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
Pricing
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Scheduling

Opening hours, time off and the rules behind every free time

CaliDiary works out free times from your weekly hours and breaks, each person's own hours, special dates such as bank holidays, time off, buffers before and after appointments, minimum notice and how far ahead people may book. A 7-day preview shows exactly what visitors will be offered.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro
Start free How it works
Illustration: weekly hours, a special date and time off.
Opening hours and time off

What it does for you

Hours

Weekly hours with breaks.

Set the business's hours, or let each person have their own, with breaks such as lunch.

  • Special dates for bank holidays
  • Hours by location
Time off

Holidays handled for you.

Add time off for a person, and CaliDiary helps you move bookings already in the diary. Closing for everyone is a special date.

  • Training days and holidays
  • Nobody books during time off
Rules

Buffers, notice and a booking window.

Time before and after appointments, the shortest notice, and how far ahead people may book.

  • A 7-day preview shows the result
  • Summer time handled
How it works

Set up in minutes

  1. Set opening hours

    With breaks, for the business or each person.

  2. Add special dates and time off

    Closed days, late opening and holidays.

  3. Set the rules

    Buffers, notice and the booking window.

  4. Check the preview

    See the next 7 days as visitors will.

Plans

What each plan includes

Feature FreeSoloPro
Opening hours and time off
Hours, breaks, special dates, time off, buffers, notice
Working hours by location

See prices and every plan

In detail

Everything about opening hours and time off

Everything that decides a free time

Setting What it does
Weekly hours with breaks The business's opening hours for each day, with breaks such as lunch
A person's own hours Each person follows the opening hours or has their own
Special dates Closed, or different hours, on a given date (bank holidays, late opening)
Time off Holidays or absences for one person (closing for everyone is a special date)
Buffers Time kept clear before and after each appointment
Minimum notice The shortest time between booking and the appointment
Booking window How far ahead people may book
Hours by location Which location each period of a person's hours is at
Connected calendars Busy times in your own calendars (calendar sync, Solo and Pro)

Every service is fitted inside these rules at its own length. A 90-minute service is only offered where 90 minutes (plus buffers) are free.

See it as your visitors will

The Opening hours screen ends with a 7-day preview of the times visitors can choose. Change a break or add time off and the preview shows the result before anyone books. Saving hours with overlapping periods is caught and explained first.

Hours by location

When a person works in more than one place, each period of their hours can say where it is: "Mondays 9 to 5 at the town clinic, Tuesdays at the village surgery". Visitors who choose a location only see the times someone works there, and leaving it empty means "any of my locations". It works on every plan; the free plan has one location, Solo up to 3 and Pro as many as you need.

Clocks and time zones

Opening hours are kept as your local clock times, so 9:00 stays 9:00 all year. Time off and bookings are stored in UTC. When the clocks go forward, CaliDiary never offers a time that does not exist that night.

Calendars and time off

  • Two-way calendar sync (Solo and Pro): busy times in Google, Outlook or Apple calendars block bookings.
  • Time off that handles existing bookings: when someone is away, CaliDiary helps you move the bookings already in their diary.
Who uses it

Diaries with rules

Physiotherapists

Assessments, follow-ups and rehab classes, across your clinics.

Driving instructors

Lessons booked with the pick-up address, at the length the learner needs.

Hair salons

Clients choose their stylist and a service that books at the right length.

Browse all 51 industries

Works well with

No double booking

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

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

Online appointment booking

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

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

Team scheduling

One booking form for the whole team, each person with their own hours and services.

Available Plans: Free, Solo, Pro

Look busy

Hide a few free times so a new diary never looks empty, without pressure messages.

Available Plans: Solo, Pro

Several locations

Customers choose where to come first; each place has its own people and services.

Available Plans: Solo, Pro

See every feature Compare the plans

Questions about opening hours and time off

Can each person have their own hours?
Yes. Each person either follows the business's opening hours or has their own weekly hours with breaks.
How do I close for a bank holiday or open late before a deadline?
Add a special date: closed, or different hours, for that day only. Your normal weekly hours stay as they are.
What are buffers?
Time kept free before or after an appointment, for preparation, travel or notes. Free times are worked out so that buffers never overlap other bookings.
Can I stop people booking at the last minute or months ahead?
Yes. Minimum notice stops bookings too soon (for example 24 hours), and the booking window stops bookings too far ahead (for example 8 weeks).
Can a person work at different locations on different days?
Yes, on every plan. Each period of a person's hours can say where it is, and a location is only offered at the times someone works there. Leaving it empty means any of their locations.

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