The group scheduling poll, inverted

Find a time everyone can make. Just cross out when you can't.

WhenNOT is the group scheduler that asks the easier question. Create a poll, share the link, and find the best dates or times for your group.

No account needed · Free · Nothing to install
✦ Everyone can make Thu 18 Jun
Thursday night dinner
MiaDevAnaSam
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✗ crossed out = can't make it✦ nobody objected4 of 4 answered
How it works

Three steps, and nobody has to sign up.

1

Pick rough dates

Pick the dates you'd consider. Use whole days for a trip, or time slots for a meeting.

2

Send one link, everyone crosses out conflicts

Paste it in the group chat. Responders cross out the dates or times that don't work, enter their name and email, and send their answer. No password or app needed.

whennot.com/p/dinner-9k2
3

The winning time rises to the top

WhenNOT ranks the slots nobody objected to, you lock one in, and it sends calendar invites to everyone who answered.

The inversion

An availability poll asks the hard question. We ask the easy one.

Start with the conflicts people already know about. Unmarked dates in a submitted answer count as available; check maybes and pending responses before confirming a plan.

Availability polls

Example: mark each available date

vs

WhenNOT

Example: cross out known conflicts

New
Booking links

A booking page that reads your calendar — free.

Share one scheduling link — whennot.com/m/you — and let people pick a slot. WhenNOT checks your real calendar, hides anything you're already busy for, and writes the meeting straight back with an invite. It's the free Calendly alternative for your booking page.

Google Calendar Microsoft 365 & Outlook
Claim your linkFree booking pages. Connect your calendar and share a link for people to book.
M
30 min with Mayawhennot.com/m/maya · Europe/Warsaw
June 2026
MTWTFSS
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Thu, Jun 18
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Synced with Google Calendar · 2 min agoInvite sent on booking
When plans change

And when you're the one who can't make it.

Every booking tool is designed for the person doing the booking. The moment something lands on your Thursday evening, you're back to writing an apologetic email and playing time ping-pong. WhenNOT gives the host a proper path.

01
You ask

Tap “ask for a new time”, pick the days and slots that genuinely work, add one honest line.

02
They pick

They get your times as one-tap buttons — or a link to your live calendar if none fit.

03
It moves

The same invite updates for both of you. No new thread, no second booking, no lost answers.

Choose whether to hold the original booking, release it, or mark it as tentative while you wait for a reply. We send a reminder if they have not picked a new time.

Two jobs, one link

For the standup, and for the birthday.

For work

Recurring syncs, interview loops, board calls.

Connect Google Calendar or Outlook and your own conflicts cross themselves out before you even open the poll. Guests still answer with zero sign-up.

  • Auto-crossed conflicts from Google & Outlook
  • Time zones handled per responder
  • Confirm the dates, invites go out instantly
For life

Birthdays, trips, game nights, club meetings.

Confirm a date and the poll turns into a shareable event page: the agreed days, where it is, what to bring, and who answered — with a calendar file everyone can add in one tap.

  • Confirmed-date page you can share with one link
  • Location and notes carried into the invite
  • All-day calendar invite by email and .ics
Compare scheduling tools

Find the right workflow for your group.

WhenNOT collects unavailable days for trips, retreats, and other date-based plans. Here is how other scheduling tools approach the same decision.

ToolScheduling workflowWhat to know
WhenNOTCross out unavailable dates or times and compare the optionsNo separate sign-up; a name and email are needed to answer
When2meetSelect available times on a gridUseful when you need to compare times within a day
DoodleVote on proposed options in a group pollParticipants do not need an account; organizers need one to finish creating a new poll.
CalendlyCalendly offers Meeting Polls for proposing times and collecting group votes.Meeting polls alongside personal booking links
Cal.comBook against calendar availability, with collective and team scheduling optionsCal.com’s free individual plan includes unlimited event types and calendars.

Sources: When2meet event planner · Doodle participant accounts · Doodle organizer accounts · Calendly Meeting Polls · Cal.com features and plans

Full comparisons: WhenNOT vs When2meet · WhenNOT vs Calendly · WhenNOT vs Cal.com · Doodle alternative for date planning

Start with the dates your group needs.

Try a planner with example answers, then create a poll for your own group.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

Is WhenNOT free?

Yes — creating polls, collecting responses and calendar invites are all free, with no group-size paywall or trial clock. Group polls do not require an account; booking pages use an account and a connected calendar.

Is this really a free Calendly alternative — what's the catch?

The booking page is free with unlimited event types and bookings, on Google Calendar or Microsoft 365. The catch is scope: no routing forms, round-robin, payments or CRM workflows — if you need those, buy the paid tool.

Do my friends need an account?

No separate account signup is needed. Responders open the link, cross out conflicts and provide their name and email. An existing email address may require verification to protect its answers.

How is this different from When2meet or Doodle?

When2meet collects available times on a grid, while Doodle collects votes on proposed options. WhenNOT asks for unavailable days across a date range, which suits trips and retreats. Review all responses before confirming a window; unmarked days count as available.

Can it send calendar invites?

Yes. Confirming a poll sends a calendar invite by email with an .ics attachment. Whole-day polls get all-day events; time-slot polls get events at the confirmed times. You can also connect Google Calendar or Outlook to cross out your own conflicts.

Can I use it to plan events, not just meetings?

Yes. Choose whole days for trips and weekends away, or time slots for calls and game nights. Confirm the dates and you get a shareable event page with the location, your notes and everyone who answered.

Ready when you are

Create a poll. Cross out. Done.

The next “when works for everyone?” text you send can be your last.

No account needed · Free · Nothing to install