Why I Chose Cal.com Over Calendly for My DevOps Consultancy

Why I Chose Cal.com Over Calendly for My DevOps Consultancy

As an indie founder building AlanOps, I needed a booking system that felt professional but didn’t break the bank. After testing several options, I landed on Cal.com – and here’s why it’s perfect for indie hackers and small teams.

The Problem with Most Booking Tools

Most scheduling tools are either:

  • Too expensive for bootstrapped startups
  • Too basic and look unprofessional
  • Too rigid with limited customization
  • Too corporate focused on enterprise features

Sound familiar? You want something that works but doesn’t cost $30/month when you’re just getting started.

Why Cal.com Wins for Indie Founders

1. Open Source = No Vendor Lock-in

Cal.com is open source, which means:

  • You can self-host if you outgrow the free tier
  • No surprise pricing changes
  • Community-driven development
  • Full control over your data

2. Better Free Tier

While Calendly limits you to one event type on the free plan, Cal.com gives you:

  • Unlimited event types
  • Custom branding
  • Advanced workflows
  • Team features

3. Actually Customizable

Here’s where Cal.com shines. I was able to:

  • Match my site’s dark cyberpunk theme perfectly
  • Use custom fonts and colors
  • Remove all Cal.com branding
  • Make it feel native to my site

Compare that to Calendly’s rigid templates.

4. Indie-Friendly Pricing

  • Free: Perfect for solo founders
  • $12/month: When you need more features
  • Self-hosted: $0 forever if you want to manage it

No $50/month enterprise nonsense.

My Setup: 15-Min DevOps Consultations

Here’s exactly how I configured Cal.com for AlanOps:

Event Configuration

Event Type: "DevOps Consultation - 15min"
Duration: 15 minutes
Buffer: 15 minutes before/after
Availability: Mon-Thu 9AM-12PM, 2PM-5PM
Notice Required: 2 hours minimum

Screening Questions

1. “What’s your biggest DevOps challenge?” (Required)
2. “Team size (1-10 people)?” (Required)
3. “Current monthly AWS/cloud spend?” (Optional)

Workflow Setup

  • Requires confirmation: I manually approve each booking
  • Email notifications: Instant alerts to my phone
  • Google Calendar sync: Automatic conflict checking
  • Zoom integration: Auto-generates meeting links

The Technical Implementation

For fellow developers, here’s how I embedded Cal.com with custom styling:

Inline Embed (Recommended)

Cal("inline", {
  elementOrSelector:"#booking-widget",
  calLink: "alanson/15min",
  config: {
    layout: "month_view",
    theme: "dark"
  }
});

Custom CSS for Dark Theme

.cal-booking-widget .cal-embed button {
  background: var(--gradient-primary) !important;
  color: var(--color-text-inverse) !important;
  border-radius: 8px !important;
  transition: all 0.2s ease !important;
}


.cal-booking-widget .cal-embed button:hover {
  transform: translateY(-2px) !important;
  box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 255, 136, 0.3) !important;
}

This makes the booking widget look like it belongs on my site, not like a third-party tool.

Why This Setup Works

This configuration is designed for conversion:

  • Reduces friction compared to email back-and-forth
  • Filters serious inquiries with the confirmation step
  • Screens for fit with targeted questions
  • Builds trust with professional booking experience

The screening questions are crucial – they filter out enterprise tire-kickers and surface real indie founder pain points.

Cal.com vs Calendly: The Verdict

Feature Cal.com Calendly
Free tier Unlimited event types 1 event type only
Customization Full control Limited templates
Self-hosting Yes No
Open source Yes No
Starting price Free $10/month
Enterprise focus No Yes

For indie founders and bootstrapped startups, Cal.com is the clear winner.

Quick Setup Guide

1. Sign up at cal.com with your business email
2. Connect Google Calendar for availability sync
3. Create your event type (15-30 min consultations work best)
4. Add screening questions to filter quality leads
5. Enable confirmation to prevent spam bookings
6. Embed on your site with custom styling

Pro Tips for Indie Founders

Optimize Your Availability

  • Best times: Tuesday-Thursday, 9AM-12PM and 2PM-5PM
  • Avoid: Friday afternoons and Monday mornings
  • Buffer time: Always add 15-minute buffers

Perfect Your Questions

Ask about:

  • Specific pain points (not general “tell me about your business”)
  • Team size (filters out enterprises)
  • Current spend/scale (qualifies budget)
  • Timeline (identifies urgency)

Confirmation is Key

Don’t auto-accept bookings. The manual confirmation step:

  • Filters out low-quality leads
  • Lets you prepare for each call
  • Reduces no-shows to nearly zero

The Bottom Line

If you’re an indie founder who needs professional booking without enterprise complexity, Cal.com is perfect. It’s free, customizable, and built by people who understand the constraints of small teams.

The best part? You can start free and scale up as you grow. No vendor lock-in, no surprise pricing changes, just a tool that works.

—

Ready to streamline your booking process? Check out my Cal.com setup at alanops.com/contact and see the custom styling in action.

Questions about implementing Cal.com for your business? Book a quick 15-min call and I’ll walk you through my exact setup.

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