Acuity Scheduling vs Setmore Comparison 2026
Setmore gives away unlimited appointments and a booking page for nothing, then charges $5 a user a month once you need two-way calendar sync or recurring bookings. Acuity Scheduling never has a free plan at all, starting at $16 a month. What it builds in instead is what Setmore leaves out: intake forms, deposits and paid packages. The choice is really about whether money changes hands at the moment of booking.
At a glance
- Setmore starts cheaper, at $5.
- Only Setmore has a free tier.
Side by side
Acuity Scheduling | Setmore | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $16 | From $5 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 7 days | Not stated |
| API |
Acuity Scheduling
Booking pages with intake forms
Acuity handles the part of booking that Calendly leaves out: intake forms, packages, deposits and paid appointments, with the money taken before anybody shows up. Squarespace owns it now and the two share an account. There is no free plan, so it is bought by people whose calendar already earns.
Our note
No free plan at all is the clearest difference from everything else here. Setmore and Cal.com take bookings for nothing, so the $16 is worth paying only when the intake form and the payment at booking are the point.
Setmore
Free appointment booking for a small team
Setmore gives away more than most booking tools charge for: unlimited appointments, a booking page and reminders on a plan that costs nothing. Paying adds recurring bookings, two-way calendar sync and the integrations a busier calendar needs. Its own admin is plainer than the newer tools, which is either restful or dated.
Our note
Free covers unlimited appointments and a booking page, which is more than most free tiers in this category give. The $5 upgrade is mostly two-way calendar sync. The question is whether a double booking has cost you anything yet.
Why people weigh these two
- Setmore instead of Acuity Scheduling
- Setmore stays free for a small team's booking and starts paid plans at just $5, well under Acuity's $16.
- Acuity Scheduling instead of Setmore
- Acuity adds intake forms, packages and deposits, the exact gap Setmore's own description points to, starting at $16 with no free tier.
Which one should you pick
Setmore is the right start for a small service business or creator who wants to book appointments without paying anything. Free covers unlimited bookings and a hosted page, and even API access is included at $0. The $5 a month Pro plan is mostly about two-way calendar sync. Upgrade only once a double booking has actually cost you something.
Acuity Scheduling is worth its $16 a month once payment and paperwork need to happen before the appointment. Setmore has none of that. Intake forms ask the client's questions up front, deposits stop a no-show from costing an hour, and packages sell blocks of sessions with no free equivalent. Anybody who only needs a link and a calendar is paying for features Setmore already gives away.
Common questions
- Does Setmore really have no limit on free bookings?
- Correct. The free plan is unlimited appointments, a booking page and email reminders, all for $0 a user. Acuity has no free plan at all, starting at $16 a month instead.
- Which one takes payment or a deposit when somebody books?
- Acuity does, on every paid tier from $16 a month, taking money at the moment of booking so a no-show does not cost the full hour. Setmore's plans, free through $5 a user, are built around the appointment rather than collecting payment for it.
- What does Setmore's $5 upgrade actually add?
- Two-way calendar sync between Google or Outlook and Setmore, plus recurring appointments, integrations and removing Setmore's own branding. Unlimited bookings stay the same as the free plan.
- Is Acuity worth it over free Setmore for a solo coach?
- Only if intake forms or payment at booking matter. Setmore's free tier already covers unlimited appointments and a booking page. A coach who just needs a calendar link has no reason to pay Acuity's $16 a month.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.