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WhenNOT vs Doodle
Doodle asks people to vote on the times you picked. WhenNOT asks the easier question — which days can’t you make? — then ranks what’s left, and gives you a free booking page in the same account. Here’s where each one fits.
- No account to start a poll
- No sign-up for guests
- Checked October 2026, with sources
Three differences that matter.
The question people answer
Doodle: “Which of these options work?” WhenNOT: “Which days can’t you make?” Most people know their conflicts better than their free time, and a blank day counts as free.
Who needs an account
Neither asks participants to sign up. Since August 2025, Doodle organisers need an account to finish a poll; on WhenNOT you can start one without an account at all.
What comes in the box
Doodle’s free plan includes one booking page and caps a poll at 10 time slots. WhenNOT’s booking pages read every Google and Microsoft calendar you connect — free, alongside the polls.
What each one does, with sources.
We compare capabilities, not prices — plans change. Every claim about Doodle links to Doodle’s own help pages.
| Capability | WhenNOT | Doodle |
|---|---|---|
| How a group answers | Cross out the days or times you can’t; “maybe” counts as half | Vote on the options the organiser picked1 |
| Participants need an account | No | No2 |
| Organiser needs an account | Not needed to start a poll | Needed to finish creating a poll, since 26 August 20253 |
| Finding the winner | Ranks dates by fewest conflicts, including runs of several days in a row | The organiser picks the most-voted option1 |
| Options in one poll | Every day or time slot in the range you choose | Up to 10 time slots on the free plan4 |
| Booking pages | Free, reading every Google and Microsoft calendar you connect | One booking page on the free plan4 |
- Whole days or time slots
- Calendar crosses out your busy days
- Everyone sees their own time zone
- Invites to everyone when you pick
- Slack app
- ChatGPT & Claude
Sometimes a vote is exactly what you want.
We’d rather you used the right tool than ours. If one of these is you, Doodle is a good choice — and WhenNOT is still here for the polls where you don’t know the options yet.
- You already have the three optionsWhen the candidate times are fixed and you only need a show of hands, voting on them is the shortest path.
- Your group already lives in DoodleIf everyone has an account and the habit, switching tools costs more than it saves.
- You want “yes to this one” more than “no to that one”Some decisions read better as approval than as conflicts. Crossing out shines when the range is wide.
Cross out a day. Watch the best window move.
Three example people have answered. Cross out their busy days, change the range or the length, and the windows that work for everyone are ranked again.
Try the group trip date planner
Interactive example with three fictional participants. Cross out their busy dates to see the best consecutive-day windows. These are sample answers; your real poll starts with no responses.
Each window must include only allowed days. Choose a range of up to 90 days. Unmarked example dates count as available.
Best example windows
- Jun 18 – Jun 213 of 3 available for all 4 days
- Jun 1 – Jun 42 of 3 available for all 4 days
- Jun 3 – Jun 62 of 3 available for all 4 days
- Jun 8 – Jun 112 of 3 available for all 4 days
- Jun 9 – Jun 122 of 3 available for all 4 days
Ranked by people available for the entire window, then earliest start date. Overlapping windows are included.
Continue with this date range and duration, then share your new poll to collect real answers. Example conflicts stay in this page and are never saved or shared.
Your next poll, in under a minute.
- Pick a range, not optionsChoose the dates you’d consider — a week, a month — and how many days in a row you need. Or switch to time slots.
- Send the same kind of linkPaste it where the group talks. People cross out what they can’t make, without an account or an app.
- Pick the winnerThe ranking does the reading. Choose a date and everyone gets the calendar invite.
Is WhenNOT really free?
Yes. Group polls, booking pages, calendar connections, the Slack app and the ChatGPT and Claude connectors are all free. No plans, no paywall, no ads.
Do the people I invite need an account?
No — on either tool. On WhenNOT you don’t need one to start a poll either: enter your email and share the link.
Is there a “maybe”?
Yes. Mark a day as maybe and it counts as half a conflict, so a day with two maybes ranks below a day with none.
Can I poll for times, not just days?
Yes. Time-slot polls offer 15, 30 or 60-minute slots inside a daily window, and everyone sees them in their own time zone.
Can I import a Doodle poll?
There is no automatic import. Create a new poll over the same dates and share the link; everyone answers once more, by crossing out what they can’t make.
How did you check Doodle’s side?
Against Doodle’s own help articles, linked under the table, in October 2026. If something has changed since, the source wins.
Checked October 2026. Plans and features change — follow the sources above.
Find the date. Skip the vote.
Start a group poll in under a minute — no account needed, and no sign-up for the people you invite.
No account needed to start a poll · No sign-up for guests