The best availability poll apps are WhenAvailable, Morgen Scheduling Poll and Calendly Meeting Polls. The right choice depends on how your team schedules meetings. Some apps work best for simple time slot polls, while others let people mark on an availability grid.
Scheduling a meeting may sometimes take longer than it should. You have a group to coordinate, a meeting to book, and an email thread that keeps going in circles. The best availability poll apps solve that problem by replacing email chains with a link that everyone can answer.
This article gives you the published prices, where vendors publish them, and the real free-tier limits for all nine tools. You also get the arithmetic on what the scheduling itself costs your team in payroll.
What Is an Availability Poll App?
An availability poll app is a tool that helps a group find the best time to meet. It collects everyone’s available times through one shared link and shows which time works for the most people.
The best availability poll apps replace long email threads with a simple voting process for groups to reach a decision faster. Unlike a booking link that lets one person choose a time from your calendar, an availability poll lets the whole group decide together.
Availability poll apps usually offer two ways to collect responses. The first is a slot poll, a meeting availability poll built from a short list of fixed time options. You choose the candidate times first, and guests mark yes or no on each. The time with the most votes becomes the meeting time.
The second option is an availability grid. Instead of choosing from fixed time slots, guests mark every hour they are free on a shared grid. The app compares everyone’s responses and highlights the time with the most overlap. The darkest block on the grid is the best time to meet.
The best availability poll apps all run on the same three steps. You create your time options or open a blank grid for the week. You share one link, and each guest responds right inside a browser.
Then you read the result and send the invite, which replaces the usual email back-and-forth. WhenAvailable, a free group scheduling and availability poll tool, follows that same pattern.
| What are Availability Poll Apps? Availability poll apps are platforms that collect everyone’s availability in one place and highlight the meeting time that suits the most people. They replace long email chains with a simple poll, making group scheduling faster and easier. |
What Does Back-and-Forth Scheduling Actually Cost You?
Three hours a week of scheduling costs about $12,200 a year in payroll for one manager or professional. That estimate comes from two published figures, and you can verify both. Here is the arithmetic so you can calculate the cost for your own team.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts total compensation at $78.10 per hour worked for private-industry management and professional employees. That is the March 2026 figure for employer cost which includes benefits, not take-home pay. Using the full employer cost makes the estimate harder to dispute.
Calendly’s State of Meetings report found that 43% of workers spend at least three hours a week scheduling meetings. That share is up from 36% the year before, so the problem is growing. Keep in mind that this data comes from Calendly’s own research.
Start with three hours of scheduling time each week for one person. Three hours at $78.10 an hour comes to $234.30 a week in payroll. Across a 52-week year, that is $12,183.60, or about $12,200 a year per person.
Looking at the cost per meeting makes the impact quite easy to picture. If five people each spend 30 minutes scheduling a meeting, the calculation is 5 × 0.5 × $78.10. That comes to $195.25 in payroll before anyone has even started the meeting.
Image via BarnRaisers
The time an organizer spent drafting options and chasing replies is easy to see. But, the time each invitee spends reading and responding to the thread is not. That hidden cost spreads across everyone on the invite list, so it often goes unnoticed.
Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index reports that nearly a third of meetings now span multiple time zones. That is up 35% since 2021, so the coordination cost keeps climbing.
Cutting the scheduling overhead is one practical way to make every meeting count. Hours recovered convert directly to money, which matches most working definitions of ROI. That is why availability poll apps are a better choice than long email threads for scheduling meetings.
| What Does Back-And-Forth Scheduling Really Cost You? Back-and-forth scheduling wastes paid work hours up to $12,200 a year in payroll for one employee. Availability poll apps reduce that wasted time by helping groups agree on a meeting time with one shared poll. |
What’s the Difference Between Slot Polls vs Availability Grids?
Slot polls Slot polls work best for smaller groups where a few meeting times are already clear. Availability grids suit larger groups when you need to find common free time from scratch.
Image via BarnRaisers
The best availability poll apps generally use one or both of these approaches. A slot poll starts with the organizer suggesting a shortlist of meeting times. Each participant then votes yes, no, or maybe.
An availability grid starts with a blank calendar instead. Each person paints the hours they are free until a heatmap shows the overlap.
| Poll Type | How It Works | Best When | Tools in This List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot poll | The organizer proposes specific times and everyone votes yes, no or maybe | Smaller groups, senior people, a decision needed fast | WhenAvailable, Doodle, Calendly Meeting Polls, Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll, StrawPoll Meetings |
| Availability grid | Everyone paints their own free time on a shared canvas and a heatmap shows the overlap | Larger groups, no obvious candidate times, people spread across time zones | Morgen Scheduling Poll, When2meet, WhenIsGood |
| Booking link with a poll attached | A one-to-one booking product where polling is a secondary mode | Teams already standardized on the platform | Calendly Meeting Polls, SavvyCal, Doodle |
Doodle is one of the best availability poll apps that appears twice in that table. It supports both architectures. Its group polls are slot polls, while its booking pages handle one-to-one scheduling.
Morgen’s product is called Scheduling Poll, but it works as an availability grid. Participants drag across a grid, and a heatmap surfaces the best time to meet.
Calendly and SavvyCal are booking-link products first, with polling as a second mode. That second mode has its own caps, separate from the booking product.
One of these nine best availability poll apps is named after an architecture it doesn’t use. Two more are booking products with polling attached. A tool’s name will not reliably tell you what you are getting. That is why it helps to compare the best availability poll apps by their scheduling method rather than by branding.
Features are not the only difference between the best availability poll apps. The experience participants have during the scheduling process matters too.
StrawPoll’s own page says participants will see advertisements next to your polls. Doodle shows ads to both organizers and participants on its free tier. For client-facing meetings, that is more than a minor inconvenience. It can affect how professional your meeting process looks.
| How Are Slot Polls Different From Availability Grids? Slot polls use a fixed list of meeting times, while availability grids let people mark their free hours on a calendar. The right option depends on your group size, scheduling needs, and how much flexibility your guests need. |
How Do the Best Availability Poll Apps Differ?
The best availability poll apps differ in how they collect responses and what you can do on the free plan. The comparison below covers all nine tools by poll type, ideal use case, free-tier limits, and starting price.
| Tool | Poll Type | Best For | Free Tier | Paid From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhenAvailable | Slot poll | Free ad-free group polls with no guest sign-up | Unlimited polls, 20 guests each | $10 one-time or $38 a year |
| Doodle | Slot poll plus booking | A name your invitees already recognize | 10 time slots, ads shown to you and your guests | No monthly figure on doodle.com |
| Morgen Scheduling Poll | Availability grid | Groups spread across time zones | Unlimited, no account for anyone | Free |
| Calendly Meeting Polls | Slot poll in a booking product | Teams already on Calendly | 40 slots and 40 participants, votes cannot be changed | Annual rate only |
| Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll | Slot poll | Microsoft 365 workplaces | 15 time options, needs Exchange Online | Included with Microsoft 365 |
| When2meet | Availability grid | Zero-cost grids | Free, no limits published | None |
| StrawPoll Meetings | Slot poll | Large community votes | Unlimited polls, ads shown to participants, 50 email invites a month | No figure on the pricing page |
| WhenIsGood | Availability grid | Cheap ad-free grids | Free with ads, full time zone support | $20 a year |
| SavvyCal | Booking link with a poll | Client-facing scheduling | No free plan on the pricing page | $10 per user a month |
How Do You Choose an Availability Poll App?
Match the poll app to your group size and your guests’ patience, not to a feature list. The best availability poll apps make voting quick and simple for everyone. If guests struggle to respond, even the most advanced tool will not contribute to your business ROI.
All prices and free plan limits in this guide come from each vendor’s live website as of July 2026. Every tool also has at least one published limitation, including the top-ranked option.
- Start With Your Group Size: Check whether people already know each other’s calendars. A slot poll fits a small group that already has a few obvious candidate times. A grid works better for a large group spread across time zones.
- Check the Voting Process: Look at what your guests actually have to do before they can vote. An organizer account and a guest account are two completely different questions. Only the guest requirement costs you responses, because sign-up forms lose people.
- Look for Ads: Ask whether your invitees will see ads while they vote on your poll. Doodle and StrawPoll both disclose that your participants will see ads.
- Review the Free Plan Limits: Find out where the free tier actually breaks before you commit a group to it. Guest caps, slot caps and invite caps stop you after you have sent the link.
- Consider What Happens After Voting: Decide what needs to happen after the poll closes and a time is chosen. Look at calendar write-back, calendar file export and whether anyone can still change a vote.
| How Do You Choose an Availability Poll App? The choice comes down to five key factors — group size, voting process, ads, free plan limits, and post-vote options. These details help you pick a tool that makes scheduling seamless for both organizers and guests. |
What are the Best Availability Poll Apps?
The nine best availability poll apps are WhenAvailable, Doodle, Morgen Scheduling Poll, Calendly Meeting Polls and Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll. The list finishes with When2meet, StrawPoll Meetings, WhenIsGood and SavvyCal.
1. WhenAvailable
Image via WhenAvailable
WhenAvailable tops our list of the best availability poll apps for small-group and social scheduling. It is a simple slot poll built for board meetings, family reunions and weekend get-togethers. Your guests vote without an account or an app, and every tier stays ad-free.
Time-zone detection is built in, so nobody converts times by hand.
The free Basic tier caps each poll at 20 guests. Passing that number means paying $10 once for OneTime Premium.
Key Features
- Unlimited basic polls, even on the free plan
- Guests voting without an account or app
- Automatic time-zone detection for guests in other regions
- Google Calendar and contacts import
Pricing
- Basic: Free, limited to 20 guests
- OneTime: $10/poll, unlimited guests
- Premium: $38 per year, unlimited premium polls
Pro Tip: Import your Google contacts before you build the poll, so you never retype an email address.
2. Doodle
Image via Doodle
Doodle runs slot polls alongside booking pages and sign-up sheets in a single account. Organizers who book group meetings and one-to-one calls get both without having to use a second tool.
The free account covers one group poll and one calendar connection, with a maximum of 10 time slots. Ads appear for you and your participants on the free plan until you upgrade.
For the paid plans, client-facing teams can create unlimited branded booking links. Doodle automatically adjusts availability across time zones.
Key Features
- Group polls, booking pages and sign-up sheets
- One calendar connection on the free tier
- One 1:1 booking link for individual meetings
- Multiple scheduling workflows
Pricing
- Free Tier: 10 time slots maximum
- Pro: $15 per seat/month
- Teams: $20 per seat/month
- Enterprise: Starts at $15k and offers custom pricing
Pro Tip: Build and send your Doodle poll from a browser while the mobile app is paused.
3. Morgen Scheduling Poll
Image via Morgen
Morgen Scheduling Poll has a slot-poll name but is functionally an availability grid. Participants drag across a grid, and a heatmap surfaces the best time for large groups.
Participants do not need to create an account before responding. The organizer also does not need an account to create a poll. Times are stored in UTC and shown in each participant’s local zone.
The free poll is a separate product from Morgen’s calendar app, and the two are easy to confuse. That app has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Key Features
- Unlimited free polls with no hidden limits
- No account needed for organizer or participants
- Full touch support in any modern browser
- Calendar file export once the time is settled
Pricing
- Scheduling Poll: Completely free, unlimited polls
- Individuals: $30/month
- Teams: $25 per seat/month for a minimum of 2 seats
Pro Tip: Send the grid link early, because the heatmap needs most people to respond.
4. Calendly Meeting Polls
Image via Calendly
Calendly Meeting Polls is a slot poll built into a booking-link product. Teams already sending Calendly links can settle one group time. Real-time calendar sync holds the spots you offer, then clears them once a time is picked.
Time zone detection shows every invitee the options in their own local time. Hard caps stop you at 40 time slots and 40 participants for one poll. You cannot add slots after publishing, and participants cannot change a vote, unlike StrawPoll.
Key Features
- Available on every plan, including the Free tier
- Completely ad-free for organizers and participants
- Voters respond without creating a Calendly account
- Offered slots held and then released automatically
Pricing
- Free plan includes Meeting Polls access
- Standard: $12 per seat/month’
- Teams: $20 per seat/month
- Enterprise: Starts at $15/year
Pro Tip: Finalize your slot list first, because Calendly locks the options once the poll opens.
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5. Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll
Image via Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll is a slot poll that replaced the FindTime add-in in July 2022. Organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365 get it inside Outlook.
Attendees vote yes or no, and the calendar highlight the time option holds once you pick. External guests vote through a secure web link with an email address.
Each poll allows a maximum of 15 time options, and Exchange Online is mandatory. You need a Microsoft 365 business or enterprise plan, and it does not support shared mailboxes and group calendars.
Key Features
- Works in Outlook web, Mac and Windows
- Yes or no voting on each option
- Secure web link for external email guests
- Organizer picks the time and holds release
Pricing
- Included with qualifying Microsoft 365 plans and requires Exchange Online in that plan
Pro Tip: Confirm your Microsoft 365 plan includes Exchange Online before you promise a poll.
6. When2meet
Image via When2meet
When2meet is a free availability grid that suits any group working without a budget. It describes itself as a free survey tool that is quick and easy to use.
You and your guests each mark your own free time on one shared week grid. The whole group’s availability then appears in one view, at no cost.
What you will not find is documentation, a pricing page or a public support channel. That leaves you nothing to check before committing an important group meeting.
Key Features
- Availability grid covering a full shared week
- Everyone marks their own free time blocks
- Group availability shown in one combined view
- Free survey tool, in its own words
Pricing
- Free, with no tiers at all
Pro Tip: Send written instructions with the grid link, because When2meet publishes no help pages.
7. StrawPoll Meetings
Image via StrawPoll
StrawPoll Meetings is a slot poll built for scale, with unlimited polls and unlimited votes. A large community group can vote without hitting a participant cap. You get an “if-need-be” response alongside yes and no.
Everyone can change their vote by default. Availability poll apps like Calendly, by contrast, lock a vote the moment someone submits it.
StrawPoll discloses that participants will see advertisements next to polls they respond to. The free tier also caps email invites at 50 a month.
Key Features
- Unlimited polls and unlimited votes on free
- “If-need-be” response beyond plain yes or no
- Everyone can change their vote by default
- Real-time result notifications as new votes arrive
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited polls and unlimited votes, with ads
- Basic: $8/month
- Pro: $28/month
- Business: $52/month
Pro Tip: Tell your voters that “if-need-be” means a genuine fallback, or they will treat it as yes.
8. WhenIsGood
Image via WhenIsGood
WhenIsGood is an availability grid you can send with no sign-up form at all. It is one of the best availability poll apps you should use when a group must respond fast and nobody wants another account. You get full time zone support free, with 15, 30 and 60-minute slots and email alerts.
Premium adds graded responses, so a respondent can mark a time perfect or merely possible. The free tier carries ads, and only the Premium removes them. The pricing page still quotes a tax rate of 17.5% for EU customers.
Key Features
- Full time zone support at no cost
- Custom event URL plus calendar sync included
- 15, 30, 60-minute slots or full days
- Graded responses and Excel export on Premium
Pricing
- Basic: Free with no sign-up required
- Premium: $20 a year, ads removed
Pro Tip: Paste the custom event URL into your group chat, since respondents need no account.
9. SavvyCal
Image via SavvyCal
SavvyCal is a booking link with meeting polls as a second mode, aimed at client-facing scheduling. Clients book most of your meetings, and polls cover the exceptions.
A calendar overlay shows recipients their own calendar on your scheduling link. They pick a time without switching windows, in their own time zone.
SavvyCal also lets users customize scheduling links with branding and availability rules. This helps create a smoother booking experience for business presentations with external clients and partners.
Key Features
- Calendar overlay on your scheduling link
- Recipients choose times in their time zone
- Unlimited meeting polls on the Basic tier
- Two modes — booking links and meeting polls
Pricing
- Basic: $12 per user/month
- Premium: $20 per user/month
Pro Tip: Use the overlay link for clients, and keep polls for internal groups without shared calendars.
| What Are the Best Availability Poll Apps? WhenAvailable, Doodle, Morgen Scheduling Poll, and Calendly Meeting Polls are strong choices for group scheduling. Microsoft Outlook Scheduling Poll, When2meet, StrawPoll Meetings, WhenIsGood, and SavvyCal complete the list. Compare free-tier limits, poll style, and participant experience before choosing a tool. |
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FAQ
1. What is the best free availability poll app?
WhenAvailable is the top free choice among the best availability poll apps for small-group polls, capped at 20 guests. Morgen Scheduling Poll is completely free and unlimited, with no account needed from the organizer or participants. When2meet is a free survey tool but it publishes no usage limits.
2. How do you create an availability poll?
Start by setting your time options, or open a blank grid and let people mark availability. Next, share the single poll link with everyone invited, using email or a chat message. Then read the results and send an invite for the time slot that wins.
3. Do participants need an account to vote in an availability poll?
No, in most tools only the organizer needs an account, and guests vote through a shared link. WhenAvailable guests vote without an account or an app, and Morgen requires no account from anyone. Outlook Scheduling Poll lets external guests vote using only an email address.
4. How many time options should an availability poll include?
SurveyMonkey recommends capping answer options at five to seven, so your guests avoid choice overload. Outlook Scheduling Poll allows 15 time options, and Calendly Meeting Polls caps slots and participants at 40. Offer fewer than the cap allows, because a long list can slow replies.
5. What is the difference between an availability poll and a booking link?
An availability poll asks a whole group for input and lets the group decide the time. A booking link offers one person an open slot taken straight from your own calendar. The short version is a group decision versus a single person booking a slot.
6. How do availability polls handle different time zones?
Most availability poll apps detect each participant’s time zone and display times locally. Morgen stores every time in UTC and shows each participant their own local time. WhenAvailable documents time-zone detection in its help center, and Calendly detects the guest’s zone too.
7. Are availability poll apps really free, or are there hidden limits?
Free tiers are real, but each carries a cap worth knowing in advance. WhenAvailable stops at 20 guests per poll, and Doodle stops at 10 time slots. Doodle and StrawPoll both show ads to your participants, and StrawPoll caps email invites at 50 a month.
8. Can you create an availability poll in Google Forms?
Yes, list your time options as a multiple-choice question and let people check what works. A dedicated poll app adds a shared result view that everyone can see, plus time zone handling. Google Forms collects the answers, but it will not pick the meeting time for you.
9. How long should you leave an availability poll open?
Keep the window short for a small, urgent group, and longer for a large distributed one. No published benchmark exists, so treat the timing as judgment rather than a measured figure. Close the poll once a clear winner appears, without waiting for every last vote.
Which Availability Poll App Should You Choose?
The best availability poll apps are the ones that make it easy for your guests to actually open and answer.
Choose WhenAvailable for ad-free group scheduling with no downloads required. Choose Morgen Scheduling Poll for large global groups that need easy voting. Teams already using Calendly or Microsoft 365 should use their built-in tools.
Check two things first — free-tier limits and whether guests will see ads. Start with one small poll before you move a recurring meeting onto a new tool. The same test applies to webinar platforms and any other tool you put in front of an audience.
If meeting scheduling is slowing your team down and affecting ROI, talk to Rob about improving your team’s scheduling workflow.
