FreeAvail vs Crab Fit: Which Free Group Scheduler Fits Your Group?

We make FreeAvail. Crab Fit details below come from Crab Fit's own site and code repository, checked in October 2026.

Crab Fit and FreeAvail have a lot in common. Both are free, both skip the signup, and both use the paint-your-availability grid that When2meet made popular. The differences come down to a few things: how each one helps you pick the final time, how they handle time zones and weekly polls, and extras like open source and apps.

Quick answer

Choose Crab Fit if you want an open-source tool, an Android app, a time-zone selector on your event, or a generic days-of-the-week poll.

Choose FreeAvail if you want the tool to pick the best time for you (top window plus ranked alternates), phone painting that's built around tapping with an optional Paint mode for dragging, or a QR code from the share sheet for in-person sharing.

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Side-by-side comparison

Where Crab Fit shines

It's open source

Crab Fit's code is public on GitHub, so anyone can inspect it or contribute. For CS clubs or privacy-minded groups, that can matter.

Flexible event setup

You set a time zone when you create an event, and you can survey either specific dates or generic days of the week. FreeAvail does neither: events use specific dates, and times are labeled in the host's time zone.

Android app

Crab Fit links to an Android app from its homepage.

Clear retention policy

Crab Fit says that to protect your privacy, events are deleted after three months of inactivity, and passwords are securely hashed.

If those things matter most to your group, Crab Fit is a great choice.

Where FreeAvail is different

It picks the time for you

Crab Fit (like When2meet) shows a heatmap, and its own how-to says to "choose the darkest area." FreeAvail does that step for you: it picks the top time window where the most people are free across every day of your event, plus ranked alternate times (for example, the next-best slot with how many people are free). That helps most with bigger groups, where the darkest area isn't obvious.

Built for painting on a phone

Most people open scheduling links from a group chat. FreeAvail opens in Scroll mode on phones, so you can scroll the grid normally and tap a time to mark it. Switch to Paint when you want to drag across several times. You can open and fill it in right from Instagram's in-app browser, no app switching.

A QR code for in-person sharing

The share sheet shows a QR code for the event link. That's handy for a flyer or a projector at a club meeting.

Hosts decide when it's gone

Hosts can delete their event anytime, and participants can re-paint their availability anytime as plans change. No account needed, and email is optional.

How each one works

Crab Fit: Name your event (or let Crab Fit generate a name), choose specific dates or days of the week, set a time range and time zone, and create it. Enter your availability, then send the link. Results update live as a heatmap.

FreeAvail: Name your event, pick the dates, and set the earliest and latest times. Share the link or the QR from the share sheet. Everyone types their name and paints when they're free in 15-minute slots. The group view shows the overlap, and FreeAvail picks the top window plus ranked alternates.

Neither makes your friends create an account.

Which should you choose?

Honestly, you can't go badly wrong with either. Both are free, fast, and a lot less painful than a 40-message group chat.

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Looking at other options? See Best When2meet Alternatives in 2026, our free When2meet alternative page, or FreeAvail vs LettuceMeet.