10 Best Doodle Poll Alternatives (2026)

Doodle used to be simple. You created a poll with a few time options, sent a link, and people voted. Done. Fifteen seconds, no account required, free.

Now Doodle costs $6.95/month (annual) or $14.95/month (monthly) for an ad-free experience with calendar sync. The free plan is cluttered with ads that your participants see when voting. The tool has expanded into booking pages, 1:1 scheduling, and sign-up sheets -- features nobody asked for from a polling tool.

If you just want to find a time that works for a group, you have better options. Some are free. Some are open source. And some solve the scheduling problem differently than polls altogether.

One important distinction before we start: group scheduling polls ("which of these 5 times works for everyone?") and booking links ("here's my availability, pick a time") are different use cases. Doodle is the first. Calendly is primarily the second. Some tools bridge both. I'll be clear about which is which.

Quick comparison

1. Rallly

Rallly is what Doodle used to be. Create a poll, propose dates and times, share a link, people vote. No account required to participate. No ads. No feature bloat. It's the most direct Doodle replacement available.

Pricing: Free (polls auto-delete after inactivity). Pro at $7/month for persistent polls, calendar invite emails on finalization, priority support, and early access to features. The Pro price is an early-adopter rate that locks in -- future price increases won't affect existing subscribers.

Rallly is open source (AGPL v3) and self-hostable. Timezone auto-detection works correctly -- a persistent pain point with older scheduling tools. Individual start/end times per option let you propose "Tuesday 2-4pm" alongside "Wednesday 10-11am." Real-time notifications, commenting, and 10+ language support are included.

Over 141,000 registered users and 300,000+ polls created. For the pure "find a time for a group" use case, Rallly is the best free alternative to Doodle by a wide margin.

Cost comparison: Rallly Pro costs $84/year. Doodle Pro costs $83.40/year ($6.95/month annual). Nearly identical price, but Rallly is ad-free even on the free plan, open source, and focused exclusively on polls without the booking page bloat.

2. Calendly (with Meeting Polls)

Calendly is primarily a booking link tool, but its Meeting Polls feature (available on all plans, including free) competes directly with Doodle. You propose up to 40 time options, share a poll link, participants vote, and Calendly auto-books the winning time and sends calendar invites.

Pricing: Free (1 active event type, unlimited 1:1 meetings, meeting polls included). Standard at $10/seat/month (annual). Teams at $16/seat/month with volume discounts -- seats 31-50 drop to $14.50/seat, and 301+ seats go as low as $12/seat.

The key advantage over Doodle: Calendly's polls sync with your calendar in real time, so proposed times are genuinely available. When finalized, it creates calendar events for all participants automatically. The free plan is ad-free -- a direct contrast with Doodle's ad-heavy free tier.

Where Calendly's polls differ from Doodle's: Calendly polls are designed for internal meeting coordination (find a time among colleagues), not external group events (pick a date for a 30-person dinner). They lack Doodle's "if need be" option and anonymous voting. For professional scheduling, that's fine. For casual group coordination, Rallly or Xoyondo is a better fit.

Best for: Professionals who need both 1:1 booking links (for clients and sales) and occasional group polls. If you'd use booking links and polls, Calendly covers both -- eliminating the need for Doodle entirely.

3. When2meet

When2meet is the minimal option. No account. No pricing. No ads. You create an event, drag across a time grid to mark your availability, share the link, and a heat map shows when the group overlaps. It's been around for years and hasn't changed much -- which is a feature, not a bug.

How the heat map works: Each time slot shows a color intensity based on how many participants are available. Dark green = everyone can make it. Light green = most people. White = almost nobody. You can click any slot to see exactly who is and isn't available. For groups of 5-20 people, the visual pattern recognition is faster than reading through individual Doodle responses.

Limitations: No calendar integration. No timezone support (participants must manually convert). Can't edit events once created. No reminders. Clunky on mobile (the drag-to-select interface wasn't designed for touchscreens). No "if need be" option. No password protection.

Best for: Students, casual groups, and anyone who wants the absolute simplest way to find overlapping free time. If "just make a grid" is all you need, When2meet delivers with zero friction.

4. SavvyCal

SavvyCal's signature feature is the recipient calendar overlay: when someone receives your scheduling link, they can overlay their own Google or Outlook calendar on your availability. Instead of mentally cross-referencing two calendars, they see their schedule next to yours and pick a time that works.

SavvyCal also includes meeting polls (propose multiple times, recipients vote) built into the platform.

Pricing: Free (1 scheduling link, limited features). Basic at $12/user/month (annual) with unlimited booking links and meetings. Premium at $20/user/month with payment collection via Stripe, custom branding, and team features.

Note: SavvyCal's pricing model changed -- it's now per-user, not per-link. Previous pricing of $10/month for 6 links has been replaced. Annual billing saves roughly 17-20%.

Why the overlay matters: The standard booking link experience forces the recipient to guess what's behind each available slot. "Does 2pm work for me? Let me check my calendar in another tab..." The overlay eliminates this friction entirely. Both parties' calendars are visible on the same screen.

Best for: Solo professionals and small teams who want a polished scheduling experience that reduces friction for the person booking. Particularly strong for client-facing scheduling where you want the recipient experience to be premium.

5. Xoyondo

Xoyondo is the "I just want Doodle polls back" choice. Three poll types (date/time, opinion, sign-up sheets), yes/no/maybe voting, confidential polls, and no participant limits. The free plan is genuinely generous -- unlimited polls, unlimited participants, with light ads.

Pricing: Free (full features, light ads). Premium at EUR 29/year (~$2.58/month). Business at EUR 49/user/year. Premium removes ads, adds password protection, and custom URLs. Business adds custom branding and team management.

No account required for voters. The interface is straightforward -- create a poll in under 30 seconds, share the link, done. It's the most traditional poll-style Doodle replacement, without the feature bloat that Doodle has accumulated.

Xoyondo vs. Doodle pricing:

Best for: Organizations that want the classic Doodle poll experience at a fraction of the cost. At EUR 29/year, Xoyondo Premium costs less than two months of Doodle Pro.

6. Crab Fit

Crab Fit is the open-source When2meet with actual calendar integration. Drag-to-select your availability on a grid, see a live heat map, and the tool syncs with Google or Outlook calendars to pre-fill your busy times. Timezone support is built in. Events auto-delete after 3 months of inactivity.

Pricing: Completely free. Open source (GPL v3), self-hostable.

An Android app is available. The UI is cleaner and more mobile-friendly than When2meet. If you like When2meet's simplicity but wish it had calendar sync and timezone support, Crab Fit is the direct upgrade.

Self-hosting use case: For organizations that can't send scheduling data to third-party services (healthcare, government, education with data residency requirements), Crab Fit's self-hosting option means your availability data stays on your infrastructure.

7. LettuceMeet

LettuceMeet is a modern When2meet with Google Calendar integration. Sign in with Google, and your existing calendar events appear on the availability grid as blocked time. The group overlay shows where everyone is free in a visual heat map.

Pricing: Completely free. No ads. No paid plan. No account required for participants -- only the organizer needs to sign in if they want calendar integration.

The UX advantage: LettuceMeet shows your Google Calendar events directly on the availability grid, so you don't accidentally mark busy times as available. This catches the common scheduling mistake where someone marks "Tuesday afternoon" as free, forgetting about the dentist appointment on their personal calendar.

Limitation: Google-only. No Outlook or iCal support. No automated reminders. No mobile app (responsive web only). If your group uses Google Calendar, LettuceMeet is the cleanest free option for visual availability matching. If anyone uses Outlook, look at Crab Fit instead.

8. Reclaim.ai

Reclaim is not a polling tool. It's an AI calendar assistant that manages your entire schedule -- meetings, focus time, habits, and tasks. Its scheduling links (Team Links) automatically check team availability without requiring a poll.

Pricing: Lite (free, 1 user, 1 scheduling link, limited features). Starter at $8/seat/month (annual, up to 10 seats) for unlimited habits, smart meetings, and task integrations. Business at $12/seat/month (up to 100 seats) adds team analytics, admin controls, and priority support. Enterprise is custom-priced.

Annual billing saves 29% compared to monthly. The Starter plan at $8/seat is cheaper than both Calendly Standard ($10) and SavvyCal Basic ($12).

How it replaces Doodle: Instead of sending a poll asking "when can we meet?", Reclaim's Smart Meetings automatically find optimal times across all participants' calendars. It considers focus time blocks, meeting density, travel time, and personal preferences. The meeting appears on everyone's calendar at the best available slot -- no voting required.

The deeper problem it solves: If you send 5+ Doodle polls per week, your scheduling overhead is a symptom of calendar chaos. Reclaim eliminates the need for polls entirely by managing availability proactively. It automatically blocks focus time, reschedules lower-priority meetings when conflicts arise, and balances your meeting load across the week.

Best for: Knowledge workers whose scheduling problem is calendar overload, not just group coordination.

9. Cal.com

Cal.com is the open-source Calendly alternative with full self-hosting support. Free for individuals (unlimited event types, multiple calendar connections, workflows, webhooks). Teams at $12/seat/month.

Important note: Cal.com does NOT currently have Doodle-style scheduling polls. There's an open GitHub feature request (Issue #21848, filed June 2025), but it hasn't been implemented. Cal.com's group scheduling works through "Collective Events" that automatically check team availability -- a booking link approach, not a voting poll.

If you want open-source booking links (Calendly-style), Cal.com is excellent. Self-hosting means complete data ownership -- important for GDPR compliance, healthcare scheduling, or any context where sending calendar data to a third party is problematic. If you specifically need group polls, look at Rallly instead.

The open-source scheduling stack: Rallly for group polls + Cal.com for booking links covers both use cases with fully open-source, self-hostable tools. Total cost: $0 (self-hosted) or $7/month (Rallly Pro) + $12/seat/month (Cal.com Teams).

10. Doodle (the original)

Doodle still works. The poll creation flow is polished after 20+ years. Calendar sync (Google, Outlook, iCal), Zoom/Teams/Webex integration, and booking pages are included on paid plans.

Pricing: Free (ads, limited features). Pro at $6.95/month (annual) or $14.95/month (monthly) for a single user. Team at $8.95/user/month (annual) or $19.95/user/month (monthly) for 2-100 users.

If you're already paying for Doodle and it works for your workflow, there's no urgency to switch. The alternatives on this list are for people who find Doodle's free plan too ad-heavy, its pricing too steep for a polling tool, or its feature bloat distracting from the core "find a time" use case.

When Doodle is still the right choice: Enterprise teams that need Zoom/Teams integration, custom branding, admin controls, and SSO. Doodle's Team plan at $8.95/user offers these features in a way that Rallly and Xoyondo don't yet match.

Three types of scheduling tools

Understanding which type you need prevents buying the wrong tool:

Poll tools (find a time by voting): Rallly, Xoyondo, Doodle. You propose specific times, people vote yes/no/maybe. Best for one-off group events: "When should we hold the team offsite?" The organizer picks the winning time.

Availability grids (find overlapping free time): When2meet, Crab Fit, LettuceMeet. You mark when you're free on a grid, a heat map shows overlap. Best for recurring group coordination: "When can we schedule our weekly study group?" More flexible than polls because you see all possibilities, not just the organizer's proposed times.

Booking links (share your availability): Calendly, Cal.com, SavvyCal. You share a link, people book a slot. Best for 1:1 meetings with external contacts: "Book a 30-minute demo with me." Some (Calendly, SavvyCal) also offer polls.

AI calendar (automated scheduling): Reclaim, Motion. AI manages your schedule and finds meeting times automatically. Different problem entirely -- solves calendar overload, not just group coordination.

Decision matrix

FAQ

What's the best free Doodle alternative?
For polls: Rallly (no ads, no account required, open source). For availability grids: When2meet (zero friction) or Crab Fit (with calendar sync and timezone support). For booking links with polls: Calendly free plan. All three are completely free with no feature gates that matter for basic scheduling.

Why did Doodle get so expensive?
Doodle expanded from a simple poll tool into a scheduling platform (booking pages, 1:1 scheduling, sign-up sheets, Zoom integration). The pricing reflects the broader product, but most users only want the poll feature they originally signed up for. At $6.95/month for polls alone, Rallly ($7/month with more features) or Xoyondo (EUR 29/year) offer better value.

Should I use a poll tool or a booking link tool?
Polls are for groups ("when can 8 people meet next week?"). Booking links are for 1:1 ("pick a time on my calendar"). If you do both, Calendly or SavvyCal handles both use cases in one tool. If you only need polls, Rallly or Xoyondo is simpler and cheaper. If you only need booking links, Cal.com is the open-source option.

Is Cal.com a Doodle replacement?
No. Cal.com is a Calendly replacement (booking links, not polls). The poll feature is on their roadmap but not yet built. For open-source polls, use Rallly. For an open-source stack that covers both polls and booking, combine Rallly + Cal.com.

Do I even need a scheduling tool?
If you send more than 3 "when works for everyone?" messages per week, yes. Each poll eliminates 5-10 minutes of back-and-forth across all participants. For a 10-person group, that's 50-100 minutes saved per scheduling event. Start with a free tool -- Rallly for polls, When2meet for availability grids -- and upgrade only if you need features like calendar sync or team management.

What about Microsoft Bookings?
If your organization uses Microsoft 365, Bookings is included in Business Basic ($6/user/month) and above. It handles 1:1 and group booking but lacks Doodle-style voting polls. It's a competitor to Calendly, not Doodle. Useful if you're already paying for M365 and don't want another tool.

The right Doodle alternative depends on your use case. For simple group polls, Rallly or Xoyondo replaces Doodle at a fraction of the cost (or free). For 1:1 meeting booking, Calendly or Cal.com. For calendar chaos, Reclaim. Browse our full scheduling tools directory or compare productivity tools for teams.