Acuity Scheduling is appointment-booking software for coaches, therapists, tutors, studios and other small service businesses that sell their time. The catch, as of Oct 2026: you're priced by calendars, and text reminders, the waitlist and packages start on Standard, so Starter at 16 dollars a month paid annually gives you one calendar and email reminders, not texts.
Booking tools tend to look alike until you hit the plan that holds back the one feature you wanted. I read Acuity Scheduling's own pricing page, and what decides most people's plan isn't the headline price, it's the number of calendars and where text reminders begin.
Acuity Scheduling plans by calendar count
| Plan | Price (dollars a month) | Calendars | What's included | What's held back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 16 paid annually, 20 paid monthly | 1 | Payments via Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo; email reminders; custom client forms; automatic time zone conversion | No text reminders, waitlist, memberships, packages or gift certificates |
| Standard | 27 paid annually, 34 paid monthly | Up to 6 | Starter features plus text reminders (the page says check global availability), an appointment waitlist, memberships and packages, and gift certificates | A ceiling of 6 calendars |
| Premium | 55 paid annually, 69 paid monthly | Up to 36 | Text reminders and the rest; the Premium block also lists an AI Booking Assistant, a HIPAA BAA, hiding the Acuity logo, multiple time zones for staff or locations, and custom API and CSS | A ceiling of 36 calendars |
Prices are in dollars a month, taxes not included, as shown on Acuity Scheduling's pricing page as of Oct 2026. The toggle says paying annually saves 20%, which is why each plan has two figures. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
Why calendars, not people, set your Acuity Scheduling plan
Acuity Scheduling doesn't price per user. It prices per calendar, and the page says you can use separate calendars per employee or location, depending on business needs. That means a two-person practice and a solo therapist working from two rooms can both outgrow Starter straight away, because Starter has 1 calendar.
The second thing people miss is that Starter is email-only for reminders. Text reminders, the appointment waitlist, memberships and packages, and gift certificates all start on Standard, at 27 dollars a month paid annually or 34 paid monthly. If no-shows are what's costing you, Standard is the plan you're really looking at, and Starter's lower price won't help much.
The page also marks text reminders with check global availability. If your clients aren't where you'd expect SMS to work, confirm it's available for them before you move up to Standard for that one feature.
Then there's the ceiling. Standard stops at 6 calendars. A seventh member of staff or a seventh room pushes you onto Premium at 55 dollars a month paid annually, or 69 paid monthly, which goes up to 36. There's no in-between plan on the page, so if you're at five or six calendars and growing, plan for that jump.
One careful note on Premium: its block lists a HIPAA BAA. I'm not going to tell you that makes it compliant for your practice. If that matters to you, raise it with Acuity before you rely on it. This isn't legal advice.
What Acuity Scheduling does day to day
Clients book themselves from your scheduling page. The comparison table lists client self-scheduling, unlimited services and appointments, and taking payments and deposits. Payments run through Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo inside Acuity, so you're not sending people off to pay separately.
Custom client forms collect intake details and terms before the appointment, email reminders and confirmations go out automatically, and appointments adjust to each client's local time zone, which helps if you coach people in other countries. From Standard, text reminders and a waitlist for full slots kick in, along with memberships, packages and gift certificates you can sell. Every plan has a 7-day free trial, and you don't need a credit card to start it.
If you're comparing set-ups, I've written about choosing booking software for a service business and a shorter guide to booking software for solo operators.
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Who Acuity Scheduling suits and who'll outgrow it
Acuity Scheduling suits solo practitioners and small service teams, such as coaches, therapists, tutors and studios, who want a client-facing booking page with payments, intake forms and automatic time-zone handling, and who can count their staff or rooms in calendars. If you're one person in one place and email reminders are enough, Starter covers you.
I'd think twice if you want SMS reminders, a waitlist or sellable packages on the entry plan, because those begin on Standard. The same goes for a team that needs more than 6 calendars: you'll be pushed straight to Premium.
My verdict on Acuity Scheduling for small practices
I'd start a trial on Standard rather than Starter if you've ever lost money to no-shows, because text reminders and the waitlist are what fix that, and they're not on Starter. I'd stay on Starter if you're a one-calendar solo business that's happy with email reminders and intake forms. And I'd skip it if you need lots of calendars but none of the Premium extras, since the jump from 6 to 36 calendars comes with Premium's price.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I try Acuity Scheduling for free?
Yes. The pricing page offers a 7-day free trial on any plan, with no credit card needed. Paid plans start with Starter at 16 dollars a month paid annually, or 20 paid monthly.
Does Acuity Scheduling send text reminders on Starter?
No. Starter includes email reminders. Text reminders start on Standard, and the page says to check global availability.
How many calendars does each Acuity Scheduling plan include?
Starter has 1 calendar, Standard up to 6 and Premium up to 36, as of Oct 2026. The page says you can use separate calendars per employee or location.
Are Acuity Scheduling prices in dollars?
Yes. The figures are dollars a month, with taxes not included, shown as an annual price and a monthly price for each plan.
