Cal.diy vs Taxonomy
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
An archived Next.js 13 demo app showing auth, subscriptions and docs with server components.
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 Taxonomy if you need…
- Developers learning the Next.js App Router and server components
- Students studying how authentication, a database and payments fit together in one app
- Developers who want a reference for combining Tailwind CSS and Radix UI components
Side-by-side
| Cal.diy | Taxonomy | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 49.6k | 19.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Advanced | Advanced |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 7 months 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.
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is a sample web application built with Next.js 13 to explore the new App Router and server components. It includes features common to real apps, such as login, Stripe subscriptions, API routes, and a docs and blog section. The author has archived it, so it is best read as a reference or learning example rather than a maintained product.
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
Taxonomy
- Developers learning the Next.js App Router and server components
- Students studying how authentication, a database and payments fit together in one app
- Developers who want a reference for combining Tailwind CSS and Radix UI components
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
Taxonomy
- Covers many real-world app features in one codebase
- Uses popular open-source tools such as Prisma, NextAuth.js and Tailwind CSS
- Released under the permissive MIT license
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
Taxonomy
- Anyone who needs a production app, because the README says it is not recommended for production and may use deprecated APIs
- Teams who want ongoing updates, because the project is officially archived and will not receive updates
- Beginners who have never used React or Next.js, because the code assumes existing familiarity with the framework
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
Taxonomy
- Officially archived, so it will not get fixes or updates
- The README lists known issues, such as a Prisma error on deployment and a broken opengraph-image route
- Built for Next.js 13 early App Router, so some patterns are outdated
Getting started
Cal.diy
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/calcom/cal.diy.gitGo to the project folder
cd cal.diyTaxonomy
Install dependencies
pnpm installCopy environment file
cp .env.example .env.localFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cal.diy and Taxonomy?
Cal.diy: Open-source, self-hosted scheduling app for booking meetings, a community fork of Cal.com. Taxonomy: An archived Next.js 13 demo app showing auth, subscriptions and docs with server components. Cal.diy suits individuals who want to self-host their own booking page, while Taxonomy suits developers learning the next.js app router and server components.
Are Cal.diy and Taxonomy free?
Cal.diy: Free and open source. Taxonomy: Free and open source.
Is Cal.diy or Taxonomy more popular?
Cal.diy has more GitHub stars (49.6k) than Taxonomy (19.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Cal.diy and Taxonomy?
Other options people compare them with include NotionNext, Open SaaS, NextChat.
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.