Calendly was draining out budget heres what happened when we-self hosted calendso now called cal.com

Calendly was eating into our SaaS budget and no one was even using it properly.

Most of our team found it too rigid. Branding was minimal, customization was limited, and frankly, the ROI wasn’t adding up.

I initially tried to optimize usage within Calendly, hoping the problem was adoption, not the tool. But even with internal SOPs, usage remained patchy and feedback was consistent: “It doesn’t feel like ours.”

That’s when I started looking into alternatives and stumbled upon cal.com (formerly Calendso), an open-source scheduling platform. It checked all the boxes: fully brandable, self-hosted, and API-rich.

I deployed cal.com on our own infrastructure, integrated it with our internal tools, and added custom branding. Within days, adoption increased. Clients instantly recognized our brand in scheduling links. Internally, the team appreciated the clean UX and flexibility.

The best part? I eliminated recurring subscription costs entirely.

Tools like cal.com aren’t just “cheaper alternatives” they’re strategic levers when you know how to deploy and own them.

Curious about self-hosting and cost-cutting in SaaS? Let’s connect and share insights.