- Client Self-Scheduling: Let clients book, cancel, or reschedule appointments online anytime.
- Automated Reminders: Reduce no-shows with email and SMS confirmations and reminders.
- Integrated Payments: Accept prepayments, deposits, tips, and packages via Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
- Calendar & Staff Management: Manage availability, staff schedules, and multiple locations in one place.
- Custom Intake Forms: Collect client information and policies before appointments.
- Classes & Subscriptions: Offer group events, memberships, and recurring services.
- Integrations: Connect with Zoom, Google Calendar, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, and 500+ apps via Zapier.
Acuity Scheduling
Online appointment scheduling and payment automation for service-based businesses
Updated February 27, 2026
Acuity Scheduling Overview
Acuity Scheduling is an online booking and appointment scheduling platform designed for service-based businesses. It enables client self-scheduling, automated reminders, payments, and calendar management from one system.
With tools for intake forms, subscriptions, classes, and integrations, Acuity helps reduce no-shows, streamline operations, and deliver professional booking experiences across multiple industries.
Key Features
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Featured |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $16/mo (Billed Annually) / $20/mo (Billed Monthly) | 1 bookable calendar, Unlimited appointments, Payment processing with Stripe/Square/PayPal |
| Standard | $27/mo (Billed Annually) / $34/mo (Billed Monthly) | Up to 6 calendars, SMS reminders, Subscriptions and packages |
| Premium | $49/mo (Billed Annually) / $61/mo (Billed Monthly) | Up to 36 calendars, HIPAA compliance (BAA), Custom API & CSS |
| Enterprise | Custom Pricing | Unlimited calendars, Dedicated account manager, Centralized user management |
Price details: https://acuityscheduling.com/signup.php
Pros
Competitor |
Pros |
|---|---|
| Calendly | Acuity offers deeper payment, package, and subscription features than Calendly, making it better suited for service businesses that charge clients. It also provides stronger customization and intake forms, which helps businesses control policies, collect details upfront, and create a more branded booking experience. |
| Vagaro | Compared to Vagaro, Acuity is simpler to set up and easier to navigate for solo professionals and small teams. Its cleaner interface and flexible integrations appeal to businesses that want powerful scheduling without a complex, salon-specific ecosystem or bundled marketplace fees. |
| Setmore | Acuity provides more advanced automation, reporting, and payment control than Setmore. Features like subscriptions, packages, and API access give growing businesses more room to scale, while Setmore focuses more on basic scheduling needs. |
| SimplyBook.me | Acuity is often easier to use and configure than SimplyBook.me, with fewer add-on decisions required. Its all-in-one plans include many features that are modular elsewhere, reducing setup time and making pricing more predictable. |
| Booksy | Unlike Booksy, Acuity does not push a marketplace model, giving businesses more control over their clients and brand. This results in fewer platform-driven fees and a more direct relationship with customers. |
Cons
Competitor |
Cons |
|---|---|
| Calendly | Calendly offers a more generous free plan and a simpler booking flow for basic meeting scheduling. For users who do not need payments or service-based features, Acuity can feel more expensive and complex than necessary. |
| Vagaro | Vagaro includes built-in marketing tools and an industry-specific marketplace that Acuity lacks. Businesses seeking client discovery, promotions, and a salon-focused ecosystem may find Acuity less comprehensive. |
| Setmore | Setmore provides a limited free tier and lower-cost entry options. For very small businesses or startups with minimal scheduling needs, Acuity’s paid-only model after the trial may be harder to justify. |
| SimplyBook.me | SimplyBook.me supports more niche booking use cases through add-ons and custom workflows. Acuity is more opinionated in structure, which can limit flexibility for highly specialized scheduling requirements. |
| Booksy | Booksy’s mobile-first experience and built-in client marketplace can drive new customer bookings. Acuity relies more on businesses bringing their own traffic, offering fewer discovery and promotion tools. |
Reviews
- Trustpilot Review (Rating: 3.7/5): Prompt customer service and “excellent usability” earn praise, with flexibility to block off doctor appointments or lunch meetings and features like Google Calendar sync, intake forms, and automated reminders making scheduling easier. Others report serious glitches, including a booked appointment that didn’t show up and cost a client, plus frustration after spending “2.5 hours” trying to fix basic calendar syncing and SMS reminders, calling the system outdated and not user friendly.
- Reddit r/smallbusiness: One small business owner felt surprised and disappointed after both platforms admitted the exact features needed were missing, even though they agreed those ideas were strong and would pass them to their dev teams. The post highlights the need for bundle package scheduling such as selling “a pack of 6 classes for $180,” noting that Acuity Scheduling supports this while Calendly does not.
- appypieautomate.ai Review: Automation handles confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, and payment tracking, which saves an “immense amount of time” and removes manual admin work. The support team responds quickly through live chat and email, and the flexibility to customize workflows adds to the positive experience.
- TechRadar Review (Rating: 4/5): A simple booking solution for service-based businesses that want to manage appointments easily and boost customer satisfaction.
- Capterra Review (Rating: 4.8/5): Acuity Scheduling delivers a consistently positive experience, described as reliable and professional while saving “a ton of time every single week.”
- websitebuilderexpert.com Review: The simple interface makes setup easy, appointment types can be customized in large numbers, and the app integrates smoothly with Squarespace and other tools at a good price. Customization hits limits without coding skills, support options feel lacking for beginners, and only three payment providers are available, with no Apple Pay or Google Pay support.
