Alternatives · UK edition
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The most common reason to look beyond Acuity is that it has no free plan. Others want SMS reminders without paying for Standard, a more modern interface, or pricing in their own currency.
Prices as ofGBP or USD as published
No (7-day free trial)Acuity Scheduling free plan
From $16 per month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be addedAcuity Scheduling entry price
US dollars; UK VAT may be addedAcuity Scheduling entry price
10Alternatives compared
Free alternatives for service businesses
Closest to Acuity's features, with a free plan.
SimplyBook.me
The most configurable all-rounder for service businesses, with a useful free plan, SMS and WhatsApp reminders, point of sale and a HIPAA option. The 'custom features' model takes some working out.
- Free plan
- Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider
- Entry price
- From $11.90 per month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Setmore
The cheapest way for a small team to get started: free for up to four users, with a low-priced Pro plan on annual billing and 24/7 human support. Reporting is basic and SMS needs Pro.
- Free plan
- Yes: up to 4 users
- Entry price
- From $5 per user/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Square Appointments
The strongest free option for UK salons, barbers and other businesses that take card payments in person: unlimited staff at one location for free, with POS and no-show fees built in. You're tied to Square for payments.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK)
- Entry price
- From £29 per location/month
VAT basis not stated
Zoho Bookings
A low-cost, per-staff option that fits best inside the Zoho ecosystem, with an EU data centre option. It has few reviews and less polish than the leaders.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type
- Entry price
- From $6 per staff/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
For salons
If you want a marketplace or salon suite.
Fresha
Built for UK salons, barbers and spas, with a marketplace that can bring new clients. That marketplace charges 20% on new clients it sends you, and Fresha no longer has a free plan.
- Free plan
- No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free)
- Entry price
- From £9.95 per bookable team member/month
ex VAT (£11.94 inc VAT at 20%) Unconfirmed
Vagaro
US salons, spas and fitness businesses.
- Free plan
- No
- Entry price
- From $30 per month
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Booksy
Barbers and beauty professionals.
- Free plan
- No (trial)
- Entry price
- From £40 per month
ex VAT (£48 inc VAT at 20%)
For clinics
If you need clinical notes and billing.
Jane App
Allied health clinics: physio, chiropractic and therapy.
- Free plan
- No
- Entry price
- From £29 per month (+ per practitioner)
VAT basis not stated
For meetings rather than appointments
If you mostly book calls.
Calendly
The default choice for booking meetings, with the widest integration list here. It's less suited to service businesses that need packages, intake forms or a point of sale, and per-seat pricing adds up for teams.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar
- Entry price
- From $10 per seat/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Cal.com
The open-source alternative to Calendly, with a generous free plan, an API and the option to self-host. It takes more setup and has fewer service-business features.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 user, unlimited event types
- Entry price
- From $12 per user/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
All Acuity Scheduling alternatives side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry price | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service businesses: coaches, therapists, salons and studios | No (7-day free trial) | From $16 per month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Barbers and beauty professionals | No (trial) | From £40 per month ex VAT (£48 inc VAT at 20%) | Visit site | |
| Tech-savvy teams, developers and anyone who wants open source or self-hosting | Yes: 1 user, unlimited event types | From $12 per user/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Solo professionals, sales and recruiting teams booking meetings | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | From $10 per seat/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers and spas, especially in the UK | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | From £9.95 per bookable team member/month ex VAT (£11.94 inc VAT at 20%) Unconfirmed | Review · Visit site | |
| Allied health clinics: physio, chiropractic and therapy | No | From £29 per month (+ per practitioner) VAT basis not stated | Visit site | |
| Budget-conscious small businesses and small teams | Yes: up to 4 users | From $5 per user/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Service businesses such as salons, clinics, tutors and fitness; EU-friendly | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | From $11.90 per month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers, spas and any business taking card payments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | From £29 per location/month VAT basis not stated | Review · Visit site | |
| US salons, spas and fitness businesses | No | From $30 per month US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Visit site | |
| Budget small businesses and existing Zoho users | Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type | From $6 per staff/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site |
Features compared
| Tool | Free plan | Payments | SMS reminders | UK/EU data angle | Teams | AI features | Marketplace | Video calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day free trial) | Stripe, Square, PayPal | From Standard | Not checked | Calendars by plan (1, 6, 36) | AI Booking Assistant (Premium) | No | Zoom |
| SimplyBook.me | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | Stripe, PayPal; POS | SMS and WhatsApp | EU company (GDPR) | Providers by plan | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| Setmore | Yes: up to 4 users | Square, Stripe, PayPal | Pro only | Not checked | Free for up to 4 users | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| Square Appointments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | Square payments (built in) | Not checked | Not checked | Unlimited staff on Free (1 location) | Not checked | Reserve with Google | Not checked |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type | Stripe, PayPal | Not checked | EU data centre option | Priced per staff member | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| Fresha | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Priced per bookable member | AI Concierge add-on | Fresha marketplace (20% new-client fee) | Not checked |
| Vagaro | No | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Priced per calendar | Not checked | Vagaro marketplace | Not checked |
| Booksy | No (trial) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | +£5 per extra staff (UK) | Not checked | Booksy marketplace (Boost optional) | Not checked |
| Jane App | No | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Per practitioner | Not checked | No | Built-in telehealth |
| Calendly | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | Stripe, PayPal | Not checked | Not checked | Teams plan; routing | Notetaker and Callie AI (Plus plans) | No | Zoom, Teams, Meet |
| Cal.com | Yes: 1 user, unlimited event types | Stripe | Not checked | Self-host for data control | Teams plan | Cal.ai phone agent | No | Zoom |
'Not checked' means our research didn't confirm the feature either way; it doesn't mean the tool lacks it. Features are from vendor pricing pages and documentation as recorded on 2 November 2026.
Questions people ask
Why do people switch from Acuity Scheduling?
Others want SMS reminders without paying for Standard, a more modern interface, or pricing in their own currency.
Is there a free alternative to Acuity Scheduling?
Yes: SimplyBook.me (50 bookings a month, 1 provider), Setmore (up to 4 users), Square Appointments (1 location, unlimited staff (UK)), Zoho Bookings (1 staff member, 1 event type), Calendly (1 event type, 1 calendar), Cal.com (1 user, unlimited event types).
Related
- Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling
- SimplyBook.me vs Acuity Scheduling
- Compare all 21 tools: prices and feature matrix
- Prices compared
Read our Acuity Scheduling review.
Sources
Prices and features as recorded on 2 November 2026 from these pages (research pass 26 October to 2 November 2026). Prices change: check the vendor's page before you buy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- Acuity Scheduling: https://acuityscheduling.com/pricing
- SimplyBook.me: https://simplybook.me/en/pricing
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/pricing
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/llms.txt
- Square Appointments: https://squareup.com/gb/en/appointments/pricing
- Zoho Bookings: https://www.zoho.com/bookings/pricing.html
- Fresha: https://www.fresha.com/en-GB/pricing
- Fresha: https://theaitill.com/tools/fresha
- Vagaro: https://www.vagaro.com/pro/pricing
- Booksy: https://biz.booksy.com/en-gb/pricing
- Jane App: https://jane.app/pricing?locale=en-GB
- Calendly: https://calendly.com/pricing
- Calendly: https://calendly.com/help/choose-the-right-calendly-plan-for-your-team
- Cal.com: https://cal.com/pricing