Comparison
When2meet vs Doodle
One asks everyone to paint their whole week. The other asks them to vote on a few times. That single difference decides which one your group will actually finish.
Written by the team behind Decider, a free group scheduling poll. We compare each tool's publicly documented features. Check their own pages for current details.
| When2meet | Doodle | Decider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core model | Availability grid: everyone paints the hours they are free | Scheduling poll: the organizer proposes slots and people vote | Scheduling poll with Yes / Maybe / No per proposed slot |
| Price | Free | Free tier, with paid plans for extra features | Free to use |
| Ads on the response page | No ads | The free plan shows ads to your guests | No ads |
| Guest sign-up | Not required | Not required for basic polls | Not required |
| Effort per respondent | Higher: drag across a week grid, which is fiddly on a phone | Low: tick the proposed times | Low: three taps per proposed time |
| Time zones | Each person selects a time zone for the grid | Converts times for participants | Each slot renders in the viewer's own local zone automatically |
| Deciding the time | You read the grid and announce a time yourself | You pick a winning option | The best-supported slot is highlighted, then locked in one tap |
| After the decision | Nothing: you send the invite manually | Calendar invites, with more on paid plans | Video link plus one-tap add to Google, Outlook, Apple, Yahoo |
| Best for | A wide-open week where no day is obviously better | Classic group polls, if ads on the guest page are acceptable | A fast group decision on a few candidate times |
Which one should you pick?
Pick When2meet for a wide-open week
Study groups and student projects, where any hour of any day is theoretically possible. The grid is the right shape for that, as long as everyone is willing to fill it in on a laptop.
When2meet alternativesPick Doodle for a classic poll
You know the plausible slots and just need votes. Doodle has done this for years. The trade-off on the free plan is the ads your guests see while answering.
Doodle alternativesPick Decider if you want the decision, not the data
Propose a few times, share one link, watch the tally, lock the winner. Free, ad-free, no guest account, with the video link and calendar invites handled for you.
How a meeting poll worksWhen2meet vs Doodle, FAQ
Is When2meet better than Doodle?
It depends on the meeting. When2meet is better when the week is wide open and you want to collect broad availability, because everyone paints the hours they are free. Doodle is better when you already know three to six candidate times and want people to vote on them.
Which one is free?
When2meet is free. Doodle has a free tier that shows ads to the people you invite, with paid plans for extra features. Decider is free to use and shows no ads on the voting page.
Do guests need an account for either?
No. Both When2meet and basic Doodle polls let people respond without creating an account, which is usually the main reason groups choose them over calendar-based tools.
Which handles time zones better?
When2meet asks each person to select a time zone for the grid, and Doodle converts times for participants. A modern poll like Decider renders every proposed slot directly in the viewer's own local zone, which removes the manual step entirely.
Is there an alternative that combines both?
Decider keeps the poll model, which is faster to answer, and adds what a grid never gives you: a live tally per slot, automatic per-viewer time zones, a video link and one-tap calendar invites once the time is locked.
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