Acuity Scheduling Pricing: Plans, Costs, and What's Actually Included

Acuity Scheduling is one of the most well-known booking tools for service businesses. Owned by Squarespace, it handles appointment scheduling, reminders, and client intake for coaches, consultants, therapists, and service providers.

But Acuity Scheduling pricing can be confusing. The plans have been renamed, features are split across tiers, and the listed price doesn't cover everything you need to run paid sessions.

This guide breaks down every Acuity plan, what each tier actually includes, and where the hidden costs show up.

Acuity Scheduling Plans and Pricing Overview

Acuity offers three paid plans. There is no free tier. All plans include a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. Paying annually saves roughly 20% compared to monthly billing.

Quick note: Acuity recently renamed its plans from Emerging, Growing, and Powerhouse to Starter, Standard, and Premium. If you see the old names referenced elsewhere, they map to the same plans at the same prices.

All plans include unlimited appointments, a customizable booking page, email confirmations, client self-scheduling, and automatic time zone detection.

Let's look at what separates each tier.

Starter Plan: $16-$20/Month

The Starter plan is built for solo practitioners. You get one calendar, which means one staff member's schedule.

What's included:

• Unlimited services and appointments
• Client self-scheduling with a shareable booking link
• Email confirmations and reminders
• Custom intake forms
• Stripe, Square, or PayPal payment integration
• Zoom, Google Meet, and GoToMeeting integration
• Automatic time zone conversion
• Mobile admin app
• Embed widget for your website

What's missing:

• No SMS/text reminders (email only)
• No packages, memberships, or subscriptions
• No gift certificates
• No group scheduling or classes
• No Acuity branding removal

The biggest gap in Starter is the lack of text reminders. Email-only reminders lead to more no-shows, which is a real cost for anyone selling coaching sessions. If reducing no-shows matters to your business, you'll need Standard.

Standard Plan: $27-$34/Month

Standard is Acuity's most popular tier. It unlocks features that most coaches and consultants actually need.

Everything in Starter, plus:

• Up to 6 staff calendars
• SMS/text message reminders
• Packages and session bundles
• Memberships and subscriptions
• Gift certificates
• Group scheduling and classes
• Basic customization and branding options

The jump from $16 to $27/month (annual) buys you three things that matter: text reminders, session packages, and group scheduling. For anyone running a coaching business, packages are essential for recurring revenue and client retention.

If you work solo but need these features, you're paying for 6 calendar slots you won't use. There's no "solo plus" option.

Premium Plan: $49-$61/Month

Premium is designed for larger teams and compliance-sensitive businesses.

Everything in Standard, plus:

• Up to 36 staff calendars
• HIPAA compliance (Business Associate Agreement included)
• Remove all Acuity branding
• Multiple time zones for staff across locations
• Custom API and CSS access
• Priority support

The Premium plan exists primarily for two use cases: HIPAA compliance and large teams. If you're a therapy practice or medical office handling protected health information, you need this tier. If you're a solo creator or small coaching practice, you almost certainly don't.

Custom API access is also locked to Premium, which means developers can't build integrations on the Starter or Standard plans.

What Acuity Scheduling Pricing Doesn't Cover

Acuity's listed prices cover scheduling. That's the core product. But most professionals who book paid sessions need more than a calendar.

Here's what you'll pay for separately.

Video conferencing. Acuity has no built-in video. It creates meeting links through Zoom, Google Meet, or GoToMeeting, but you bring your own account. Zoom Pro costs $13/month (annual). Google Meet is included with Google Workspace at $7/month. Either way, it's an additional line item.

Payment processing fees. Acuity connects to Stripe, Square, or PayPal, each with their own per-transaction fees. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. On a $100 session, that's $3.20 in fees. These aren't unique to Acuity, but they're on top of your subscription.

Session recording. There's no built-in recording. Zoom Pro includes basic cloud recording with limited storage. If you want to save sessions for client review or turn them into digital products, you'll need to manage storage separately.

AI notes and summaries. Acuity has zero AI features. Automated session summaries, action items, and follow-up notes require a separate tool like Otter.ai ($17/month) or Fireflies.ai ($18/month).

A professional landing page. Acuity gives you a functional booking page, but not a profile with your bio, services, testimonials, and branding. For that, you need a separate website.

When you stack these costs, a solo coach running paid video sessions through Acuity pays $33-$50/month in subscriptions (Acuity + Zoom) before earning anything. Add AI notes and a website, and you're north of $75/month in fixed costs.

How Acuity Compares to All-in-One Alternatives

Acuity is a scheduling tool that does scheduling well. The question is whether you want to assemble a stack of tools or use a single platform.

Here's how Acuity's approach compares to an all-in-one platform like Talkspresso.

The tradeoff is clear. Acuity charges a fixed monthly fee regardless of revenue. Talkspresso charges nothing until you earn. Acuity gives you more control over individual tools. Talkspresso gives you everything in one place.

For creators just getting started, the zero-subscription model removes the risk of paying $33+/month while building an audience. For established businesses doing consistent volume, Acuity's flat fee can be cheaper per session once revenue crosses roughly $400/month.

Who Should Use Which Acuity Plan

Not every Acuity plan fits every business. Here's a quick decision framework.

Choose Starter ($16-$20/month) if:

• You work solo with no team members
• Email reminders are sufficient (or you'll remind clients manually)
• You don't need packages, memberships, or group classes
• You want the most affordable entry point for calendar-based scheduling

Choose Standard ($27-$34/month) if:

• You need SMS reminders to reduce no-shows
• You sell session packages or memberships
• You run group classes or workshops
• You have up to 6 staff members who need individual calendars

Choose Premium ($49-$61/month) if:

• You need HIPAA compliance for healthcare
• You have a large team (7-36 staff)
• You want to remove Acuity branding entirely
• You need API access for custom integrations

Consider skipping Acuity altogether if:

• You run paid video sessions and don't want to manage Zoom separately
• You're pre-revenue and can't justify $20+/month before your first client
• You want built-in recording, AI summaries, or digital product sales
• You'd rather pay as you earn than commit to a monthly subscription

If that last group sounds like you, Talkspresso is free to set up with no trial period and no credit card.

Tips for Getting the Most Value from Acuity

If you do go with Acuity, here are a few ways to stretch your budget.

Pay annually. The 20% savings is meaningful. On the Standard plan, you save $84/year by switching from monthly to annual billing.

Start with Starter. Don't over-buy features. If you're solo and email reminders work for your clients, Starter is enough. You can upgrade to Standard later when you need packages or SMS.

Use Google Meet instead of Zoom. If you already pay for Google Workspace ($7/month), you can skip the separate Zoom subscription. Acuity integrates with both.

Skip Premium unless you need HIPAA. The Premium plan is expensive for what it adds. Unless you specifically need compliance or 7+ staff calendars, Standard covers most use cases.

The Bottom Line on Acuity Scheduling Pricing

Acuity Scheduling is a reliable, well-built booking tool. The pricing is transparent at the plan level: $16 to $49/month on annual billing, $20 to $61/month on monthly billing.

The catch is that Acuity only handles scheduling. Running paid video sessions means adding Zoom, a payment processor, and possibly AI tools on top. The real cost of the Acuity stack is higher than the sticker price suggests.

For established service businesses that already have their tools sorted, Acuity is a solid scheduling layer. For creators, coaches, and consultants who want one tool that handles video, scheduling, payments, recording, and AI, a platform like Talkspresso does all of it with no monthly subscription.

The fastest way to compare? Acuity gives you 7 days free. Talkspresso is free forever, with no trial window and no credit card required.