Acuity vs Calenix: a category-by-category feature table
Eight categories, one table and plain commentary on each row, so you can score Acuity Scheduling and Calenix against the parts of booking your business actually uses.
This Acuity vs Calenix comparison is built as a feature table rather than a verdict. We break scheduling and booking into eight categories, from availability and intake to payments, teams and presence, and comment on how each tool approaches every one. You can then weight the rows that matter to you.
If you would rather read a straight recommendation on who should choose which, our Calenix vs Acuity Scheduling head-to-head covers that. Here the aim is detail. Features and plans change, so treat 'Varies by plan' as a prompt to check each vendor's current plans.
How should you read an Acuity vs Calenix feature table?
A feature table is only useful if you know what each row means in practice. Here is what we looked at in each category, and the short version of how the two tools compare.
1. Availability and calendar sync
Both tools connect to major calendar providers, block busy times and let clients book in their own time zone. Calenix's named calendar integrations are Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook, with availability rules, buffers and conflict checking. Acuity also connects to the main calendar providers. This row is broadly level.
2. Booking questions and intake
Acuity is known for detailed intake forms, which suit clinics, therapists and coaches who need a lot of information before a first session. Calenix offers custom booking questions on each event type, which covers short intake well. Acuity leads here for long, form-heavy processes.
3. Payments, packages and extras
Both can take payment at booking on suitable plans; Calenix does this from Individual via providers such as Stripe. Acuity goes further with packages, gift certificates and memberships, depending on plan. Calenix does not focus on those.
4. Reminders and follow-up
Both send email confirmations and reminders. Calenix adds advanced reminders and workflows from Individual. Acuity offers reminders too, with options that vary by plan.
5. Groups, classes and teams
Acuity supports group classes and multiple staff calendars. Calenix has group meetings on Individual and team scheduling, round robin, collective meetings and team routing on Professionals.
6. Pages and presence
This is where Calenix leads. Service and landing pages, digital business cards with QR codes, LinkDock, email signatures and card scanning into contacts are all built in. Acuity gives you a booking page and fits neatly with Squarespace websites.
7. Integrations
Calenix lists Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack and Zapier where enabled. Acuity has its own range of integrations; check its current list for the tools you rely on. Our guide to syncing Zoom with your booking page shows one in action.
8. Free plan and ecosystem
Calenix has a forever Free plan with one event type. Acuity is part of Squarespace and has generally offered paid plans with a free trial; check current plans.
Why weighting the rows matters more than counting ticks
Feature tables tempt you to count ticks and pick the winner. That rarely works, because no business uses every row equally. A two-physio clinic may live and die by intake forms and never need a digital business card. A bookkeeper may never sell a package but hand out cards at every networking breakfast. The same table can point two businesses to opposite answers, and both can be right.
A better approach is to give each category a weight from one to three before you look at the tools. Three means you use it every day, one means nice to have. Then score each tool on each row and multiply. It takes ten minutes and stops a single impressive feature from swaying you. Our guide on how to choose scheduling software goes further on building a shortlist this way.
Weighting also exposes hidden costs. If Calenix wins on presence but you would still need a separate forms tool, that matters. If Acuity wins on packages but you would still pay for a card app, a links page and a signature tool, that matters too.
Finally, test the rows you weighted highest. Calendar sync is a good example: both tools promise it, but only a real test with your own diaries shows how conflicts are handled. Our explainer on how calendar sync prevents double bookings shows what to check.
What a category-by-category comparison gives you
A fairer decision: each tool is judged on the rows you actually use, not on the length of its feature list.
Clarity on trade-offs: you can see that Acuity leads on intake and packages while Calenix leads on pages and presence.
Fewer surprise costs: gaps in a row show where you would still need another app or subscription.
A shared language for your team: partners or staff can weight the same categories and compare notes.
A focused trial: you know which two or three rows to test hardest during a free plan or trial.
An easy re-check later: when plans change, you only need to revisit the rows that moved.
How to score Acuity and Calenix in 6 steps
Copy the eight categories — Write the eight rows from the table below into a spreadsheet, with a column for weight and a column for each tool.
Weight each row before looking at tools — Give each category a weight from one to three based on how often your business relies on it. Do this first so the tools do not influence you.
Score each tool from one to three — Use the commentary above and each vendor's current plan pages. Where a feature depends on plan, score the plan you would actually buy.
Multiply and total — Multiply weight by score for each row and add them up. Treat a close result as a tie and let testing decide.
Test your top three rows — Set up one real service in each tool and test the rows you weighted highest, such as intake questions or a deposit, from a mobile.
Note what you would still need elsewhere — List any app you would still pay for alongside each tool, such as a forms tool, card app or links page, and factor that into your decision.
Acuity vs Calenix feature table
| Feature | Acuity Scheduling | Calenix |
|---|---|---|
| Availability and calendar sync | Major calendar providers | Google Calendar and Outlook, buffers, rules |
| Booking questions and intake | Detailed intake forms, a core strength | Custom booking questions |
| Payments and deposits | Supported, check providers | Individual and up, via Stripe |
| Packages, gift certificates, memberships | Varies by plan | Not a focus |
| Reminders and workflows | Reminders, varies by plan | Email reminders; workflows from Individual |
| Groups and teams | Classes and staff calendars, varies by plan | Group meetings; round robin on Professionals |
| Pages, cards, LinkDock and signatures | Booking page, Squarespace fit | Built in |
| Free plan | Check current plans | Yes, forever, one event type |
Best practices for using a feature table
Weight the categories before you read any vendor's marketing.
Score the plan you would actually buy, not the top tier.
Treat 'Varies by plan' as a question to answer, not a tick or a cross.
Test the two or three highest-weighted rows with a real booking on a mobile.
Include the cost of any extra apps you would still need in your comparison.
Re-check the table every year or when a vendor changes its plans.
Features change, so confirm each row on the vendor's current plan pages.
Mistakes to avoid with feature comparisons
Counting ticks instead of weighting what your business actually uses.
Assuming two tools with the same tick behave the same way in practice.
Scoring a feature from a higher plan than the one you intend to buy.
Ignoring the categories around the booking, such as pages and presence.
Relying on an old comparison when plans and features have since changed.
Letting one impressive feature outweigh several everyday gaps.
Example: a physio clinic in Adelaide scores the table
Take a fictional two-physio clinic in Adelaide. The partners want online booking for initial assessments and follow-ups, and a way to reach local sports clubs and GPs. They sit down with the eight categories and weight them before looking at either tool.
Intake gets a three, because they need injury history and consent before an assessment. Availability and calendar sync get a three. Payments get a two, since they want a deposit for initial assessments. Packages get a one, because they rarely sell blocks of sessions. Pages and presence get a two, because they visit clubs and want a card with a QR code. Teams get a two, free plan a one, reminders a three.
Scoring the plans they would buy, Acuity scores higher on intake. Calenix scores higher on pages and presence. The rest land close. The illustrative totals come out within a couple of points, so the table alone does not decide it.
They test their top rows. The partners find that four short booking questions cover what they need at booking, with the full consent form sent separately before the first visit. That removes much of the intake gap. They choose Calenix on the Individual plan for deposits, add service pages for assessment and follow-up, and put a digital card QR code on flyers for local football clubs.
The point is not that Calenix won. Had they needed long conditional forms at booking, Acuity would have come out ahead. If you are still widening the field, our list of Acuity Scheduling alternatives adds more tools to score.
FAQ
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