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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Square Appointments

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling & Booking

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Appointments 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; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Appointment types, Square Appointments covers Client management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acuity Scheduling and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Square Appointments differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingSquare Appointments
Starting price$16/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20032009

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

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

  • Appointment types
  • Calendar sync
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection
  • Squarespace
  • Zoom

Only in Square Appointments

  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS
  • Instagram

Both cover

  • Online booking
  • Payment processing
  • Google Calendar
  • QuickBooks
  • 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 Square Appointments
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Square Appointments
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Square Appointments
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

  • Online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal servicesnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot 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

Square Appointments

  • The free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • Cancellation policies, no-show fees and waitlists require the Plus plan
  • Resource management, service cost tracking and the future bookings report require the Premium plan
  • Custom processing rates are reserved for Square Pro, which is aimed at businesses processing over $250,000 a year
  • Card processing fees are charged on top of the plan fee on every tier including the free one

Pricing, plan by plan

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

Square Appointments

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Plus$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • No-show protection
  • Premium$69/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Multi-location
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need appointment types.
  • You also want calendar sync.
Acuity Scheduling review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need client management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want point of sale.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $16/month for Acuity Scheduling and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments 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 Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Square Appointments cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Appointment types, Calendar sync, Email reminders, Client self-scheduling. Square Appointments covers Client management, Point of sale, Automated reminders, Instagram booking. Both handle Online booking, Payment processing, Google Calendar, QuickBooks.
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Related pages

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