How to Sync Calendly With Google Calendar: Step-by-step Guide

Connecting your Google Calendar to Calendly can significantly improve your scheduling process. When integrated properly, this connection prevents double bookings and automatically adds new events to your calendar, making time management simpler and more efficient. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to connect Calendly to Google Calendar, and a few other things that you should know about if you’re integrating the two tools. We’ll also introduce you to Zeeg, a secure alternative to Calendly that gives you advanced scheduling options, while connecting to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Microsoft 365 at a competitive pricing point. 

But first, let’s see how to link Calendly to Google calendar.

How to sync Calendly with Google Calendar

1. First, go to "Apps & Integrations" on the sidebar, search for Google Calendar, and click on it. You can also get there by going to your account settings and choosing "Calendar sync"

2. Then, you'll see Google Calendar as an option - click on "Connect"

3. You'll be redirected to the Google sign in page, where you should choose the Google account you want to connect Calendly to

4. Google will ask you to share some info with Calendly: your name, email address, language preference and profile picture. If you're ok with that, press "Continue"

5. There will be a confirmation window where you can read some extra info on how Calendly will access your data

6.If you hit continue, you'll be sent back to your Calendly, where you'll be able to see that the integration between Calendly and Google Calendar is now done

And that's it! You can start sharing your Calendly link, and your Google Calendar will be able to receive your Calendly incoming meetings.

However, there's more to read if you want to configure a few more things regarding your Calendly-Google Calendar integration.

How to configure your calendar settings

Once connected, you can customize how Calendly interacts with your Google Calendar events.

1. Set up conflict checking

1. Click "checking x calendar(s)" in the "Calendars to check for conflicts" section
2. Select which calendars Calendly should monitor
3. Note that any "busy" events on these calendars will block those times in Calendly

2. Choose where events appear

1. Under "Calendar to add events to," select your preferred calendar
2. Consider enabling "Sync Cancellations" - this ensures that events you decline or delete from your calendar are also canceled in Calendly
3. Remember that changes made by invitees to their own calendars won't affect the event status in Calendly

How to manage multiple Google calendars

Calendly can track your availability across several Google calendars. To share an existing Google calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar on your computer
2. Find "My calendars" in the sidebar
3. Click the options menu for the calendar you want to share
4. Select "Settings and sharing"
5. Under "Share with specific people," add your other Google calendar email
6. Set permissions to "Make changes and manage sharing"
7. Return to Calendly's Calendar settings and select the relevant calendars

Read more: How to Sync Google Calendar with Apple Calendar

Pros and cons of connecting Calendly and Google Calendar

Connecting Calendly to Google Calendar offers several advantages for scheduling management. The integration allows for real-time availability updates and helps prevent double bookings. However, there are some limitations to consider. Calendly's GDPR compliance isn't guaranteed, which could be an issue for businesses handling European customer data. The costs can also increase significantly when managing larger companies, with a minimum cost of $15,000/year. And also, if you need to connect with other calendar services like Apple Calendar, you'll find that Calendly can't connect to Apple.

Here's what you should consider:

✓ Real-time calendar syncing
✓ Automated scheduling and confirmations
✓ Prevents double bookings effectively
✓ Professional booking page interface
✓ Easy Google Meet integration
✗ GDPR compliance concerns for European users
✗ Costs increase significantly with multiple users
✗ No iCloud Calendar integration for new users
✗ Limited customization on lower-tier plans
✗ Must keep Calendly branding on free plan

Why connect Google Calendar to Zeeg instead

Zeeg addresses Calendly's limitations while providing advancedscheduling features for a lower price point. But let's have a look at why you should choose it:

• ‍Complete GDPR compliance. As a European-developed solution, it will give your company complete GDPR compliance with end-to-end encryption and European data hosting. ‍
• More complete calendar integrations. It includes integration with multiple calendar services, including both Google Calendar, Microsoft/Outlook, and Apple Calendar, while Calendly only integrates with the first two. You can prevent double bookings easily and generate more leads easily, no matter what calendar tool you use.‍
• Advanced scheduling options. Zeeg also provides advanced scheduling features. Automated workflows let you create automated email and SMS reminders for your meetings, smart routing forms will direct bookings to the right team member based on specific criteria, payment per scheduled meeting,will allow you to get paid  when someone books time with you, and round robin scheduling distributes meetings evenly among team members.

There's this, and much more - all while maintaining a user-friendly interface that makes scheduling effortless.