Free Microsoft Bookings Alternative — No Caps, No Credit Card
You can't actually buy Microsoft Bookings — it's a feature of Microsoft 365, so every bookable staff member needs at least a $6/user/mo Business Basic seat. RZRV is a standalone booking system that costs $0: unlimited bookings, unlimited staff, unlimited SMS reminders — and no Microsoft subscription anywhere in the requirements.
What Microsoft Bookings charges for
The first thing to know about Microsoft Bookings pricing is that there isn't any — Bookings has no standalone plan and no free tier. It's included in Microsoft 365 Business subscriptions: Business Basic at $6 per user per month, Business Standard at $12.50, and Business Premium at $22 (all billed annually; Business Basic is $7.20 month-to-month).
That per-user structure is the real cost. Every staff member who needs their own bookable calendar needs their own Microsoft 365 license, so the price of 'free with your subscription' scales with headcount — and you're buying the whole Office suite whether your booking workflow needs it or not.
A Microsoft 365 seat for every staff member
Bookings is a feature of Microsoft 365, not a product — each bookable staff member needs a license, from $6/user/mo on Business Basic (annual billing) up to $12.50 on Standard and $22 on Premium.
Month-to-month flexibility
Skipping the annual commitment raises Business Basic to $7.20 per user per month — the no-contract option costs 20% more, per seat, forever.
The ecosystem, not the scheduler
You can't buy the booking tool alone. The subscription bundles Office apps, Exchange and Teams — useful if you need them, pure overhead if you only wanted a booking page.
SMS reminders: unstated
Microsoft's own Bookings and Microsoft 365 comparison pages don't state whether SMS appointment reminders exist, on any plan. We don't guess — but a feature that isn't promised isn't one you can count on.
“You can't actually buy Microsoft Bookings — it's a Microsoft 365 feature, so every staff member costs at least a $6/mo seat.”
Why switch to RZRV
Standalone and $0 — no suite required
RZRV is a booking system, not a bundle. One plan, $0, no Microsoft account, no per-seat licensing, no credit card anywhere in signup.
Unlimited staff without per-seat math
Every staff member gets their own services, hours and availability — and your tenth hire costs exactly what your first did: nothing.
SMS reminders: stated, unlimited and free
No-show-fighting texts aren't a maybe here. Unlimited SMS and email reminders are included on every booking, free.
Plays well with the calendar you already use
Hosted booking page, embeddable widget for your own site, Google Calendar two-way sync, and a REST API with webhooks — all included, all free.
Microsoft Bookings vs RZRV: the caps, side by side
If your whole team already has Microsoft 365 Business licenses, Bookings is effectively included in what you're paying — that's a fair deal, and we say so below. The comparison is for everyone else. Every Microsoft figure comes from Microsoft's own plans-comparison page, not from third-party blogs.
| What you pay for | Microsoft Bookings | RZRV — free |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings / month | — | Unlimited |
| Staff / users | Every staff member needs a Microsoft 365 seat ($6+/user/mo) | Unlimited |
| SMS reminders | — | Unlimited, free |
| Email reminders | — | Unlimited, free |
| Event / service types | — | Unlimited |
| Locations | — | Unlimited |
| Calendar sync | — | Google Calendar, free |
| Commission / client fees | None stated | None — 0% |
| Payments on free plan | No free tier | No payment processing (and no fees) |
| Starts at | $6.00/user/mo (M365 Business Basic, annual) — $7.20 month-to-month | $0 — there are no paid plans |
Last verified: June 2026 — every figure above comes from the vendor's own pricing page, not third-party blogs: Microsoft Bookings pricing.
“—” means the vendor's own pricing page doesn't state it. We only print caps we could verify — we never guess.
What you get free with RZRV
There's no feature matrix to decode because there's only one plan, and it costs $0. Everything below is included for every account — no trial, no tiers, no credit card.
RZRV doesn't process payments — and doesn't take fees or commissions on your bookings. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Bookings free?
No. There's no standalone or free version of Microsoft Bookings — it's included in Microsoft 365 Business subscriptions, which run $6 per user per month on Business Basic (annual billing, $7.20 month-to-month), $12.50 on Business Standard and $22 on Business Premium. Every bookable staff member needs their own seat. Verified on Microsoft's own plans-comparison page, June 2026.
Can I use Microsoft Bookings without a Microsoft 365 subscription?
No — Bookings isn't sold separately; it's a feature of Microsoft 365 Business plans. If you don't want a Microsoft subscription, you need a different booking system. RZRV is standalone and 100% free: unlimited bookings, staff and SMS reminders with no Microsoft account required.
What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Bookings?
RZRV is the free Microsoft Bookings alternative with no per-seat licensing: unlimited bookings, unlimited staff, unlimited SMS and email reminders, Google Calendar sync, a hosted booking page, an embeddable widget and a REST API — no credit card required. If you live in the Zoho ecosystem, Zoho Bookings has a real free plan too, but it's limited to one user with one event type and one connected calendar.
How much does Microsoft Bookings really cost for a team?
Count your bookable staff. Each one needs their own Microsoft 365 license, starting at $6 per user per month with annual billing — so a five-person team is five seats, every month, plus the commitment. The number on the pricing page is per user; the cost in practice is per headcount. RZRV charges $0 regardless of team size.
Is RZRV really free, or is there a per-user price later?
Really free, with no per-user anything. There's exactly one plan and it costs $0 — unlimited staff, unlimited bookings, unlimited reminders, no trial clock and no credit card field anywhere in signup. What you see on the pricing page is the whole product.
When is Microsoft Bookings the better choice?
Honestly: if every staff member already has a Microsoft 365 Business license, Bookings adds no extra cost — it's included in seats you're paying for anyway, and it lives inside the Outlook-and-Teams workflow your team already uses. In that case, try it first. RZRV is the better fit when you don't want to buy (or expand) a Microsoft subscription just to take bookings.
More about Microsoft Bookings and switching
Compare more free alternatives
Free Acuity Scheduling alternative
There is no free Acuity — after the 7-day trial the cheapest way to keep one calendar running is $16/mo.
CompareFree Setmore alternative
The free plan stops at 200 appointments a month and 4 users — and the SMS reminders your no-shows need are Pro-only.
CompareFree Square Appointments alternative
Free for one human inside Square's payments ecosystem — the moment you're a team, you're on a paid tier whose price isn't even in the page source.
CompareFree Fresha alternative
The famous ‘free’ Fresha is gone — it's a per-team-member subscription now, with reminder messages metered after 20 a month.
CompareFree Booksy alternative
No free plan — $29.99 a month plus $20 for every extra staff member, and Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit.
CompareStop paying for caps. Keep the bookings.
Unlimited bookings, staff and reminders — live in minutes, free forever. No credit card to start, none later either.