Acuity Scheduling
More depth and customization than Calendly for service businesses — intake forms, package sales, HIPAA compliance, and multi-location support are all built in. The tradeoff is a steeper setup curve and no free plan.
Visit Acuity Scheduling →Pros
- + Best intake-form system in the category — conditional logic collects exactly what you need before the appointment
- + Built-in package and gift-certificate sales — clients buy session bundles at booking
- + Supports Stripe, Square, and PayPal — require full payment or deposits at booking
- + Multi-location and multi-staff support with individual availability rules
- + HIPAA-compliant booking on the Powerhouse plan — rare among scheduling tools
Cons
- − No free plan — starts at $16/mo (annual) or $20/mo (monthly)
- − SMS reminders locked to the Growing plan — Emerging sends email reminders only
- − Data export is a known issue — exporting many appointments can crash the platform
- − Mobile app lags desktop for template and form customization
- − Interface feels dated without CSS knowledge for deeper customization
What Is Acuity Scheduling?
Acuity Scheduling is an online appointment booking platform designed specifically for service-based businesses — coaches, therapists, photographers, salons, fitness studios, consultants, and healthcare providers. Now owned by Squarespace, it lets clients self-book, reschedule, and pay for appointments 24/7, while automatically handling reminders, confirmations, and calendar syncing on the business side.
Where Acuity stands apart from simpler tools like Calendly is depth of configuration. You can collect detailed intake information at booking via customizable forms with conditional logic, sell service packages and gift certificates, require deposits or full payment upfront, manage multiple staff calendars across locations, and run group classes or workshops — all without code.
Acuity is particularly well suited to health, wellness, and fitness businesses, which make up 18% of its user base. HIPAA-compliant booking is available on the Powerhouse plan, making it viable for therapists, dietitians, and other healthcare professionals who need to collect sensitive client information securely.
Acuity Scheduling Pricing (2026)
Three plans plus Enterprise. All include unlimited appointments. Annual billing saves roughly 20% vs monthly.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging | $20/mo | $16/mo | 1 calendar, unlimited appointments, payment processing, email confirmations — no SMS reminders |
| Growing (Best for Most) | $34/mo | $27/mo | 6 calendars, SMS reminders, intake forms, group scheduling, packages & gift certificates |
| Powerhouse | $61/mo | $49/mo | 36 calendars, HIPAA compliance, multiple time zones, advanced customization, priority support |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Dedicated account manager, custom onboarding, API access, SLA |
Most service businesses land on Growing. If you need SMS reminders and intake forms — as most appointment-based businesses do — budget for $27/month (annual) minimum; the Emerging plan is underpowered for real use.
Who Is Acuity Best For?
Great fit
- Coaches, therapists, personal trainers, and wellness pros needing detailed intake forms and HIPAA-compliant booking
- Salons, spas, and beauty businesses managing multiple staff calendars and service menus with upfront payment
- Photographers and event pros selling session packages and requiring deposits at booking
- Squarespace website owners — Acuity integrates natively and embeds cleanly
Not a great fit
- Solo professionals who just need a simple booking link — Calendly’s Standard plan is simpler and cheaper
- Field service businesses that need dispatch, job tracking, and invoicing — Jobber or Housecall Pro are built for that
- Businesses that want a modern, polished booking page without CSS work — the interface feels dated
- Teams managing large amounts of appointment data — the known export bug is a real concern
Our Verdict
Acuity Scheduling is the right call for established service businesses — coaches, therapists, salons, photographers — that need more than a simple booking link. The intake-form depth, package management, HIPAA option, and multi-staff support make it genuinely powerful for complex booking needs, and the 7-day free trial gives you time to evaluate fit. The main concerns — no free plan, SMS reminders locked to Growing, and the export bug — are real and worth knowing. For most Growing-plan users who commit to the setup, Acuity delivers a professional, automated booking experience that consistently reduces no-shows and admin back-and-forth.
This review may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure →