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Software · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Chatwoot

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Software

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Software

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chatwoot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Acuity Scheduling starter tier limited to 1 calendar only; Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Chatwoot covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acuity Scheduling and Chatwoot actually diverge.

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Chatwoot differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingChatwoot
Starting price$16/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted
Founded20032017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acuity Scheduling

  • Online booking
  • Appointment types
  • Calendar sync
  • Payment processing
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection

Only in Chatwoot

  • Live chat
  • Email inbox
  • Social channels
  • Knowledge base
  • Chatbots
  • Reports
  • Slack
  • WhatsApp

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acuity Scheduling

  • Client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversionnot Chatwoot
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Chatwoot
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Chatwoot
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Chatwoot

Chatwoot

  • Self-hosted supportnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Privacy-first chatnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Multi-channel supportnot Acuity Scheduling

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acuity Scheduling

  • Starter tier limited to 1 calendar only
  • SMS/text reminders, memberships, and gift certificates require Standard or Premium tier
  • HIPAA compliance (BAA signature) exclusive to Premium tier at $49/month
  • Custom API and CSS access, and Acuity branding removal require Premium tier

Chatwoot

  • Free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • Self-hosted option requires managing infrastructure, updates, and external messaging costs
  • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to Zendesk or Intercom
  • AI features require credit consumption and additional configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

Chatwoot

Free
  • HackerFree
    • 2 agents
    • 500 conversations per month
    • 1 live chat channel
  • Startups$19/month
    • Unlimited agents
    • Unlimited conversations

Which should you pick?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need online booking.
  • You also want appointment types.
Acuity Scheduling review

Choose Chatwoot if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want email inbox.
Chatwoot review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or Chatwoot better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Chatwoot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Chatwoot?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $16/month for Acuity Scheduling and Free for Chatwoot.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Chatwoot run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month.
What is Acuity Scheduling best used for?
Acuity Scheduling is most often used for client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion, hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners, multi-location scheduling with multiple staff members, membership, package sales, and gift certificate management. Of those, client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion and hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners are not what Chatwoot is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Chatwoot cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Payment processing. Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Chatwoot: Does Chatwoot offer a self-hosted option?

Yes. Chatwoot provides both cloud-hosted and self-hosted versions. Self-hosting is free with the open-source version, though you handle infrastructure, maintenance, and external messaging costs.

Source
Chatwoot: What communication channels does Chatwoot support?

Chatwoot supports email, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels consolidated into a single inbox.

Source
Chatwoot: Is there a free plan for Chatwoot?

Yes. Chatwoot offers a free Hacker plan supporting up to 2 agents, 500 conversations per month, and one live chat channel.

Source
Chatwoot: What AI features does Chatwoot include?

Chatwoot includes Captain AI agent for automated responses, Copilot for smart reply suggestions, and live translation features.

Source
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Related pages

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