GlowBook vs Calendly: booking built for salons
Calendly is a brilliant scheduling link for meetings, used by more than 100,000 organisations. But it is built for B2B appointments like sales and recruiting calls, not a beauty salon in Belgium or the Netherlands. No WhatsApp, no Bancontact and iDEAL as a primary payment method, no client record, no gift cards or loyalty. Here is exactly where the gap is.
Why switch to GlowBook
WhatsApp and local payments, as standard
Calendly sends reminders by email and SMS and collects payment through Stripe or PayPal in a card-first checkout. GlowBook sends automatic WhatsApp reminders and puts Bancontact (Belgium) and iDEAL (Netherlands) at the top of the deposit screen, the methods your clients actually use.
Built for treatments, not meetings
GlowBook has services with duration and price, intake forms, a client record with history, gift cards, loyalty and a waitlist that notifies automatically on cancellation. Calendly models everything as a meeting or event type and stops at the booking.
One flat price in euros, not per seat
GlowBook Solo is €19 a month, all in. Calendly charges $10 to $16 per seat per month, and the no-show tools such as deposits and packages sit in the paid plans on top of Stripe.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | GlowBook From €19/month | Calendly Free / $10–16 per seat |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp reminders | ✓ | ✕ |
| Bancontact & iDEAL-first checkout | ✓ | ✕ |
| Deposits | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waitlist with auto-notify | ✓ | ✕ |
| Loyalty & points | ✓ | ✕ |
| Multi-staff | €39 plan | $16/seat |
| No commission on bookings | ✓ | ✓ |
Based on publicly available information as of 2026-05-30. If you think something's wrong, let us know — we'll adjust.
What does it really cost?
Do the maths. A solo practitioner on Calendly Standard pays $10 per seat per month for the scheduling link alone. To run a salon with it you bolt on Stripe, but you still have no WhatsApp, no Bancontact and iDEAL first, no client record, no gift cards and no loyalty. GlowBook Solo is €19 a month with all of that included: deposits, WhatsApp, waitlist, loyalty, gift cards and intake forms. You stop paying per seat and stop stitching separate tools together.
When is Calendly the better choice?
- You mostly run online meetings or video consultations, such as coaching, and you already live in Google, Outlook and Zoom.
- You need to sell prepaid multi-session packages today. Calendly has meeting packages; at GlowBook, session packages are on the roadmap.
- You need an interface language GlowBook does not cover. Calendly offers Spanish, German and Portuguese.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my clients from Calendly?+
Calendly is meeting-based and does not keep a real client record. Export your contacts to CSV and import them via /dashboard/klanten, done in a minute.
Does Calendly support Bancontact or iDEAL?+
Calendly collects payment through Stripe or PayPal in a card-first checkout. Bancontact and iDEAL are not shown as a primary method. GlowBook puts Bancontact and iDEAL first for clients in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Does GlowBook send WhatsApp reminders instead of SMS?+
Calendly sends reminders by email and SMS. GlowBook sends an automatic WhatsApp reminder 24 hours before, the channel clients in Belgium and the Netherlands open most.
Can I keep Calendly for meetings and use GlowBook for clients?+
Of course. Many people keep Calendly for sales or video calls and use GlowBook for their salon appointments. They are different jobs.