Schedly vs Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling (now Squarespace Scheduling) is a well-established booking tool popular with service businesses. Schedly offers comparable booking capabilities with a more accessible pricing model and a cleaner booking experience for clients. Here is how they compare.
Independently researched. No sponsored rankings.
Which is right for you?
Skip to the part that matters for your situation.
Choose Schedly if you...
- Want to start completely free
- Need SMS reminders for under $24/mo
- Prefer a faster, more modern client booking experience
- Are not already locked into Squarespace
- Need setup complete in under 10 minutes
Stick with Acuity Scheduling if you...
- Already deeply integrated with Squarespace
- Need complex class package or membership billing
- Your full service menu is already configured in Acuity
Even in these cases, we recommend trying Schedly Free — migration takes 30 minutes and your calendar stays untouched.
The features that matter most
The specific areas where Schedly delivers meaningfully more value.
Simpler pricing with a real free tier
Schedly Free has no booking limits, no event type limits, and no time limits — it is genuinely free. Acuity's pricing starts at $20/month for even basic features, making Schedly significantly more accessible for new and small businesses.
Faster client booking flow
Schedly's booking flow is optimized for speed: clients book in under 60 seconds. Acuity's multi-step booking process can feel longer, particularly on mobile.
SMS reminders on Pro plan
Schedly Pro at $24/month includes SMS reminders. Acuity charges more for equivalent reminder capabilities.
Every feature compared.
No marketing spin. Just what each platform actually includes.
SchedlyAcuity SchedulingWhat you actually pay
No hidden fees. No enterprise gatekeeping.
SchedlyBest ValueUnlimited bookings · 1 event type · calendar sync
Everything + SMS, payments, HIPAA, team routing
Acuity SchedulingFrom $20/mo · No free tierEven in its best cases, we recommend trying Schedly Free before committing.
Pricing based on publicly available plan information. Verify current pricing at each vendor's website before purchasing.
Start Free — See the Difference"Schedly is the better choice for most service businesses prioritizing cost-efficiency and client booking experience. Acuity is worth considering for businesses already deeply integrated with Squarespace or those needing complex class membership billing."
Switching is embarrassingly easy.
Your calendar stays untouched. Your existing meetings survive. Your clients get a better experience from day one.
Create your Schedly account
Sign up at schedly.io — no credit card required. Connect your Google or Outlook calendar with one click. Schedly reads your availability in real time without touching existing events.
Set up your event types
Recreate your event types in Schedly (or use the import tool if switching from a supported platform). Configure your availability, durations, and intake questions exactly as you had them.
Swap your booking links and go live
Replace your old booking URLs in your email signature, website, and outreach with your new Schedly link. Your clients see a cleaner, branded booking page — no Schedly badge on Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Schedly Free has no time or booking limits. Acuity starts at $20/month. Schedly Pro is $24/month and includes SMS reminders that Acuity reserves for higher plan tiers.
Both serve wellness businesses well. Acuity has more developed class membership features; Schedly has lower pricing and simpler setup. For most wellness practitioners (coaches, therapists, personal trainers), Schedly is the more cost-effective choice.
Yes. Export your client list from Acuity and import to your connected CRM or use Zapier to sync existing client records to Schedly as they book.
Acuity Scheduling After the Squarespace Acquisition: What Changed and Why It Matters
Acuity Scheduling was a beloved tool in the coaching and wellness community for years, built by an independent team that deeply understood service business scheduling needs. In 2019, Squarespace acquired Acuity and rebranded it as Squarespace Scheduling. The acquisition brought financial stability but introduced the classic post-acquisition trade-off: slower feature development, tighter integration with the Squarespace ecosystem, and pricing that now increasingly pushes users toward Squarespace's website platform. For professionals who use a different website builder or CMS, the value proposition has materially changed.
The Squarespace Ecosystem Lock-In Problem
Squarespace Scheduling works best for Squarespace website users -- a design choice that makes commercial sense for Squarespace but creates friction for everyone else. Embedding on WordPress, Wix, or custom websites is technically possible but less seamlessly integrated than it once was under the independent Acuity brand. Schedly, as an independent scheduling platform, is website-agnostic and designed to embed cleanly on any platform. For professionals on non-Squarespace sites, this difference is operationally significant.
Pricing Comparison and Value Assessment
Squarespace Scheduling starts at $16/month for basic features and $25/month for unlimited event types and SMS reminders. Schedly Pro at $24/month includes unlimited event types, SMS reminders, Stripe payment integration, and HIPAA-eligible scheduling without add-on pricing. For healthcare providers and professionals who need the full feature set, Schedly's all-inclusive pricing structure delivers equivalent or superior capability without tiered restrictions. If you are currently on Acuity and approaching renewal, a side-by-side feature comparison with Schedly is worth 20 minutes of your time.
Stop Losing Bookings to
Scheduling Friction.
Schedly puts your calendar to work around the clock. Every lead, every client, and every meeting lands exactly where it should, automatically.