A Modern, AI-First Cal.com Alternative
Cal.com is an excellent open-source scheduling platform. GudCal takes a different approach — lighter, AI-native, and built on the latest web technologies.
What Cal.com Does Well
We respect what Cal.com has built. Here's where they shine.
Where GudCal Goes Further
Cal.com is great, but here's what you get with GudCal.
AI Agent Native
Built-in MCP server is a first-class feature. AI agents can schedule meetings without custom integration code.
Simpler Architecture
Single Next.js app — no monorepo complexity. Clone, configure, and deploy in minutes.
Latest Tech Stack
Next.js 16, React 19, Prisma 7, Tailwind 4. The newest, fastest versions of everything.
Lightweight & Fast
Lower resource requirements for self-hosting. Runs great on a 2GB VPS.
Clean Codebase
TypeScript throughout, well-organized app router structure, easy to understand and extend.
Free & Open
GPL-3.0 license. Core scheduling features free forever. No feature gating on the API.
Common Cal.com Limitations
- Complex setup and heavy resource requirements — the monorepo can be challenging to self-host
- No native MCP server — AI agents cannot interact with scheduling through a standardized protocol
- Turborepo monorepo structure adds complexity for developers who want to contribute or customize
- Cloud pricing can scale up quickly with per-seat team plans
- Steeper learning curve due to the breadth of features and configuration options
- Slower to adopt cutting-edge frameworks — still on older Next.js versions
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cal.com | GudCal |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | ||
| Self-hostable | ||
| MCP / AI agent support | ||
| REST API | ||
| Webhooks | ||
| Team scheduling | ||
| Calendar sync | ||
| Simple self-hosting | Complex | Simple |
| App router (Next.js 16) | ||
| Workflow automations | Webhooks | |
| App marketplace | Large | Growing |
| Minimum server resources | 4GB+ RAM | 2GB RAM |
Ready to Try GudCal?
Free to use, open source, and self-hostable. No credit card required.