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The clearest fork in this decision isn’t features — it’s money. Setmore publishes a free plan and a straightforward per-user price; Acuity Scheduling keeps its per-plan prices off its public page and routes you through a sales conversation to get them. If you want to know exactly what you’ll pay before you talk to anyone, that difference matters from the first five minutes of research.
Pricing
Setmore
Setmore publishes two tiers directly on its pricing page:
- Free — $0/user per month, billed monthly (up to 4 users)
- Pro — $5/user per month, billed annually (unlimited users)
That’s about as transparent as scheduling software gets. Solo operators and small teams can get started at no cost, and the step up to paid is a single, low per-user figure.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity’s pricing page signals that plans start at $16/month, but the named tiers themselves are quote-only — meaning you’ll need to contact their sales team to get per-plan pricing. The $16/month figure comes from the page’s own “starting at” language, so treat it as a floor indicator rather than a complete picture.
Side-by-Side Pricing Table
| Setmore | Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0/user/month (Free, up to 4 users) | Starting at $16/month (per page headline) |
| Paid tier | $5/user/month, billed annually | Quote-only — contact sales for plan details |
| Pricing transparency | Fully published | Partial (starting figure only; plans require sales contact) |
Features
Both tools are appointment-booking platforms aimed at service businesses, and there’s meaningful overlap in what they cover. Here’s how the captured feature sets line up theme by theme.
Scheduling & Calendar Core
Both products include online booking, calendar management, and class scheduling/booking. Both also cover availability controls on the Acuity side and a Booking Page on the Setmore side. If a bookable calendar with class support is your baseline requirement, either tool checks that box.
Client & Appointment Management
Acuity’s captured features include Client Management and Staff Management as named areas. Setmore’s feature set surfaces Automatic Confirmations, Email Reminders, Text Reminders, and Recurring Appointments — all listed explicitly — along with Class Booking. Both tools address keeping appointments from falling through the cracks, though the specific mechanics captured differ by product.
Payments & Invoicing
Acuity lists Payments & Invoicing, Invoicing Software, and Point of Sale as named feature areas. Setmore captures Secure Online Payments as a category. Both handle payment collection in some form; Acuity’s captured list goes further in naming invoicing and point-of-sale specifically.
Booking Channels & Integrations
Setmore explicitly calls out integrations with Google Calendar, a Website Widget, Facebook, Instagram, and QR Codes — plus a Virtual Meetings category and Your branded app. It also lists a Live Receptionist feature item. Acuity captures a Website Builder, Mobile App, and API Documentation as distinct items, along with Acuity Certified Experts as a resource.
Business Management
Acuity groups a Business Management category and includes Availability Controls and Calendar Management as named items. Setmore frames similar ground under “For business big and small” and “Nice knowin’ ya, paperwork,” capturing Recurring Appointments and Class Booking explicitly.
Industries Served
Both tools explicitly list service verticals. Setmore names: Barber Shops, Personal Training, Bridal Salon, Real Estate, Tattoo Studios, Financial Services, Hair Salons, Home Repair, Interview Scheduling, Massage Therapy, Wedding Boutiques, Nail Salon, Personal Trainers, Pet Services, and Tour Booking.
Acuity names: Beauty & Salons, Business Services, Health & Wellness, Education & Life Coaching, Fitness & Sports, and All Businesses — plus the broader categories of Beauty, Business Services, Wellness, Fitness, Visual and Performing Arts, and Education.
The industries covered overlap considerably; both serve the core service-business market.
User Feedback
In the reviews we scanned for Setmore, no recurring complaint pattern stood out — worth noting neutrally, not as a positive verdict.
For Acuity Scheduling, some users report friction around scheduling and dispatch, the mobile app, customer support, price/value, and features and functionality. These are soft signals worth probing in a trial or demo, not disqualifiers on their own.
Who Each Tool Is For
Setmore is well-matched for…
…solo practitioners and small teams who want to get started without spending anything. The $0 free plan for up to 4 users, combined with published per-user pricing for the Pro tier, makes cost planning straightforward. The explicit list of booking channels — website widget, Facebook, Instagram, QR codes, virtual meetings — suits businesses that want to accept bookings from multiple surfaces without negotiating a contract first. Verticals like hair salons, barber shops, personal trainers, nail salons, and pet services are named directly in Setmore’s captured features.
Acuity Scheduling is worth evaluating if…
…you’re comfortable engaging with sales to get a full pricing picture and want a platform that explicitly covers invoicing, point of sale, a website builder, staff management, and client management as named feature areas alongside scheduling. The $16/month starting signal and the availability of Acuity Certified Experts as a support resource suggest a product positioned for businesses that expect ongoing operational depth. Beauty & salons, wellness, fitness, education & life coaching, and business services are the verticals named in its captured features.
Choose Setmore if…
- You want published, no-surprises pricing today — including a genuine $0 entry point for up to 4 users
- Your team is small and you want to validate the tool before committing any budget
- You need booking channels across a website widget, Facebook, Instagram, or QR codes as explicitly supported options
- Your business falls into one of Setmore’s named verticals (barber shops, nail salons, tattoo studios, home repair, pet services, tour booking, and others)
Choose Acuity Scheduling if…
- You’re prepared to go through a sales conversation to understand per-plan pricing in full
- Invoicing software and point-of-sale are named capabilities you need alongside scheduling
- A website builder and staff management as captured feature areas matter to your workflow
- You’d find value in access to Acuity Certified Experts as a named resource
- Your business is in beauty & salons, wellness, fitness, education & life coaching, or business services — verticals Acuity names explicitly
Pricing and features above reflect data captured in July 2026. Check each vendor’s pricing page directly before purchasing, as figures and plan structures can change.