Skip to content
Start here
Browse by category
AI Assistants5Accounting Software3Agency & Funnel Software4B2B Sales Outreach5Business Backup3Business Email & Office3CRM Platforms7Cloud Storage4Customer Support3Design Tools3E-Signature3E-commerce Platforms3Email Marketing1Inventory Management3Knowledge Management3Marketing Automation11POS Systems3Paid Ads Management3Password Managers3Payment Processing3Payroll & HR3Project Management7SEO Software3Sales Intelligence3Scheduling Software3Social Media Management3Team Communication1Time Tracking3Video Conferencing5Website Builders3Workflow Automation3
All categories →
Not sure what you need? Start hereTell us the job and see the software it takes, with verified prices for your team.
Recently verified
Decision brief builderTurn your shortlist into a one-page case for sign-off: verified prices for your team size, requirements and sources.
Recently updated switching guides
All 264 migration guides →
What every guide covers
What transfers, and what doesn’tThe vendor’s own import path, step by step, plus the data you will rebuild by hand. Switching cost estimatorAn adjustable estimate of the hidden labor, cleanup and retraining cost, with its assumptions shown.
Open data
Open data hub: every dataset (JSON/CSV)JSON and CSV under CC BY 4.0. Every value carries its source page and verification date. How we verify pricingThe research method behind every figure on the site.
Pricing data
Software IndexEvery tool we track in one sortable table: entry price, free plan, AI pricing and source. AI Pricing DatabaseHow each vendor bills its AI features: bundled, add-on, metered or quote. Stack Cost CheckerPrice every tool you pay for at list price, saved in a link that re-prices later.Black Friday Software DealsVerified deals plus the discounts you can get today, checked on each vendor’s site.
Original research
The B2B SaaS Sticker Shock IndexCheapest published entry price in 18 categories, ranked.The AI TaxHow 19 AI features are actually billed: bundled, add-on or metered.The Real Cost of a 10-Person Startup StackThree software stacks priced at published entry prices.
Security & compliance
Security & compliance databaseSOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAAs, and the plan you need for SSO, SCIM and audit logs. How to read security claimsSOC 2 vs ISO 27001, the single sign-on tax, and what “Not published” means.
Where your team works
Offline access databaseWhich tools work without internet, in which app, and what syncs later. Remote vs office guideIP allowlisting, device controls, data residency and office hardware, tool by tool.
Side by side
Security in every comparisonEach head-to-head now compares compliance, sign-in, offline and remote controls. Download the dataJSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0. Every value carries the vendor URL and quote.
Scheduling Software

Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling: Which Scheduling Tool Fits Your Business in 2026?

A meeting-scheduling tool built for sales and teams vs. a client-management platform built for service businesses. Here is the real difference.

Bill BelcaminoBy Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 8, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Calendly logoFrom $10/mo

Calendly

VS
Acuity Scheduling logoFrom $16/mo

Acuity Scheduling

See the full spec table Read the FAQ
Calendly vs Acuity SchedulingVerified Sep 8, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Does a service business need Acuity Scheduling, or is Calendly enough?

If clients buy services from you rather than book meetings with you, Acuity Scheduling fits better, and it's the only one of the two that offers a HIPAA BAA (on Premium).

Calendly starts at $10/seat/mo (Standard, annual) with a free plan capped at 1 event type, and suits sales, consulting and recruiting. Acuity starts at $16/mo (Starter, annual) with no free plan, but builds payments into every paid tier, plus packages, memberships and class waitlists. For a service business, that payment piece is a bigger deal than it sounds. No-shows are the quiet cost of appointment work, and taking a deposit or full payment at booking, paired with a clear cancellation policy, cuts them far more reliably than reminder emails alone, because people turn up for what they've already paid for. If the people you serve can pay upfront, switch on payment at booking from day one, whichever tool you choose.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 8, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling: quick facts

At a glanceCalendlyAcuity Scheduling
CategoryScheduling Software
Entry priceFrom $10/moFrom $16/mo
Free plan1 event type (unlimited starts on paid Standard plan)No free tier — trial only; paid plans start at 1 calendar

Is Calendly cheaper than Acuity Scheduling?

Calendly is priced at From $10/mo and Acuity Scheduling at From $16/mo. See the full breakdown below for what is included at each tier.

Verified data

Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling at a glance

CategoryCalendlyAcuity Scheduling
Free-tier event type cap1 event type (unlimited starts on paid Standard plan)No free tier — trial only; paid plans start at 1 calendar
Payment/invoicing at bookingStripe and PayPal collection from the Standard plan upBuilt into every paid tier via Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Venmo, plus invoices and packages
Class/group schedulingGroup event types supported, no dedicated class-series/waitlist toolingPurpose-built class scheduling with class series, group classes, and waitlists
Calendar integrationsUp to 6 connections per seat on Standard/Teams; 150+ native app integrations1 calendar on Starter, up to 36 on Premium; ~30+ native integrations
Routing forms for sales teamsLead-qualification routing forms with CRM matching from the Teams planNot a native feature
Client self-reschedulingYes, across all plansYes, based on the business’s configured policy

Verified September 8, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Total cost of ownership: Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling for your team

Estimate built from the published starting rate shown above (as of Sep 2026). Excludes add-ons, usage overages, and negotiated discounts.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Calendly

Pros

  • Simple, low-learning-curve interface
  • Large native integration library (150+ apps) including deep CRM support
  • Usable free plan and strong fit for sales/consulting workflows via routing forms

Cons

  • Per-seat pricing scales up quickly for larger teams
  • No HIPAA compliance offering
  • Advanced payment/monetization options are limited versus Acuity

Acuity Scheduling

Pros

  • Deep client- and revenue-management tooling: packages, memberships, gift certificates, subscriptions
  • Purpose-built class/group scheduling with waitlists, suited to studios
  • HIPAA BAA compliance available on the Premium tier

Cons

  • No free plan, only a 7-day trial
  • Fewer native integrations than Calendly
  • Interface and setup are commonly described as more complex than Calendly’s

Choose Calendly if…

Choose Calendly if you run sales, consulting, or recruiting meetings and need CRM/video-conferencing integrations or lead-routing forms.

Choose Acuity Scheduling if…

Choose Acuity Scheduling if you run a service business that needs class/group booking, packages, memberships, or HIPAA-compliant scheduling.

Verified data

Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling: security, offline & remote work

How Calendly and Acuity Scheduling compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedCalendlyAcuity Scheduling
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceNot published
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceNot published
Other certificationsSOC 3, CSA STAR, PCI compliantsourceNot published
HIPAA (BAA)Not supportedsourceBAA availablePremium (or legacy Powerhouse)source
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceNot published
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesTeams (SSO add-on)sourceYesEnterprisesource
SCIM user provisioningYesEnterprisesourceNot published
Two-factor authenticationYessourceYessource
Admin audit logYesEnterprisesourceNot published
Data residency choicesUS onlysourceNot published
EncryptionAES-256 at rest; TLS 1.2+ in transitsourceNot published
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNeeds a connectionAcuity is web-based and needs an internet connection; no offline mode is documented.source
Desktop appsNot publishedBrowser onlysource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedNot published
Device & session controlsNot publishedNot published
Office & room hardware—The Acuity admin mobile app takes in-person payments with a paired Stripe M2 card reader or Tap to Pay (Square also supported).source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: Calendly states a SOC 2 report on its own site; we found no SOC 2 statement for Acuity Scheduling. If your security team requires SOC 2, ask Acuity Scheduling directly before shortlisting.
  • Single sign-on: Calendly includes it on Teams (SSO add-on); Acuity Scheduling includes it on Enterprise. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: Acuity Scheduling will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (Acuity Scheduling: Premium (or legacy Powerhouse)). We found no BAA offer for Calendly, so keep protected health information out of it.
  • Working offline: Acuity Scheduling needs an internet connection; Calendly doesn’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • In the office: Acuity Scheduling: The Acuity admin mobile app takes in-person payments with a paired Stripe M2 card reader or Tap to Pay (Square also supported).

Calendly: worth knowing

  • RemoteCalendly detects each invitee's time zone and shows your availability in their local time. source
  • SecurityCalendly data is hosted in US data centers on Google Cloud and AWS, with no customer-selectable region stated. source
  • SecurityCalendly's customer terms bar protected health information, so it is not for HIPAA-regulated intake. source

Acuity Scheduling: worth knowing

  • OfficeAt the front desk or an event, staff can collect payments and tips in the Acuity admin mobile app. source
  • OfficeTap to Pay needs a US business charging in US dollars, and an iPhone XS+ on iOS 16+ or an NFC Android 10+ phone. source
  • RemoteEnterprise plan adds multi-location support with an organization-wide dashboard and individualized BAAs. source
  • SecurityOnly Acuity, not other Squarespace features, is covered by the HIPAA Business Associate Addendum. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Making the switch?

Read our step-by-step migration guides

We mapped out exactly what transfers automatically and what you will need to rebuild by hand, in both directions.

Switching from Calendly to Acuity Scheduling → Switching from Acuity Scheduling to Calendly →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Calendly?

Calendly is an online scheduling tool that lets people share their availability and let others book meetings automatically.

What is Acuity Scheduling?

Acuity Scheduling is an online appointment scheduling platform built for service businesses to manage bookings, payments, and client information.

How much does Calendly cost compared to Acuity Scheduling?

Calendly starts at $10/seat/mo (Standard, annual), while Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/mo (Starter, annual).

Which has better reviews on G2, Calendly or Acuity Scheduling?

Calendly holds a 4.7/5 (~2,648 reviews) rating on G2, compared to Acuity Scheduling at 4.6/5 (~410 reviews).

Who should choose Calendly?

Choose Calendly if you run sales, consulting, or recruiting meetings and need CRM/video-conferencing integrations or lead-routing forms.

Who should choose Acuity Scheduling?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if you run a service business that needs class/group booking, packages, memberships, or HIPAA-compliant scheduling.

Ready to pick one?

See live pricing directly from each vendor before you decide.

See Calendly pricing See Acuity Scheduling pricing

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

Acuity SchedulingPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›CalendlyPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Cal.com vs Acuity SchedulingHead-to-head comparisonCal.com vs CalendlyHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling”, helpcompare.com/calendly-vs-acuity-scheduling/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

Start with the job

Guides for the jobs this software does

Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.

Let clients book appointments onlineSend text messages to customersAll 50 job guides
Need sign-off?

Turn this into a one-page decision brief

Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.

Build a decision brief

From shortlist to switched

Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 8, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill