Best Scheduling Tools for Freelancers in 2026 (Booking, Time and Invoices)
Unless you have a natural knack for organisation, booking clients, tracking hours and sending invoices are the most tedious parts of freelance work. The right scheduling tools for freelancers handle all three for you, and most have free plans. Our guest author’s original 2010 list included MakeSomeTime, Toggl, CurdBee, Blinksale and FreshBooks. Some of those are gone, so here is the updated 2026 list of the tools that actually save freelancers time.
Quick answer: For booking meetings, use Calendly or Cal.com. For tracking hours, use Toggl Track or Clockify, both with free plans. For invoicing and getting paid, use FreshBooks, Wave or Bonsai. Many freelancers combine one free tool from each group.
Table of Contents
Best scheduling and booking tools
1. Calendly
Calendly lets clients pick a free slot from your calendar through a booking link, so you stop emailing back and forth. It syncs with Google and Outlook calendars, adds video meeting links and sends reminders. The free plan covers one event type.
2. Cal.com
Cal.com is an open-source alternative to Calendly with a generous free plan for individuals, unlimited event types and payment collection through Stripe.
3. Google Calendar appointment schedules
If you already use Google Workspace, Google Calendar has built-in booking pages. Basic booking pages are free with a personal Google account.
Best time tracking tools
4. Toggl Track
Toggl was on our original list and is still one of the best. Toggl Track has one-click timers on web, desktop, mobile and browser extensions, plus reports by client and project. The free plan suits most solo freelancers.
5. Clockify
Clockify offers unlimited users and projects free, with timesheets, a timer and reports. Paid plans add invoicing.
Best invoicing and billing tools
6. FreshBooks
FreshBooks remains a favourite for freelancers who want invoicing, expenses, time tracking and online payments in one place. The old free plan is gone; it now offers a free trial and paid plans.
7. Wave
Wave has free invoicing and accounting, charging only for card payments and some add-ons. Availability of some features depends on your country.
8. Bonsai
Bonsai bundles proposals, contracts, time tracking and invoices made for freelancers.
What happened to the original tools?
- MakeSomeTime – no longer available.
- CurdBee – closed to new signups; its makers moved users to their newer app, Hiveage.
- Blinksale – still offered as a small paid invoicing app, but newer tools do more.
- Toggl and FreshBooks – both still going strong.
Comparison table
| Tool | Main job | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Calendly | Client booking | Yes, limited |
| Cal.com | Client booking | Yes |
| Toggl Track | Time tracking | Yes |
| Clockify | Time tracking | Yes |
| FreshBooks | Invoicing and accounting | Trial only |
| Wave | Invoicing and accounting | Yes |
| Bonsai | Contracts and invoices | Trial only |
Why it matters
As our guest author pointed out, poor scheduling, billing and time tracking can cost a freelancer three to five hours a week, or around 12 percent of billable time. Automating bookings, reminders and invoices gives those hours back. Need simple forms for client briefs too? See our list of free online form builders, and set up scheduled emails for invoice reminders.
FAQ
What is the best free scheduling tool for freelancers?
Cal.com and Calendly’s free plan are the easiest for client bookings. Toggl Track and Clockify are the best free time trackers.
Can one tool do scheduling, time tracking and invoicing?
FreshBooks and Bonsai come closest. Many freelancers still prefer a dedicated booking tool alongside them.
Do clients need an account to book me?
No. Clients just open your booking link and choose a time.
Originally written by guest author Sonia Mansfield, content editor for PsPrint.com and editor of the PsPrint Blog, and updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.
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Yaware is also a useful time tracking app for freelancers. It shows where the time goes and for what reason. The app evaluates the productivity and provides detailed reports online.
https://yaware.com/
I haven’t tried any scheduling tool before but I’m interested in trying FreshBooks. Thanks for the resources here.
Hi there, try Chime – free time tracking app for freelancer and pros working on task system. Check this out on https://buddy.works/?utm_campaign=chime&utm_source=chime
I advice you another tool for time tracking: Timeneye (http://www.timeneye.com).
I recommend it because it integrates with Basecamp and lets track time commenting on completed to-dos.
You can also track time on the go with the mobile companion app.
These are some great tips. I did not know how important all of this was. It is not like working for the other guy.
Heard most of the name for the first, happy will try out this tools :)
CurdBee sounds very interesting! I’m going to take a look at all of these sites though!
freshbook is still the best
I noticed there is a Black Friday offer from curdbee, So I grabbed the Bundle and woot!,
Awesome app, Impressed with simple UI
Just check and grab yours today.