Lunacal, Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, Setmore, Cal.com, and Zoho Bookings all send both SMS and email appointment reminders, but they differ in which plan includes texting, how each text is paid for, and whether clients can reply. I would choose Lunacal for multi-step reminder workflows inside a branded booking flow, Square Appointments for free text reminders that clients can reply to, Acuity for texts included in a flat subscription, Calendly for meeting-stage automations, Setmore for a low-cost small team, Cal.com for flexible workflows with WhatsApp, and Zoho Bookings if you already pay for Twilio.
Text reminders are worth the setup. A Cochrane review of eight randomized trials (Gurol-Urganci et al., 2013) found that 78.6% of patients attended healthcare appointments when they received a text reminder, compared with 67.8% when they received no reminder. Text reminders worked about as well as phone call reminders and cost less per attended appointment. The trials covered healthcare appointments, but the same problem applies to a coaching call, a haircut, or a paid consultation: a client who forgets is a slot you cannot resell.
Key Takeaways
- Square Appointments is the only tool here that documents two-way text replies on a $0 plan: clients reply to confirm, reschedule, or cancel.
- Calendly, Setmore, and Cal.com Teams include a monthly SMS allowance per seat; Lunacal and Cal.com Free charge per message from prepaid credits; Zoho Bookings needs your own SMS provider.
- Most tools send one-way texts. If you need clients to confirm by reply, check that specific behavior before you buy.
- Lunacal is the strongest fit when reminders need to sit inside a full booking flow with payments, packages, team routing, and emails sent from your own domain.
Which scheduling software sends SMS and email reminders?
Best SMS reminder tool by use case
| Use case | Best tool |
|---|---|
| Reminder workflows inside a branded booking and payment flow | Lunacal |
| Free text reminders clients can reply to | Square Appointments |
| Texts included in the subscription, no credits to manage | Acuity Scheduling |
| Sales and professional meetings with stage-based automations | Calendly |
| Lowest per-user price with SMS included (US, UK, CA, AU) | Setmore |
| Multi-step workflows plus WhatsApp | Cal.com |
| Zoho users or businesses that already use Twilio | Zoho Bookings |
| Phone call reminders that can confirm or reschedule | Lunacal |
SMS and email reminders compared: plans, billing, and replies
| Tool | SMS available on | How texts are paid for | Email reminders | Two-way text replies | Cheapest plan with SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunacal | Standard and above | Prepaid credits; USD $0.014 per segment to US numbers | Multi-step workflows, custom templates, own SMTP | No; AI phone call can confirm, reschedule, or cancel | USD $9/user/month, annual |
| Square Appointments | All plans, including Free | Included | All plans | Yes, via Square Assistant | $0 per location |
| Acuity Scheduling | Standard and Premium | Included, no per-text fee | Up to 3 per appointment | No (automated reply) | USD $27/month, annual |
| Calendly | Standard and above | 250 credits per seat each month | Standard and above | No | USD $10/seat/month, annual |
| Setmore | Pro | 500 credits per user each month | 1 on Free, 2 on Pro | Not documented | USD $5/user/month, annual |
| Cal.com | All plans | Credits: bought on Free, 750 per member on Teams | All plans; editable from Teams | Not documented | Free + credits; Teams USD $12/user/month, annual |
| Zoho Bookings | Premium | Your own SMS provider (Twilio and others) | Up to 3, all plans | Not documented | USD $9/user/month, annual |
References: Lunacal pricing · Square Appointments pricing · Acuity pricing · Calendly pricing · Setmore pricing · Cal.com pricing · Zoho Bookings pricing
Seven SMS and email reminder tools in depth
Lunacal
Lunacal sends email and SMS reminders through workflows that run before, after, and around each appointment, inside a booking page that carries your branding, service details, and payment step.
Who is Lunacal best for?
I would choose Lunacal for coaches, consultants, studios, and small service teams whose reminders are one part of a longer client journey. A client books a paid session, gets a confirmation email from your own domain, a text the day before, and a follow-up after the session ends, all set up in one place. That matters more than the reminder alone when the appointment is something the client paid for or committed to in a package.
When should you skip Lunacal?
Skip it if you want texting included in the subscription without managing a credit balance, or if you need to rewrite the SMS wording word for word. Acuity includes texts in its Standard plan, and Square Appointments offers text reminders at $0.
Features
Email and SMS workflows
Lunacal’s workflows start from five triggers: a new booking, a set time before the event, a cancellation, a reschedule, or the end of the event. Each step sends an email, an SMS, or both. A typical setup is an email and text 24 hours before the meeting, a host alert when a booking is cancelled, and a text follow-up after the session. Workflows can be personal or shared across a team, and one workflow can cover several event types.
Reminder emails that come from your business
Email templates take variables such as the attendee name, event time, and location link, and Lunacal can send customer emails through your own SMTP and domain. A reminder that arrives from your business address reads as part of your service, not a notice from a third-party tool.
AI phone call reminders
Lunacal’s Voice Agent can call an attendee before the event as a workflow step. The agent reminds the client of the appointment, gives basic meeting details, and reschedules or cancels if the client asks. Calls are available to US, Canadian, UK, and Australian numbers, cost USD $0.15 per minute, are capped at three minutes, and draw from the same credit balance as SMS. That covers the main gap in one-way text reminders: the client can change the booking during the reminder itself.
Reminders tied to payments and packages
Because payment can be collected at booking through Stripe or PayPal, and multi-session packages are sold through the same flow, reminders protect revenue the business has already collected. Our booking software with payment guide covers that side in more detail.
Pros
- Email and SMS steps run on booking, before, after, cancel, and reschedule triggers, and an AI call step can be added before the event.
- Customer emails can be sent through your own SMTP and domain.
- Reminders sit inside a booking flow with branding, payments, packages, round robin, and routing, so the client experience stays consistent.
- SMS is pay-as-you-go, so a business that sends few texts pays little.
Cons
- SMS wording uses Lunacal’s templates and cannot be edited.
- Texts draw from prepaid credits, priced per 70-character segment by destination country; reminders stop sending if the balance runs out.
- An account can create up to 10 workflows, and SMS goes to the attendee only.
- No permanent free plan.
Pricing
- Standard: USD $9 per user/month billed annually, or $10 monthly. Includes text and email reminders.
- Teams: USD $15 per user/month. Adds team scheduling, round robin, and packages.
- Enterprise: USD $25 per user/month billed annually, or $30 monthly.
- SMS: USD $0.01404 per segment to US numbers, $0.03042 to Canada, and $0.06318 to the UK, per Lunacal’s SMS pricing table.
Each plan has a seven-day free trial. Source: Lunacal pricing. For a fuller look at the product, read our Lunacal review.
Square Appointments
Square Appointments includes text and email reminders on every plan, including Square Free at $0, and clients can reply to a text to confirm, reschedule, or cancel.
When should you choose Square Appointments?
Choose it if you already take card payments with Square, or if you run a salon, barbershop, or studio that wants text reminders without paying for software. Square Assistant reads replies to an SMS reminder and updates the calendar when a client confirms, reschedules, or cancels. No other tool on this list documents that kind of reply handling.
Who needs an alternative to Square Appointments?
Businesses that want to write their own text wording or send separate confirmation requests need the Plus plan at USD $49 per location per month. Square’s pricing is per location, which suits a shop with several chairs but less so a solo consultant who sells online sessions and wants a content-rich booking page.
Features
- Text and email reminders on all plans, with the lead time set in reminder settings.
- Two-way text replies through Square Assistant.
- Custom email wording on Free; custom email and text wording on Plus and Premium.
- Separate confirmation requests, which ask every client to confirm in advance, on Plus and Premium.
- Separate marketing texts: 500 a month on Plus, then 3¢ each; 2,500 on Premium, then 1.5¢. These are for promotions, not reminders.
Pros
- Text reminders cost nothing on the Free plan.
- Clients can confirm, reschedule, or cancel by replying.
- Payments, point of sale, and reminders share one system.
Cons
- Custom text wording and confirmation requests need Plus.
- Pricing per location adds up for multi-location businesses.
- Booking pages offer less room for service content than a dedicated booking-page builder.
Pricing
- Square Free: $0 per location/month.
- Plus: USD $49 per location/month.
- Premium: USD $149 per location/month.
Source: Square Appointments pricing.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling includes text reminders with no per-text fee on its Standard and Premium plans, plus up to three email reminders per appointment.
Which businesses benefit most from Acuity?
Acuity suits solo practitioners and small service businesses that want texts included in a flat subscription, with no credit balance to watch. Three email reminders per appointment lets you send, for example, one a week ahead, one the day before, and one an hour before.
When is Acuity a poor fit?
Acuity sends only one text reminder per appointment, between 15 minutes and 14 days before. Clients who reply get an automated response, so they cannot confirm or cancel by text. Custom text wording requires business verification first, which Acuity says can take several weeks; until then, Acuity sends a default message from a general number. Clients opt in to texts per appointment with a checkbox, and the business cannot make that opt-in mandatory.
Features
- One SMS reminder per appointment, up to 300 characters.
- Up to three customizable email reminders, the latest one hour before.
- Follow-up emails after appointments.
- Texting to more than 180 countries, with a published list of blocked countries.
Pros
- No per-text fees on Standard and Premium.
- Three email reminders per appointment.
- Clients can opt out with STOP and back in with START.
Cons
- No text reminders on Starter or during the trial.
- One text per appointment and no two-way replies.
- Verification wait before you can customize texts.
Pricing
- Starter: USD $16/month annual or $20 monthly. Email reminders only.
- Standard: USD $27/month annual or $34 monthly. Adds text reminders.
No free plan; a seven-day trial is available. Source: Acuity pricing. See our Acuity Scheduling alternatives if you are comparing options.
Calendly
Calendly sends email and text reminders through Automations on its Standard plan and above, with 250 SMS credits per seat each month.
What does Calendly suit best?
Calendly suits professionals and sales teams who run meetings in stages. Automations can trigger on a new booking, before the start, at the start, at the end, on reschedule, on cancellation, and when a meeting is marked as a no-show. A no-show trigger is useful for a sales team that wants an automatic rebooking email.
Who should avoid Calendly for reminders?
Avoid it if your clients need to reply to texts. Calendly says replies from invitees aren’t delivered or monitored, so reschedule and cancel links need to go inside the message. Texts are capped at 180 characters, are not available during the trial, and new accounts are temporarily limited to templates. When a workspace uses up its credits, texts stop and Calendly sends emails instead.
Features
- Email and SMS steps in Automations, up to 50 Automations per user or team.
- Customizable subject, body, and variables on Standard and above.
- 250 SMS credits per seat each month, 1,000 on Enterprise, reset on the first of the month.
- Warning to the owner at 90% of credits used.
Pros
- Triggers cover every meeting stage, including no-shows.
- A monthly credit allowance is included in the seat price.
- Familiar to clients who already book through Calendly links.
Cons
- No reminders at all on the Free plan.
- One-way texts capped at 180 characters.
- Calendly doesn’t sell extra SMS credits; you add seats to get more.
Pricing
- Free: $0, without reminders or automations.
- Standard: USD $10/seat/month annual or $12 monthly.
- Teams: USD $16/seat/month annual or $20 monthly.
Source: Calendly pricing. Our Calendly alternatives guide compares other options.
Setmore
Setmore Pro includes 500 SMS credits per user each month at one of the lowest per-user prices on this list.
Is Setmore right for your business?
Setmore works well for small teams in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia that want text reminders without a large subscription. Pro sends one SMS reminder, up to 30 days ahead, and up to two email reminders per booking.
Where does Setmore fall short?
Setmore’s text reminder documentation lists a long set of countries it cannot text, and SMS for class bookings is limited to the US, Australia, the UK, and Canada. Text reminders cannot include links, which rules out a reschedule link inside the SMS.
Features
- One SMS reminder per appointment, up to 30 days ahead.
- One email reminder on Free, two on Pro.
- 500 SMS credits per Pro user each month, with more available to buy in the app.
- Google review requests on Pro.
Pros
- Low price per user with SMS included.
- Free plan for up to four users with email reminders.
- Customizable text content.
Cons
- SMS is blocked in many countries.
- No links allowed in text reminders.
- Only one text reminder per booking.
Pricing
- Free: $0 for up to four users, one email reminder.
- Pro: USD $5 per user/month billed annually.
Source: Setmore pricing. See our Setmore alternatives for comparable tools.
Cal.com
Cal.com sends email, SMS, and WhatsApp reminders through Workflows on every plan, with SMS paid from credits.
Who should pick Cal.com?
Cal.com suits teams comfortable with configuration who want multi-step workflows. Workflow triggers include before the event, after it ends, booking, cancellation, reschedule, payment, and no-show, with as many steps as you need. SMS text is editable on every plan.
Who needs an alternative to Cal.com?
On the Free plan, every text is paid for: Free includes no credits, and email reminders use default wording you cannot edit. Cal.com’s credit documentation says every SMS and WhatsApp message uses credits, including messages to the US and Canada. WhatsApp reminders always send a predetermined default message.
Features
- Email, SMS, and WhatsApp steps in one workflow.
- 750 credits per member each month on Teams, 1,000 on Organizations.
- One credit equals USD $0.01; each 160-character segment costs Twilio’s rate plus an 80% fee.
- Messages fall back to email when credits run out.
Pros
- Many triggers and unlimited workflow steps.
- Editable SMS on all plans.
- WhatsApp option for clients who prefer it.
Cons
- No included credits on Free.
- Fixed WhatsApp wording.
- Setup takes more time than simpler tools.
Pricing
- Free: $0, with SMS credits bought separately.
- Teams: USD $12 per user/month billed yearly, with 750 credits per member each month.
A 14-day trial is available. Source: Cal.com pricing. Our Cal.com alternatives guide covers other options.
Zoho Bookings
Zoho Bookings sends up to three reminders per appointment. Email reminders work on every plan; text reminders need Premium and an SMS provider you connect and pay for yourself.
When does Zoho Bookings make sense?
Zoho Bookings makes sense if your business already runs on Zoho, or if you already have a Twilio account. Premium connects to SMS gateways including Twilio, Clickatell, and Nexmo, and adds WhatsApp reminders with reschedule, cancel, and view buttons once you connect a WhatsApp Business account.
When is Zoho Bookings a poor fit?
It is a poor fit if you want texting to work immediately. Zoho does not supply SMS itself, so you set up and pay for a separate provider, and WhatsApp needs a verified Meta Business account.
Features
- Up to three reminders by email or text at any interval.
- Email reminders and templates on every plan, including Forever Free.
- WhatsApp reminders on Premium.
- Follow-up messages after completed meetings.
Pros
- Three reminders per appointment, by email or text.
- WhatsApp option with action buttons.
- Fits into the wider Zoho suite.
Cons
- No built-in texting.
- SMS and WhatsApp only on Premium.
- Extra setup with a third-party provider.
Pricing
- Forever Free: $0 for one user, email reminders.
- Basic: USD $6/user/month annual or $8 monthly.
- Premium: USD $9/user/month annual or $12 monthly. Adds SMS and WhatsApp.
SMS provider charges are separate. Source: Zoho Bookings pricing. See our Zoho Bookings alternatives.
What should you check before turning on text reminders?
Four details decide whether text reminders work for your business, and pricing pages rarely show them side by side.
- How each text is paid for. Included allowances (Calendly, Setmore, Cal.com Teams) suit steady volume. Pay-as-you-go credits (Lunacal, Cal.com Free) suit lower volume. Flat inclusion (Acuity, Square) removes the arithmetic. A bring-your-own provider (Zoho Bookings) means a second bill. On Lunacal, a 140-character reminder is two segments, so 100 reminders a month to US numbers cost about USD $2.81.
- What happens when a client replies. Most tools send one-way texts. If clients tend to reply “can we move this to Thursday?”, choose Square’s two-way replies, put a reschedule link in the text, or use a phone call reminder such as Lunacal’s Voice Agent.
- Where your clients are. Setmore and Acuity publish lists of countries they cannot text, and Lunacal prices each segment by destination country. Check the countries your clients actually live in.
- Whether you need your own wording. US carriers require businesses that text from standard long-code numbers to register for A2P 10DLC, and campaign vetting can take several business days. Expect a verification step before custom wording goes live on some tools; Acuity, for example, asks for business details first.
Clients must also be able to stop texts. Under the FCC’s 2024 consent revocation order, a reply such as STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL, or UNSUBSCRIBE counts as revoking consent, and businesses must honor it within 10 business days. Keep reminder texts informational, and leave promotions to a separate marketing tool with its own consent process.
A practical default for most service businesses is an email when the booking is made, an email 24 hours before with preparation details, and a short text two to three hours before. Send the text closest to the appointment, because that is when forgetting does the most damage.
How we evaluated scheduling software with SMS and email reminders
The comparison focuses on reminders that reach clients reliably and fit how small service businesses take appointments.
- Which plan includes SMS, and whether texts are included, capped, or charged per message.
- How many email and text reminders each appointment can receive, and how early they can be sent.
- Whether the reminder wording can be customized, and what verification that requires.
- Whether clients can reply to confirm, reschedule, or cancel.
- Country coverage for texting, and alternatives such as WhatsApp or phone calls.
- How reminders connect to the rest of the booking: payments, follow-ups, and team scheduling.
Facts come from each vendor’s pricing page and help documentation, checked on 25 October 2026. Google Calendar appointment schedules were excluded because they do not send text reminders. SimplyBook.me was excluded because it sells SMS only as add-on credits and publishes plan prices in euros. For broader shortlists, see our appointment scheduling software and scheduling software for small businesses guides.
SMS and email appointment reminder FAQs
Which scheduling software sends free text reminders?
Square Appointments includes text and email reminders on its Square Free plan at $0 per location. Acuity Scheduling includes texts with no per-text fee, but only on its paid Standard and Premium plans. Calendly, Setmore, and Zoho Bookings do not send text reminders on their free plans.
Does Calendly send SMS reminders on the free plan?
No. Calendly’s Free plan has no reminders or automations. Text reminders start on Standard at USD $10 per seat per month on annual billing, with 250 SMS credits per seat each month.
Does Google Calendar send text reminders for appointment schedules?
No. Google Calendar appointment schedules send email reminders only, and only on eligible paid Google plans. You can send up to five reminders, but the email text cannot be edited.
Can clients reply to a text reminder to cancel or reschedule?
With Square Appointments, yes: Square Assistant reads replies and updates the booking. Calendly and Acuity texts are one-way, so add a reschedule link to the message. Lunacal’s Voice Agent offers another route by calling the client, who can confirm, reschedule, or cancel during the call.
Why do some tools make me verify my business before sending custom texts?
US carriers require business texting from standard phone numbers to be registered under A2P 10DLC. Scheduling tools register on your behalf or use pre-approved templates, so custom wording may need verification such as your business details or EIN before it goes live.
Which scheduling software with SMS and email reminders is the best fit?
Choose Lunacal if reminders are part of a larger client journey: branded booking pages, payment at booking, packages, team routing, emails from your own domain, and the option of a phone call reminder that can reschedule on the spot.
Choose Square Appointments if you want text reminders for free and clients who can reply to them. Choose Acuity if you want texts included in one flat price. Calendly fits teams already working in meeting-stage automations, Setmore fits a small team on a tight budget in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, Cal.com fits teams that want many workflow steps and WhatsApp, and Zoho Bookings fits businesses already using Zoho or Twilio.
Before you commit, book a test appointment with your own phone number and email address. Check when each reminder arrives, what it says, which number it comes from, and what happens when you reply.