4appointments — alternative to Setmore
Short answer
4appointments is an online booking system: each business gets its own booking page (your name, logo and colour), calendars and schedules per provider, and requests that your team confirms manually in the panel. Setmore is known for its free plan and its simplicity; 4appointments is a similarly simple tool with a branded booking page, provider calendars and manual confirmation, without automatic notifications or payments. Today it does not send automatic e-mails or SMS to clients, does not take online payments and has no Google or Outlook sync (calendar import and export use ICS only).
4appointments advantages
- A booking page with your own name, logo and colour — one link to share, plus a separate link per provider.
- Guests book 24/7 without an account, or choose “Anyone available”.
- Services with duration, price and a pause between bookings; each provider has a weekly schedule, exceptions and days off.
- Team calendar (day, week, month, list) with roles and permissions per member and per section.
- Clients can cancel or reschedule from the management link on their confirmation screen; recurring bookings are created by staff.
- Reports on confirmed, cancelled and pending bookings, by day, service and provider; the bookings list exports to CSV, XML or PDF.
Limitations to consider
- No automatic confirmation or reminder e-mails or SMS to clients; bookings are confirmed manually by your team.
- No online payments or deposits, no Google/Outlook sync (ICS only), and no integrations or invoicing link.
- Setmore has a free plan that is known to be generous; check its site for current limits.
- Setmore offers well-known native integrations (e.g. video conferencing).
Comparison table: 4appointments vs Setmore
| Feature | 4appointments | Setmore |
|---|---|---|
| Interface language | Panel in English; the language of the public page depends on the link | See the provider’s site |
| Subscription | Prices in euro; first 12 months free, no card | See the provider’s site |
| Automatic e-mail reminders | No (no e-mails are sent to clients today) | E-mail yes; SMS usually on paid plans |
| Payment / deposit at booking | Not today (a deposit is arranged outside the tool) | Yes (via external processors) |
| Google + Outlook sync | No; ICS import/export only | Yes |
| Multi-location | No (the locations list is informational only) | — |
| Integrated invoicing | No | — |
| Booking confirmation | Manual: the request stays pending until your team confirms it | Automatic by default |
| Free plan | No permanent free plan; the first 12 months are free | Yes (see the provider’s site for limits) |
Note: third-party features and pricing may change — check the official site before deciding. Data reflects public information as of mid-2026.
Quick verdict
Choose 4appointments if a simple branded page with manual confirmation is enough and the first 12 months free suit your plans. Choose Setmore if you need a permanent free plan, payments, notifications or calendar sync.
Frequently asked questions
Setmore or 4appointments for a small business?
Both are simple. Setmore adds payments, notifications and integrations depending on the plan, and has a free plan; 4appointments has a branded page, provider calendars and manual confirmation, but no automatic e-mails or payments today.
Does Setmore include SMS reminders for free?
On Setmore, SMS reminders are usually on paid plans — check its site. 4appointments sends no reminders by e-mail or SMS today.
Does Setmore have a better free plan?
Setmore is known for its free plan. 4appointments has no permanent free plan, only the first 12 months free on every plan, with no card.
Can I link appointments to invoices?
Not with 4appointments: it has no invoicing and no integration with invoicing tools. Invoices are issued outside the tool.