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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Vagaro

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling & Booking

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vagaro logo

Vagaro

Scheduling & Booking

All-in-one salon, spa & fitness software

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Acuity Scheduling starter tier limited to 1 calendar only; Vagaro the $23.99 per month entry price covers one location and one bookable calendar, so every extra staff calendar adds cost
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Vagaro covers Online appointment booking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Vagaro differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingVagaro
Starting price$16/month$25/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20032009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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

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

Only in Vagaro

  • Online appointment booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Payroll management
  • Mobile app
  • Reporting & analytics

Both cover

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

Vagaro

  • Appointment booking and calendar management for salons, spas and fitness studiosnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Selling services and retail products with integrated card paymentsnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Marketing to clients by email and text and offering a branded booking appnot 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

Vagaro

  • The $23.99 per month entry price covers one location and one bookable calendar, so every extra staff calendar adds cost
  • The free trial excludes email marketing, text marketing and the branded app
  • Text and email marketing pricing is not published on the pricing page and requires contacting sales
  • Card processing is sold separately through Vagaro Merchant Services, with the free card reader tied to signing up for it

Pricing, plan by plan

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

Vagaro

$25/month
  • Single User$25/month
    • Online booking
    • Client management
    • Calendar management
  • 2-3 Users$45/month
    • Everything in Single User
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • Staff permissions
  • 4-6 Users$75/month
    • Everything in 2-3 Users
    • Inventory management
    • Payroll reports
  • 7+ Users$85/month
    • Everything in 4-6 Users
    • Enterprise features
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

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

Choose Vagaro if

  • You need online appointment booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want client management.
Vagaro review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or Vagaro better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Vagaro at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Vagaro?
Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Vagaro at $25/month.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Vagaro run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. Vagaro runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
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 Vagaro is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Vagaro cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Payment processing. Vagaro covers Online appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Inventory tracking. Both handle Google Calendar, Stripe, PCI DSS, SSL encryption.
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