TL;DR
- TidyCal:
- $29 lifetime. One-time payment (AppSumo deal).
- FairCal:
- $0.10-0.25/booking. No subscription. Full features from day one.
A TidyCal alternative that charges what it costs.
TidyCal charges $29 lifetime. The infrastructure to run scheduling — servers, APIs, storage, delivery — costs roughly $0.03/booking. FairCal charges $0.10-0.25/booking. No subscription. No seat limits. No annual contract.
Why people leave TidyCal
Basic feature set
AppSumo deals may not be sustainable
Limited integrations
FairCal vs TidyCal
| FairCal | TidyCal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per use | One-time payment (AppSumo deal) |
| Price | $0.10-0.25/booking | $29 lifetime |
| Free tier | Free actions included | Free plan available |
| Contract | None | Monthly available |
| Zero-usage month | $0 | Still charged |
| Feature gating | All features included | Some features gated |
| Infrastructure cost | $0.03/booking | Not disclosed |
What it actually costs to run
The infrastructure cost for scheduling — servers, APIs, storage, delivery — is roughly $0.03/booking. TidyCal charges $29 lifetime.
Fair charges $0.10-0.25/booking — cost plus a small margin.
When to choose which
Choose TidyCal if
Budget-conscious solopreneurs wanting basic scheduling
Choose FairCal if
You want scheduling without a subscription. FairCal charges $0.10-0.25/booking. Use a lot? Pay a little more. Use nothing? Pay nothing. All features included from the first use.
Where TidyCal gets expensive
- Very basic compared to Calendly
- Uncertain long-term sustainability
Switch from TidyCal. Keep the features. Lose the subscription.
FairCal — $0.10-0.25/booking. No subscription. No seat pricing. No annual contract. Your first actions are free.
Related comparisons
Fair is the anti-subscription. 13 tools, one account, pay for what you use.