Is there a free scheduling app?
Short answerYes, several vendors list a free tier. Zoho Bookings lists a forever free plan for one user [1]. Square lists a Free plan at no monthly fee per location, charging processing fees instead [2]. Homebase lists a free Basic plan for one location with up to ten employees, aimed at shift scheduling [3].
The explanation
The three differ in purpose. Zoho's free tier is appointment booking for a solo user [1]. Square's is booking tied to its payment processing, with unlimited staff calendars and online booking site listed on the free plan [2]. Homebase's is employee shift scheduling and time tracking, which is a different job from scheduling customer visits [3].
Free tiers earn their keep elsewhere. Square's free plan makes money from card processing fees, and its cancellation policy and no-show fee feature is listed on the paid Plus plan [2]. Zoho's paid plans add features and users [1]. Read what is excluded, not only what is included.
For a field service business, check what is missing: quotes, invoices, routes, recurring plans and crew dispatch. A free booking tool can be right for a solo operator with simple appointments, and wrong the moment a second truck joins.
What to watch for
- Choosing a free tool and later paying more in processing fees than a flat plan would cost.
- Mixing up employee shift scheduling with customer appointment scheduling.
How Apex does it
In progress
Part of this is built. The rest is not. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex has no free plan; it is priced by users from $59 a month, with a 14 day trial that needs no card. Its design covers customer booking, schedule views and month-to-month cancelling, with several pieces still in progress.
- BK01Online booking page (hosted)(Built, rolling out)
- SC02Agenda / list view(Built)
- AD09Month-to-month, cancel in-app(In progress)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
Sources
- Zoho Bookings pricing page (read 2026-10-07)
- Square Appointments pricing page (read 2026-10-07)
- Homebase pricing page (read 2026-10-07)
Where this question comes from: owners type it, or a close variant, into search boxes. It was returned by public search suggestions (Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo) when we collected them on 2026-10-06. We do not have search volumes.