Acuity Scheduling is built for service-based businesses needing advanced payment processing and client management, while Calendly excels as a lightweight scheduling tool for professionals prioritizing simplicity and quick setup. Acuity charges 15-40% more but includes integrated payments, whereas Calendly requires third-party integrations for invoicing.
Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Client management and scheduling software with integrated payments for service professionals.
Simple, fast scheduling software for individuals and small teams to manage meetings and availability.
Integrated Payment Processing. Starting Monthly Price. Client Portal & CRM Features. Setup Time to First Booking. Available Integrations. Email Marketing Features. Mobile App Quality
Choose Acuity Scheduling if you run a service business (coaching, therapy, consulting, salons) that processes payments, manages recurring clients, and needs marketing automation built-in—it pays for itself through payment processing fees saved. Choose Calendly if you're an individual professional, freelancer, or enterprise user who needs fast setup, simplicity, and don't require payment collection—it's the leaner option for straightforward scheduling.
Acuity Scheduling: 2.2% (Stripe external) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: 15-30 minutes | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Web-based only | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Unlimited | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Yes (via platform) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: None (3rd party) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: ~25% (via reminders) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Unlimited | Calendly: 1 (free) / Unlimited (paid)
Acuity Scheduling: Advanced (25+ templates, conditional logic, delays) | Calendly: Basic (standard reminders)
Acuity Scheduling: 500+ (via Zapier + native) | Calendly: 100+
Acuity Scheduling: 30-60 minutes | Calendly: 5-10 minutes
Acuity Scheduling: Full (complete removal of branding) | Calendly: None (Calendly always visible)
Acuity Scheduling: 2.9% + $0.30 | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: No (integration required) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: iOS and Android | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Advanced CSS/HTML editing | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Basic (via integrations) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: No (14-day free trial only) | Calendly: Yes (unlimited 1:1 meetings)
Acuity Scheduling: $15 (Standard) | Calendly: $0 (Free tier) / $10 (Basic monthly)
Acuity Scheduling: 2.2% + $0.30 (native Acuity processing) | Calendly: 2.2% + $0.50 (via Stripe integration)
Acuity Scheduling: 15-25 minutes | Calendly: 5 minutes
Acuity Scheduling: Yes (all plans) | Calendly: No (Pro plan has basic forms)
Acuity Scheduling: 150+ apps | Calendly: 90+ apps
Acuity Scheduling: Yes (Professional tier, $59/month) | Calendly: Yes (Premium tier, $19.99/month)
Acuity Scheduling: 1-2 days | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Basic (not primary focus) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Highly specialized (primary function) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: 14 days, no credit card | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: None (use Stripe/PayPal separately: 2.9% + $0.30) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: 150+ | Calendly: 100+ (via Zapier, native, and marketplace)
Acuity Scheduling: Perpetual (1 service) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: 4 (SMS, email, WhatsApp, push) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Advanced (conditional logic, branching) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: $16/month | Calendly: $10/month
Acuity Scheduling: 14 days | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Yes, on all plans | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Available on paid plans | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Full campaign builder included | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: iOS and Android native apps | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Basic (contacts only) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: Yes (all plans) | Calendly: Yes (Team plan+, $29/month)
Acuity Scheduling: Booking view only | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: No (requires add-on) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: 1,000+ (via Zapier) | Calendly: 100+
Acuity Scheduling: Unlimited with conditional logic | Calendly: 5 (free) / 5+ (paid)
Acuity Scheduling: Self-rescheduling, payment history, appointment notes | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: No (requires third-party) | Calendly: No (Zapier only)
Acuity Scheduling: No (email reminders only) | Calendly: N/A
Acuity Scheduling: $31/month | Calendly: $20/month
Acuity Scheduling: Native (Stripe, PayPal, Square) | Calendly: Third-party only
Acuity Scheduling: Unlimited | Calendly: 1GB
Acuity Scheduling: 15-20 minutes | Calendly: 5 minutes
Acuity Scheduling: Built-in with sequences | Calendly: Zapier workaround required
Acuity Scheduling: Unlimited custom fields | Calendly: Basic fields only
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Yes (unlimited basic features)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Third-party via Zapier
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Recording only (via extensions)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: None (scheduling only)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 15+ million
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 1 event type
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $168/year
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 4.8/5 (180K reviews)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 24 hours (78% rate)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Conditional routing, round-robin, payment collection
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $10/month
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 100+ integrations
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: iOS & Android native apps
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Not available - SaaS only
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: REST API with 50+ endpoints
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $12/month (billed annually)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 10+ million
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Basic email reminders
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Calendar sharing, basic team links
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $144/year
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $10 (Free tier available)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Unlimited (Team plan required)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 20% (with reminders)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Unlimited (Professional+ plan)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Real-time (native integrations)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $12/month
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 15-30 minutes
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Limited basic data
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 99.99%
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 1-10 (solo to small team)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: iOS and Android
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: $12/month (Standard plan)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Native iOS & Android apps
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Stripe, PayPal (Pro+ plans)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Advanced (branding, logic, workflows)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Yes (round-robin, custom rules)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 4.7/5
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 145,000 reviews
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Yes (required)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 1 calendar, basic scheduling, limited automation
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Yes (Business+ tier, $20+/month)
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Via Zapier/integrations only
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 1,000,000+ globally
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 5-10 minutes
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 90% feature parity
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: Manual or Zapier-based
Acuity Scheduling: N/A | Calendly: 24/7 email and chat
How to choose between Acuity Scheduling and Calendly
Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly. Contains 132 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly.
Can I collect payments directly through scheduling links?
Yes with Acuity Scheduling—payments are processed natively via Stripe, PayPal, or Square during booking, and funds deposit directly to your account. With Calendly, you cannot collect payments; you must use a separate tool like Stripe Checkout or PayPal invoicing, requiring clients to complete two steps.
Which is better for therapists and coaches?
Acuity Scheduling is purpose-built for service professionals. It includes client notes, session history, custom intake forms, automated follow-up emails, and payment collection—all in one platform. Calendly works for scheduling but requires piecing together separate tools for payments, notes, and follow-ups, making it less practical for complex client management.
What are the total costs if I need payments and email marketing?
Acuity: $16-31/month includes both native payments and email automation. Calendly: $10-20/month + Stripe fees (2.9%+30¢) + Zapier for email (starts $19/month) = $29-70/month depending on volume. For 5+ clients monthly, Acuity's all-in-one approach becomes more cost-effective.
Is Calendly or Acuity better for sales teams?
Calendly is favored by sales teams for its simplicity and Slack/Outlook integrations, costing less to deploy across teams. Acuity is better if your team needs to track deal value, collect deposits upfront, or manage complex service workflows. Most sales teams choose Calendly unless payments are critical.
Can I embed scheduling on my website with both?
Both platforms offer embeddable scheduling widgets that work on any website. Acuity's widget includes payment collection directly on your site. Calendly's widget is simpler and doesn't process payments, so clients are redirected to invoice separately if needed.
How to Choose Between Acuity Scheduling and Calendly
Integrated Payment Processing: Acuity Scheduling has Built-in (Stripe, PayPal, Square), while Calendly has Requires third-party integration.
Starting Monthly Price: Acuity Scheduling has $16/month, while Calendly has $10/month.
Client Portal & CRM Features: Acuity Scheduling has Comprehensive with notes, tags, custom fields, while Calendly has Basic contact info only.
Setup Time to First Booking: Acuity Scheduling has 15-20 minutes, while Calendly has 5 minutes.
Available Integrations: Acuity Scheduling has 200+ (Zapier, native integrations), while Calendly has 60+ (Zapier, select native).
Email Marketing Features: Acuity Scheduling has Built-in automated sequences included, while Calendly has Zapier-dependent workaround only.
Mobile App Quality: Acuity Scheduling has Full-featured iOS/Android app, while Calendly has Limited mobile interface.