7 Tried and Tested Acuity Scheduling Alternatives for 2025

Acuity Scheduling is one of the most trusted tools for managing appointments online. It helps thousands of professionals automate bookings, send reminders, and stay organized. Still, no single platform fits every workflow. Some users find Acuity’s calendar syncing unreliable, while others want deeper integrations or more flexible pricing options.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Acuity Scheduling, this guide is for you. We’ve tested seven leading options to help you find a solution that better fits your needs. For each tool, we’ll cover:

• Features
• Pros and cons
• Pricing
• How it compares against Acuity

Let’s jump in!

Acuity Scheduling is an online appointment scheduling platform designed to help businesses manage bookings, payments, and client communication effortlessly. It allows users to customize availability, host virtual sessions, and automate appointment reminders and confirmations.

1. Calendar issues

One of the most common reasons given by users is that they find calendar issues frustrating, particularly disappearing appointments and difficulties in syncing multiple calendars.

For example, one user stated:

It is not easy to add another calendar when hosting special events.”

Elsewhere, a different user acknowledged having similar issues with calendar syncing:

Another problem we encountered was being unable to merge accounts for different businesses under one Acuity Calendar. Syncing different calendars is a big deal, or even having multiple users under one Acuity profile.“

2. Cost 

Users also complain about Acuity Scheduling's high cost, which makes it rather pricey for infrequent or casual use. Unlike other scheduling tools, Acuity doesn’t offer a free option. It’s also more expensive across all of its pricing tiers.

In fact, one user mentioned that they were testing another scheduling app and considering switching due to the cost:

Pricing is on the higher end scale of what I would want to purchase for a scheduling app where I am also currently testing another scheduling app to possibly change over.”

3. Scheduling issues and flexibility

Another issue is that users find the meeting invitation limitations restrictive, which reduces scheduling flexibility and participant communication during appointments. Users also face scheduling issues, crashes, and confusion as a result of client record merges, which disrupt their workflow.

For one Digital Business Consultant, this resulted in chaos:

If a client makes a booking with the same name as an existing client, Acuity will treat them as one client and merge their records. For a busy business, this situation is inevitable and will cause chaos when your older client receives emails relating to the new client.”

Every scheduling app brings something different to the table; some focus on customization, others on automation or team collaboration. To make fair comparisons, we looked at four key areas that matter most when choosing the right booking software for your business.

• Ease of use: How quickly can you and your team get started? A great scheduling tool should feel intuitive from day one and save you time, not add more work.
• Integrations: The best tools fit seamlessly into your workflow. We looked at how well each platform connects with popular calendars, CRMs, payment processors, and communication tools.
• Value for money: It’s not just about price, it’s about what you get for it. We considered whether each tool’s features and limits make sense for freelancers, small teams, and growing businesses.
• Customization: Your booking page should feel like an extension of your brand. We assessed how much flexibility each tool offers, from colors and logos to forms, footers, and embedded widgets.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each tool.

If you love the idea of automated scheduling but want something more intuitive, flexible, and affordable than Acuity Scheduling, YouCanBookMe (YCBM) should be at the top of your list.

YouCanBookMe combines the ease of a plug-and-play booking tool with the power of advanced customization. It lets you design fully branded booking pages that match your website, logo, and colors, so your client experience stays seamless from start to finish. You can also define appointment types, accept payments for your meetings, and effortlessly automate confirmations, reminders, and follow-up emails and SMS notifications.

YCBM also plays nicely with your existing tools. It integrates with Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Fastmail calendars, as well as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and 6,000+ apps via Zapier. You can even set smart rules, like buffers between meetings, minimum notice periods, or booking requests that require approval, to keep your schedule balanced and avoid overbooking.

Key features

• Fully-branded booking pages with your logo, colors, custom background, and personalized confirmation screens
• Appointment types for different services, durations, or team members
• Payment collection via Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and major credit cards. You can also offer promo codes with redemption limits, minimum order values, and expiration dates
• Analytics dashboard tracking total bookings, cancellations, reschedules, and no-shows
• Meeting polls for group scheduling
• Chrome extension that makes accessing bookings fast and easy

YouCanBookMe vs. Acuity Scheduling

Both YouCanBookMe and Acuity Scheduling cater to service-based businesses, but they focus on different strengths.

Acuity shines in client management, offering memberships, gift certificates, and recurring payments, while YouCanBookMe focuses on automation and personalization. YCBM offers stronger integrations, greater control over the booking experience, and more advanced customization for branding and communication.

If you need robust automation and a polished customer journey, YouCanBookMe edges out as the more flexible, all-around solution.

YouCanBookMe pricing

While both tools offer strong scheduling features, YouCanBookMe delivers greater value across all pricing tiers. Acuity doesn’t offer a free plan, whereas YCBM’s free plan includes robust features. You can also save significantly with YouCanBookMe by choosing a 2-year subscription, something Acuity Scheduling does not currently offer.

Use YouCanBookMe if:

• You’re a small business or solopreneur who wants a booking page that reflects your brand.
• You want to personalize every part of the customer journey—from booking to follow-up.
• You need a dependable scheduling tool that works seamlessly with your existing tech stack.

Bookeo is a versatile scheduling tool designed for service providers, schools, and event-based businesses. It helps users manage everything from one-on-one appointments to group classes, workshops, and tours—all within one platform.

Bookeo’s standout strength is flexibility. You can manage staff calendars, customize availability, send automated meeting reminders, and even handle client forms or promotional codes directly through the system.

Key features

• Customizable booking pages for services, classes, and group events
• Two-way calendar synchronization with Google and Outlook
• Online payments and discount code support
• Staff scheduling and resource management
• Integration with major CRM, marketing, and website platforms

Bookeo vs. Acuity Scheduling

Both Bookeo and Acuity Scheduling are built for service-based businesses, but with a slightly different target user. Acuity leans toward solo professionals and health or wellness providers, while Bookeo is better suited for classes, group events, and multi-staff businesses.

Acuity also offers more client management tools like memberships and recurring billing, whereas Bookeo shines when handling multiple calendars. If your business involves managing numerous team members or class-based bookings, Bookeo provides a more structured and scalable option.

Bookeo pricing

If you want to try Bookeo’s features, you can do so with its 30-day free trial. Paid appointment plans start at $14.95 per month for solo users, with additional tiers at $29.95, $39.95, and $79.95 per month.

Each plan increases the number of consultants, staff logins, and monthly bookings available, making it a flexible option for individuals, small teams, and larger organizations alike.

Use Bookeo if:

• You run classes, workshops, or group sessions that need structured scheduling.
• You manage multiple staff, resources, or locations and want a centralized system.
• You want a scheduling tool that integrates easily with your website and marketing tools.

For people who love flexibility, Cal.com is the go-to scheduling tool. It’s open-source, privacy-first, and fully customizable, perfect if you want your booking flow to look and feel exactly like your brand.

You can tweak everything: from your booking link and page design to advanced workflows and meeting rules. Developers love Cal.com for its open API and self-hosting options, but even non-technical users get a clean, minimalist interface that’s easy to use. 

Key features

• Built-in Cal Video conferencing
• Automated email and SMS reminders
• Advanced privacy and data control for enterprise users
• Cal.ai lifelike phone agents to book meetings, send reminders, and follow up through natural phone calls

Cal.com vs. Acuity Scheduling

While Acuity Scheduling focuses on service-based businesses with built-in client management and billing tools, Cal.com targets tech-forward teams that want to build or customize their own scheduling infrastructure.

Acuity offers more out-of-the-box features for client payments and recurring appointments, while Cal.com offers greater flexibility through open APIs, self-hosting, and deep integrations. In other words, if you want complete control over your scheduling experience from design to data privacy, Cal.com is the better option.

Cal.com pricing

You can try Cal.com’s Team plan for free, which makes it easy to test how it fits into your scheduling workflow before you commit. Cal.com also offers a solid free plan for individuals, with unlimited calendars and event types.

If you’re collaborating with others, paid plans start at $15 per user per month, and the Organizations tier comes in at $37 per user per month with more control and admin features.

Use Cal.com if:

• You want full control over your booking experience and data.
• You’re a developer or team that values open-source flexibility.
• You need a sleek, modern tool that scales with your business.

If you’re after a booking tool that gives you solid features without heavy costs, Setmore is a great middle ground. Its free plan covers up to four users and includes branded booking pages, online payments, integrations with Zoom and Google Meet, and automated email reminders, enough to run a small business smoothly.

It’s simple to scale, making it a good fit for growing teams that want flexibility without being locked into complex pricing—especially compared to other Setmore competitors.

With 24/7 human support, desktop and mobile apps, and integrations across popular tools like Stripe, Square, and PayPal, Setmore delivers strong value whether you stick with the free plan or go Pro.

Key features

• Automated email and SMS reminders
• Team collaboration features with role-based access
• Create recurring appointments for VIP priority spots
• iOS, Android, and desktop apps to manage your schedule no matter where your work takes you