Pure appointment scheduling with no way to find new clients — or a platform built to get you discovered, booked, and growing. Only one pairs your book with a marketplace, Smart Pricing, and AI marketing.
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Acuity has no paid add-ons to compare — it simply doesn't sell marketing, loyalty, or discovery tools at any price. Figures from Acuity's own pricing and help center pages, September 2026.
| FEATURE | Acuity | StyleSeat |
|---|---|---|
| THE BASICS | ||
| Online booking & calendar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client profiles & history | ✓ | ✓ |
| No-show & late-cancel protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| ACUITY'S PLAN TIERS — PRICED BY CALENDAR COUNT | ||
| Text/SMS reminders | Standard plan ($34/mo) and up only — 1 per appointment, no marketing sends | Included* |
| Marketing emails | ✗ Not offered | Included |
| Client Loyalty program | ✗ Not offered | Included |
| AI Booking Assistant | $61/mo (Premium plan) only | Included |
| Google review requests | ✗ Not offered | Included |
| Remove "Powered by Acuity" branding | $61/mo (Premium plan) only | N/A — no branding fee |
| New-client marketplace fee | N/A — no marketplace, at any price | 30% of first appointment · capped at $50 · once per client, never again |
| POS & inventory | ✗ Not offered | Product in salon check out included |
| Number of calendars / staff | 1 (Starter) → 6 (Standard) → 36 (Premium) | Multiple staff calendars included at no extra cost |
| GROWTH TOOLS AND AI | ||
| New Client Delivery | ✗ | Included |
| Smart Pricing | ✗ | Included |
| Smart Waitlist | ✗ | Included |
| Marketplace discovery | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automated marketing | ✗ | Included |
| Premium ranking boost | ✗ | Included |
| AI marketing tools | ✗ | Included |
| AI social post builder | ✗ | Included |
| PRICING & FEES | ||
| Card-present processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.5% + $.30 |
| Online processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.5% + $.30 |
| Monthly pricing | $20–$61 depending on plan tier | $35 flat |
*Text marketing on StyleSeat starts with 500 free one-time text credits; outbound sends after that draw from purchased credits — no monthly add-on. Acuity charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. A documented booking API, custom CSS, and HIPAA compliance on Acuity's $61/mo Premium plan are genuine strengths StyleSeat doesn't offer. Acuity figures from acuityscheduling.com pricing and help center pages, September 2026. Currently $19/month on StyleSeat's active promotion.
Acuity can't do this part — StyleSeat does it for you. You gain $1,312 in revenue per year, when you add up StyleSeat's growth features minus its subscription cost.
No marketplace, no Smart Pricing, no AI marketing — not even on the $61/mo Premium plan.
Every growth feature included in the $35.
New Client Connection $1,904 avg + Smart Pricing $385 avg
New Client Connection $370 + Smart Pricing fees $187 + Premium subscription $420
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
Acuity Scheduling has three tiers: Starter at $20/month (1 calendar, no text reminders), Standard at $34/month (up to 6 calendars, adds text reminders and waitlists), and Premium at $61/month (up to 36 calendars, adds the AI Booking Assistant and HIPAA compliance). StyleSeat is $35/month flat, with a marketplace, Smart Pricing, and AI marketing already included — currently $19/month on the active promotion.
No. Acuity is scheduling software only — it has no marketplace and no way to help a professional find new clients. StyleSeat's marketplace connects professionals with clients already searching nearby, and its New Client Connection fee (30% of the first appointment, capped at $50) only charges once a new client actually books.
Acuity's texts are limited to one automated appointment reminder per booking, available only on its Standard plan ($34/month) and up — it has no marketing or promotional messaging tool, and no email marketing. StyleSeat includes email and text marketing in its $35/month subscription, after 500 free one-time text credits.
No. Acuity's service prices are static at every tier. StyleSeat's Smart Pricing raises your price when demand peaks: professionals who use it average $385 a year in extra service revenue, with the top 10% clearing $1,000+, for a fee of about 5.5% of the smart-priced service.
Acuity charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. StyleSeat charges 2.5% + $0.30.
Acuity's Premium plan ($61/month) offers a documented booking API, custom CSS, and HIPAA compliance for medical and wellness businesses — real strengths StyleSeat doesn't offer. If you need those, or dozens of calendars for a large multi-location team, Acuity might be your choice. If you're a beauty or wellness pro who wants new clients found for you, StyleSeat is built for you.
Unedited reviews from Trustpilot, the Apple App Store, Google Play, G2, and Capterra — dated and sourced.
“AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. We've lost so much business since moving to Acuity. There are so many glitches with the client accounts and no effort by Acuity to fix them.”
“I love acuity. I've been using it for almost two years now and I appreciate the updates made every now and then. However, there are some things I think should be added to make it more convenient for both business owners and customers.”
“It has been constantly logging me out for weeks and support has been useless. I close the app and open it again and I'm logged out. UPDATE: After a week of back and forth and making me do all the work to troubleshoot, nothing is fixed and they closed the ticket. So I have to start all over again. Garbage. It has now been almost two months and still no resolution. We will be looking for alternatives with customer support that actually responds and fixes the problem.”
“I accidentally signed up and you took my money every month even though I never once used the service.”
“If a client makes a booking with the same name as an existing client, Acuity will treat them as one client and merge their records.”
“Integration with Squarespace [is] restrictive. The scheduler options [are] confusing initially, then limited.”
“Scheduling features seem to constantly have issues staying scheduled and/or notifying of appointments.”
