The Leap and Calendly are two platforms that provide appointment scheduling for creator entrepreneurs, consultants, and coaches to offer and schedule one-on-one calls with their clients. But what sets the two platforms apart?
If you’ve ever booked a consultation call or coaching session, chances are you may have used Calendly. While Calendly is a very popular software, its features are mostly limited to appointment scheduling.
On the other hand, The Leap is a link-in-bio store that incorporates appointment scheduling with other monetization features, like email marketing automation, analytics, and even an AI-powered digital product builder that can help bring your product ideas to life in minutes.
In this article, we’ll discuss what makes The Leap and Calendly different so you can decide which platform suits your needs. Read on to learn more.
Use The Leap to offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions. It’s free!The Leap vs. Calendly: Key differences
The Leap and Calendly are both platforms that offer monetization features for appointment scheduling, like the ability to sell one-on-one consulting calls or coaching sessions. Here’s a quick summary of their similarities and differences in features and pricing:
| Platform | Pricing and key features |
| The Leap | Price: Free! Digital product builder: ✅ Uses AI to build mini-courses, guides, tutorials, challenges, and more. Native calendar booking: ✅ Sell multiple event types: ✅ Payment option at booking: ✅ Link-in-bio store: ✅ Email marketing automation: ✅ Flexible payment options: ✅ |
| Calendly | Price: Free – $16/month Digital product builder: ❌ Native calendar booking: ✅ Sell multiple event types: ✅ (paid plans only) Payment option at booking: ✅ (paid plans only) Link-in-bio store: ❌ Email marketing automation: ✅ (paid plans only) Flexible payment options: ✅ |
What is The Leap?
The Leap is a free link-in-bio store that helps creator entrepreneurs monetize their knowledge and expertise by creating, selling, and marketing their digital products.
This platform is packed with tons of monetization features including Book My Time, its native calendar booking feature, which allows you to schedule appointments like one-on-one calls, consultations, and coaching sessions.
Not only is The Leap’s Book My Time feature super easy to use, but this platform is also so much more than an appointment scheduling tool.
By using The Leap, you also get access to its robust monetization toolkit, with features like email marketing automation, analytics, and a powerful AI authoring tool for creating digital products like mini-courses, challenges, guides, and tutorials.
The Leap key features
The Leap isn’t just an online appointment scheduling software, it’s a link-in-bio store with a variety of features that set it apart, such as:
- AI-powered digital product builder: The Leap’s digital product builder is the only of its kind powered by generative AI. It can create a draft for a mini-course, guide, tutorial, or more — and spin up landing pages for them — in just minutes, saving you a ton of time and effort.
- 100% free to use: While many platforms charge a monthly subscription or transaction fees, The Leap is 100% free to use. Once you start making sales from your Leap store, all you have to pay is the standard 2.9% Stripe fee.
- Native calendar booking: The Leap’s Book My Time feature allows you to offer and schedule one-on-one calls with your clients and get paid easily.
- Offer mini-consulting: The Leap’s Ask Me Anything feature lets your followers ask you questions directly through the platform. All you need to do is set your fee and record your response.
- Flexible payment options: The Leap users have access to flexible selling and payment options, like Buy Now, Pay Later payment plans via Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm. Plus, discount/coupon codes and one-click payments via digital wallets like Apple Pay.
- Lead generation: The Leap’s product builder can help you create effective lead magnets (aka freebies), which help you grow your email list and boost your sales.
- Email marketing automation: Use The Leap’s pre-made email templates for setting up automated email flows and sending one-off broadcasts easily.
- Referral program: The Leap’s referral program operates on a tiered commission system, offering creators the ability to make up to 40% recurring commission.
Offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions with The Leap.
What is Calendly?
Calendly is a popular online appointment-scheduling software for a wide range of users. It offers several essential scheduling features like calendar and conference tool integration, event type customization, and the ability to send scheduling links.
One of the first online appointment-scheduling software on the market, this platform is popular among a broad range of users including creators and independent contractors, as well as larger organizations and enterprises. Calendly can be used for sales, recruitment, customer success, marketing, revenue operations, information technology, and more.
With both web and mobile accessibility, as well as several automated tools and security features, Calendly is a robust scheduling platform that can adapt to different users’ needs.
The Leap vs. Calendly: Comparison
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s take a closer look at how The Leap and Calendly compare.
- Pricing
- Native calendar booking
- Digital product builder
- Link-in-bio store
- Email marketing automation
1. Pricing
When comparing The Leap and Calendly, there’s a major elephant in the room, and that is Calendly’s pricing.
While Calendly offers a Free plan for individual users, it comes with limited features and basic scheduling tools like one-on-one meetings, schedule link embed, and one calendar connection.
For more advanced features like automated reminders, unlimited event types, analytics, integrations, and more robust customization options, you’ll need to upgrade to Calendly’s Standard or Teams plan for $10/month per user or $16/month per user.
The Leap, however, is 100% free. Its Book My Time feature allows you to book unlimited one-on-one sessions, sell multiple event types, and send automated emails and reminders.
The Book My Time feature is just one part of The Leap’s link-in-bio store package, where creator entrepreneurs can build and sell digital products, and access other monetization features.
Plus, all of The Leap’s features are free to use — no hidden platform fees.
Use The Leap to offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions. It’s free!2. Native calendar booking
Both Calendly and The Leap offer native calendar booking. And by that we mean that the appointment scheduling tool is built-in to the platform. Since Calendly is exclusively an appointment scheduling software, it’s only natural that the platform’s calendar booking feature is native.
The Leap is first and foremost a link-in-bio store, with the added advantage of a native calendar booking feature, Book My Time. Other creator store platforms may offer appointment scheduling, but often as an integration, meaning you have to leave one platform to access another feature — so not the smoothest workflow.
Since Calendly specializes in appointment scheduling, its other features — like analytics, email management, and payment options — are offered as integrations.
In addition to its native calendar booking feature, Book My Time, The Leap also offers a range of other features including an AI-powered digital product builder, email marketing automation, analytics, and more.
In summary, with The Leap, there’s no tab-hopping. You can schedule appointments and monetize other aspects of your business as a creator entrepreneur all from one place.
Offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions with The Leap.
3. Digital product builder
Another big difference between The Leap and Calendly is its digital product builder offering. Since Calendly is primarily an appointment scheduling software, it does not offer many of the monetization options that The Leap does, like a digital product builder.
The Leap’s AI-powered digital product builder can generate ideas and customizable templates for a range of digital learning products — like mini-courses, guides, challenges, tutorials, and more — in just seconds. Watch the video below to learn how it works.
Since digital products are a fantastic source of passive income, and because The Leap’s digital product builder is designed to save users both time and money, this tool is a great supplement to your appointment scheduling income.
Click here to start creating and selling digital products with The Leap. It’s free!4. Link-in-bio store
While Calendly allows users to embed schedule links on their websites, it doesn’t offer a storefront functionality. The Leap, on the other hand, is designed specifically with creator entrepreneurs in mind. This platform is first and foremost a link-in-bio store with a robust kit of monetization features, including appointment scheduling.
With The Leap, you can schedule appointments on the same platform that you sell digital products, manage your email marketing, track audience analytics, build an email list, and so much more.
If you’re looking to sell digital services like one-on-one consultation and coaching calls, alongside digital products like mini-courses and tutorials, then The Leap is for you.
Set up your link-in-bio store on The Leap today. It’s free!5. Email marketing automation
Both The Leap and Calendly offer automated email features. For example, Calendly’s Free plan has automated booking confirmation emails and calendar invites. However, you’ll need an integration with an email marketing platform for more advanced email marketing features. Calendly integrations are also only accessible via the platform’s paid plans.
On the contrary, The Leap’s email marketing automation is a powerful system designed to help you put lead nurturing on autopilot. It boasts features like an AI assistant that can generate email drafts and brainstorm email campaign ideas, 16 pre-built, expert-recommended email templates, audience segmentation, opt-in forms, and even a mini-CRM with audience analytics. Watch the video below to learn more:
To access similar features with Calendly, you’ll have to integrate with several different platforms, and it will come at a cost. With The Leap, every feature is offered for free — no hidden platform fees in sight.
Nurture and convert leads with The Leap’s built-in email marketing features. Start free!6. Payment options
Both Calendly and The Leap accept payments through Stripe. Calendly also has a PayPal integration.
The Leap really shines in the flexible selling and payment options department by offering users access to Buy Now, Pay Later payment plans via Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm. Plus, discount/coupon codes and one-click payments via digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Boost your digital product sales with The Leap’s flexible selling and payment options.The Leap vs. Calendly: Which one should you choose?
When it comes to choosing an appointment scheduling software, you want to consider your needs, long-term goals, and, most importantly, budget.
If you’re looking to diversify your income stream as a creator entrepreneur by selling digital products alongside offering coaching or consultation services, then The Leap is the best option for you. The Leap offers a native calendar booking tool alongside other built-in monetization features that are all 100% free to use.
Plus, The Leap has an AI-powered digital product builder that helps you create multiple digital products in just seconds. Meanwhile, Calendly offers features and tools solely for appointment scheduling.
If you’re on a budget, you’ll want to consider The Leap, since it provides you with most of Calendly’s basic appointment scheduling features plus robust monetization features without the hefty price tag.
However, Calendly might be for you if you’re an individual or team looking for advanced scheduling or video conference features and integrations. Keep in mind that Calendly’s advanced features are not included with its free plan and come at a cost — starting at $10/month per user.
TL;DR
The Leap is best if… |
Calendly is best if… |
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Schedule appointments for free with The Leap
Calendly and The Leap are both great options for appointment scheduling with free plans. If you’re an individual looking for basic appointment scheduling features, or a team looking to invest in advanced scheduling features, then Calendly is a great option.
However, only The Leap has a free plan that includes generative AI for building landing pages and digital products, powerful email marketing automation and lead nurturing tools, analytics, and even more monetization features.
If you want a 100% free platform to manage your business as a creator entrepreneur from one place — including appointment scheduling and other monetization features — then The Leap is for you.
Turn your expertise into cash and start booking appointments with The Leap for free — sign up today!
Offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions with The Leap.
The Leap vs. Calendly FAQ
How is The Leap better than Calendly?
Both The Leap and Calendly offer appointment scheduling, but The Leap stands out for its link-in-bio store, digital product builder, email marketing automation features, and pricing.
The Leap’s AI-powered digital product builder can help you create digital products quickly and easily to sell to your audience. This helps you generate passive income through digital products, alongside making sales from online services like one-on-one coaching or consultation calls.
Calendly’s advanced scheduling tools, like marketing and analytics, are only accessible through integrations and a paywall, whereas The Leap’s are built into the platform and 100% free.
What is The Leap?
The latest brainchild from Thinkific, The Leap is a link-in-bio store that helps creator entrepreneurs monetize their knowledge and expertise. This platform has a native calendar booking tool that makes it ridiculously easy for you to schedule appointments, like one-on-one consultation and coaching calls.
Plus, The Leap offers a range of other features designed to help you start monetizing your knowledge, including an AI-powered digital product builder, email marketing automation, an AI assistant, email list builder, and more.
Offer micro-consulting and sell coaching sessions with The Leap.
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Further reading
- 10 Best Online Appointment Scheduling Tools
- Calendly Pricing 2025 Review: Is the Scheduling Tool Worth It?
- 10 Best Calendly Alternatives for Scheduling Appointments
- 13 Best Examples of Digital Products Created on The Leap
- 15 Best Platforms To Sell Digital Products Online
- 9 Best Tools To Create Digital Products To Sell
- 10 Best Creator Store Platforms for Monetizing Your Knowledge
- 8 Best Free Link-in-Bio Tools for Instagram and TikTok
