Cal.com Has a Free API That Lets You Build Scheduling Into Any App

#scheduling #api #opensource #webdev

Cal.com is the open-source Calendly. Embed scheduling in your app, connect calendars, set availability rules, and handle time zones. Self-host or use cloud.

Quick Start (Embed)

<!-- Embed booking widget -->
<cal-embed calLink="username/30min"></cal-embed>
<script src="https://app.cal.com/embed/embed.js"></script>

API Usage

// Create a booking via API
const response = await fetch('https://api.cal.com/v1/bookings', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer cal_key', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    eventTypeId: 1,
    start: '2026-04-01T10:00:00Z',
    end: '2026-04-01T10:30:00Z',
    name: 'John Doe',
    email: 'john@example.com',
    timeZone: 'America/New_York'
  })
})

API Endpoints

GET  /v1/event-types         # list event types
GET  /v1/availability        # check availability
POST /v1/bookings            # create booking
GET  /v1/bookings            # list bookings
PATCH /v1/bookings/:id       # reschedule
DELETE /v1/bookings/:id      # cancel

Key Features

Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar sync
Custom availability rules
Buffer time between meetings
Team scheduling (round-robin, collective)
Webhooks for booking events
Embed in React, Vue, or plain HTML

Free Tier

1 user (self-host: unlimited)
Unlimited event types
Calendar integrations
Embed widget

Cal.com vs Calendly

Feature	Cal.com	Calendly
Open source	Yes	No
Self-host	Yes	No
API	Full REST	Limited
Free tier	1 user	1 event type
Embed	Full control	Branded

The Bottom Line

Cal.com gives you Calendly's features with full API access and self-hosting. If you need scheduling in your SaaS, the API makes integration simple.

Need to automate data collection or build custom scrapers? Check out my Apify actors for ready-made tools, or email spinov001@gmail.com for custom solutions.

DEV Community