Acuity Scheduling vs Bookwhen (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Acuity Scheduling grades higher than Bookwhen: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Acuity Scheduling grades higher on features and platforms. Bookwhen grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Acuity Scheduling
Appointment booking, payments and reminders for service businesses
Bookwhen
Online booking system for classes, courses, workshops and events
Which one is for you
Pick Acuity Scheduling if
- Fits if you run a salon, studio, tutoring or coaching business and want clients to book and pay themselves
- Works for businesses that take a deposit or the full fee at booking to cut no-shows
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to start free: there's no free plan, and the trial lasts 7 days
- Pricey if you're one person who just needs a booking link, at $16 a month ($20 monthly) for one calendar
- Tight if you have staff or locations: Starter has 1 calendar, Standard 6 and Premium 36
- Watch out: text reminders, the waitlist, packages, memberships and gift certificates start on Standard at $27
- Pricey if you need a HIPAA BAA, the Acuity footer removed, or the custom API: all Premium only, at $49
Pick Bookwhen if
- Fits if you run classes or workshops with fixed places
- Works for a solo teacher with fewer than 50 bookings a month
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are staying free, as that is 50 bookings a month and free events only
- Pricey if you want payments, which start at Lite at $16 a month, plus Stripe or PayPal fees
- Watch out: bookings are capped at 300 on Lite and 800 on Standard
- Skip it if you want a phone or desktop app, as it is browser only
- Watch out: memberships, passes and waiting lists are on Standard at $29 a month
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAcuity SchedulingFair | 2.0GPABookwhenFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $16 a month billed annually, $20 monthly, and buys exactly one calendar. The dear end of this category is $10. Then the things a real business needs climb further: text reminders, packages and memberships on Standard at $27, and the HIPAA agreement and logo removal on Premium at $49, against a $6 middle. | C$16 a month on Lite, or $160 a year, which is around the dearer end of calendar tools; the middle one is $8. |
| Free plan and trial | CNothing free to keep. There's a 7-day trial of any plan with no card asked, and a week is short to build a booking page, set your availability and test a payment before the bill starts. | CFree plan: 50 bookings a month, 1 team member and free events only. A 14-day trial needs no card. |
| Features | BCovers the whole booking job: a branded page, intake forms, deposits or full payment through Stripe, Square or PayPal, invoices, email reminders, buffers and daily limits, group classes, and tap-to-pay in the phone app. Text reminders, packages and the AI assistant wait on higher plans. | CBooking pages, payments, memberships, waiting lists and attendance. Payments, memberships and waiting lists all sit above the free plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and the work falls on you before any client sees it: services to define, availability rules, buffers, daily limits, intake forms, a payment processor and a calendar to sync. Clients booking themselves from a link is the easy half. | CNo store rating on record. You build your events and booking page yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android, with no desktop app of its own. It does sync with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud so busy time is blocked, and connects out to Stripe, Square, PayPal, Zoom and Squarespace, with the custom API Premium only. | CBrowser only, with Zoom, Stripe and PayPal. No desktop or phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | taking bookings and payment in one go | booking classes and events online |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Acuity Scheduling and Bookwhen. How we grade
Price against what you get
Acuity Scheduling starts at $16 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Bookwhen starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0.
Acuity Scheduling scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 17 score higher than Acuity Scheduling for less, and 68 score higher than Bookwhen for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Acuity Scheduling also covers invoicing.
- Bookwhen also covers appointment booking, class booking and ticketing.
At a glance
| Acuity Scheduling | Bookwhen | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $16 per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | None | 50 bookings a month, 1 team member, 1 booking page, free events only. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of any plan, no credit card needed | 14-day free trial of premium features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Squarespace, Inc. | Bookwhen Ltd |
| Price read from | acuityscheduling.com | bookwhen.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Acuity Scheduling
- There is no free plan. When the 7-day trial ends, a paid plan is needed to keep using the account.
- Plans are capped by calendars, which map to staff or locations: 1 on Starter, 6 on Standard and 36 on Premium.
- Text reminders, the waitlist, memberships, packages and gift certificates need Standard or Premium.
- Hiding the "Powered by Acuity Scheduling" footer, signing a HIPAA BAA, and custom API and CSS are Premium-only.
Bookwhen
- Plans cap bookings per month: 50 on Free, 300 on Lite, 800 on Standard and 1,800 on Plus.
- The Free plan allows free events only, so taking payments needs a paid plan.
- Payment processing fees are charged separately by Stripe or PayPal on top of the plan price.
- It runs in a browser only; no desktop or mobile apps are listed.
Key features
Acuity Scheduling
- Branded booking page
- Clients self-schedule, reschedule or cancel on a page with your logo and colors. Share it as a link or QR code, or embed it in a Squarespace site or another website.
- Payments, deposits and invoicing
- Take full payment, a deposit or a card on file at booking through Stripe, Square or PayPal, and send invoices. The mobile app accepts in-person payments, including tap-to-pay.
- Reminders and intake forms
- Automated email confirmations, updates and reminders on every plan, with custom intake forms at booking. Text message reminders start on Standard.
- Calendar sync and availability rules
- Syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud to block busy times. Set daily appointment limits, buffers between bookings and room or resource restrictions.
- Classes, packages and memberships
- Offer one-to-one services or group classes and workshops. Standard and Premium can sell appointment packages, subscriptions, memberships and gift certificates.
- AI Booking Assistant
- An AI chat bot that helps clients get booked on the scheduling page. It is available on the Premium plan only.
Bookwhen
- Hosted booking pages
- Customers book from a Bookwhen page or from one embedded in your own website with an iframe or the API.
- Online payments
- Take payment through Bookwhen Payments (powered by Stripe), your own Stripe account or PayPal. The processor charges a separate fee.
- Memberships, passes and vouchers
- Sell recurring memberships, multi-session passes and vouchers. These start on the Standard plan.
- Waiting lists and reminders
- Full sessions can keep a waiting list, and reminder emails go to attendees. Both start on the Standard plan.
- Online sessions
- Paid plans connect to Zoom for online classes, and Standard and Plus add YouTube and Vimeo links.
- Attendance tracking and post-event emails
- Mark who attended a session and send follow-up emails afterward, from the Standard plan up.
Plans
Acuity Scheduling
Starter$16
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
1 calendar, payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, email reminders, custom client forms and automatic time zone conversion.
Standard$27
per month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly)
Up to 6 calendars, plus text reminders, an appointment waitlist, memberships, packages and gift certificates.
Premium$49
per month, billed annually ($61 billed monthly)
Up to 36 calendars, plus the AI Booking Assistant, a BAA for HIPAA compliance, logo removal, per-staff time zones, and custom API and CSS.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited calendars and scheduling instances, VIP account management, additional APIs and a central dashboard; priced through sales.
Bookwhen
Free$0
50 bookings a month, 1 team member, 1 booking page and free events only.
Lite$16
per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly)
300 bookings a month, 2 team members, 1 booking page, online payments and Zoom integration.
Standard$29
per month, billed monthly ($290 billed yearly)
800 bookings a month, 5 team members, 3 booking pages, memberships, vouchers, passes and waiting lists.
Plus$59
per month, billed monthly ($590 billed yearly)
1,800 bookings a month, 10 team members, 6 booking pages and phone support.
EnterpriseCustom
Bespoke plans with a franchisor system, reseller accounts and class search portals.
Ways to pay less
Acuity Scheduling
- Annual discount
Save 20% by paying annually
Acuity's pricing page lists a 20% saving on annual billing: Starter is $16 instead of $20 per month, Standard $27 instead of $34 and Premium $49 instead of $61.
Bookwhen
- Annual discount
2 months free with yearly billing
Bookwhen's pricing page marks its yearly prices as 2 months free compared with paying monthly.
- Nonprofit
20% off for charities and non-profits
The pricing FAQ offers 20% off to charities and non-profits; contact support before subscribing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Bookwhen?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly), and Bookwhen starts at $16 per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, Acuity Scheduling or Bookwhen?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Bookwhen has a free plan. Acuity Scheduling does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Acuity Scheduling and Bookwhen run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Acuity Scheduling lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.