EasyAppointments

EasyAppointments is an open-source, self-hostable appointment scheduling system that manages services, staff, bookings, notifications, and calendar sync. It targets organisations that want a lightweight PHP + SQL booking app they can run on their own infrastructure and embed into existing sites (including WordPress).

The product suits small-to-medium appointment-based businesses and developers who need data ownership, calendar integrations (Google / CalDAV), APIs/webhooks, and the ability to customize behavior or UI without vendor lock-in.

Use Cases

• Small clinics, salons, freelancers and consultants who need online booking pages and admin calendar views.
• Multi-provider practices that require multi-service and per-staff availability configuration.
• Teams that need calendar sync (Google Calendar / CalDAV) so staff see bookings in their personal calendars.
• Developers or agencies embedding scheduling into WordPress or other CMS sites via plugins or widgets.
• Organisations that must keep appointment data on-premises for privacy or compliance reasons and are able to manage a server.

Strengths

• Self-hosted, open-source: full control over data, no mandatory subscriptions or vendor lock-in.
• Feature-rich core: multi-service/staff support, responsive booking UI, notifications, calendar sync, API and webhooks cover most small-to-medium needs.
• Lightweight stack: runs on a typical PHP + SQL host; compatible with shared hosting or inexpensive VPSs.
• Integrations: Google Calendar and CalDAV sync plus webhooks allow staff workflows and automation without forcing a proprietary calendar.
• Community-driven: active repo, forums and release notes—users report responsive maintainers and community support.

Limitations

• Requires self-hosting: you must manage deployment, backups, TLS, updates and server security—this adds operational overhead compared with SaaS.
• Customization limits: some admin workflows and email/template customization are constrained and may require code changes for advanced branding or logic.
• Security history: past access-control/BOLA vulnerabilities were reported and patched. Self-hosters must track updates and follow hardening best practices.
• Feature gaps for complex needs: missing some enterprise scheduling features (advanced recurring rules, resource allocation, built-in payments in core) without extensions.
• Community project trade-offs: active but community-led development means feature/bug timelines may be less predictable than paid vendors; you may need to implement fixes or pay for custom work.

Final Thoughts

EasyAppointments is a practical, low-cost choice when you want full ownership of appointment data and a solid set of scheduling features that cover most small-to-medium workflows. Its lightweight PHP stack and calendar integrations make it easy to host and integrate into existing sites.

Choose EasyAppointments when you have at least basic hosting and maintenance capability (or a technical partner) and you value privacy and control. Avoid it if you need an SLA-backed, fully managed service, enterprise-grade scheduling features out of the box, or built-in payment processing without extra work. If you self-host, prioritise timely security updates, TLS, regular backups and monitoring.

References

• Project site & documentation: https://easyappointments.org
• Source code: https://github.com/alextselegidis/easyappointments
• Installation docs: https://easyappointments.org/documentation/installation/
• Features: https://easyappointments.org/features/
• Webhooks/API docs: https://easyappointments.org/documentation/configuring-webhooks/
• Release notes and blog: https://easyappointments.org/blog/
• Security analyses: https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/access-control-vulnerability-in-easy-appointments-platform-exposed-sensitive-personal-data
• Security advisory: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/bola-vulnerabilities-easyappointments/