers in this comparison

Calendly
Scheduling links
Works alongside AppBuild
Setmore
Appointment scheduling
SimplyBook.me
Online booking system
Booksy
Booking app + marketplace
Fresha
Booking software + marketplace
Vibe coding
Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools

Price and features at a glance

Provider	Type	Starting price (as published)	Your own branded app	Order / booking fees	Contract / trial
AppBuild.diy	Branded app builder for local businesses	Free (up to 10 users); $49/month or $299/year; $99/month or $499/year	Yes — App Store, Google Play and web	0% AppBuild commission on paid plans; Stripe card fees apply	No contract; free plan
Vibe coding	Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.	Bespoke branding and features; store packaging and submission require additional setup	Depends on your chosen payment provider and services; processing fees still apply	Depends on the tools and services you choose; free tiers may have limits
CalendlyWorks alongside AppBuild	Scheduling links	Free (1 event type); Standard $10/seat/mo billed monthly (17% off annual)	No (booking page)	No booking fee stated; payments via Stripe/PayPal	Free plan; Enterprise from $15k/yr
Setmore	Appointment scheduling	Free up to 4 users; Pro $5/user/mo annual or $12/user/mo monthly	No (branded booking page; Setmore app for staff)	None stated; Square, Stripe, PayPal, LawPay integrations	Free plan; 30-day refund window on Pro
SimplyBook.me	Online booking system	Free (50 bookings/mo); Basic £10.90/mo annual or £12.90/mo monthly	Client app is a PWA, not in app stores; own name/logo/colours on Premium (£45.80/mo annual)	"No booking fees or transaction charges"; extra bookings $4 per 100	14-day trial, no card; cancel anytime
Booksy	Booking app + marketplace	$29.99/mo + tax; extra team members $20/mo	Shared (Booksy marketplace app)	Boost: 30% one-time fee on first visit of a new client (max $100); card 2.49 to 2.69% + per-transaction fee	14-day free trial, no card; no commitment
Fresha	Booking software + marketplace	Independent £14.95/mo; Team £9.95 per team member/mo	Shared (Fresha marketplace app)	Marketplace new clients 20% (min £4); online payments 1.40% + £0.25	7-day trial; no minimum commitment

How AppBuild differs

vs Calendly: Calendly gives a booking link; AppBuild gives a store-listed app with push and loyalty, and can embed Calendly inside it.
vs Setmore: Setmore's free and Pro plans give a booking page; AppBuild publishes the business's own app on iOS and Google Play.
vs SimplyBook.me: SimplyBook's client app is a PWA with full branding on its £45.80/mo Premium plan; AppBuild ships a PWA plus native store apps from its free plan.
vs Booksy: Booksy Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit (up to $100); AppBuild takes zero commission.
vs Fresha: Fresha charges 20% on marketplace new clients and sells loyalty as a £49.95 add-on; AppBuild includes loyalty and takes no commission.

Where AppBuild is strong

Your own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with every feature for up to 10 users.
Bookings, reminders and repeat-customer offers without per-booking fees.

Where others may suit you better

No job dispatch, quoting or invoicing tools for field teams.
No marketplace listing to bring in new customers.

Key features by provider

Provider	Market	Key features	Source
Calendly	US, UK, global	Booking pages, calendar sync, reminders, automations, payments, round-robin (Teams $16/seat/mo)	calendly.com
Setmore	US, UK, global	Booking page, email reminders, SMS reminders and remove Setmore branding on Pro	setmore.com
SimplyBook.me	UK, US, global	Booking site/widget, providers, custom features, SMS/WhatsApp credits	simplybook.me, help.simplybook.me
Booksy	US, UK	Booking, client management, reminders, gift cards, marketing	biz.booksy.com
Fresha	UK, US, global	Scheduling, POS, client management, inventory, marketing; loyalty add-on £49.95	fresha.com
Vibe coding	Depends on your chosen tools	Full design freedom. Ordering, bookings, loyalty, permissions and integrations must be built, tested and maintained. Native push, certificates and store submissions need additional technical work or a service such as AppBuild.	lovable.dev, claude.com, base44.com

Gaps in published data: none for this section; all five rows priced from own pages.

Build from scratch with AI, or start with AppBuild?

Lovable, Claude, Base44 and similar tools are a genuine alternative in any industry. A bespoke build gives you more control over the design and business logic. AppBuild offers a shorter route to launch for supported business needs, with ready-made capabilities you can add without building each one yourself.

Consideration	AppBuild.diy	Vibe coding
Time to market	Start with ready-made pages and features; configure your content and services. Store review still takes time.	A prototype can be quick; production testing, payments, permissions and store preparation add work.
Costs	Published plan price, plus applicable payment processing, store-account and third-party service costs.	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.
Flexibility & ease of use	Add supported capabilities such as loyalty, bookings and ordering through the builder; less freedom than a fully custom product.	Bespoke layouts and logic; each new capability needs implementation, testing and ongoing maintenance.
Push & app stores	AppBuild provides push and app infrastructure, subject to setup requirements and store approval.	Native push certificates, signing and store submissions are technical work, not automatically solved by generating a website.
Ongoing responsibility	Shared business-app framework and managed infrastructure; you manage your business content and settings.	You are responsible for security, data access, updates and the services behind your app.

These approaches can work together: build your bespoke experience with AI, then use AppBuild to wrap your app and add supported native capabilities such as push notifications. Wrapping does not automatically add AppBuild’s business features to your custom app.

Tool pricing and allowances vary: Lovable pricing · Claude pricing · Base44 pricing. Check the services your project actually needs.

AppBuild pricing

Plan	Price	What you get
Free	$0/month	Up to 10 app users. Your own app on iPhone, Android and the web.
Business	$49/month or $299/year	Up to 1,000 app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.
Business Pro	$99/month or $499/year	Unlimited app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.

Card processing fees are charged by Stripe on top of any plan and are not set by AppBuild. Full details on the pricing page.

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Last checked 7 October 2026. Competitor prices come from their own public pages, linked below each table. Where a price isn't published we say so. Spotted something out of date? Tell us via support.