Astrocal vs Doodle
Instant booking, not another poll
Doodle is great for finding a time that works for a group, but it's a polling tool, not a booking platform. Astrocal gives you instant confirmed bookings, a full REST API, flat-rate pricing, and a white-label widget you can embed anywhere.
135+currencies supported
8MCP tools for AI agents
$0to get started
0per-seat fees
Which is right for you?
Astrocal is right for you if...
- You need instant confirmed bookings, not polls that require follow-up
- You need a REST API to embed scheduling into your product (Doodle has deprecated theirs)
- You want a white-label booking widget on your own website
- You need native MCP support so AI agents can book meetings automatically
Doodle is right for you if...
- You primarily need group polling: proposing times and having participants vote
- You need sign-up sheets for workshops, events, or volunteer shifts
- You need enterprise features like SSO and a 99.5% availability SLA
Astrocal vs Doodle
| Feature | Astrocal | Doodle | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core scheduling model | Instant booking: client picks a slot and it's confirmed immediately | Polling-first: propose times, participants vote, organizer confirms | Doodle started as a group polling tool. They've added booking pages, but polling remains the core product. Astrocal is built for instant confirmed bookings. |
| REST API | Full read/write API with OpenAPI 3.1 spec, all plans including Free | Deprecated. Doodle no longer supports new API integrations. | Doodle's API has been officially deprecated. There is no public REST API for new developers. |
| MCP / AI agent support | Native: @astrocal/mcp-server on npm | Not available | — |
| Widget embed | Native embed: renders in your DOM, not an iframe | Not available. Scheduling only via Doodle's hosted pages. | — |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly fee: $49/mo for your whole team | Per user: free (with ads) or $14.95/mo (Pro) / $19.95/user/mo (Team) | A team of 5 on Doodle Team costs ~$100/mo. Astrocal Pro is $49/mo for everyone. |
| White-label booking | Your domain, your brand. No Astrocal branding on paid plans. | Custom logo and branding on paid plans, but Doodle branding remains | — |
| Group polling | Not available | Core feature: propose times, participants vote, with unlimited options on paid plans | — |
| Sign-up sheets | Not available | Built-in: collect signups for scheduled events with enrollment caps | — |
| Webhooks | All plans including Free | Not available, API has been deprecated | — |
| Google Calendar sync | Two-way sync on all plans | Two-way sync on all plans (Google, Outlook, Office 365) | — |
| Stripe payments | Built in: taken at booking time on all paid plans | Stripe payments available | — |
| Free plan | Up to 10 bookings/month, full API, webhooks, no ads | Ad-supported: 1 booking page, 1 active 1:1, 10 poll time slots | Doodle's free plan shows ads to both you and your invitees, including auto-play video ads. |
What does it actually cost for a team of 5?
Astrocal
Team plan (5 users)$49/mo
Growing team (10 users)$49/mo
Scaling team (25 users)$49/mo
- No per-user pricing
- Full REST API
- Native MCP server
- Embeddable booking widget
Doodle
Team plan (5 users)$100/mo
Growing team (10 users)$200/mo
Scaling team (25 users)$499/mo
- No per-user pricing
- Full REST API
- Native MCP server
- Embeddable booking widget
At the Scaling team (25 users) tier, you’d Save $450/mo compared to Doodle for a team of 5.
Migrating from Doodle? Here’s how.
- 5 min
Review your booking page settings
If you use Doodle's booking pages, note your availability settings, durations, and any custom questions. Doodle doesn't offer a data export, so screenshot the settings you need.
- 5 min
Create your event types in Astrocal
Use the Astrocal dashboard to set up your booking types, or POST to /v1/event-types via the API. Set your durations, availability windows, and booking rules.
- 3 min
Update your booking links
Replace any Doodle booking page links on your website, email signature, and social profiles. Or embed the Astrocal widget directly on your site for a seamless experience.
- 5 min
Connect your calendar
Connect Google Calendar via OAuth in the Astrocal dashboard. Set up Stripe if you take payments. Configure webhooks for any automations.
Total estimated time: ~20 minutes
What carries over
- Your availability preferences and working hours
- Meeting durations and buffer settings
- Contact details from your Doodle account
What to rebuild
- Booking page branding and theme
- Payment connections
- Any automations (via webhooks)
Simple, transparent pricing
Start for free. Upgrade as you grow. No hidden fees, no per-seat pricing.
Free
For prototyping
$0forever
- 10 bookings/month
- 1 calendar connection
- 30 req/min API rate
- Calendar sync
- Email notifications
Starter
For small teams
$12/month
- 50 bookings/month
- 3 calendar connections
- 60 req/min API rate
- Everything in Free
- Custom branding
Pro
Most PopularFor growing teams
$49/month
- 500 bookings/month
- 20 calendar connections
- 500 req/min API rate
- Everything in Starter
- Priority support
Business
For scaling up
$199/month
- 5,000 bookings/month
- 100 calendar connections
- 2,000 req/min API rate
- Everything in Pro
- Dedicated support
No per-seat pricing. Ever. See full pricing →
Frequently asked questions
They are different. Doodle is a group polling tool: you propose times and people vote. Astrocal is a booking platform: clients see your availability and book instantly. But many teams use Doodle for 1:1 scheduling too, and Doodle has added booking pages. If you're using Doodle for anything beyond group polls, Astrocal is likely the better fit.
No, not anymore. Doodle officially deprecated their API and no longer supports new API integrations. If you need programmatic access to scheduling, Astrocal provides a full REST API with OpenAPI 3.1 spec on every plan including Free.
No. Astrocal is built for instant confirmed bookings, not group availability polling. If your primary need is 'find a time that works for 10 people,' Doodle is purpose-built for that. If your primary need is 'let clients book a confirmed slot on my calendar,' that's what Astrocal does.
Doodle's free tier shows ads to both you and your meeting invitees, including auto-play video ads. This can feel unprofessional when sharing scheduling links with clients. Astrocal's free plan has no ads, ever.
Yes. Many teams use a polling tool alongside a booking platform. Use Doodle for internal 'find a time' meetings and Astrocal for client-facing appointment booking.
Yes. Up to 10 bookings per month, full API access, webhooks, and Google Calendar sync. No credit card required. No time limit. No ads.
Email us at support@astrocal.dev. We'll walk you through the migration and help you get set up.
Try Astrocal free. No polls, no ads, no per-seat fees.
Instant booking for your clients. Full API for your team.