Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling (2026): Which Booking Tool Fits Your Business?

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Updated October 27, 2026. Prices below were checked against each company’s own pricing page on this date.

Calendly and Acuity Scheduling both let people book time with you online, but they’re built for different businesses. Calendly is the simplest way to book meetings and calls. Acuity, from Squarespace, is built for client appointments that need intake forms, packages and payments.

Here’s how they compare, based on each company’s own pricing pages.

The short answer

• Choose Calendly if you book meetings, sales calls or consultations and want the smoothest experience for the person booking.
• Choose Acuity Scheduling if you run a client-based service, like coaching, therapy or wellness, and need intake forms, packages or gift certificates.

Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling at a glance

	Calendly	Acuity Scheduling
Best for	Meetings and calls	Client appointments
Free plan	Yes, 1 event type	No
Paid plans from	$10/seat/mo billed yearly	$16/mo billed annually
Intake forms	Basic questions	Custom forms on every plan
Packages and gift certificates	No	From Standard ($27/mo)
Free trial	Free plan	7 days, no card

Prices checked against each company’s pricing page. Monthly billing costs more.

Pricing compared

Calendly

The free plan includes one event type and one calendar connection. Standard is $10 per seat per month billed yearly ($12 monthly) and adds unlimited event types, multiple calendars, automated reminders and payments through Stripe or PayPal. Teams is $16 per seat billed yearly ($20 monthly) and adds round-robin and team scheduling.

Acuity Scheduling

Starter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) for 1 calendar. Standard is $27 a month annually ($34 monthly) for up to 6 calendars and adds text reminders, a waitlist and packages, memberships and gift certificates. Premium is $55 a month annually ($69 monthly) for up to 36 calendars. Every plan has a 7-day free trial with no card.

Where Calendly wins

• The simplest booking experience for your clients
• A free plan to start
• Team scheduling and round-robin on Teams

Where Acuity Scheduling wins

• Custom intake forms on every plan
• Packages, memberships and gift certificates
• Pricing per account, not per seat, for small teams

Our verdict

If you mainly book calls and meetings, Calendly is the easier and cheaper choice, and its free plan may be enough to start. If clients book services from you and you need forms, deposits or packages, Acuity Scheduling is built for that work and is worth the higher entry price.

Frequently asked questions

Does Acuity Scheduling have a free plan?

No. Acuity offers a 7-day free trial, and paid plans start at $16 a month billed annually.

Can Calendly take payments?

Yes. From the Standard plan, Calendly can collect payments through Stripe or PayPal when someone books.

See all five options in our guide to the best scheduling software for small business.