The basics
What a date poll is, and how to run one that people actually answer.
- Group scheduling poll Create a scheduling poll for a group in about a minute. Propose dates, share one link, and see at a glance which date the most people can make.
- Find a date everyone can make Stop guessing which evening works. Propose a handful of dates, share one link, and let everyone mark when they can. Free, no account, answers in minutes.
- A free scheduling poll A scheduling poll that is actually free: no trial, no paid tier, no feature held back, and no account needed to create one or to answer one.
- Meeting poll Send one meeting poll instead of eight emails. Propose the dates, everyone marks what they can make, and the winner is the one with the most yeses.
- Availability poll Collect availability from a whole group without collecting it one message at a time. Propose the dates, everyone marks them, and the answers add themselves up.
- Calendar poll Propose dates, let everyone mark them, and finish with a calendar invitation in everyone's diary. Free, no account, nothing to connect.
- "When are you free?" The most expensive question you can ask a group. Here is what to ask instead, and a free tool that asks it for you.
- How to schedule a meeting with multiple people Past about four attendees, finding a time by hand stops working. Propose the dates, send one link, and let the counting happen for you.
- A scheduling poll without a sign-up No account to create the poll, and no account to answer it. The sign-up wall is where most of your replies go missing, so there isn't one.
Friends, family and the weekend
The occasions where everyone is willing and nobody is free on the same evening.
- Scheduling a family gathering Get the family onto one date without a group chat meltdown. Propose a few weekends, share one link, and everyone marks when they can. No account, no app.
- Birthday party date poll The actual birthday is a Tuesday. Propose the two or three weekends around it, share one link, and see which one most people can make.
- Christmas party scheduling December fills up faster than any other month. Propose your dates early, share one link, and get the answer before the good evenings are gone.
- Dinner party scheduling Six to ten people and one evening. Propose a few, share the link, and know your numbers before you write the shopping list.
- Game night scheduling Board games, D&D or cards: the number decides what you can actually play. Propose the evenings, count the yeses, and pick knowing who is in.
- Weekend away scheduling A group weekend lives or dies on picking the dates early. Propose a few, share one link, and book once you know who is actually coming.
- Camping trip scheduling Pitches book up and the good weekends go early. Propose a few dates, see who is really coming, and book for a number you can trust.
- Ski trip scheduling Which week you go changes the price more than where you go. Propose a few, get firm answers, and book with a number you trust.
- Reunion date poll Class reunion, family reunion, old team: dozens of people who are not in one chat and will not install anything. One link, three taps, no sign-up.
- Baby shower scheduling One narrow window and a guest list from several parts of someone's life. Propose the weekends, share one link, and settle it in a day.
Meetings and work
Getting a room full of calendars to agree without eight rounds of email.
- Scheduling a team dinner Organising the team dinner? Propose a few evenings, send one link, and see who can make which. Free, no account, and the calendar invitation sends itself.
- Board meeting scheduling Non-executives, investors and a founder, none of whom share a calendar system. Propose the dates, collect the answers in one grid, and stop chasing.
- Committee meeting scheduling Committees run on goodwill and evenings. Propose the dates, let everyone mark them, and pick the one that keeps the most members in the room.
- Team offsite scheduling An offsite is a booking, a travel plan and twenty calendars. Fix the dates first, with one poll, then commit to the rest.
- Client meeting scheduling Free/busy stops at your company boundary. Propose dates the client can answer in three taps, without an account or a calendar connection.
- Workshop date poll A workshop needs a whole day from a lot of people. Propose a few, find out who can really give you the day, and book the room once.
- Interview panel scheduling Get the panel's availability in one pass, then offer the candidate real options. Days faster than the usual round of individual emails.
Clubs, teams and communities
The recurring ones: a fixed cast, a moving date, and someone who has to ask every time.
- Book club scheduling Pick the book club date without the group chat. Propose a few evenings, share one link, and everyone marks when they can. Free and no account needed.
- Sports team scheduling Find out who can make which game before you book the pitch. One link, three taps each, no accounts, and the count is right there under every date.
- Study group scheduling Five people, five timetables and a room that has to be booked. Propose the slots, count who can make each, and settle it in an evening.
- Band practice scheduling Four or five people, day jobs, and a rehearsal room charged by the hour. Find the slot everyone can make before you pay for it.
- Church group scheduling A group that spans every age and every level of comfort with technology. One link, three taps, no account, and a code that can be read out loud.
- PTA meeting scheduling Parents, teachers and a school calendar that decides most of it. Propose the dates that fit around the school day and let the answers pick one.
Coming from something else
How this compares with the other tools people use for the same job.
- A free Doodle alternative A free alternative for scheduling a group. Propose dates, share one link, everyone marks yes, maybe or no. No account for you, none for them, and no paid tier.
- A When2meet alternative Prefer picking dates to painting a grid of hours? Propose the dates that actually work, share one link, and everyone taps yes, maybe or no. Free, no account.
- A Calendly alternative for group dates Calendly books a slot in one person's calendar. This gets a whole group onto one date. Free, no account, and no calendar to connect.
- A LettuceMeet alternative Prefer marking a few dates to dragging across a week of half-hour blocks? Propose the dates that matter and let everyone tap yes, maybe or no. Free, no account.
- A Rallly alternative Another take on the group date poll: no account on either side, answers straight from the invitation email, and a calendar invitation once the date is picked.
- A WhenIsGood alternative A group date poll built around the people answering rather than the person asking: three taps, no account, and the option to answer from the invitation email.
Guides
The longer reads, on getting a group to answer at all.
- How to schedule a meeting with a group A short, practical method for getting a group of people onto one date: how many options to offer, how far ahead to ask, and how to close it out.
- How to get people to actually answer your date poll Most people who do not answer a scheduling poll are not refusing - they hit friction. Here is where the drop-off happens and what removes it.
- How to plan a team dinner Date first, venue second, and a few things that decide whether people come. A practical order of operations for whoever got handed the team dinner.