Calendly vs. Acuity: Which is the best scheduling app?
As more businesses move online, it’s becoming increasingly important to have an efficient online appointment scheduling tool. There is a plethora of scheduling software available, two of the most prominent of which being Calendly and Acuity.
The two platforms stand apart from the others because of their quality and intuitive user experiences, allowing users to reliably automate the scheduling process, sync with external calendars, and process credit card payments.
Calendly and Acuity may be in the same category, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same; each online scheduling tool has its own strengths and weaknesses.
If you’re looking to choose a reliable automated scheduling tool, doing so without information on both platforms may lead you to making a bad choice.
To make sure you’re properly informed, I’ll walk you through the main differences between Calendly and Acuity, including their target audience and appointment scheduling features so you can find the appointment scheduling tool that is right for you.
What is Calendly?
Calendly is an incredibly popular, but fairly traditional appointment management tool that gives businesses and clients a blissful online booking experience using automation.
It’s main claim to fame is its simplicity; quite literally anyone can use the platform to schedule meetings effectively with its intuitive user interface and minimal learning curve.
On top of that simplicity, Calendly allows users to create automated workflows with custom notifications and automatic reminders so meeting scheduling can stay as clear as possible while avoiding scheduling conflicts.
Additionally, it offers integrations with popular external calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple, making it easy for users to manage their schedules in one place.
Calendly offers five plans: a free plan, an Essentials plan, a Professional plan, a Teams plan, and an enterprise plan; the Teams plan is where Calendly starts to offer team schedule management capabilities. Each plan offers various features, of course, with the free plan being the most limited.
What is Acuity?
Acuity Scheduling is another of the most popular scheduling software options. It offers similar features to Calendly, such as real-time schedule viewing and scheduling automation. Additionally, Acuity also integrates with popular calendar apps and scheduling options for various types of appointments.
Acuity Scheduling offers three plans: an Emerging plan, a Growing plan, and a Powerhouse plan. Each plan offers different features, again with the free plan being the most limited.
Calendly vs. Acuity at a glance
Below is a comparison table that outlines the main differences between Calendly and Acuity Scheduling. I’ve written a more detailed comparison between the two below if you want to skip the table, but here is an at-a-glance comparison:
| Calendly | Acuity | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Incredibly simple and user friendly | Intuitive, but with more complex features |
| Scheduling Features | Calendar with automated scheduling, payment processing | More appointment scheduling tools, plus advanced payment processing & features |
| Integrations | Zoom, Slack, Salesforce, + 98 more | Zoom, Aweber, Salesforce, + 34 more |
| Customer Support | Help center access w/ free plan, 24/7 email & chat support available w/ any paid plan | Award-winning customer service included with any paid plan |
| Pricing | Free version available; paid plans start at $8/seat/mo | 7-day free trial available; paid plans start at $20/mo for 1 seat |
Calendly is better for internal scheduling
If you’re looking for an app with a non-existent learning curve and no extra fluff, then Calendly is definitely the better choice for you.
As mentioned, Calendly’s user interface is extremely simple. On your home page you can see your scheduled meetings and event types, and you can navigate through tabs to see your upcoming schedule, automated workflows, and routing forms.
On the topic of routing forms, Calendly enables users to create bespoke forms with powerful routing logic to direct customers to an event type, custom message, or custom URL.
These forms are incredibly easy to set up, and are a great way to pre-qualify leads or let your leads schedule the amount of time they need with you.
Additionally, Calendly offers more points of access into the app as well, like browser extensions and iPhone/Android apps.
On G2, Calendly users rate the app at 4.7/5 stars, with almost no one or two-star ratings.
Overall, Calendly is a better solution for people looking to schedule internal meetings, for example with your team or subordinates as opposed to external meetings like client appointments.
Acuity is better for external scheduling
As I mentioned in the Calendly overview, Calendly is more designed for internal scheduling like team meetings. Acuity can do that as well, but Acuity really shines in its ability to manage clients and client appointments over internal meetings.
For example, Acuity has a “Clients” tab that makes it easy to keep track of client information, and gives you an at-a-glance list of all the appointments your clients have booked with you. Calendly can do this as well, but only with the help of an integrated CRM like Salesforce.
Additionally, with Acuity’s higher-priced tiers, you can create invoices and accept payments for services rendered, all in one app. Again, Calendly can do this as well using integrations like Stripe and PayPal, but Acuity can do it all on its platform.
Lastly, as Acuity is a part of Squarespace, if you have a Squarespace website, connecting your booking software to it is as easy as can be.
Overall, Acuity is built for small and growing service businesses that want to minimize the amount of applications they use for their business.
Conclusion: Calendly vs. Acuity?
When comparing Calendly vs. Acuity Scheduling, it’s clear that both options offer similar features and pricing options. However, there are some key differences in team scheduling, customization options, and user experience.
Calendly has the advantage of a mobile app and integrations with more calendar apps, while Acuity Scheduling has the advantage of website integration and more advanced customization options on its Growing and Powerhouse plans.
Both options offer easy-to-use interfaces and scheduling features that can save businesses time and improve their scheduling processes.
Ultimately, the choice between Calendly and Acuity Scheduling will depend on the specific needs of a business.
If you’re a solopreneur business looking primarily for a simple, easy to use internal scheduling app, then Calendly is definitely the best choice for you.
If you’re a service business looking for an app to help you book appointments with clients and customers, then Acuity is the better option.
