Bookings is built into Microsoft 365. SavvyCal works with it and everything else.
Microsoft Bookings is a good fit when everyone you schedule for is on Microsoft 365 and Outlook is the only calendar you need checked. It’s already in many Microsoft 365 plans, and it works inside Outlook and Teams.
SavvyCal is for people whose week doesn’t live in one calendar: a work calendar in Microsoft 365, a personal one in iCloud or Google, or clients and teammates outside your organization. It checks all of them before it offers a time, and the people booking can overlay their own calendar to find one that works.
If you stay on Outlook, SavvyCal still adds every booking to your Outlook calendar, with a Teams link when the link creates events on a work or school calendar.
How SavvyCal works with Outlook and Teams Outlook scheduling tools compared, including BookingsA fundamentally different scheduling experience
Every calendar you use
SavvyCal: Check Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Google, iCloud, and Fastmail calendars together, as many as you connect.
Microsoft Bookings: Availability comes from your Microsoft 365 calendar. Microsoft’s docs don’t describe adding a Google or iCloud calendar.
Fair round robin
SavvyCal: Share meetings in strict turns, or by priority, with daily, weekly, or monthly limits for each host.
Microsoft Bookings: When customers pick “Anyone”, Bookings assigns a staff member at random, and Microsoft says there’s no way to even out or cap assignments.
Calendar overlay
SavvyCal: People booking lay their own calendar over yours and spot a mutual time at a glance.
Microsoft Bookings: People booking check their own calendar in another tab.
Preferred times
SavvyCal: Rank your availability, so people see your best times first.
Microsoft Bookings: Every open slot looks the same to the person booking.
More than one-on-one
SavvyCal: Personal links can be one-on-one, collective, round robin, or group.
Microsoft Bookings: Bookings with me, the personal page, is for one-on-one meetings. Team scheduling needs a shared booking page.
SavvyCal and Microsoft Bookings at a glance (November 2026)
| Feature | SavvyCal | Microsoft Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Basic $12 per user per month, or $10 billed annually. Premium $20, or $200 per user per year. Free to sign up; links need a paid plan | Included in many Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans, including Business Basic, Standard, and Premium, and E1, E3, and E5. Not sold on its own |
| Calendars checked for conflicts | Every calendar you connect: Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Google, iCloud, Fastmail | The staff member’s Microsoft 365 calendar. Staff outside your organization can’t share free/busy |
| Personal booking page | One-on-one, collective, round robin, and group links | Bookings with me, for one-on-one meetings |
| Team booking page | Round robin and collective links on Basic | Shared booking pages, up to 100 staff |
| How round robin picks a host | Strict turns, or the first free host by priority | At random among available staff, with no way to even out or cap assignments |
| Limits per day, week, or month | Yes, per link, counted per host | Not stated |
| Minimum notice and how far ahead | Yes | Yes (minimum and maximum lead time) |
| Preferred times | Yes | No |
| People booking can overlay their calendar | Yes | No |
| Hosts in different time zones | Each host’s hours are in their own time zone | All staff hours are in the business time zone |
| Teams links | Yes, on a Microsoft 365 work or school calendar | Yes |
| Taking payment at booking | Stripe, on Premium | No payment support |
| SMS notifications | No | Yes, with a Teams Premium add-on, in some countries |
| People booking need an account | No | No, unless an admin requires an account in your organization |
| On-premises Exchange | No | No (cloud only; not supported in federated or hybrid setups) |
Microsoft Bookings details are from Microsoft’s Bookings documentation as of November 2026.
When is Microsoft Bookings the better fit?
Stick with Bookings if everyone you schedule for is on Microsoft 365, your Outlook calendar is the only one that matters, and you’d rather not pay for another tool. Bookings is also the better choice if you need SMS notifications, which SavvyCal doesn’t send, or if your IT team wants scheduling to stay inside Microsoft 365.
How do I switch from Bookings?
- 1
Connect your Outlook calendar. Sign up and connect your Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com calendar. If your organization only lets admins approve new apps, an admin approves SavvyCal once. How SavvyCal works with Outlook
- 2
Connect your other calendars. Add your Google, iCloud, or Fastmail calendars, so they count as busy too.
- 3
Recreate your services as links. Create a link for each Bookings service, and choose Microsoft Teams as the location.
- 4
Replace your Bookings link. Swap the Bookings link in your email signature and on your website for your SavvyCal link.
Existing Bookings appointments stay on your Outlook calendar.
Hosts love it. Their guests do too.
I use SavvyCal so my customers can easily compare my availability to their own. Making their lives a little easier is a treat I’m happy to pay for.
Matt Wensing
Founder of Summit
SavvyCal makes me feel better about finding time to meet with clients, partners, and colleagues. It goes beyond similar tools by removing the awkwardness of imposing your schedule upon others.
François Lanthier Nadeau
CEO of Snipcart
Love the fact that those booking meetings can overlay their calendar to easily find a time. Very easy to make multiple calendar links and access them via the Chrome Extension!
Ingrid Ødegaard
Founder of Whereby
Questions, answered
Something we didn’t cover? Drop us a line.
Does Microsoft Bookings only check one calendar?
Bookings checks the free/busy of each staff member’s Microsoft 365 calendar, and Microsoft’s docs don’t describe adding a Google or iCloud calendar. Staff outside your Microsoft 365 organization can’t share free/busy with Bookings at all. SavvyCal checks every calendar you connect: Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Google, iCloud, and Fastmail.
Microsoft: Add staff to BookingsIs Microsoft Bookings free?
It’s included in many Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans, including Business Basic, Standard, and Premium, and E1, E3, and E5, and isn’t sold on its own, as of November 2026. SavvyCal Basic is $12 per user per month, or $10 billed annually.
Can SavvyCal create Microsoft Teams links like Bookings does?
Yes, when a link creates events on a Microsoft 365 work or school calendar. There’s nothing separate to connect. On a Google, iCloud, or Fastmail calendar, use Zoom or a standing Teams link instead.
How Teams links workDoes Microsoft Bookings share meetings evenly across my team?
No. When customers choose “Anyone”, Bookings assigns an available staff member at random, and Microsoft’s FAQ says there’s no way to ensure equal distribution or cap each person’s appointments. SavvyCal’s round robin can book in strict turns, or by priority, with limits for each host.
Microsoft: Shared Bookings FAQDo people booking with me need a Microsoft account?
Not with either tool. Bookings can be set to require an account in your organization; SavvyCal never asks the person booking for an account.
Does either one work with Exchange on my own servers?
No. Bookings is cloud only and isn’t supported in federated or hybrid setups, and SavvyCal connects Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com calendars, not Exchange servers. Calendly supports Exchange 2013, 2016, and 2019.
Outlook scheduling tools comparedIs SavvyCal worth paying for if Bookings is included?
If Outlook is your only calendar and one-on-one meetings are most of what you book, probably not. SavvyCal earns its price when you need other calendars checked, meetings shared fairly across a team, or a booking page that’s easier for the person on the other end.