Acuity Scheduling vs Setmore

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

Setmore

• Small service businesses that want free booking for up to four staff
• Taking payment at the time of booking or in person
• Getting booked from Instagram, Facebook and Google listings

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.

Setmore

• The Free plan stops at 4 users and leaves out two-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, recurring appointments, video appointments, deposits and API access.
• Pro is charged per user, and every staff calendar counts as a user even if that person has no login.
• Paying monthly costs $12 per user, more than twice the $5 annual rate. There is no free trial of Pro, only a 30-day refund window.
• Live Receptionist call answering is a separate $99 per month add-on and is offered in the US only.

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.

Setmore

Booking Page

A public page with a custom URL that lists services, staff and live availability so customers can book at any hour. Removing Setmore's branding from it needs Pro.

Payments

Take card payments at booking or in person through Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay, including Tap to Pay, on both plans. Deposits are a Pro feature.

Confirmations and reminders

Email confirmations and one email reminder are free. Pro adds a second reminder and SMS reminders, with 500 SMS credits per Pro team member each month.

Team calendars

Each staff member gets a login, working hours, time off and a calendar, with a combined team view, permission levels and built-in team messaging on both plans.

Classes and recurring appointments

Group classes with seat reservations are on both plans. Recurring appointments and video appointments by Zoom or Google Meet are listed under Pro.

Booking from social and search

Add Book Now buttons to Facebook, Instagram and websites built on WordPress, Wix or Weebly, take bookings through Reserve with Google, and share a QR code.

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.

Setmore

• Free$0

  Up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, a custom Booking Page, group classes, payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal, and email reminders.

• Pro$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)

  Unlimited users, two-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, recurring and video appointments, deposits, API access and no Setmore branding.

• EnterpriseCustom

  A tailored setup for larger organizations, arranged by contacting Setmore's sales team.

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.

Setmore

• Annual discount

  Pro at $5 instead of $12 with annual billing

  Setmore's pricing page shows Pro at $12 per user / month on monthly billing and $5 per user / month on annual billing, about 58% less.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit discounts on request

  Setmore's mission page invites nonprofit organizations to contact the team about discounts. No rate is published.