Acuity Scheduling vs TidyCal (March 2026)
| AAcuity Scheduling | TCTidyCal | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16/mo | Free |
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Free Tier | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Best For | Service businesses, Consultants | Freelancers needing affordable paid bookings, Small agencies with team round-robin scheduling |
Acuity Scheduling edges ahead with a 4.5/5 rating versus TidyCal's 4.2/5, offering stronger value for most teams.
Quick Overview
Acuity Scheduling
Online appointment scheduling for businesses with payment processing and client management.
- Best for: Service businesses, Consultants
- Starting price: $16/mo
- Category: Scheduling Software
- Founded: 2006
- Pricing model: subscription
TidyCal
TidyCal offers a straightforward scheduling platform with unlimited bookings, calendar syncing, and payment acceptance v...
- Best for: Freelancers needing affordable paid bookings, Small agencies with team round-robin scheduling
- Starting price: Free
- Category: Scheduling Software
- Founded: N/A
- Pricing model: one-time
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Acuity Scheduling | TidyCal |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar Sync | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Types | ✓ | ✗ |
| Group Scheduling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Round Robin | ✗ | ✗ |
| Website Embed | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile App | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Unlimited booking types | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom availability schedules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embed booking pages | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payment processing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-language support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Date polls with voting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recurring bookings | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom email reminders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Group bookings | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-create meeting URLs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Round-robin scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| SMS reminders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team collective meetings | ✗ | ✓ |
Pricing Comparison
Prices last verified: March 16, 2026
Acuity Scheduling
TidyCal
Pros & Cons
Acuity Scheduling
- Payment integration
- Highly customizable
- Great for services
- Client management
- Interface dated
- Learning curve
- Limited team features
- Now owned by Squarespace
TidyCal
- Lifetime pricing eliminates recurring fees
- Unlimited bookings and types across all plans
- Simple, intuitive interface for quick setup
- Cost-effective for freelancers and small teams
- Free plan limited to 1 calendar connection
- Advanced team features only in Agency plan
- SMS reminders restricted to US/Canada
- Limited enterprise features in lower plans
Which Is Best for You?
Choose Acuity Scheduling if:
- Service businesses
- Consultants
- Coaches
- Health practitioners
- Higher user rating matters to you (4.5 vs 4.2)
Choose TidyCal if:
- Freelancers needing affordable paid bookings
- Small agencies with team round-robin scheduling
- Group events and classes via group bookings
- International users with multi-language pages
- You want to start with a free plan
- Budget is a priority (Free vs $16)
Our Verdict
Choose Acuity Scheduling if you're running an established service business that needs sophisticated client management, complex payment processing, detailed customization, and extensive integrations. Despite its higher ongoing costs and steeper learning curve, it's worth the investment for businesses that require its advanced features and can justify the monthly expense through increased revenue and efficiency.
Choose TidyCal if you're a freelancer, small agency, or simple service provider who values cost efficiency and simplicity over advanced features. The lifetime pricing model makes it an exceptional value for long-term use, and its streamlined approach covers the essential scheduling needs of most small businesses. It's particularly attractive for international users, budget-conscious professionals, and anyone who prefers one-time purchases over recurring subscriptions. Unless you specifically need Acuity's advanced client management or complex payment features, TidyCal offers better long-term value for the majority of scheduling use cases.