Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Default

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling

Scheduling made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Default logo

Default

Sales Enablement

Inbound lead routing, enrichment and scheduling in one workflow layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Acuity Scheduling 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; Default pricing is not published and the reported structure is a monthly platform fee before any seats, so a small team pays a meaningful minimum regardless of volume and the tool only makes economic sense at some scale.
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Default covers Inbound routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Default differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingDefault
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
CategorySchedulingSales Enablement
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Default

  • Inbound routing
  • Native scheduling
  • Waterfall enrichment
  • Lead scoring
  • CRM hygiene
  • Outbound signals
  • MCP endpoint

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 Default
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Default
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Default
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Default

Default

  • A B2B software company losing inbound leads between form submission and a booked meeting because routing and scheduling are separate toolsnot Acuity Scheduling
  • A revenue operations team consolidating a scheduler, a routing tool, an enrichment vendor and an automation layer into one contractnot Acuity Scheduling
  • A sales organisation with complex territory rules that needs routing decisions to be auditable when a representative disputes an assignmentnot Acuity Scheduling
  • A team that wants enrichment and ideal customer profile scoring applied before a lead reaches a representative, rather than cleaned up afterwardsnot 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

Default

  • Pricing is not published and the reported structure is a monthly platform fee before any seats, so a small team pays a meaningful minimum regardless of volume and the tool only makes economic sense at some scale.
  • Seats are split into user seats and routing seats at different prices, which makes headcount planning awkward and means an organisation can be surprised by which roles turn out to need the expensive kind.
  • Enrichment is credit metered, so cost rises with inbound volume exactly when the business is doing well, and a spike in form fills is also a spike in the bill.
  • Consolidating routing, enrichment, scoring and scheduling into one vendor puts a single point of failure between a demo request and a sales representative, which is the highest value path in the business.
  • The vendor offers budget to buy out incumbent contracts, which is effective marketing but tells you switching costs in this category are high in both directions, including out of Default later.

Pricing, plan by plan

Acuity Scheduling

Free
  • Starter$20/month
    • 1 calendar
    • Payment processing (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo)
    • Email reminders
  • Standard$34/month
    • Up to 6 calendars
    • Starter features
    • Text message reminders
  • Premium$61/month
    • Up to 36 calendars
    • Standard features
    • HIPAA BAA compliance

Default

On request
  • Default$undefined/month
    • Nothing published, quoted through a demo
    • Third party accounts describe a monthly platform fee before any seats are added
    • Separate user seats and routing seats rather than one seat type

Which should you pick?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want appointment types.
Acuity Scheduling review

Choose Default if

  • You need inbound routing.
  • You also want native scheduling.
Default review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or Default better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at Free and Default at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Default?
Acuity Scheduling has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Acuity Scheduling and On request for Default.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Default run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Acuity Scheduling for free?
Yes. Acuity Scheduling has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Default starts at On request.
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 Default is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Default cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Payment processing. Default covers Inbound routing, Native scheduling, Waterfall enrichment, Lead scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Acuity Scheduling: How much does Acuity Scheduling cost?

Starter is $20/month (monthly) or $16/month (annual, 20% savings). Standard is $34/month (monthly) or $27/month (annual). Premium is $61/month (monthly) or $49/month (annual). All include a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. Annual billing is prorated based on signup date.

Source
Default: What does Default replace?

Typically a scheduler, a lead routing tool, an enrichment provider and part of a workflow automation layer.

Acuity Scheduling: How many calendars and staff can I manage per Acuity tier?

Starter supports 1 calendar. Standard supports up to 6 calendars. Premium supports up to 36 calendars. Text message reminders require Standard or higher. Multiple staff/location timezones are only available on Premium.

Source
Default: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted, and reported structures involve a monthly platform fee plus separate user and routing seats plus metered enrichment credits.

Acuity Scheduling: Does Acuity Scheduling offer HIPAA compliance?

HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) compliance is only available on the Premium plan ($49-61/month). Premium also includes the ability to hide Acuity branding.

Source
Default: Does it replace the CRM?

No. It sits in front of the CRM, routing and enriching records and keeping them clean, and it writes to Salesforce or HubSpot.

Default: Is it worth it for a small team?

Rarely. The platform fee before seats means the economics work when you are retiring several existing subscriptions.

Share

Related pages

More on Acuity Scheduling

More on Default

Keep looking

Other head to heads