Acuity Scheduling vs Whenbird

Acuity has three plans: Starter at $16/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) with 1 calendar; Standard at $27/mo annual ($34 monthly) with up to 6 calendars; Premium at $49/mo annual ($61 monthly) with up to 36 calendars. There is no free plan.

Whenbird has two: Free — a shareable booking page, up to 2 active services, automatic email reminders, forever — and Pro at $19/month flat with unlimited services, card payments at booking, and Whenbird branding removed.

Head-to-head for a solo coach on monthly billing: Acuity Starter at $20/mo with 1 calendar, or Whenbird Pro at $19/mo with unlimited services and payments included on both sides (Acuity takes payments via Stripe, Square, or PayPal on all plans; Whenbird via Stripe). And if you want your own brand instead of “Powered by” on your booking page: Acuity requires Premium at $49–61/mo; Whenbird includes it in the $19.

Acuity's feature depth is real and mostly standard across its plans: custom client intake forms, automatic timezone conversion, confirmation, reminder, and follow-up emails on every plan; text-message reminders, appointment packages, memberships, and gift certificates from Standard up.

Whenbird's core: one shareable booking page, services with duration, buffer time, price, minimum notice and booking window, weekly hours with date overrides, database-level double-booking prevention, rescheduling from your dashboard, one-click Stripe refunds, and no-show and revenue tracking in the dashboard.

What Acuity has that Whenbird doesn't: SMS reminders, intake forms, packages and gift certificates, and HIPAA compliance (Premium, with a signed BAA). If you need any of those, that's a deciding fact, not a footnote.

Both tools charge clients at booking. Acuity processes through Stripe, Square, or PayPal on all paid plans. Whenbird processes through Stripe Checkout, with funds settling directly into your own Stripe account — you're the merchant of record and Whenbird takes 0% commission, leaving only Stripe's standard processing fee.

Check each provider's processing rates for your country before deciding — payment-processor fees are separate from the subscription price on every tool in this comparison, ours included.

Acuity is the pick if you run a multi-staff or multi-location business (6–36 calendars by tier), want SMS reminders to cut no-shows, need intake forms or HIPAA compliance with a BAA, or sell packages, memberships, and gift certificates. Its site also runs in six languages, including the same European markets Whenbird targets.

Whenbird is solo-first: one professional, one booking page, payments that land in your Stripe account, at a price that undercuts even Acuity's entry tier. Different tools for different shapes of business.

For a solo coach, consultant, or tutor who wants to start free and pay $19/month flat once they charge — with their own branding and their own Stripe account — Whenbird is the cheaper, simpler fit. For SMS reminders, intake forms, packages, compliance, or staff calendars, Acuity justifies its $16–61/mo. Start with Whenbird Free if price and payout simplicity matter most; take Acuity's 7-day trial if you need its depth.