Cal.diy vs NotionNext
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Open-source, self-hosted scheduling app for booking meetings, a community fork of Cal.com.
Open source · MIT
Publish Notion pages as a website using Next.js, with no server of your own to run.
The short answer
Choose Cal.diy if you need…
- Individuals who want to self-host their own booking page
- Developers who want to study or modify a large TypeScript scheduling app
- People who want MIT-licensed code without enterprise add-ons
- Hobbyists comfortable setting up Node.js and PostgreSQL
Choose NotionNext if you need…
- Writers who already keep their posts in Notion and want a website without moving content
- Developers who want a customizable Next.js site they can modify and extend
- Small teams that need a product landing page or knowledge base quickly
- Creators who want a photo or portfolio site using one of the built-in themes
Side-by-side
| Cal.diy | NotionNext | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 49.6k | 11.9k |
| Setup difficulty | Advanced | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Cal.diy
Cal.diy is a scheduling platform you run on your own server, so people can book time with you through a calendar page. It is a fork of Cal.com with the commercial enterprise features removed and everything under the MIT license. The README says it is intended mainly for personal, non-production use by people comfortable with server administration.
NotionNext
NotionNext is an open-source site system that turns content you write in Notion (posts, categories, tags, menus, pages) into a public website. It is built with Next.js and the Notion API, and the README describes deploying it to Vercel after forking the repository. People use it to run blogs, portfolios, documentation sites, product landing pages and link directories while keeping Notion as their writing tool.
Best for
Cal.diy
- Individuals who want to self-host their own booking page
- Developers who want to study or modify a large TypeScript scheduling app
- People who want MIT-licensed code without enterprise add-ons
- Hobbyists comfortable setting up Node.js and PostgreSQL
NotionNext
- Writers who already keep their posts in Notion and want a website without moving content
- Developers who want a customizable Next.js site they can modify and extend
- Small teams that need a product landing page or knowledge base quickly
- Creators who want a photo or portfolio site using one of the built-in themes
Strengths
Cal.diy
- Fully MIT-licensed with no proprietary enterprise edition, according to the README
- No license key or Cal.com account required to run it
- Active community project with a large star count and recent pushes
NotionNext
- Keeps writing in Notion while the site handles publishing
- Ships with 26 built-in themes according to the README
- Source code and configuration live in your own repository, so it can be modified
Not ideal for
Cal.diy
- Businesses needing production or enterprise scheduling, since the README points to Cal.com for that
- People without server administration experience, because the README warns self-hosting requires advanced knowledge
- Anyone wanting a hosted service, since the README says there is no managed version
NotionNext
- People who want a no-code site with no setup, since the README describes forking a repo and configuring environment variables
- Users who need to run everything on their own server, because the README's deployment path centers on Vercel
- Anyone unwilling to install Node.js 22 for local development, since the README says Node 20 cannot install current dependencies
Trade-offs
Cal.diy
- The README explicitly warns it is use-at-your-own-risk and mainly for non-production use
- Setup requires Node.js, PostgreSQL, environment secrets, and careful configuration
- Enterprise features such as Teams, SSO, and Workflows were removed
NotionNext
- Setup requires forking, connecting Vercel and filling in environment variables, which takes technical comfort
- README is primarily in Chinese; the English version is a separate file (README_EN.md) not included in the excerpt
- Local development needs Node 22 and Yarn 1, and deployment platforms must also be set to Node 22
Getting started
Cal.diy
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/calcom/cal.diy.gitGo to the project folder
cd cal.diyNotionNext
Use Node 22
nvm use || nvm installInstall Yarn
npm i -g yarnFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cal.diy and NotionNext?
Cal.diy: Open-source, self-hosted scheduling app for booking meetings, a community fork of Cal.com. NotionNext: Publish Notion pages as a website using Next.js, with no server of your own to run. Cal.diy suits individuals who want to self-host their own booking page, while NotionNext suits writers who already keep their posts in notion and want a website without moving content.
Are Cal.diy and NotionNext free?
Cal.diy: Free and open source. NotionNext: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Cal.diy or NotionNext?
NotionNext is easier to get started with (rated intermediate); Cal.diy is rated advanced and usually needs more setup.
Is Cal.diy or NotionNext more popular?
Cal.diy has more GitHub stars (49.6k) than NotionNext (11.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Cal.diy and NotionNext?
Other options people compare them with include Taxonomy, Open SaaS, NextChat, giscus, AI Website Cloner.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.