An Acuity alternative that starts free instead of at US$16
Acuity has no free plan: paid starts at US$16 per month after a 7-day trial. Pick a Time runs coaching and appointment booking free, with group events, recurring series and per-session files.
Create your booking pageJump to the table Free plan, no card, no trial clock.Acuity (part of Squarespace) is appointment software for service businesses: intake forms, packages, gift certificates, SMS reminders. It is also the only major player with no free plan at all: US$16 per month for one calendar after a 7-day trial, US$27 for six, US$49 for thirty-six. If you sell haircuts through a storefront that math can work. If you run coaching or mentoring sessions, you are paying for retail features you will never open.
Acuity's intake forms are the deepest in the market, SMS reminders are built in, and packages, memberships and gift certificates matter if you sell session bundles. Squarespace integration is native, so storefront businesses get one bill.
Pricing, side by side
| Acuity Scheduling | Pick a Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None (7-day trial) | Full scheduling feature set |
| Paid entry | US$16/mo (1 calendar) | US$9/mo Pro |
| SMS reminders | Included on paid | Planned |
What each free plan includes
Acuity's column reads No because it has no free plan; most rows exist on its paid tiers from US$16/mo.
| Feature | Pick a Time | Acuity Scheduling |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited bookings on the free plan | Yes | No |
| Multiple session lengths on free | Yes | No |
| Custom booking questions on free | Yes | No |
| Group events with seat limits | Yes | No |
| Recurring bookings (weekly/monthly) | Yes | No |
| Date overrides and holiday blocks | Yes | No |
| Max bookings per day | Yes | No |
| Email reminders, configurable times | Yes | No |
| Per-session file sharing | Yes | No |
| AI meeting notes on the booking | Yes | No |
| Plain-words time search | Yes | No |
| Merge consecutive slots into one session | Yes | No |
| Embed on your own site | Yes | No |
| Meeting polls | Yes | No |
| Single-use links | Pro | No |
| Preferred (ranked) availability | Pro | No |
| Routing forms | Pro | No |
| Round robin across hosts | Pro | No |
| Charge for bookings | Planned | No |
| Outlook calendar | Planned | No |
Yes = included free. Pro = that tool's paid tier. Planned = on the public Pick a Time roadmap. Checked 2026-07-11.
What you get here that Acuity Scheduling doesn't have
Session files
Every booking carries its own file space. You and the person who booked can both attach agendas, pre-reads, photos or videos, and a recurring series shares one running folder. The other side needs no account: their manage-booking link is the door. No other mainstream scheduler stores documents per session, so agendas stop drowning in chat groups and email chains.
AI meeting notes on the booking
Connect Fireflies and each recorded session's summary and action items land on the matching booking in your dashboard. The recording tool you already pay for becomes part of the booking record.
Type a time in plain words
People booking with you can type "next saturday morning" and matching open slots surface. Nobody paging through week views.
Slot stretching
When consecutive slots are free, the person booking can merge them into one longer session. A 30-minute grid can still sell a 2-hour deep-dive without you configuring a separate event type.
The free plan has no booking cap: unlimited bookings, session types on one page, group events with seat counts, recurring series, custom booking questions, date overrides, daily booking caps, email reminders at times you choose, an embed widget, meeting polls, and per-session file sharing.
Questions people ask
Why does Acuity's column show No on everything?
Because the comparison is what you get without paying. Acuity has intake forms, group classes and reminders, but only from US$16 per month. Pick a Time's free plan includes the rows marked Yes.
I sell packages of 10 sessions. Should I stay on Acuity?
Probably, for now. Packages, memberships and gift certificates are Acuity strengths we do not have. If your billing is simpler (or you invoice separately), the free plan here covers the scheduling half.
Set up your booking page free
Unlimited bookings. No card, no trial clock.
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