Which one should you use?
It depends on whether you sell packages, need deposits or a particular payment processor, or want per-person pricing for a team. Find your situation below. If you’re not sure, the table below has the details.
- You book clients on your own and want it free
- Calendly, Cal.com, and TidyCal have free plans, and Setmore is free for up to 4 users. Cal.com’s free plan checks all your calendars and takes payments; Calendly’s checks one calendar.
- You sell packages, memberships, or paid classes
- TidyCal includes packages and subscriptions on every plan. Acuity has them on Standard ($34 a month). SimplyBook.me offers them as add-on features with a limit per plan.
- You want one price, paid once
- TidyCal’s Individual Lifetime deal is $29 one time. Its free and lifetime plans take a 1% fee on Stripe payments.
- You need deposits, Square, or PayPal
- Setmore and SimplyBook.me support several payment processors and deposits, as Acuity does.
- You’re a small team, priced per person, and clients book with whoever’s free
- SavvyCal Basic is $12 per user per month, or $10 billed annually, with round robin. Cal.com Teams is $16 and Calendly Teams $20.
- You want the booking itself to be easier for your clients
- SavvyCal lets clients overlay their own calendar on your times and shows your preferred times first.
How do they compare?
All seven let clients book a time on your calendar. They differ most on how they’re priced, whether clients can pay when they book, and whether they sell packages, take deposits, or send SMS reminders.
Acuity Scheduling and seven alternatives, as of October 2026
| Feature | Acuity Scheduling | SavvyCal | Calendly | Cal.com | TidyCal | YouCanBook.me | Setmore | SimplyBook.me |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No (7-day trial) | No; signing up and meeting polls are free | Yes, 1 calendar | Yes, 1 user | Yes, 1 calendar | Yes, 1 calendar | Yes, up to 4 users | Yes, 50 bookings a month, 1 provider |
| Lowest paid plan, billed monthly | Starter, $20 per account (1 staff calendar) | Basic, $12 per user | Standard, $12 per user | Teams, $16 per user | Pro, $12 per account; or $29 once (Individual Lifetime) | Individual, $9 | Pro, $12 per user | Basic, $13.90 per account (100 bookings a month, 5 providers) |
| Billed annually | $16 per month | $10 per month | $10 per month | $12 per month | $99 per year | $8.10 per month | $5 per month | $11.90 per month |
| Clients pay when they book | Every plan; Stripe, Square, PayPal | Premium ($20 per user); Stripe | Standard; Stripe or PayPal | Every plan; Stripe, PayPal, or Cal Pay | Every plan; Stripe or PayPal | Every plan; Stripe | Square on Free; Stripe and PayPal on Pro | Basic; a dozen or more processors |
| Fee on payments from the tool | Not charged, except some legacy plans | None | None | Cal Pay only; not stated for Stripe and PayPal | 1% on Free and lifetime plans; none on Pro | 1% on every plan | None | None |
| Packages or memberships | Standard and up | No | Packages on Standard | Not stated | Every plan | Packages through promo codes, Professional and up | Not stated | Add-on features, limited per plan |
| Deposits | Every plan | No | Through payment links (in beta) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Pro | Basic |
| Intake questions | Every plan | Basic | Every plan, up to 10 per event | Every plan | Every plan | Up to 7 free; unlimited on Professional | Custom fields | Add-on feature |
| SMS reminders | Standard and up | No | Paid plans | Bought as credits | Pro (US and Canada) | Bought as credits | Pro, 500 a month | Bought as an add-on |
| Several staff, booked by availability | Pooled availability; plan not stated | Round robin on Basic | Round robin on Teams | Round robin on Teams | Round robin on Pro | Round robin on Team | Not stated | Random available provider; plan not stated |
Details for each tool are from its own pricing and help pages, as of October 2026. Links are in each tool’s section below. Acuity’s details are from its pricing page and help center. Acuity, TidyCal, and SimplyBook.me price per account; the others price per user.
Is SavvyCal a good Acuity alternative?
SavvyCal suits people and small teams who book meetings with clients and want the booking to be easy for the client: they can overlay their own calendar on your times, and see your preferred times first.
What it offers for client bookings
- Checks every calendar you connect, with no limit, from Google, Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, iCloud, and Fastmail.
- Intake questions on Basic: short and long text, checkboxes, multiple choice, dropdowns, and URLs.
- Clients pay by card through Stripe on Premium, with no SavvyCal fee.
- Round robin and collective links on Basic.
Price
- Basic: $12 per user per month, or $10 billed annually.
- Premium, with payments: $20 per user per month, or $200 per user per year.
- Signing up and meeting polls are free. Scheduling links need a paid plan.
Worth knowing
- No packages, memberships, gift certificates, or deposits. Each booking takes one payment.
- No SMS reminders.
- Payments go through Stripe only, and only on Premium. Square and PayPal aren’t supported.
- No free plan for scheduling links.
Is Calendly a good Acuity alternative?
Calendly suits people who want a free plan to start, with payments and packages on Standard at $12 per user per month.
What it offers for client bookings
- Clients pay through Stripe or PayPal on Standard, with no Calendly fee.
- Packages on Standard, and deposits through payment links, which are in beta.
- Intake questions on every plan, up to 10 per event. SMS reminders on paid plans.
- Round robin on Teams.
Price
- Free: checks 1 calendar.
- Standard: $12 per user per month, or $10 billed annually.
- Teams, with round robin: $20 per user per month.
Worth knowing
- The free plan checks one calendar.
- Payment links, used for deposits, are in beta.
Is Cal.com a good Acuity alternative?
Cal.com suits people who want a free plan that takes payments and checks every calendar they connect. Its own processor, Cal Pay, takes a fee.
What it offers for client bookings
- The free plan covers one user, with unlimited calendars.
- Clients pay through Stripe, PayPal, or Cal Pay on every plan.
- Intake questions on every plan. SMS reminders are bought as credits.
- Round robin on Teams.
Price
- Free: 1 user.
- Teams: $16 per user per month, or $12 billed annually.
Worth knowing
- Cal Pay takes an application fee. Its pages don’t state a fee on Stripe or PayPal payments.
- Its pages don’t state packages or deposits.
Is TidyCal a good Acuity alternative?
TidyCal suits people who want one price for the account or a lifetime deal, with packages and subscriptions on every plan.
What it offers for client bookings
- Packages and subscriptions on every plan.
- Clients pay through Stripe or PayPal on every plan.
- Intake questions on every plan, and SMS reminders on Pro in the US and Canada.
- Round robin on Pro.
Price
- Free: checks 1 calendar.
- Pro: $12 per month for the whole account, or $99 per year.
- Individual Lifetime: $29 once.
Worth knowing
- TidyCal takes 1% of payments on its free and lifetime plans, and nothing on Pro.
- Its pages don’t state deposits.
Is YouCanBook.me a good Acuity alternative?
YouCanBook.me suits people who want a low starting price. It takes a 1% commission on every payment, on every plan.
What it offers for client bookings
- Clients pay through Stripe on every plan.
- Packages through promo codes on Professional and up.
- Up to 7 intake questions free, unlimited on Professional. SMS reminders are bought as credits.
- Round robin on Team.
Price
- Free: checks 1 calendar.
- Individual: $9 per month, or $8.10 billed annually.
Worth knowing
- The 1% commission on payments applies on every plan.
- Its pages don’t state deposits.
Is Setmore a good Acuity alternative?
Setmore suits small appointment businesses that want a free plan for up to 4 users, and Square, Stripe, or PayPal payments.
What it offers for client bookings
- Free for up to 4 users.
- Square payments on Free, and Stripe and PayPal on Pro, with no Setmore fee.
- Deposits and 500 SMS reminders a month on Pro. Custom fields for intake questions.
- One-way calendar sync on Free; two-way sync with Google or Office 365 on Pro.
Price
- Free: up to 4 users.
- Pro: $12 per user per month, or $5 billed annually.
Worth knowing
- Its pages don’t state packages, or booking several staff by availability.
Is SimplyBook.me a good Acuity alternative?
SimplyBook.me suits appointment businesses that want many add-on features and several payment processors, priced by bookings per month.
What it offers for client bookings
- Priced per account by bookings per month: Basic includes 100 bookings and 5 providers.
- Payments through a dozen or more processors, and deposits, on Basic, with no SimplyBook.me fee.
- Packages, memberships, intake forms, and calendar sync are add-on features. SMS reminders are bought as an add-on.
- Clients can book a random available provider.
Price
- Free: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider.
- Basic: $13.90 per month for the account, or $11.90 billed annually.
Worth knowing
- Many features are add-ons, and each plan limits how many you can turn on.
Questions, answered
Something we didn’t cover? Drop us a line.
What’s a simpler alternative to Acuity Scheduling?
If you book clients on your own, Calendly and Cal.com have free plans, and TidyCal has a free plan and a $29 lifetime deal. If you’re a small team, SavvyCal and Cal.com price per person with round robin. If you rely on packages or memberships, TidyCal and SimplyBook.me have them. Details as of October 2026.
Which Acuity alternatives don’t take a cut of payments?
Calendly, Setmore, SimplyBook.me, and SavvyCal don’t charge a fee of their own. TidyCal charges 1% on its free and lifetime plans, YouCanBook.me charges 1% on every plan, and Cal.com’s Cal Pay takes an application fee. Stripe or your processor charges its own fees either way.
Does SavvyCal sell packages or memberships like Acuity?
No. SavvyCal takes one payment per booking, on Premium, through Stripe. There are no packages, memberships, gift certificates, or deposits.
How payments work in SavvyCalIs Acuity priced per user?
No. Acuity prices per account by the number of staff calendars: Starter has 1, Standard up to 6, and Premium up to 36.