Comparisons
A free Doodle alternative: find a time for a group with no ads
Doodle's free plan allows one group poll, and only its paid plans are ad-free. Here are free scheduling polls with no ads, checked on each vendor's own site.
Doodle's free plan includes one group poll, one booking page and one 1:1, and its pricing page lists "No ads" as a Pro feature. If you want a group scheduling poll that is free and has no ads, When has no limit on polls or participants, no accounts and no ads. Rallly and When2meet are free options too.
What to look for in a scheduling poll
- No ads for your guests. You chose the tool. Your friends or clients did not.
- No account to answer. Every extra step loses people.
- Time zones handled for you. A call between New York and Berlin should not need mental math.
- "If need be" as an answer. Yes and no are blunt. "I can, but I would rather not" helps you choose.
- Works on a phone. Most people answer from one.
The free options
When
When is ours. It is free, with no ads, no accounts, and no limit on polls or participants. A poll can have up to 500 time options.
- Everyone answers yes, if need be, or no for each time.
- Each person sees the times in their own time zone, with the zone named.
- The best time is highlighted as answers come in.
- Pick the final time, and everyone can add it to their calendar: an .ics file for any calendar app, or a Google Calendar link.
- A public API, so an AI assistant can make the poll and tell you which time won.
Rallly
Rallly is open source, with a free hosted plan that keeps up to 3 polls open at a time and keeps polls for 30 days. Pro costs $6 per seat a month, billed yearly. It is a good option. The main difference is that When has a public API with no key, so an AI assistant can run the whole poll for you.
When2meet
When2meet is free, with no sign-up. It shows a grid of days and hours where people mark when they are free. It works, but it looks dated, it is awkward on phones, and the only answers are available or not.
A poll in your group chat
For three options and five friends, a poll in your group chat is fine. It falls apart with more times, more people, or more than one time zone.
How to find a time with When
- Open When and give the poll a name, like "Book club, November."
- Tap the dates that could work on the calendar, then add one or more times for each. Or mark a date as all day.
- Share the link in your group chat or by email.
- Everyone opens it, types their name and taps yes, if need be or no for each time. No account and no app.
- Watch the best time rise to the top. When you are ready, tap Pick the final time.
- Everyone who opens the poll now sees the final time, with a button to add it to their calendar.
Pick the final time on the device you made the poll on, or save the poll's admin link to do it from anywhere.
What When does not do
- It does not read anyone's calendar. People mark their own times.
- It does not send emails or reminders. You share the link, and people add the final time to their own calendars.
- Answers are visible to the group. Everyone with the link sees every answer. That is usually what you want for a group, but worth knowing.
- It is not a booking page. If you want people to pick a slot from your open hours, one at a time, that is a different tool. See a free Calendly alternative for Google Meet.
Doodle compared
| Tool | Free plan | Sign-up to start | Account needed for participants | Open source | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When (ours) | No limit on polls or participants, no ads | No | No | Source is public, no license yet | When |
| Doodle | One group poll; "No ads" is a Pro feature | Yes | Not stated | No | Doodle plans |
| Rallly | Up to 3 open polls, kept 30 days | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Rallly pricing |
| When2meet | Free; no plans listed | No | No | Not stated | When2meet |
Checked on October 19, 2026. "Not stated" means the vendor's page does not say.
Questions
Is there a free Doodle alternative without ads?
Yes. OpenApps When is a free group scheduling poll with no ads, no accounts and no limit on polls or participants. Rallly is an open source option with a free hosted plan, and When2meet is free.
Do people need an account to answer a When poll?
No. People open the OpenApps When poll link, type their name and mark yes, if need be or no for each time. On the same device they can come back and change their answers.
How does When handle time zones?
In OpenApps When, the organizer picks times in their own time zone, and everyone who opens the poll sees them in theirs, with the zone named. All-day options stay on the same date for everyone.
How many time options can a When poll have?
An OpenApps When poll can have up to 500 time options, with no limit on the number of polls or participants. Each option can be a time, a time range or a whole day.
Can my AI assistant schedule a meeting with When?
Yes. OpenApps When has a public API with no key. An assistant can make a poll from the times you mention, give you the link to share, read the answers and tell you which time most people can make.