Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling
By Sebastiaan Smits ·
Published October 8, 2026 · Updated October 8, 2026
Calendly is the booking link most recipients already know, priced per seat and strong on sales routing. Acuity is priced per account and built for businesses that book clients, with intake forms, payments and staff calendars on every plan. Sales and success teams choose Calendly; clinics, coaches and studios choose Acuity.
Side by side
 Calendly |  Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The best-known booking link for meetings and sales teams | Client appointment booking with intake forms and payments |
| Best for | Sales and customer-facing teams | Clinics, coaches and studios booking clients |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Pricing model | Per seat / month | Flat monthly |
| Pricing | Free plan for one event type; paid tiers priced per seat, rising for team, routing and enterprise features. | Starter from $16 per month billed annually ($20 monthly), with Standard and Premium tiers adding staff calendars and features, plus a free trial. |
| Free option | Free plan | Free trial |
| List price as listed on October 8, 2026 | $10 per seat per month billed monthly (Standard), $16 on Teams | $20 per month billed monthly, or $16 billed annually (Starter, 1 calendar) |
| Place in our appointment scheduling software ranking | #4 of 12 | #1 of 12 |
| Website | calendly.com | acuityscheduling.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Appointment Scheduling Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Calendly if
your users are salespeople or account managers who need round-robin, routing forms and CRM links, and a link that prospects recognize.
Calendly, #4 in the ranking · Visit Calendly →
Choose Acuity Scheduling if
you book paying clients, and need intake forms, payments, packages and staff calendars at a price per account.
Acuity Scheduling, #1 in the ranking · Visit Acuity Scheduling →
Where they differ
Price for a small team
Calendly Standard is $10 per seat per month billed monthly, and Teams is $16. Acuity is $20 a month billed monthly for Starter, with Standard at $34 and Premium at $61, priced per account. Acuity Starter covers one calendar only, so a team with several people needs Standard. With a handful of staff, Acuity usually costs less.
Edge: Acuity Scheduling
Client intake and payments
Acuity includes custom intake forms and payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo on every plan, plus packages and gift certificates according to our category notes. Calendly collects Stripe and PayPal payments from Standard and has routing forms, but client histories and intake depth are limited. For service businesses, Acuity wins.
Edge: Acuity Scheduling
Sales routing and team scheduling
Calendly Teams adds round-robin scheduling, lead routing and team management, and routing integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce and Marketo. Acuity's team scheduling features such as round-robin and routing are basic. For a sales team, Calendly is the clear pick.
Edge: Calendly
Free option
Calendly has an always-free plan limited to one event type, one calendar connection and one-on-one events. Acuity has no free plan, only a 7-day trial without a credit card. A freelancer testing a link can stay free on Calendly.
Edge: Calendly
Enterprise controls
Calendly Enterprise lists domain control, audit logs and SAML SSO, from $15,000 a year with at least 50 seats. Acuity's HIPAA and BAA support, branding removal and custom API and CSS sit on Premium. They aim at different controls, so neither wins outright.
Edge: even
Tally: Calendly 2, Acuity Scheduling 2, even 1.
When neither fits
Neither is the cheapest route for a small team that only needs a booking link. Cal.com and SavvyCal cover team scheduling without Calendly's per-seat bill, and TidyCal is lower still.
See Cal.com and SavvyCal among the 12 products in Best Appointment Scheduling Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Is Acuity Scheduling cheaper than Calendly?
For several staff, usually yes, since Acuity charges per account at $16 to $49 a month billed annually while Calendly charges per seat. For one person, Calendly's Standard at $10 a month billed monthly is cheaper than Acuity Starter at $20.
Does Acuity have a free plan?
No. All three plans include a 7-day free trial with no credit card. Calendly has a free plan limited to one event type.
Which is better for taking payments?
Acuity processes payments on all plans through Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo. Calendly supports Stripe and PayPal collection from the Standard plan up. We did not compare processing fees.
Which suits a clinic that needs HIPAA?
Acuity lists HIPAA and BAA on Premium. We did not find a comparable statement on the Calendly page we read, so a clinic should ask Calendly directly.
Sources
Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 8, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.
- Calendly pricing page: Calendly plan prices, free plan limits, payments from Standard, routing and round-robin on Teams and Enterprise terms
- Acuity Scheduling pricing page: Acuity plan prices, calendar limits, the 7-day trial, payments, intake forms and Premium-only HIPAA