Online payments and deposits
Paid up front, in full or by deposit, into your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie. No commission.
Comparison
CaliDiary vs Bookly
CaliDiary and Bookly are both WordPress booking plugins. CaliDiary includes card payments, invoices, tax rates, group bookings, events with tickets, calendar sync and up to 3 locations in its Solo plan, at a lower yearly price than the Bookly plans that include them.
Facts about Bookly checked on , from its own public pages (sources below).
Side by side
| Topic | CaliDiary | Bookly |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest paid plan, 1 website | Solo: $39.99 a year, or $3.99 a month | Pro: $39 a year in an "Autumn sale" (list price $99); no monthly option [1] |
| Card payments (Stripe, PayPal) | Solo, $39.99 a year, with your own account and no fee from us | Business plan: $69 a year in the sale (list $129) [1] |
| Mollie payments | Solo | Ultimate plan: $159 a year in the sale (list $199) [1] |
| Deposits | Solo | Business plan [1] |
| Invoices and tax | Invoices, credit notes and named tax rates on Solo; one tax rate on Free | Ultimate plan [1] |
| Group bookings | Every plan, including Free | Business plan [1] |
| Events, ticket types and waiting list | Solo | Ultimate plan [1] |
| Calendar sync: Google, Outlook and Apple | All three on Solo | Google from Pro, Outlook from Business, Apple on Ultimate [1] |
| Locations | Solo up to 3; Pro unlimited | Business plan [1] |
| Websites per licence | Pro covers 3 websites for $99.99 a year | 1 per plan; multi-site bundles sold separately [1] |
| Free version | No booking limit; group bookings, requests you approve, free bookings and bank transfer details included | 1 staff member and 5 services; online payments not included [2] |
Checked on 5 November 2026. Prices are in US dollars and change; follow the sources for the latest.
Your data stays with you, on every plan
CaliDiary keeps bookings and your customers' details in your own WordPress website's database. They never reach our servers, so we cannot see them, share them or sell them. Your customers' trust stays with you.
For your own CaliDiary account, we keep only what we need to sell you a plan and help you, and we do not sell your personal data. Where every piece of data lives · Privacy policy
More included in Solo
CaliDiary Solo costs $39.99 a year, or $3.99 a month. It includes card payments and deposits through your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie account, numbered invoices and credit notes with named tax rates, group bookings, events with ticket types and QR tickets, a waiting list, two-way sync with Google, Outlook and Apple calendars, video meeting links and up to 3 locations. On Bookly's pricing page, these are spread across its Pro, Business and Ultimate plans (see the table and sources above).
Built for professional services
CaliDiary was designed with solicitors, accountants, advisers, clinics and other professional firms in mind:
- Requests you approve on every plan: the time is held while you run a conflict check or make sure you're the right fit.
- Free and paid services side by side: a free first call books straight through with no payment step, next to paid consultations.
- Documents uploaded with the booking on Solo and Pro, stored privately on your own website with hidden location data removed from photos.
- Invoices with VAT made on your own site, numbered without gaps, and never changed once issued.
One licence, three websites
CaliDiary Pro covers 3 websites for $99.99 a year, with unlimited people and locations, staff sign-in, branch managers and courses. An extra website can be added to either paid plan.
Accessible and private by design
The booking form is built and tested to WCAG 2.2 AA at every release: it works by keyboard, with screen readers and in dark mode. Bookings, customers' details and uploaded files stay in your own WordPress database and on your own server.
Facts about Bookly come from its own public pages, linked below, and were checked on the date shown. If anything has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
- Bookly pricing page, checked 5 November 2026
- Bookly on WordPress.org, checked 5 November 2026
- CaliDiary pricing, checked 5 November 2026
The CaliDiary features in this comparison
Invoices and credit notes, built in
Numbered invoices with VAT lines and credit notes, made on your own site. No add-on to buy.
Tax and VAT on bookings
Prices with or without tax, the rate kept with every booking, and named rates per service.
Group bookings and places
Several people book the same appointment time, up to the limit you set.
Events with tickets
One-off events with ticket types, their own prices and limits, QR tickets and check-in.
Two-way calendar sync
Bookings land in Google or Outlook, and your private plans there block those times.
CaliDiary pricing All comparisons Looking for a Bookly alternative?
Questions about CaliDiary and Bookly
Is CaliDiary a Bookly alternative?
Yes. Both are WordPress booking plugins that keep bookings in your own website. CaliDiary includes card payments, invoices, tax rates, group bookings, events with tickets and calendar sync in its Solo plan.
Are these prices up to date?
They were checked on the date shown, on Bookly's own pricing page, which showed sale prices with a countdown and the list prices beside them. Prices change, so follow the source links for the latest.
Can I move my customers from Bookly to CaliDiary?
Yes. CaliDiary can import your customer list, so your customers are ready before you switch your booking form over.
Does CaliDiary take a cut of my payments?
No. Card payments go to your own Stripe, PayPal or Mollie account, and bank transfers straight to your bank. You pay only the provider's usual fees.
Try CaliDiary free.
The free plan has no booking limit and no card is needed. Compare it on your own website.