Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling (2026): features, security and which one to buy
Calendly and Acuity Scheduling compared on what they do, who they suit, their key features, pros and cons, and what each vendor publishes on security, admin and contract terms, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Calendly or Acuity Scheduling: the short answer
Choose Calendly if
- Sales and customer-facing teams needing round-robin and routing.
- Individuals who need a free one-event-type booking page.
Choose Acuity Scheduling if
- Service businesses (coaches, salons, consultants) booking client appointments.
- Solo operators who price by calendar rather than seat.
What are Calendly and Acuity Scheduling?
Calendly
Market-leading meeting scheduler with a limited free plan and per-seat Standard, Teams and Enterprise tiers. Sales and customer-facing teams that need routing and round-robin are the core audience, while individuals can start on the free single-event plan. Security reviewers should know data centers are in the US and SSO costs extra below Enterprise, which has a 50-seat minimum.
Acuity Scheduling
Appointment booking tool for service businesses, priced per calendar and owned by Squarespace. Coaches, salons and consultants who book clients one by one will find the calendar-count pricing (1, 6 or 36) easy to forecast. Text reminders require Standard or Premium. Reviewers cite limited exports and reporting, so test those before moving client records.
Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling: features compared
| Calendly | Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Market-leading meeting scheduler with a limited free plan and per-seat Standard, Teams and Enterprise tiers. | Appointment booking tool for service businesses, priced per calendar and owned by Squarespace. |
| Best for | Sales and customer-facing teams needing round-robin and routing. | Service businesses (coaches, salons, consultants) booking client appointments. |
| Company size | Individuals to enterprise; Enterprise minimum 50 seats. | Solo to small service businesses; Enterprise tier exists. |
| Calendar sync | Free plan 1 calendar connection; paid 6. | Not published |
| Reminders and no-show reduction | Not published | Text reminders included in Standard and Premium. |
| Team and round-robin scheduling | Team scheduling positioned on Teams plan (details not confirmed by the vendor) | Multiple calendars (6 or 36) by plan. |
| Branding and website embedding | Browser extension on Free. | Not published |
| CRM and video integrations | G2 summaries cite Google Calendar and Slack integrations. | Not published |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starting price | Free; Standard $10 per seat per month billed monthly | $16 per month billed annually ($20 monthly) |
| G2 rating | 4.7 (2,624 reviews) | 4.6 (410 reviews) |
Pros and cons
Calendly
Pros
- Clean interface.
- Automatic time zone detection.
- Ease of use rated 9.4 of 10 on G2.
Cons
- Free plan very limited.
- SSO and SCIM are paid extras below Enterprise.
Acuity Scheduling
Pros
- Ease of use.
- Good appointment management.
Cons
- Limited features.
- Export and reporting restrictions.
- Client record management.
Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling pricing
Calendly starts at Free; Standard $10 per seat per month billed monthly and Acuity Scheduling at $16 per month billed annually ($20 monthly). The pricing bases differ, so compare the full quote for your team rather than the entry price.
| Calendly | Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | per user | per calendar |
| Per seat per month | $16 per seat per month monthly billing on Teams (20% off yearly) | Not per seat; Standard $27 per month annual for up to 6 calendars. |
| Billing | Monthly and annual. | Monthly and annual. |
| 20 users per year | $2,400 (Standard) | Not applicable per seat; a 20-person team on Premium (36 calendars) would be $55 x 12 = $660 per year billed annually (computed, no per-user charge) |
| Add-ons | SSO on Teams (price not listed); SCIM provisioning (price not listed); Notetaker and Callie (English only) | Not published |
Security, admin and contract: Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling
What each vendor states publicly about single sign-on, provisioning, audit logs, data location and the contract. A blank is a question for the sales call, not a no.
| Calendly | Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| SAML SSO | Teams (optional add-on) and Enterprise (included) | Not published |
| SCIM provisioning | Add-on (plan not specified) | Not published |
| Audit logs | Enterprise only. | Not published |
| Data residency | US data centers (Google Cloud, AWS); no EU option found. | Not published |
| DPA | Yes, referenced in help center (SCCs, UK addendum) | Not published |
| Contract | Monthly available on Standard and Teams; Enterprise starts at $15k per year. | Monthly billing available. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Calendly
- Enterprise starts at $15k per year with 50-seat minimum.
- SSO is optional add-on on Teams, included in Enterprise; SCIM is an add-on; audit log is Enterprise only.
- User data stored in US data centers (Google Cloud, AWS); no EU residency option found.
- DPA with SCCs and UK addendum is referenced in help center.
Worth knowing about Acuity Scheduling
- Priced by calendars, not users: 1, up to 6, up to 36.
- Text reminders only on Standard and above.
- Acuity subscription is separate from a Squarespace site subscription.
- Squarespace bought Acuity in April 2019, its first acquisition.
Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling: frequently asked questions
Which is better, Calendly or Acuity Scheduling?
It depends on the team. Calendly is the stronger pick for sales and customer-facing teams needing round-robin and routing, while Acuity Scheduling suits service businesses (coaches, salons, consultants) booking client appointments. Compare the feature rows above against your must-haves before you look at price.
Do Calendly and Acuity Scheduling support SAML single sign-on?
Calendly: teams (optional add-on) and Enterprise (included). Acuity Scheduling: not stated on its public pages. Confirm the plan in writing before you compare prices.
Can I try Calendly and Acuity Scheduling for free?
Calendly: free plan. Acuity Scheduling: free trial.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Calendly and Acuity Scheduling reviews.