Free When2meet Alternatives

Six tools that do the same job as When2meet, what each is genuinely good at, and where each falls short. Including ours, with the caveats.

When2meet has been the default way to find a group meeting time for years, and for good reason. It is free, nobody signs up, and the idea is simple: everyone paints the times they are free and the grid shows where the group overlaps.

The reasons people go looking for something else are just as consistent. The grid is fiddly on a phone. The organizer still has to work out the best time by eye. Groups that span time zones need everyone to see the same slots in their own local time. None of these are flaws exactly, just the limits of a tool that has stayed deliberately simple.

Below is a fair roundup. We make MeetSync, so we have tried to be specific about where the other tools are the better choice. Features and pricing change, so treat anything about another product as true at the time of writing and check its own site before you commit.

The alternatives

1. MeetSync

Our own tool, so weigh this one accordingly. MeetSync keeps the When2meet model (pick dates, share a link, everyone marks their free times) and changes what you get back: instead of a heat map, the best times are listed in order of how many people can make them, and the list updates live as answers arrive. Every viewer sees the grid in their own detected time zone, and only the organizer can see individual responses.

Good for

Groups spread across time zones
Organizers who want a ranked answer rather than a grid to decode
Polls that are pasted into chat and opened on phones

Watch out for: No calendar integration, no reminders or email notifications, and no days-of-the-week mode for recurring meetings. You poll specific dates.

Read MeetSync vs When2meet

2. Crab Fit

Crab Fit is the closest in spirit to When2meet: a free, no-sign-up availability grid with a friendlier look. It is open source, which matters to people who prefer tools they could inspect or host themselves.

Good for

People who like the When2meet grid and just want it to look newer
Anyone who values open-source software

Watch out for: Like When2meet, the result is mostly a grid you read yourself. Check its current features against what your group needs.

3. LettuceMeet

LettuceMeet is another grid-style poll with a cleaner interface than When2meet, and it has been popular with students and clubs. It has offered ways to bring in your own calendar while you mark availability, which some groups find saves time.

Good for

Student groups and clubs who want a familiar grid
People who want to see their own calendar while answering

Watch out for: Features and account requirements can change, so confirm what participants need to do before you send it to a large group.

4. Rallly

Rallly works differently. Instead of a full grid, the organizer proposes a handful of specific options and people vote yes, maybe or no on each one. It is open source and can be self-hosted. At the time of writing it offers a free plan alongside paid features.

Good for

Choosing between a few candidate times you already have in mind
Teams that want a self-hosted, open-source option

Watch out for: Option voting is less useful when you have no idea yet when people are free. A grid surfaces times you would not have thought to propose.

5. WhenIsGood

WhenIsGood is a long-running, minimal tool in the same category. You paint a range of times, respondents mark what works, and the organizer reviews the overlap. Many people already know how to use it.

Good for

Groups that already know it
The simplest possible poll with no extras

Watch out for: The interface is dated, and reading the overlap is left largely to the organizer.

Read MeetSync vs WhenIsGood

6. Doodle

Doodle is the best-known name in group scheduling and offers far more than a poll: calendar integrations, booking pages and team features. Its free plan is more limited than its paid tiers, and at the time of writing free polls show ads.

Good for

Organizations that want calendar integrations and booking pages
Workplaces that already pay for it

Watch out for: Organizers need an account, and many features sit behind paid plans. For a one-off group poll it can be more than you need.

Read MeetSync vs Doodle

How to choose

Start with how you will read the result. Grid tools collect the most information because people mark every time they are free. The question is who turns that grid into a decision. If you are happy to scan a heat map, When2meet, Crab Fit and WhenIsGood all do the job. If you would rather be handed the top few times, pick a tool that ranks them.

Then look at where your group is. If everyone is in one city, time zones barely matter. If one person is in London and another in Los Angeles, make sure each of them sees the slots in their own local time, or someone will turn up an hour early.

Consider what you already have options for. When you already have three possible times in mind, voting on options (Rallly, Doodle) is quicker than a full grid. When you have no idea, a grid finds times you would not have proposed.

Finally, count the extras you need. Calendar integrations, reminders and booking pages are real features, and if you need them a tool like Doodle is worth considering. If you only need to find a time, a free poll with no sign-up for participants will get more people to answer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to When2meet?

It depends on what bothers you about When2meet. If you want ranked results and per-viewer time zones, try MeetSync. If you want the same grid with a newer look, Crab Fit or LettuceMeet are close matches. If you are choosing between a few fixed options, Rallly's voting model fits better.

Is MeetSync free like When2meet?

Yes. MeetSync is free to use and participants never need an account. Organizers can optionally sign in to keep their meetings in one list.

Which When2meet alternative handles time zones best?

MeetSync detects each viewer's time zone and shows every slot in it, using the full list of IANA time zones. Several other tools also convert times, so test with a colleague in another region before a large poll.

Do any of these alternatives connect to Google Calendar?

Doodle offers calendar integrations, and LettuceMeet has offered calendar features. MeetSync does not connect to calendars: each person marks their own availability.

Can I schedule a weekly recurring meeting with these tools?

Some tools support polling by day of the week. MeetSync does not yet, so for a weekly slot, poll one representative week and reuse the time that wins.

Why not just keep using When2meet?

If it works for your group, there is no reason to switch. It is free, well known and simple. People usually look for an alternative when the grid is hard to read on a phone, when the group spans time zones, or when they want the best time picked out for them.

See if MeetSync fits your group

Free, no sign-up for participants, and the best times ranked for you.