Acuity Scheduling vs Cal.com
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Acuity Scheduling, now a Squarespace company, is an online appointment booking and business management platform used by service-based businesses to let clients self-book appointments, pay online, and receive automated reminders. It offers a branded booking page, calendar sync, intake forms, and class scheduling for industries such as beauty, wellness, fitness, education, and business services.
Cal.com is an open-source scheduling infrastructure designed for individuals and teams. It provides a robust and customizable solution for managing schedules, appointments, and meetings. With its open-source nature, Cal.com offers flexibility and scalability, making it an ideal choice for businesses and organizations of all sizes.
- Deep calendar and payment processor integrations (Stripe, Square, PayPal, QuickBooks)
- HIPAA compliance available on higher-tier plans for healthcare businesses
- Mature product backed by Squarespace with a large existing user base
- Flexible for both solo practitioners and multi-location, multi-staff teams
- Highly customizable
- Scalable and secure
- Open-source and community-driven
- Real-time scheduling and notifications
- Custom branding removal requires the top Premium tier
- Pricing rises quickly per calendar as a business scales staff
- Interface and settings can feel dense for first-time users setting up complex scheduling rules
- Steep learning curve
- Limited user interface customization options
- Dependent on community support
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to Acuity Scheduling
View all →Scheduling, billing, and client management software for class- and appointment-based businesses.
Business management software for tutoring agencies covering scheduling, billing, and payroll.
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataCal.com is a free, open‑source scheduler ideal for teams that need deep customization and control, while Acuity Scheduling is a paid SaaS with richer built‑in payment, HIPAA, and mobile features for service‑based businesses.
Key differences
- •Cost model: Cal.com is free/open‑source; Acuity requires a subscription that rises with staff.
- •Customization vs. out‑of‑the‑box features: Cal.com offers code‑level customization; Acuity provides ready‑made payment processing and HIPAA compliance.
- •Target audience: Cal.com serves general teams/individuals; Acuity focuses on service‑based businesses and solo practitioners.
- •Support model: Cal.com relies on community/email; Acuity offers vendor‑backed support as part of its SaaS.
- •Mobile & payment integration: Acuity includes native iOS/Android apps and built‑in Stripe/Square/PayPal; Cal.com lacks native mobile apps and built‑in payment processors.
Pricing & value
Cal.com is free and open‑source, whereas Acuity requires a paid subscription that scales with staff.
Ease of use / learning curve
Acuity provides a ready‑to‑use UI; Cal.com has a steep learning curve and limited UI customization.
Features & depth
Acuity includes built‑in payment processing, HIPAA tier, mobile apps, and group classes; Cal.com lacks these out‑of‑the‑box features.
Integrations & ecosystem
Acuity lists many native integrations (Stripe, Square, PayPal, QuickBooks, Zoom, Zapier); Cal.com lists only calendar and Slack integrations.
Scalability
Cal.com’s open‑source, scalable architecture is marketed for large enterprises; Acuity is SaaS with per‑user pricing limits.
Support
Acuity is backed by Squarespace with vendor support; Cal.com offers community support and email only.
Security & privacy
Cal.com advertises encryption and access controls; Acuity only offers HIPAA compliance on a higher‑tier plan.
Choose Acuity Scheduling if…
Service‑based businesses that need built‑in payments, HIPAA compliance, and vendor support.
Choose Cal.com if…
Teams needing free, highly customizable scheduling and control over data.
Common questions
What are the ongoing costs?
Cal.com is free; Acuity requires a subscription that increases with the number of staff calendars.
Can I accept payments directly through the scheduler?
Acuity supports Stripe, Square, PayPal natively; Cal.com does not include built‑in payment processing.
Is there vendor support if I run into issues?
Acuity provides Squarespace‑backed support; Cal.com relies on community support and email only.