CaliDiary is coming soon: a free booking plugin for WordPress, with Solo and Pro plans for payments and teams. See the plans
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Product Your data stays on your websiteOnline payments and depositsInvoices and credit notes, built inWorks with the tools you already useBooking forms that ask the right questionsTeam sign-in, no dashboard accessAccessible to every customerSafe, signed updates All features
Booking kinds AppointmentsGroup bookingsRequests you approveFree bookingsSeveral services in one visitClasses and coursesEvents with ticketsRooms, desks and equipmentWaiting list
Industries Professional servicesClinics and healthSalons and beautyTraining, classes and coursesPet careHome and autoPublic sector and educationCreative and eventsCommunity, charities and volunteering All 51 industries
Compare CaliDiary vs AmeliaCaliDiary vs BooklyCaliDiary vs LatePointCaliDiary vs BookneticCaliDiary vs BookingPressCaliDiary vs Simply Schedule Appointments All comparisons
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Booking kinds

Booking requests you approve before they are confirmed

For each booking set-up you choose: confirm bookings straight away, or confirm each one yourself. A request holds its time so nobody else can take it, the customer is told it has been received, and you accept or decline it. It is included in the free plan.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro
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Illustration: requests held until the business accepts them.
Requests you approve

What it does for you

Requests

Hold the time while you check.

For booking set-ups you approve, a request holds its time so nobody else can take it.

  • Shown as Waiting for approval
  • Customer told: request received
Decide

Accept or decline in one click.

Accepted customers get their confirmation; declined ones are told politely and the time is freed.

  • Answers on the form help you decide
  • Unanswered requests decline at the start time
Payments

Nobody pays for a time you decline.

Card payments are only taken once you accept, and bank transfer details follow your acceptance.

  • Charged after you accept
  • Works on every plan
How it works

Set up in minutes

  1. Choose approval

    Pick "I'll confirm each booking myself" for a booking set-up.

  2. A request arrives

    The time is held and you are emailed.

  3. Accept or decline

    From the Requests filter on the Overview screen.

Plans

What each plan includes

Feature FreeSoloPro
Requests you approve

See prices and every plan

In detail

Everything about requests you approve

Why approve bookings

Some bookings need a look before they are confirmed: a solicitor's conflict check, a therapist making sure they are the right fit, a photographer checking travel to a venue, or a council team confirming that someone is eligible for an appointment. Without approval, the choice is between taking every booking blindly or taking none online.

How it works

  1. In the booking set-up, choose I'll confirm each booking myself (the other choice is "Confirm bookings straight away").
  2. A visitor books as normal. The time is held, the booking shows as Waiting for approval, and the visitor sees and is emailed "request received".
  3. You are emailed about the new request, and it appears in the Requests tab of the Overview screen, with a count beside CaliDiary in the menu.
  4. You accept (the customer is emailed a confirmation) or decline (the customer is told, politely, and the time is freed).
  5. If nobody answers before the appointment would have started, the request is declined automatically and the customer is told.

Good questions make quick decisions

Pair approval with the booking form builder: ask for the information you need to decide, such as the other parties in a legal matter or what a client would like help with. On Solo and Pro, questions can appear only when relevant ("show only when"), and documents can be uploaded with the request.

Requests and payments

When you ask for payment before the appointment, customers with a request are told payment details will follow once you accept, so nobody pays for a time you might decline. With card payments (Solo and Pro), customers are only charged once you accept.

Who uses it

Who checks bookings first

Consultants

Discovery calls, paid strategy sessions and client workshops.

Photographers

Portrait sessions, headshots and mini-session days, with the shoot details asked up front.

Browse all 51 industries

Works well with

Online appointment booking

Customers book themselves, day or night: no phone tag, no back-and-forth emails.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

No double booking

Two people can never book the same time, even when they press Book at once.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

Free and paid bookings

Not every booking needs a price: free, pay later, bank transfer or card, chosen per service.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

See every feature Compare the plans

Questions about requests you approve

Is booking approval only on paid plans?
No. It is in the free plan, because many professional services need it from day one.
Can some services be approved and others confirmed straight away?
Yes. The choice is made per booking set-up. For example, free first calls can need approval while follow-up appointments are confirmed at once.
What happens if I don't answer a request?
If a request is still waiting when the appointment would start, it is declined automatically and the customer is told.
Can someone else book the time while I decide?
No. A request holds its time. If you decline it, the time becomes free again.
Are customers charged before I accept?
No. With online card payments, customers are only charged once you accept. With bank transfer instructions, customers are told payment details will follow once you accept.

Try CaliDiary on your own website.

Start on the free plan, with no booking limit. Upgrade only when you need to.

Start freeSee pricing and plans