Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly
We give Acuity Scheduling a 3.0 GPA and Calendly a 3.6, out of 4.0. Calendly grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
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
Calendly
Booking links and team scheduling for external meetings
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAcuity SchedulingVery good | 3.6GPACalendlyExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) for 1 calendar. That's above even the dear end of this category, around $10. And the useful extras sit higher: text reminders and packages at $27, hiding Acuity's footer at $49. | BStandard is $10 a seat a month billed yearly, the same starting price as SavvyCal and Reclaim, where Cal.com asks $12. Round-robin and Salesforce sync need Teams at $16, and Notetaker needs a Plus plan, with Teams Plus at $24. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You get a 7-day trial of any plan with no credit card needed, and after that you need a paid plan to keep using the account. Seven days isn't long to set up a business. | BFree forever, with unlimited meetings. But it's one event type, one calendar connection and one-on-one meetings only. Enough for a single booking link. New users get two weeks of Teams Plus first, then drop to Free. |
| Features | AA branded booking page, deposits or full payment through Stripe, Square or PayPal, invoices, intake forms, email reminders, buffers and daily limits, group classes, and tap-to-pay in the phone app. That's the whole appointment job. | ABooking pages, group and round-robin events, lead routing, automated reminders, and Stripe or PayPal payments at booking. Notetaker records and recaps Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls. There's a REST API with webhooks too. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is the most we'll give. Clients book, reschedule and cancel by themselves from a link or QR code, which is the easy part for you. | A4.8 from about 55,000 App Store ratings. Set up an event type, share the link, and the invitee picks a time. They don't need an account or a seat to book. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone and Android, syncing with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud, and connecting to Stripe, Square, PayPal, Zoom and Squarespace. There's an API, though the custom API and CSS are Premium only. | AWeb, iPhone and Android, extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, and add-ins for Outlook, Gmail and LinkedIn. It syncs with Salesforce and HubSpot and has a REST API. |
| Best for | taking bookings and payment in one go | booking links for meetings with outsiders |
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 Calendly. How we grade
Where they differ
- Acuity Scheduling starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). Calendly starts at $10 per seat / month, billed yearly.
- Calendly has a free plan. Acuity Scheduling does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calendly lists a browser extension.
- Acuity Scheduling also covers invoicing.
- Calendly also covers meeting notes and transcription.
At a glance
| Acuity Scheduling | Calendly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $10 per seat / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | One event type with unlimited meetings, one calendar connection, one-on-one scheduling, a customizable booking page, mobile apps and the browser extension. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of any plan, no credit card needed | Two-week free trial of Teams Plus for new users; the account then moves to the Free plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Squarespace, Inc. | Calendly LLC |
| Price read from | acuityscheduling.com | calendly.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Acuity Scheduling
- Salons, studios, coaches, tutors and other appointment-based businesses
- Taking a deposit or full payment at the time of booking
- Selling packages, memberships and gift certificates alongside appointments
Calendly
- Sales, recruiting and customer teams that book many external meetings
- Individuals who need one free booking link
- Teams that need round-robin assignment and lead routing
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.
Calendly
- The Free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, for one-on-one meetings only.
- Round-robin scheduling, lead routing and Salesforce sync need Teams; SSO is an add-on on Teams and built into Enterprise.
- Notetaker and Callie are not in base Standard or Teams. They need a Plus plan (Teams Plus is $24 per seat / month, billed yearly) and are English-only.
- Enterprise starts at $15k per year and 50 seats and is billed in USD only.
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.
Calendly
- Event types and booking pages
- Set up event types and share a link so invitees choose a time from your availability. Free allows one event type; paid plans allow unlimited.
- Team scheduling
- Group and collective events come with Standard. Round-robin distribution and centrally managed event types start on Teams.
- Routing and CRM sync
- Teams adds lead qualification and routing along with Salesforce sync. HubSpot connects from the Standard plan.
- Automations and payments
- Standard and above send automated reminders and can take payment at booking through Stripe or PayPal.
- Notetaker and Callie
- Notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls to record, transcribe and recap them. Callie is a beta AI assistant that schedules over email. Both come with the Plus plans.
- Apps, extensions and API
- iOS and Android apps, extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, add-ins for Outlook, Gmail and LinkedIn, website embeds, and a REST API with webhooks.
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.
Calendly
Free$0
One event type, one calendar connection and one-on-one scheduling.
Standard$10
per seat / month, billed yearly
Unlimited event types, up to 6 calendar connections, group events, automations, and Stripe and PayPal payments.
Teams$16
per seat / month, billed yearly
Adds round-robin scheduling, lead routing, Salesforce sync, admin tools and an optional SSO add-on.
EnterpriseFrom $15k
per year, starting at 50 seats
SSO and advanced provisioning, audit logging, the full Salesforce routing suite and priority support.
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.
Calendly
- Annual discount
Save 17% to 20% with yearly billing
Calendly's pricing page lists a 17% saving on Standard and a 20% saving on Teams when billed yearly instead of monthly.
- Other savings
Volume pricing on annual Teams plans
On annual Teams plans, seats beyond the first 30 cost less: $14.50 per month for seats 31 to 50, stepping down to $12 from seat 301.
