Self-Hosted Alternatives to Acuity Scheduling

Why Replace Acuity Scheduling?

Acuity Scheduling (now Squarespace Scheduling) charges $20-61/month for appointment booking. Since Squarespace acquired Acuity in 2019, prices have increased and the product has been increasingly tied to the Squarespace ecosystem. The Emerging plan ($20/month) limits you to one staff member. The Growing plan ($34/month) adds 6 staff. The Powerhouse plan ($61/month) adds 36 staff with API access.

Updated March 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.

Acuity Limitation	Self-Hosted Solution
$20-61/month subscription	$0/seat (self-hosted)
Staff limits per tier	Unlimited staff
Squarespace ecosystem lock-in	Platform independent
API access (Powerhouse only)	Full API on all tiers
Data on Squarespace servers	Your data, your server
Limited customization	Full source code control
Payment processing fees + platform fee	Payment processor only
Squarespace price increases	Fixed infrastructure costs

Best Alternatives

Cal.com — Best Overall Replacement

Cal.com matches Acuity’s scheduling capabilities without the per-seat pricing. Round-robin assignment, collective scheduling, buffer times, payment collection via Stripe, and automated reminder workflows are all built in. The booking page is professional and fully customizable.

For Acuity users specifically, Cal.com’s biggest advantage is unlimited team members at no additional cost. Acuity’s Growing plan limits you to 6 calendars for $34/month — Cal.com self-hosted handles 50+ calendars on a $10/month VPS.

Matches Acuity on:

• Appointment types with custom durations
• Intake forms and custom questions
• Multiple calendar integration (Google, Outlook, CalDAV)
• Payment collection (Stripe, PayPal)
• Automated email/SMS reminders
• Embed widgets for your website
• Client self-scheduling
• Buffer times and daily limits

Exceeds Acuity on:

• Unlimited team members (no tiers)
• Full API access on all plans
• CalDAV support (self-hosted calendars)
• White-label capability
• Open-source transparency

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Cal.com

Rallly — Best for Group Scheduling

If you primarily use Acuity for finding times that work for groups (not one-on-one client bookings), Rallly is a focused alternative. Participants vote on proposed times — no accounts needed. It’s a single Docker container with minimal resource usage.

Best for: Internal team meetings, committee scheduling, group coordination.

Not ideal for: Client-facing booking pages, payment collection, service business scheduling.

Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Rallly

Migration Guide

Exporting from Acuity

1. Log into your Acuity dashboard
2. Go to Business Settings → Import/Export
3. Export appointments as CSV
4. Download client list separately
5. Document your appointment types, intake forms, and availability rules

What transfers: Appointment history (CSV), client contacts, calendar data (via calendar provider).

What doesn’t transfer: Appointment type configurations, intake form designs, payment settings, embedded widget code.

Setting Up Cal.com

1. Deploy Cal.com via Docker Compose (setup guide)
2. Connect your calendar provider
3. Recreate appointment types matching your Acuity types
4. Configure intake questions
5. Set up Stripe for payments (if needed)
6. Update your booking links everywhere

Cost Comparison

	Acuity Emerging	Acuity Growing	Acuity Powerhouse	Cal.com (Self-Hosted)
Monthly	$20	$34	$61	$5-10 (VPS only)
Staff/calendars	1	6	36	Unlimited
Annual cost	$240	$408	$732	$60-120
3-year cost	$720	$1,224	$2,196	$180-360
API access	No	No	Yes	Yes (always)
Custom branding	Limited	Yes	Yes	Full control
Payment processing	Stripe/Square + Acuity fee	Same	Same	Stripe only (no platform fee)

What You Give Up

• Squarespace integration — if your website runs on Squarespace, Acuity’s native integration is seamless. Self-hosted requires embedding or linking.
• Zero-maintenance hosting — Acuity handles infrastructure. Self-hosted means managing updates and uptime.
• HIPAA compliance (Powerhouse plan) — Acuity offers a HIPAA-compliant plan for healthcare providers. Self-hosted Cal.com can be HIPAA-compliant with proper server configuration, but you’re responsible for compliance.
• Native mobile app — Acuity has iOS and Android apps for managing appointments on the go. Cal.com works via mobile browser.
• Client history and notes — Acuity tracks appointment history per client natively. Cal.com integrates with CRMs for this.

For service businesses with 3+ staff members, the cost savings from dropping Acuity easily justify the self-hosting overhead.

Related

• How to Self-Host Cal.com
• How to Self-Host Rallly
• Cal.com vs Calendly
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Calendly
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Doodle
• Best Self-Hosted Calendar & Contacts Apps