Cronofy vs hi

Cronofy and hi (Hi.Events) solve different problems: Cronofy is calendar and scheduling infrastructure that developers embed into their own apps via API,…

Best for Cronofy: Cronofy fits engineering teams building scheduling, booking, or calendar-sync features into their own product, especially ones that also want an MCP server to expose calendar data to AI agents.
Best for hi: hi fits event organizers who want to sell tickets without paying a percentage of ticket revenue, since the service fee is charged to the buyer and the organizer keeps 100% of face value, with an optional self-hosted deployment.

At a Glance

 Cronofyhi
Primary categorySchedulingScheduling
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelSubscription (per-active-user and API usage-based)Open Source
Starting price$15/month per active seatFree (self-hosted); Cloud from 0.75% + $0.40 per paid ticket
Free planYesYes
Free trialYesNot documented
PlatformsWebWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesNot documented
Public APIYesYes

Key Differences

Core Product Category

Cronofy: Cronofy is calendar-sync and scheduling infrastructure (Calendar sync API, Scheduling API, Meeting transcription) meant to be embedded in someone else's software.

hi: hi is a standalone event ticketing platform ("the Eventbrite alternative") with instant payouts, a badge designer, and its own checkout flow.

Buyers evaluating these as a straight swap will be disappointed since Cronofy has no ticketing features and hi has no calendar-sync API.

Pricing Transparency

Cronofy: Cronofy's self-serve pricing is not published; the site instead uses a usage-based seat calculator, though a free sandbox with up to 20 connected accounts and 24 hours of recording is available with no credit card.

hi: hi lists a $0 "For Organizers" plan directly, with no monthly fees or setup costs since a small service fee is instead paid by the ticket buyer.

Teams that need a fixed budget number up front can plan around hi's published $0 tier more easily than Cronofy's opaque usage pricing.

Self-Hosted Deployment

Cronofy: Cronofy is not documented as self-hostable; it is delivered as a hosted API/infrastructure service with data centers across the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Singapore.

hi: hi explicitly supports self-hosting via a documented quick-start guide and Docker-based local development, in addition to its hosted cloud option.

Organizations with strict data-residency or full-data-ownership requirements can only self-host with hi.

AI Capabilities

Cronofy: Cronofy includes meeting transcription with AI-generated summaries and offers an MCP server specifically for connecting calendar data to agentic AI workflows.

hi: hi does not document any AI features in its feature list, pros, or FAQs.

Teams building AI-agent-driven scheduling tools have a documented integration path with Cronofy that hi doesn't offer.

Compliance Certifications

Cronofy: Cronofy states ISO 27001/27701/27018 certification and SOC 2 Type 2 attestation, plus GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliance.

hi: hi does not list any formal security certifications or compliance attestations in its documented facts.

Enterprise buyers with vendor security review processes will find Cronofy easier to pass through procurement.

Feature-by-Feature

Access & Deployment

FeatureCronofyhi
Free tier / sandboxAvailableAvailable
Self-hosted deploymentUnavailableAvailable
Published self-serve pricingUnavailableAvailable
Mobile app / consumer appUnavailableNot documented

Core Functionality

FeatureCronofyhi
Calendar sync (Google/Microsoft/Apple/Exchange)AvailableNot documented
Event ticket sales & payoutsUnavailableAvailable
AI meeting transcription/summariesAvailableNot documented
Event badge designerNot documentedAvailable

Developer & Trust

FeatureCronofyhi
Scheduling/booking APIAvailableNot documented
MCP server for AI agentsAvailableNot documented
Published compliance certificationsAvailableNot documented

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Cronofy

Team (Scheduler) — $15/month per active seat Monthly
Business (Scheduler) — $799/month (up to 50 active seats) Annual
Enterprise (Scheduler) — ~$2,999/month Annual
Starter (API) — ~$139/month Monthly
Strategic (API) — Custom Custom

hi

Self-Hosted — Free one-time setup, self-managed
Hi.Events Cloud — 0.75% + $0.40 per paid ticket per-ticket

Pros & Cons

Cronofy

Pros

  • Deep specialization in real-time, multi-provider calendar sync rather than a bolt-on feature of a broader product
  • Strong presence in HR tech and recruiting through integrations with major ATS platforms like Greenhouse and Lever
  • Dynamic 'active user' billing avoids paying for provisioned-but-unused seats
  • Separate API-only pricing lets pure developer integrators pay based on usage rather than per-seat Scheduler pricing

Cons

  • Business and Enterprise Scheduler tiers ($799/month and up) are significantly pricier than consumer scheduling tools like Calendly
  • API pricing tiers scale quickly with usage volume, which can be hard to predict for growing integrations
  • A $99/month minimum commitment applies to standalone use of the Meeting Agents AI feature
  • Primarily positioned for B2B and developer use cases, offering less value for individual solo schedulers

hi

Pros

  • Fully open source and self-hostable, giving organizers complete data ownership
  • Cloud platform fees (0.75% + $0.40/ticket) are far lower than Eventbrite and similar platforms
  • Free events cost nothing to host in either deployment mode
  • Fully branded, white-label checkout experience
  • Offline QR check-in works well for venues with poor connectivity

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing server maintenance
  • Smaller team and community support compared to established ticketing platforms
  • Less brand recognition and buyer trust than Eventbrite for large public events
  • Limited public information on company structure and long-term roadmap
  • Fewer built-in marketing and discovery features than larger ticketing marketplaces

Use Cases

Choose Cronofy: Cronofy fits engineering teams building scheduling, booking, or calendar-sync features into their own product, especially ones that also want an MCP server to expose calendar data to AI agents.
Choose hi: hi fits event organizers who want to sell tickets without paying a percentage of ticket revenue, since the service fee is charged to the buyer and the organizer keeps 100% of face value, with an optional self-hosted deployment.
Need both: A ticketing or events company could use hi to run ticket sales and payouts while embedding Cronofy's Scheduling API to let attendees book 1:1 sessions or speaker meetings inside the same event app.

Cronofy

  • Interview scheduling for recruiting teams — Talent acquisition teams use Cronofy's integrations with Greenhouse, Lever, and SmartRecruiters to coordinate panel interviews across multiple interviewer calendars.
  • Embedded scheduling in SaaS products — Developers use Cronofy's Calendar API to build native scheduling and availability features directly into their own product, such as a telehealth or services marketplace app.
  • Meeting booking links — Sales and customer success teams use Cronofy's embeddable Scheduler links to let prospects and customers book meetings without back-and-forth emails.

hi

  • Independent event organizers — Organizers running concerts, club nights, and festivals use Hi.Events Cloud for low-fee, branded ticketing without building their own infrastructure.
  • Self-hosted ticketing for agencies — Agencies and developers deploy self-hosted Hi.Events for clients who need full data ownership and no per-ticket platform fees.
  • Conferences and workshops — Conference organizers use ticket tiers, promo codes, and check-in tools to manage registration and on-site attendance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Cronofy and hi (Hi.Events) direct competitors?

No. Cronofy is calendar-sync and scheduling infrastructure that developers embed into their own software, while hi is a standalone event ticketing platform. They serve different buyers and are not typically evaluated as substitutes for each other.

Does Cronofy have a free plan?

Cronofy offers a free sandbox that connects up to 20 accounts with 24 hours of meeting recording included, and no credit card is required. Beyond that, self-serve pricing is not publicly published.

Does hi (Hi.Events) charge organizers a fee?

No. There are no monthly fees or setup costs for organizers on hi; a small service fee is instead paid by the ticket buyer, so organizers keep 100% of ticket face value.

Can hi (Hi.Events) be self-hosted?

Yes. hi provides a documented self-hosted deployment quick-start guide plus local development with Docker, in addition to using its hosted cloud version.

Does Cronofy offer AI meeting summaries?

Yes. Cronofy can capture recordings and transcripts with AI-generated summaries as part of its meeting transcription feature.

Which tool is better for an events business that also needs scheduling infrastructure?

Neither replaces the other. An events company would use hi to sell tickets and handle payouts, and could separately integrate Cronofy's Scheduling API if it wants to embed calendar sync or 1:1 booking into its own event app.

Read the full Cronofy review · Read the full hi review