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Scheduling · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs GlossGenius

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling

Scheduling made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GlossGenius logo

GlossGenius

Scheduling

Beautiful booking for beauty pros

From
$28/month
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; GlossGenius card payments are charged at a flat 2.6 percent, and instant payouts cost a further 1.8 percent
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, GlossGenius covers Custom booking pages.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and GlossGenius differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingGlossGenius
Starting priceFree$28/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20032016

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).

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
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection
  • Squarespace

Only in GlossGenius

  • Custom booking pages
  • Client management
  • Automated reminders
  • Marketing tools
  • Website builder
  • Reports & insights
  • Gift cards
  • Instagram

Both cover

  • Payment processing
  • Google Calendar
  • Stripe
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption

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

GlossGenius

  • Appointment booking and calendar management for salonsnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Card payments and tipping at the chairnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Client records, forms and waiversnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Memberships and prepaid packagesnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Medspa charting and photo markup on the clinical plansnot 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

GlossGenius

  • Card payments are charged at a flat 2.6 percent, and instant payouts cost a further 1.8 percent
  • Forms and waivers, waitlists and Google booking need the Gold plan at $56 a month
  • Team analytics, custom commissions and unlimited team members require Platinum at $168 a month
  • The medspa plans start where the beauty Platinum plan does, at $168 a month, rising to $298 for the full clinical suite
  • Payroll is a separate add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per staff member

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

GlossGenius

$28/month
  • Standard$28/month
    • Custom booking website
    • Unlimited client notifications
    • Email and text marketing
  • Gold$56/month
    • All Standard features
    • Supports up to 9 staff members
    • Forms and waivers
  • Platinum$168/month
    • All Gold features
    • Supports teams of 10 or more
    • Team goal setting
  • Practice Essentials$168/month
    • EMR compliance tools for aesthetics practices
    • Most popular for medspa and aesthetics tier

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 GlossGenius if

  • You need custom booking pages.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
GlossGenius review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or GlossGenius better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at Free and GlossGenius at $28/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or GlossGenius?
Acuity Scheduling has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Acuity Scheduling and $28/month for GlossGenius.
Does Acuity Scheduling or GlossGenius run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. GlossGenius runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Acuity Scheduling for free?
Yes. Acuity Scheduling has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GlossGenius starts at $28/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 GlossGenius is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that GlossGenius cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Email reminders. GlossGenius covers Custom booking pages, Client management, Automated reminders, Marketing tools. Both handle Payment processing, Google Calendar, Stripe, PCI DSS.

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
GlossGenius: How much does GlossGenius cost?

GlossGenius Standard plan is $28 per month, Gold is $56 per month, and Platinum is $168 per month for beauty and wellness businesses. For medspa and aesthetics, Practice Essentials is $168 per month and Practice Advanced is $298 per month.

Source
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
GlossGenius: What are the annual billing savings?

Switching from monthly to annual billing saves 12-14% on your subscription cost. For example, Gold drops from $56 per month to $48 per month when billed annually.

Source
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
GlossGenius: Is there a free trial for GlossGenius?

GlossGenius offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
GlossGenius: What are GlossGenius payment processing fees?

GlossGenius charges a flat 2.6% payment processing rate. Free same-day payouts are available Monday through Thursday, and instant payouts can be requested at a 1.8% fee.

Source
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