Astrocal vs TidyCal
TidyCal books meetings. Astrocal ships products.
The TidyCal alternative built to embed. TidyCal is genuinely cheap for basic booking. Astrocal is built for products: a full REST API, a whitelabel widget, and native MCP support, with a free plan to start.
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 a full REST API to embed scheduling into your own product
- You want white-label booking included, not gated behind TidyCal's Pro subscription
- You need native MCP support so AI agents can manage scheduling
- You need a DOM-native widget embed, not an iframe
TidyCal is right for you if...
- You're a solopreneur who just needs basic appointment booking at the lowest possible cost
- You want a one-time lifetime payment with no recurring fees
- You need PayPal payment collection (Astrocal supports Stripe only)
Astrocal vs TidyCal
| Feature | Astrocal | TidyCal | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly fee: free tier available, $49/mo Grow for your whole team | One-time payment: $29 (Individual) or $79 (Agency) | TidyCal's lifetime pricing is genuinely cheap. But you get what you pay for: a limited API, branding you pay the Pro subscription to remove, and slower feature development. |
| REST API | Full read/write API with OpenAPI 3.1 spec, all plans including Free | Basic API on the Individual plan ($29) and above | — |
| MCP / AI agent support | Native: @astrocal/mcp-server on npm | Not available | — |
| White-label booking | Your domain, your brand. No Astrocal branding on paid plans. | Lifetime plans keep TidyCal branding (reduced on Agency). Full removal needs the Pro subscription. | TidyCal's lifetime deals show 'Powered by TidyCal' (reduced on Agency). Removing it entirely requires the separate Pro subscription ($12/mo or $99/yr). |
| Widget embed | Native embed: renders in your DOM, not an iframe | Inline iframe embed | — |
| Webhooks | All plans including Free | Available via API | — |
| Payment collection | Stripe on all plans including Free | Stripe and PayPal on all plans including Free | — |
| Calendar sync (Google, Outlook, CalDAV) | Two-way sync on all plans | Google, Outlook, and iCloud sync on all plans | — |
| Round-robin scheduling | Yes, included in Grow | Agency plan only ($79 one-time) | — |
| Group bookings | Yes | Individual plan and above | — |
| Video conferencing links | Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, auto-added to bookings | Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams (paid plans) | — |
| Free plan | Up to 10 bookings/month, full API, webhooks | Free plan with 1 calendar connection and limited monthly bookings; Stripe/PayPal supported | — |
What does it actually cost for a team of 5?
Astrocal
Solo (1 user)$0/mo (Free plan)
Team plan$49/mo
Year 2+ total cost$588/yr
- Full REST API on every plan
- White-label booking
- Native MCP server
- DOM-native widget embed
TidyCal
Solo (1 user)$29 one-time
Team plan$79 one-time (Agency)
Year 2+ total cost$79 total (lifetime)
- Full REST API on every plan
- White-label booking
- Native MCP server
- DOM-native widget embed
At the Year 2+ total cost tier, you’d TidyCal wins on price. Astrocal wins on capabilities. compared to TidyCal for a team of 5.
Migrating from TidyCal? Here’s how.
- 5 min
Export your booking types
Note your TidyCal booking type settings: durations, availability, pricing, and custom questions. Screenshot or copy the settings you need from your TidyCal dashboard.
- 5 min
Recreate your services in Astrocal
Use the Astrocal dashboard to set up equivalent event types, or POST to /v1/event-types if you prefer the API. Match your durations, availability, and booking rules.
- 3 min
Update your booking links
Replace your TidyCal booking links wherever they appear: your website, email signature, social profiles. Or embed the Astrocal widget directly on your site.
- 5 min
Reconnect integrations
Connect your calendars via OAuth (Google, Outlook, or CalDAV). Reconnect Stripe if you take payments. Set up webhooks for any automations you need.
Total estimated time: ~20 minutes
What carries over
- Your availability preferences and working hours
- Booking durations and buffer times
- Client contact details (export from TidyCal)
What to rebuild
- Custom branding and booking page theme
- Stripe payment connections
- Webhook automations
Pricing that scales with bookings, not seats
Start free with 10 bookings a month, no credit card. Paid plans from $12, and team members never cost extra.
Free
For prototyping
$0forever
- 10 bookings/month
- 1 calendar connection
- 30 req/min API rate
- Calendar sync
- Email notifications
Launch
For going live
$12/month
- 50 bookings/month
- 3 calendar connections
- 60 req/min API rate
- Everything in Free
- Custom branding
Grow
Most PopularFor growing products
$49/month
- 500 bookings/month
- 20 calendar connections
- 500 req/min API rate
- Everything in Launch
- Priority support
Scale
For high volume
$199/month
- 5,000 bookings/month
- 100 calendar connections
- 2,000 req/min API rate
- Everything in Grow
- Dedicated support
No per-seat pricing. Ever. See full pricing →
Frequently asked questions
TidyCal's lifetime pricing is genuinely a good deal for basic scheduling. But it comes with trade-offs: white-label only via its separate Pro subscription, a limited API, no MCP support for AI agents, and slower feature development. If you just need a simple booking page, TidyCal is hard to beat on price. If you need scheduling infrastructure for a product or team, Astrocal is the better investment.
TidyCal has a basic REST API available on the Individual plan ($29) and above, but it is more limited in scope than an API-first platform. Astrocal's API is full read/write with OpenAPI 3.1 spec, available on every plan including Free, and designed for building products on top of.
TidyCal's lifetime plans keep 'Powered by TidyCal' branding (reduced on the Agency plan). Removing it entirely requires TidyCal's separate Pro subscription ($12/mo or $99/yr). Astrocal removes all branding on its paid plans: your booking page, your brand.
Yes. Run both in parallel: set up Astrocal, test your booking flow, and only switch your public links once you're happy. Since TidyCal is a lifetime purchase, there's no ongoing cost to keep it around.
About 20 minutes. Recreate your booking types, connect your calendars, and update your booking links.
Yes. Up to 10 bookings per month, full API access, webhooks, and calendar sync. No credit card required. No time limit.
Email us at support@astrocal.dev. We'll walk you through the migration and help you get set up.
Try Astrocal free. No card, no commitment.
Full API, white-label, and MCP support from day one.