Calendly vs Acuity: which booking tool for you
Pick Calendly if you book free calls, demos or discovery meetings, and pick Acuity Scheduling if clients pay you for the appointment itself. Calendly has a free plan, round-robin across a team and native links to HubSpot and Pipedrive. Acuity has no free plan, but clients fill in your intake form and pay in full or leave a deposit while they book. That payment step is the deciding difference for therapists, coaches and consultants.
Which one to pick
You run sales or discovery calls, share meetings across a team with round-robin, or want a free plan and a booking link most clients have clicked before.
You sell one-to-one sessions and want clients to answer intake questions and pay a deposit or the full fee before the slot is confirmed.
Side by side
Questions
Is Calendly cheaper than Acuity Scheduling?
Calendly's free plan covers a basic booking link. Acuity Scheduling has no free plan in our listing, so you pay from the first month. Calendly and Acuity both invoice in US dollars. Check each vendor's pricing page for the current paid tiers before you commit.
Can clients pay when they book?
Both tools connect to Stripe. Acuity builds payment into the booking itself: the client pays the full price or a deposit before the appointment is confirmed. Calendly also takes payments, but it is built around free meetings first. If most of your appointments are paid, Acuity's flow fits better.
Does either one work for a team?
Calendly handles round-robin scheduling and routing forms, so leads land with the right person on a sales team. Acuity suits a solo practitioner up to a medium-sized practice with several staff calendars. For a growing sales team, Calendly is the stronger fit. For a clinic with paid slots, Acuity holds up well.
Can I switch from Calendly to Acuity?
Yes, both sync with Google Calendar, so your existing bookings stay in your calendar during the move. You rebuild your appointment types in Acuity and add your intake questions there. Then replace the Calendly link on your website and email signature. Keep the old link live for a few weeks so late clicks still reach you.
Do they work for clients in Spain, Germany, France and Italy?
Both are available across our European markets, including Spain, Germany, France and Italy. Your clients see times in their own time zone. Prices are in US dollars, so card charges can include a currency conversion. Neither tool is a European company, which matters if your clients ask where their data sits.