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It's a split decision.
Choose Acuity Scheduling for service businesses that need branded appointment booking, payments, intake forms, and packages. Its Starter plan is $16 per month with annual billing or $20 month-to-month. Choose Calendly for meeting links, a free basic tier, team routing, or meeting recaps; Standard starts at $10 per seat monthly, billed yearly. These prices are not like-for-like: Acuity prices by plan and calendar limits, while Calendly charges per seat. Calendly's add-on prices and monthly-billed paid rates are not published.
01Side by side
| Acuity Scheduling | Calendly | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $16/month annually; $20 month-to-month | $10/seat/month, billed annually; monthly price unpublished |
| Free plan | No free plan; 7-day trial | Free plan; one event type and calendar connection |
| Best for | Appointment businesses selling services, packages, and memberships | Individuals and teams coordinating meetings and routing leads |
| Core strength | Branded appointment booking with payments and client forms | Meeting links, team scheduling, and meeting tools |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Venmo payments | Calendar connections, payment tools, and CRM integrations |
| Team and seat costs | Standard: $27/month annually, up to six calendars | Teams: $16/seat/month annually; seats required for hosts |
| Support | Review score: 4 | Review score: 5 |
Acuity Scheduling Choose Acuity Scheduling if
- Choose Acuity Scheduling if appointment payments are central to your workflow.
- Choose Acuity Scheduling if you sell packages, memberships, or gift certificates.
- Choose Acuity Scheduling if you need intake forms and client time-zone conversion.
Calendly Choose Calendly if
- Choose Calendly if you want a free basic scheduling tier.
- Choose Calendly if per-seat pricing fits your team.
- Choose Calendly if routing and meeting-recap add-ons matter.
02Pricing compared
Acuity starts at $16 per month with annual billing or $20 month-to-month. Its Starter plan includes one calendar; Standard is $27 annually or $34 monthly for up to six calendars, and Premium is $55 annually or $69 monthly for up to 36. Acuity lists a seven-day trial but no free plan; Enterprise pricing is not published.
Calendly has a free plan for one event type and one calendar connection. Standard starts at $10 per seat per month, billed yearly; Teams is $16 per seat monthly, also billed yearly. Monthly-billed prices are not published. Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year with a 50-seat minimum. These prices are not directly comparable: Acuity’s listed plans are calendar-based, while Calendly charges per seat. Calendly’s optional add-on prices are not published.
03Features and depth
Acuity is built around appointment-based services: clients book through a branded page, and businesses can collect payments, deposits, and client details through custom forms. It supports email reminders on Starter and text reminders on Standard, plus waitlists, memberships, packages, and gift certificates on Standard. Starter includes one calendar; Premium raises the limit to 36 and adds an AI Booking Assistant, custom API and CSS, and HIPAA compliance with a signed BAA.
Calendly centers on meeting links, availability controls, and team coordination. Its free plan is limited to one event type and one calendar connection. Paid plans add unlimited event types, reminders, and, on Teams, round-robin scheduling and lead routing with Marketo, Pardot, and Salesforce connections. Calendly also offers payment collection and meeting recaps; Notetaker and Callie are add-ons for Standard or Teams, with prices not published. Pick Acuity for service-business booking and packages; pick Calendly for meeting workflows and routing.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The simpler starting point depends on what you schedule. Acuity’s flow is built around an appointment booking page, intake forms, and payments, so service businesses can keep those tasks together. Calendly’s booking links and calendar availability suit people arranging meetings, while team routing adds more setup choices.
Both products received a 7/10 ease-of-use score in the published reviews; that is not a direct usability test. Watch the plan limits before setup: Acuity Starter allows one calendar, while Calendly Free allows one event type and one calendar connection. Calendly also requires a seat for each user who connects calendars and hosts meetings; invitees do not need seats.
Questions people ask
Is Acuity Scheduling any good?
It covers core service-business needs: branded appointment booking, payment collection, reminders, intake forms, and packages. The tradeoffs are plan limits and cost: Starter allows one calendar, while packages and gift certificates are listed on Standard, starting at $27 per month with annual billing.
Is there a better option than Calendly?
Acuity may fit better if you sell appointments, packages, memberships, or gift certificates and need intake forms. Calendly is a stronger fit for meeting links, a free basic plan, team routing, and meeting recaps. The better choice depends on your workflow and seat or calendar count.
What is the best scheduling calendar software?
There is no single best fit in these details. Acuity focuses on appointment businesses, with payments, forms, and packages. Calendly focuses on meetings, booking links, and team routing. Compare Acuity’s calendar-based plan limits with Calendly’s per-seat pricing before switching.
How much does it cost to use Acuity Scheduling?
Acuity Starter costs $16 per month with annual billing or $20 month-to-month. Standard is $27 annually or $34 monthly, and Premium is $55 annually or $69 monthly. Enterprise pricing is not published. Acuity lists a seven-day trial and no free plan.