whenly vs When2meet
When2meet is the classic free availability grid: paint the hours you are free and the group heatmap shows the overlap. whenly takes a different approach: the organizer proposes a short list of candidate dates (with optional time slots) and everyone answers ○△× per candidate. Both are free and need no login. Here is how they differ in practice.
Feature comparison
| Feature | whenly | When2meet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ✓ Everything free, unlimited participants | ✓ Free (ad-supported) |
| Organizer login | ✓ Not required (create without an account) | ✓ Not required |
| Participant login | ✓ Not required (name optional) | ✓ Not required (name, optional password) |
| How availability is collected | Candidate dates and time slots, answered with ○△× | Hourly grid painted by each participant |
| Mobile experience | ✓ Designed for phones; tap one answer per candidate | △ Grid is built for a mouse; painting cells on a phone is fiddly |
| Answer options | ✓ ○△× or any custom set of up to 10 options | ✗ Available / unavailable only |
| Approval mode | ✓ Approval mode available | ✗ Anyone with the link can answer |
| Hide participant names | ✓ Hide participant names, show headcount only | ✗ Names are shown on hover |
| Calendar import | ✓ Import to Google, Outlook or iPhone Calendar | ✗ None |
| Printing | ✓ Print the attendance sheet on A4 | ✗ No print layout |
| Languages | ✓ 12 languages, shown in each participant's browser language | ✗ English only |
| AI date entry | ✓ Generate candidate dates from free text | ✗ None |
| Edit after answering | ✓ Any time via the same link | ✓ Sign in again with the same name |
| Source code | ✓ Source code published on GitHub | ✗ Closed |
This comparison is based on information published on each service's website as of October 2026 and on our own testing. Features and plans change over time, so please check the official sites for the latest details. If you spot an error, let us know.
When whenly is the better fit
- Most participants will answer on a phone
- You already have a few candidate dates in mind and want a simple ○△× vote
- You need custom answers such as "Yes / Maybe / No" or "In person / Online / Can't"
- You want to hide names, approve participants, or print the result
- Participants speak different languages
When When2meet is the better fit
- You need to find any free hour across a whole week with no candidates in mind
- Everyone is on a desktop and comfortable with the grid
Summary
When2meet shines when you genuinely have no idea which hours might work and everyone can paint a grid on a laptop. whenly is faster when you can propose a handful of dates or slots and want a clean ○△× vote that works well on phones, supports custom answers, hidden names, approval mode, calendar import and printing, all for free and without ads getting in the way.
Frequently asked questions
Can whenly do hourly time slots like When2meet?
Yes. Add as many time slots per date as you like, such as "Tue 10:00", "Tue 14:00", "Wed 10:00". Participants answer each slot separately and the tally shows the best one.
Do participants need an account or email address?
No. Participants open the link, type a name (optional) and pick ○△×. Organizers don't need an account either, although creating one lets you manage several polls from one dashboard.
Is there a time zone feature?
whenly shows the dates and slots exactly as the organizer wrote them. For groups across time zones, write the zone in the slot label (e.g. "10:00 UTC") so everyone reads the same thing.
Try it with one candidate date
No sign-up, nothing to install. One click creates your event page; share the link and the answers come in.