Acuity Scheduling alternatives for appointment businesses (free and paid)
Acuity has no free plan (only a 7-day trial), text reminders start on Standard at $27 a month billed yearly, and the "Powered by Acuity Scheduling" footer only comes off on Premium.
Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.
The short answer
If you mainly need clients to book and pay, Cal.com's free plan or TidyCal's one-time price will save you money. Zoho Bookings is the cheapest paid option with reminders. Stay with Acuity if you depend on its packages, memberships and intake forms.
- Cal.com: From $12/mo, free plan
- Zoho Bookings: From $6/mo, free plan
- TidyCal: From $8.25/mo, free plan
- Calendly: From $10/mo, free plan
Acuity Scheduling and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid plans | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acuity Scheduling | No (free trial) | From $16/mo | Coaches, therapists, trainers and salons that sell sessions, packages or gift certificates. |
| Cal.com | Yes | From $12/mo | Solo consultants and coaches who want paid bookings and several meeting types for free. |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes | From $6/mo | Anyone already using Zoho apps, or who wants the cheapest paid scheduler. |
| TidyCal | Yes | From $8.25/mo | Freelancers who want paid bookings without another monthly subscription. |
| Calendly | Yes | From $10/mo | Consultants whose clients already know and expect a Calendly link. |
Acuity Scheduling: what you get
Squarespace's appointment scheduler, built for service businesses that take bookings and payments every day.
- Price
- Starter $16 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly); Standard $27 ($34); Premium $55 ($69).
- Free plan
- No free plan. 7-day trial, no credit card needed.
- Best for
- Coaches, therapists, trainers and salons that sell sessions, packages or gift certificates.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- Strong intake forms and packages for appointment businesses
- Takes payments on every plan
Cons
- No free plan
- Text reminders need Standard, and the Acuity footer only comes off on Premium
Key features
- Payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo
- Custom intake forms
- Packages, memberships and gift certificates (Standard)
- Text reminders and waitlist (Standard)
The alternatives
1. Cal.com
Why switch: Free for one user with payments and unlimited event types, so it covers the core of what Acuity Starter does.
An open-source scheduling app with a free plan aimed squarely at one-person businesses.
- Price
- Teams $12 per user a month and Organizations $28, both billed yearly. 14-day trial.
- Free plan
- 1 user, unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, 100+ integrations, Stripe and PayPal payments. Cal.com says there are no usage limits.
- Best for
- Solo consultants and coaches who want paid bookings and several meeting types for free.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension. Open source.
Pros
- The most generous free plan here for a single user
- Can be self-hosted if you have the technical skills
Cons
- Team features (round robin, shared pages) need a paid plan
- Self-hosting means you maintain and update it yourself
Key features
- Unlimited event types on the free plan
- Stripe and PayPal payments on the free plan
- One-click import of Calendly event types
- Self-hosting option (Docker)
2. Zoho Bookings
Why switch: Paid plans from $6 a user a month billed yearly, with reminders on the free plan.
Zoho's appointment scheduler, with a free plan for one user and low-cost paid tiers.
- Price
- Basic $6 per user a month billed yearly ($8 monthly); Premium $9 billed yearly ($12 monthly).
- Free plan
- Forever free for 1 user: online meetings, email notifications and reminders, two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft 365/Outlook.com calendars.
- Best for
- Anyone already using Zoho apps, or who wants the cheapest paid scheduler.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Cheapest paid plans in this category
- Reminders included free
Cons
- Free plan is for one user only
- More settings to work through than simpler tools
Key features
- Customizable booking links per service
- Email reminders on the free plan
- Two-way calendar sync
- Works with other Zoho apps
3. TidyCal
Why switch: Packages and recurring sessions at a $29 one-time price.
A simple booking-page tool from AppSumo that you can buy once instead of subscribing.
- Price
- Individual Lifetime $29 one-time (sold on AppSumo); Pro $12 a month or $99 a year, which removes branding and platform fees.
- Free plan
- Unlimited booking types and 1 connected calendar. Paid bookings carry a 1% TidyCal platform fee on top of Stripe's fees.
- Best for
- Freelancers who want paid bookings without another monthly subscription.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- One-time $29 lifetime plan
- Free plan can already take payments
Cons
- Free plan connects only one calendar and takes a 1% fee on paid bookings
- Removing TidyCal branding needs the Pro subscription
Key features
- Stripe or PayPal payments at booking
- Packages, bundles and recurring sessions
- Google, Microsoft and Apple calendar sync
- Email and SMS reminders
4. Calendly
Why switch: Well known to clients, with a free plan if one meeting type is enough.
The best-known booking-page tool: share a link and clients pick a slot that fits your calendar.
- Price
- Standard from $10 per seat a month; Teams from $16. Calendly's page didn't say whether these are monthly or yearly-billing rates.
- Free plan
- One event type, one connected calendar, one-on-one meetings, a customizable booking page and the browser extension.
- Best for
- Consultants whose clients already know and expect a Calendly link.
- Works on
- Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension
Pros
- Clients recognise it, so links rarely confuse anyone
- Free plan is enough for a single kind of meeting
Cons
- Free plan allows only one event type and one connected calendar
- Payments and reminders start on the paid Standard plan
Key features
- Booking page with your availability
- Automations and reminders (Standard)
- HubSpot, Mailchimp, Stripe and PayPal connections (Standard)
- Round-robin and team scheduling (Teams)
Sources
Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:
- Acuity Scheduling: acuityscheduling.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Cal.com: cal.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Zoho Bookings: www.zoho.com, checked October 26, 2026
- TidyCal: tidycal.com, tidycal.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- Calendly: calendly.com, checked October 26, 2026