Doodle
Doodle is a professional scheduling platform that simplifies the process of finding the best time to meet with groups, clients, or colleagues through automated polling and calendar synchronization.
UniTime
UniTime is a comprehensive open-source academic scheduling solution that helps you manage course timetabling, student scheduling, and examination planning within a single integrated web-based platform.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Doodle | UniTime |
|---|---|---|
| Website | doodle.com | unitime.org |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Free |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2007 | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland | West Lafayette, USA |
Overview
Doodle
Doodle is a scheduling tool designed to eliminate the back-and-forth of finding meeting times. You can create group polls where participants vote on their availability, allowing you to identify the best slot for everyone in seconds. It integrates directly with your existing calendars to ensure you never double-book and provides a centralized hub for managing all your appointments.
You can also set up personalized booking pages that let others book time with you based on your real-time availability. Whether you are organizing a board meeting, a team sync, or a one-on-one client consultation, the platform automates the administrative heavy lifting. It scales from individual users to large enterprises, offering a free version for basic polling and tiered paid plans for advanced branding and automation.
UniTime
UniTime is an open-source academic scheduling platform designed to solve the complex logistical challenges of higher education institutions. You can coordinate course timetabling, manage student sectioning, and organize examination schedules while accounting for specific constraints like room availability and faculty preferences. The system uses advanced optimization algorithms to ensure your schedules are efficient and conflict-free.
You can also manage event room reservations and track departmental requirements through a unified web interface. Because it is open-source and based on the Comprehensive Academic Scheduling System, you have the flexibility to host it on your own servers and customize it to fit your university's unique administrative workflows. It is particularly effective for large universities managing thousands of students and diverse course offerings.
Overview
Doodle Features
- Group Polls Invite participants to vote on multiple time slots so you can find the best meeting time for everyone quickly.
- Booking Pages Set your availability and share a personal link so clients and colleagues can book meetings with you instantly.
- Calendar Integration Connect your Google, Outlook, or Apple calendars to see your full schedule and prevent any double-bookings automatically.
- Automatic Reminders Send automated nudges to participants who haven't voted yet and reminders to guests before the meeting starts.
- 1:1 Meetings Propose specific times for a private meeting and let your guest pick the one that works best for them.
- Video Conferencing Sync Link your Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet accounts to automatically generate meeting links for every booking.
UniTime Features
- Course Timetabling. Build complex course schedules automatically while balancing instructor preferences, room capacities, and student needs without manual errors.
- Student Scheduling. Optimize student registrations by automatically placing them into course sections that fit their individual requirements and academic goals.
- Examination Timetabling. Create conflict-free exam schedules for midterms and finals by managing room assignments and student seating plans simultaneously.
- Event Management. Manage non-academic room bookings and departmental events through a centralized calendar that prevents double-bookings across your campus.
- Instructor Management. Track faculty availability and workload requirements to ensure your teaching staff is assigned to the right rooms at the right times.
- Constraint Solver. Apply custom rules and constraints to your schedules to meet specific departmental policies or physical accessibility requirements automatically.
Pricing Comparison
Doodle Pricing
- Unlimited group polls
- One active Booking Page
- One active 1:1 meeting
- Calendar integration
- Basic poll features
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited Booking Pages
- Unlimited 1:1 meetings
- Custom branding and logo
- No advertisements
- Zapier integration
UniTime Pricing
- Full access to all modules
- Unlimited users and students
- Self-hosted deployment
- Apache License 2.0
- Community-driven updates
- API and database access
- Everything in Open Source, plus:
- Public documentation access
- Community mailing list
- Bug reporting via GitHub
- Contribute to source code
- No vendor lock-in
Pros & Cons
Doodle
Pros
- Extremely easy for participants to use without an account
- Visual layout makes finding common availability very intuitive
- Reliable synchronization with Google and Outlook calendars
- Saves significant time on group coordination tasks
Cons
- Free version contains heavy third-party advertising
- Mobile app interface can feel slightly cluttered
- Limited customization options on the basic tiers
UniTime
Pros
- Completely free with no recurring licensing costs
- Highly flexible and customizable for unique needs
- Handles massive datasets for large university systems
- Strong optimization algorithms reduce scheduling conflicts
- Active community support and regular software updates
Cons
- Requires significant technical expertise to install
- User interface feels dated compared to SaaS
- Initial configuration and setup is time-consuming