You want a straight answer: how much does Acuity Scheduling cost?
The subscription runs $16 to $49 per month depending on your plan and billing cycle. But if you're a coach, creator, or consultant who runs paid video sessions, the subscription price is only part of the story.
Here's the full cost picture so you can budget accurately.
Acuity Scheduling Cost by Plan
Acuity Scheduling (now owned by Squarespace) offers three paid tiers. There is no free plan, just a 7-day free trial.
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing | Calendars | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20/month | $16/month | 1 | Solo practitioners |
| Standard | $34/month | $27/month | Up to 6 | Small teams |
| Premium | $61/month | $49/month | Up to 36 | Large operations, HIPAA |
All plans include unlimited appointments, client self-scheduling, email confirmations, intake forms, and payment processing through Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
The main differences between tiers: the number of staff calendars, SMS reminders (Standard and above), packages and memberships (Standard and above), group scheduling (Standard and above), and HIPAA compliance (Premium only).
If you only need basic scheduling for yourself, the Starter plan covers it. If you sell session packages or need text reminders to reduce no-shows, Standard is the minimum. Premium is for larger teams and healthcare providers.
Monthly vs. Annual Billing
Annual billing saves about 20% across all plans. Here's how the numbers compare over 12 months.
| Plan | Monthly Billing (per year) | Annual Billing (per year) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $240 | $192 | $48 |
| Standard | $408 | $324 | $84 |
| Premium | $732 | $588 | $144 |
If you're committed to Acuity for a full year, annual billing is the obvious choice. The savings get more significant as you move up in plans. But annual billing means paying upfront, which is a bigger commitment when you're still testing the platform.
The Costs That Don't Show on Acuity's Pricing Page
Acuity is a scheduling tool. That's its job, and it does that job well. But if you run paid video sessions (coaching calls, consulting, workshops), scheduling is just one piece of what you need.
Acuity does not include video calling, session recording, or AI-powered session summaries. You'll need to pay for those separately.
Video conferencing: $13-$17/month
Acuity integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and GoToMeeting, but you supply your own account. The free Zoom plan caps meetings at 40 minutes, so most professionals upgrade to Zoom Pro at $13.33/month (annual) or $16.99/month.
Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Stripe, Square, and PayPal all charge per-transaction fees. On a $100 session, Stripe takes $3.20. On a $200 session, $6.10. This adds up quickly as your volume grows.
AI meeting notes: $0-$18/month
If you want automatic session summaries and action items (instead of scribbling notes during calls), you'll need a tool like Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai at $17-$18/month.
Session recording: $0-$10/month
Zoom Pro includes some cloud recording, but storage fills fast. Extra storage or dedicated recording tools add to the bill.
What Acuity Actually Costs Per Session
Here's where the math gets real. Your cost per session depends on your plan, your add-on tools, and how many sessions you run each month.
Let's calculate using the Starter plan with Zoom Pro (the cheapest viable video setup).
| Sessions per Month | Monthly Fixed Cost | Cost per Session | Plus Stripe Fee on $100 Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $33.33 | $6.67 | $9.87 |
| 10 | $33.33 | $3.33 | $6.53 |
| 20 | $33.33 | $1.67 | $4.87 |
| 40 | $33.33 | $0.83 | $4.03 |
With the Standard plan plus Zoom Pro and AI notes ($64.33/month fixed cost):
| Sessions per Month | Monthly Fixed Cost | Cost per Session | Plus Stripe Fee on $100 Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $64.33 | $12.87 | $16.07 |
| 10 | $64.33 | $6.43 | $9.63 |
| 20 | $64.33 | $3.22 | $6.42 |
| 40 | $64.33 | $1.61 | $4.81 |
The takeaway: Acuity's cost per session drops as you book more. At low volume, the fixed monthly subscriptions eat into your margins. At high volume, it becomes quite reasonable.
This is important when you're setting your session prices. You need to factor in these platform costs so your rates actually cover your expenses.
Acuity Cost vs. All-in-One Alternatives
Acuity's subscription-based model works well at scale. But for creators and coaches who are still building their client base, paying $33-$64+ per month before earning anything can sting.
All-in-one platforms take a different approach. Talkspresso, for example, charges no monthly subscription. Instead, you pay a 10% platform fee only when you earn revenue from a session.
Here's how the costs compare at different revenue levels:
| Monthly Session Revenue | Acuity Stack Cost | Talkspresso Cost | Cheaper Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 (no bookings) | $33.33 | $0 | Talkspresso |
| $200 | $39.53 | $20 | Talkspresso |
| $500 | $49.33 | $50 | About equal |
| $1,000 | $65.33 | $100 | Acuity |
| $3,000 | $129.33 | $300 | Acuity |
Acuity stack: Starter plan + Zoom Pro + Stripe fees. Talkspresso: 10% platform fee, everything included.
The crossover point sits around $400-$500 per month in session revenue. Below that, a pay-as-you-earn model costs less. Above that, Acuity's flat subscription becomes the better deal per dollar earned.
But cost isn't the only factor. With Acuity, you're managing multiple tools (scheduling + video + payments + maybe AI notes). With an all-in-one platform, scheduling, HD video calls, automatic recording, AI session summaries, and payments all live in one place.
For a full feature-by-feature comparison, see our Acuity vs. Talkspresso breakdown.
Who Gets Good Value from Acuity (and Who Doesn't)
Acuity is a solid, reliable scheduling tool. But it's not the right fit for everyone.
Acuity is worth the cost if you:
- Run a service business (salon, studio, practice) with steady bookings
- Earn $1,000+ per month from sessions and want lower per-transaction costs
- Need HIPAA compliance for healthcare work
- Have a team with multiple calendars to manage
- Already use Squarespace for your website
Acuity may not be worth it if you:
- Are a creator, coach, or consultant who wants one tool for everything
- Are just starting your coaching business and don't want to pay before you earn
- Want built-in video, recording, and AI session summaries without extra subscriptions
- Prefer a simpler tech stack with fewer tools to manage
The honest truth: if scheduling is your only need and you have steady clients, Acuity is a great tool at a fair price. If you need the full stack for paid video sessions, the add-on costs make it harder to justify, especially when alternatives bundle everything together.
How to Reduce Your Acuity Scheduling Cost
If you've decided Acuity is the right fit, here are practical ways to spend less.
Choose annual billing. This saves $48-$144 per year depending on your plan. If you've been on Acuity for a few months and plan to stay, switch to annual at your next renewal.
Start with the Starter plan. Many coaches jump to Standard for SMS reminders, but email reminders work fine for most solo practices. You can always upgrade later.
Use Google Meet instead of Zoom. If you already have Google Workspace, Google Meet is included. That saves you the $13/month Zoom Pro subscription.
Skip AI notes at first. Manual notes aren't ideal, but they're free. Add AI tools once your session volume justifies the expense.
Watch your payment processor fees. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If you're running many small transactions, those flat 30-cent fees add up. Consider pricing your sessions to minimize the number of separate charges (sell packages instead of individual sessions).
The Bottom Line on Acuity Scheduling Cost
Acuity Scheduling costs $16 to $49 per month with annual billing, or $20 to $61 billed monthly. There is no free plan.
For scheduling alone, it's competitively priced. For creators and coaches running paid video sessions, plan on spending $33 to $107+ per month once you add video, payment processing, and optional AI tools.
If you want to start running paid sessions without monthly subscriptions, Talkspresso gives you scheduling, HD video, automatic recording, and AI summaries in one platform. You pay nothing until you earn.