Acuity Scheduling: Complete Guide for SMEs

Acuity Scheduling is a customizable platform for appointment management. Designed for service businesses needing a branded booking experience, intake forms and payment options, for both individual appointments and group classes or workshops, with support for video conferencing and different sectors.

Since 2019 it’s part of Squarespace, allowing integration with its web ecosystem and, if logging in with a Squarespace account, using its artificial intelligence to generate and optimize texts, business names and marketing content.

For SMEs, efficient calendar management makes the difference between smooth operations and an excess of emails to coordinate appointments. With Acuity, clients can book directly, receive automatic reminders and keep calendars synchronized across multiple platforms.

Acuity Scheduling: AgentAya Verdict

Acuity Scheduling is ideal for service businesses like coaches, therapists, consultants or SMEs depending on appointments. Its greatest strength is in flexibility and customization: booking pages with brand identity, intake forms, integrated payments and multiple calendar management.

For international SMEs, multilingual availability is a plus, as interface and client communications can be configured locally. However, it may be complex for users seeking quick configuration or who don’t have time/experience with custom flows.

Recommendation: It’s one of the best calendar tools to reduce administrative load and offer a professional and personalized booking experience.

Score Breakdown

Category	Estimated Score	Detail Based on Documentation and User Reviews
Features & Functionality	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.0)	Offers comprehensive booking and payment management with reminders, forms, classes, availability control and business features
Integrations	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5)	Integrates with calendars, video calls, payment platforms, marketing platforms and CRMs through connectors like Zapier
Language & Support	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.0)	Interface and booking pages are multilingual and support is provided by email and chat
Ease of Use	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.0)	Reviews highlight its ease of use and configuration, though advanced features require some practice
Value for Money	⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.0)	Plans start at USD 20 monthly and users consider cost reasonable, though somewhat high for small businesses

AgentAya Overall Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 / 5

Reliable for expanding small and medium enterprises. However, some integrations and automations may require additional technical knowledge. Excellent option for Squarespace users.

Main Features of Acuity Scheduling

• Branded custom booking pages
• Multi-user calendar management
• Automatic reminders by email and SMS

Acuity is flexible software for appointment booking and management. Designed for businesses of any size or sector, from solo entrepreneurs to large companies with multiple locations. Offers tools to automate all operations related to appointment scheduling, custom forms, package and membership options, as well as gift cards; additionally, has online and in-person payment options with Stripe, Square and PayPal. Allows offering bookings for individual appointments, group classes, workshops, virtual sessions through Zoom, Google Meet or GoToMeeting, as well as in-person services at different geographic locations.

Acuity allows customizing the booking page appearance (logo, texts, colors and form fields), setting schedules and rules by service type, configuring start intervals and buffers, limiting spots per class or resource, among others.

AI Functions

Although Acuity has multiple automations for calendar management and no-show reduction, it doesn’t have native artificial intelligence. However, its large quantity of integrations with external tools expands its capabilities. For example, Squarespace integration allows using its artificial intelligence to generate text drafts and SEO-optimized descriptions within the booking site. Through Zapier it’s possible to connect Acuity with “AI by Zapier,” which adds AI models to automated workflows.

Integrations

Offers a wide variety of integrations designed to optimize your appointment management and customer relationships. Some with their own panel like payment processors: Stripe, Square and PayPal, allowing accepting payments online or in person, plus automatic synchronization with popular calendars like Google Calendar and iCloud. Also has integrations for video conferencing through Zoom and Google Meet, as well as for accounting with QuickBooks and FreshBooks, facilitating more efficient financial management.

Additionally, Acuity connects with email marketing tools like MailChimp and Constant Contact, CRM systems to better manage customer relationships, and automation platforms like Zapier and Zoho Flow allowing creation of custom workflows. To improve customer interaction, offers integrations with referral programs and review collection. Also includes options to measure web traffic and conversions through Google Analytics, and allows clients to make bookings directly from social networks like Instagram and Facebook. Worth noting these integrations are managed by external developers, so any technical queries should be directed to them directly.

Security and Data Compliance

Acuity Scheduling offers enterprise-level security, customer privacy and uptime. Teams can access with configurable login permissions and capabilities, allowing secure internal access control. The system integrates with Okta and MedPlum through OAuth 2.0 and SAML, industry-standard protocols for provisioning and single sign-on. Additionally, the platform complies with HIPAA provisions, guaranteeing sensitive medical information remains private and protected throughout the entire booking process. Squarespace also ensures GDPR compliance and other international data regulations, with clear privacy, storage and cookie management policies. Infrastructure has 99.9% uptime, ensuring calendar and booking pages are available at all times for clients and administrators.

Language – Customer Support and Interface

Account administration controls can appear in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Italian. Most of the website is translated into multiple languages and both Acuity Scheduling’s help center and Squarespace’s have documentation in English and other languages.

AI Language – The Tool Itself

The platform allows configuring the booking page for clients in multiple languages including Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, English, French, among others.

Mobile Access

Acuity Scheduling offers a dedicated mobile application for iOS and Android devices, complementing a mobile-optimized web interface. All plans include access to this app, even during free trial period. Through the application, users can manage their calendar in real-time, easily reschedule appointments through drag-and-drop, adjust their availability and receive push notifications about bookings, cancellations or last-minute changes. It’s also possible to accept in-person payments (including tap-to-pay and card readers), send secure payment links, issue invoices, apply cancellation policies with automatic charges and allow tips. Although mobile version is robust and functional, certain advanced options may be better represented in desktop version.

Support, Onboarding Process and Account Management

Guided initial configuration process with detailed documentation, tutorials and FAQs. For Enterprise-level accounts offers dedicated account management and support. Help center and detailed documentation. Live chat only in English and email support in language of choice.

Ease of Use / UX

Clean and professional interface. Due to its wide range of available customizations, it may have a steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives like Calendly. Once configured, the tool runs stably and automatically.

Pricing and Plans

Acuity offers a free trial and has four plans designed to adapt to different sizes and business needs. On its official page it’s possible to consult each plan’s specifications. One of the most notable aspects is the transparency with which they communicate their conditions: there are no hidden charges or costs applied for setup, cancellation or customer service. Additionally, it’s clearly stated that published prices don’t include taxes that may apply according to user’s country. As they state from the platform: “We don’t like surprises either,” reflecting their commitment to an experience without unexpected costs. Service cancellation is also simple and without complications; if at some point you decide to stop using the tool, charging stops automatically and without penalties.

Case Study

A therapist migrated from managing appointments via WhatsApp to Acuity Scheduling. Now clients book from a personalized page in their language, receive automatic reminders and pay in advance. Result: 30% reduction in no-shows in three months and several hours of weekly management freed up.

Acuity vs Alternatives

Compared with SimplyBookMe, Acuity stands out for its integrations ecosystem, offering HIPAA compliance and its brand customization capacity. SimplyBookMe, on the other hand, is more attractive for specific niches requiring a high level of customization in customer experience, like certain leisure or education sectors.

Versus YouCanBookMe, Acuity offers a more complete proposition for service businesses requiring payments, automated reminders, invoicing and greater security control. YouCanBookMe is lighter and suitable for small teams only seeking basic calendar coordination without needing monetization or advanced management features.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Acuity compare with Calendly regarding bookings?

Acuity offers a wider range of features for businesses depending on bookings as main revenue source, including integrated payments, invoicing, HIPAA compliance and booking pages with custom branding. Calendly is simpler and faster to configure, suitable for internal meeting coordination and basic schedule management.

How many bookings are included and can I buy additional bookings?

Although memberships vary in the number of functionalities they include, all Acuity plans include unlimited bookings, so it’s not necessary to acquire credits or pay for additional slots.

What payment methods and point-of-sale options are supported?

Acuity integrates with Stripe, Square and PayPal. Allows charging full or partial payments at booking time, accepting deposits, managing tips and processing in-person transactions with POS tools, including tap-to-pay and mobile payment links. Also supports quick payment options like Google Pay and Apple Pay.

Can I customize the booking site with my own brand and use a custom domain?

Yes. The booking page can be configured with company’s brand identity, embedded on an existing website or linked to a custom domain. Thanks to Squarespace integration, it’s possible to generate and optimize texts with Squarespace AI to reinforce branding and SEO visibility of booking site.