Free and Beautiful Google Calendar alternative
Hear me out. Of course, Google Calendar is great. It’s free, it’s integrated with Gmail. It’s easy to schedule Google Meet calls with it. But when you need to book calls with people, it’s not up to pa...
Published 1/10/2026
Yannick Veys
Hear me out. Of course, Google Calendar is great. It’s free, it’s integrated with Gmail. It’s easy to schedule Google Meet calls with it.
But when you need to book calls with people, it’s not up to par with alternatives. And definitely not with TimeTuna.
Here’s why.
Google Calendar isn’t customizable. You have the same basic layout that everyone sees. There’s nothing that complements your brand, shows what you’re all about.
You can only add one custom field. If you’re booking calls a lot, you know that’s not enough. You usually need a lot more info upfront to prep and qualify leads before spending time on a call with them.
Another annoying thing about Google Calendar is the buffer between time slots. Yes, you can set a buffer but it only applies to appointments created through Google Calendar. If I create a separate appointment on my iPhone, it doesn’t work.
Enter TimeTuna. A beautiful & free alternative to Google Calendar
How is this not a beautiful booking page? Just amazing. And if you want, you can even add a video background.
How to set up your booking page in under 20 seconds
It’s super simple to set up. Takes seconds. You can even ask our AI to create a beautiful background image for you.
- Connect your Google Calendar Account
- Create your first booking page
- Your booking page is done, with an amazing background included. (You can of course customize this)
TimeTuna allows you to set custom reminders. We’re currently implementing SMS reminders. We implemented SMS reminders in March 2026. And we’re implementing new features every week!
Don’t tie your brand up with Google. They used to have the mantra “Do no evil,” but we wouldn’t say that’s the case anymore in 2026. We also implemented Round Robin scheduling in March 2026. So if you’re with a group of salespeople, for example, and you take turns in following up leads, we now support that out of the box.
You wanna tie your brand to you. And create a seamless experience for your leads and prospective customers.
There’s an important thing you need to understand: scheduling meetings vs calendar functions
Google Calendar has features to help you book meetings with others. Google Calendar is also exactly what it says, a calendar. You can see all your appointments there, you can search your history. You have data on who you spoke to and when, and you can easily find the people you met with in the past.
If you live in Europe and want to move away from “Big Tech”, you also need to say goodbye to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Calendly, etc.
If you just want you and your prospects to have a better experience, there are some great alternatives you can choose from. Tools that can replace Google Calendar completely are Proton Calendar and TimeTuna.
Here’s a comparison between Google Calendar and TimeTuna
| Setup time | Under 60 seconds ✅ | 15–30 minutes |
| Custom branding | Full brand freedom — logo, colors, fonts ✅ | None — Google’s design only |
| Video background | Yes ✅ | No |
| Custom intake fields | Unlimited ✅ | 1 field maximum |
| Booking buffer times | Works across all calendar sources ✅ | Google Calendar appointments only |
| Email reminders | Yes ✅ | Basic only |
| SMS reminders | Just launched! | No |
| AI booking page setup | Yes ✅ | No |
| Price | Free forever ✅ | Free |
| Best for | Freelancers, agencies & creatives who want more bookings | Personal scheduling & internal team meetings |
The meeting scheduler part of Google Calendar and TimeTuna are the two parts we’re focusing on in this article. TimeTuna is in no way a full replacement of Google Calendar. But for people who have a lot of meetings, and that’s usually the people who use Google Calendar a lot, TimeTuna is an amazing alternative you should try.
FAQ
Not entirely, and that’s by design. Google Calendar is great for personal scheduling and internal team meetings. TimeTuna is specifically built for booking calls with external people: leads, clients, and prospects. Most users run both side by side, with TimeTuna handling all inbound bookings.
Yes. TimeTuna’s core features, like branded booking pages, custom intake forms, calendar sync, and email reminders, are free to use forever. No trial period, no credit card required.
Yes. TimeTuna connects directly with your Google Calendar, so bookings show up automatically and you never get double-booked. Buffer times also work across all your calendar sources, unlike Google’s own Appointment Scheduling feature. So, you can keep using Google Calendar with the added power and beauty of TimeTuna
Google Calendar’s booking feature is limited in a few key ways: you can only add one custom intake field, buffer times don’t apply to appointments made outside Google Calendar, and there’s no branding. Every prospect sees the same generic Google layout regardless of your business. And as a small business owner, you want, no, you need to stand out from the crowd!
TimeTuna lets you create a fully branded booking page in under 60 seconds, with your logo, colors, custom questions, and even a video background. It’s designed to make a strong first impression and convert more visitors into booked calls, something a generic Google Calendar page simply can’t do.