# Online booking overview

There are three ways to let your customers book online with Cliento. They share the same
services, prices and calendar, so a booking made through any of them lands in your Cliento
calendar like any other.

| | [Hosted booking page](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget/booking-page.md) | [Booking widget](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget.md) | [Widget API](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget-api.md) |
|---|---|---|---|
| **What it is** | A ready-made page that Cliento hosts for you | Cliento's booking flow, embedded in your website | The API the widget runs on |
| **You need** | Nothing | A website you can add a snippet of code to | A developer, to build the booking flow |
| **Look** | Your texts, theme and banners, in Cliento's layout | Sits inside your own design, with your colors | Entirely yours |
| **Search engines** | SEO optimized: built to rank in local search, on Google and in maps | Found as part of your own site | Up to you |
| **Good for** | Getting bookable online today, and a link to share | Keeping visitors on your own site | A custom booking flow or a native app |

## Which one should I use?

- **You have no website.** Use the [hosted booking page](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget/booking-page.md): there is
  nothing to install, only a link to share.
- **You have a website.** Start with the [booking widget](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget.md). It is one snippet of
  code, and most businesses never need more.
- **If the widget cannot be shaped into what you need.** Build your own booking flow on the
  [Widget API](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget-api.md). The [Booking flow](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/widget-api/booking-flow.md) guide shows
  how to create a booking from start to finish.

You can combine them, for example the widget on your website and the hosted page as the link
you share on social media.

> **Connecting your own systems?**
>
> To read and write an organisation's data in Cliento from your own servers, use the
> [Cliento API](https://developers.cliento.com/docs/api.md). It is a separate API with API keys, and none of the three options
> above are needed for it.
>