CalioCalio vs Acuity Scheduling: simple, and with a free plan
Acuity Scheduling (part of Squarespace) is an established name among service businesses, but it has no free plan, after the trial you pay at least $16 a month, and it runs entirely on US servers.
Calio offers the core features with a free plan that stays free, EU payment methods and your data inside Europe.
Calio and Acuity Scheduling side by side
| Feature | Calio | Acuity Scheduling |
|---|---|---|
| Public booking page | Unlimited event types, including on the free plan | No free plan (7-day trial) |
| Double bookings | Impossible, enforced at database level | Prevented through calendar checks |
| Confirmations & reminders (email) | Automatic, 24 hours and 1 hour before | Yes, SMS on higher tiers |
| Guests reschedule or cancel themselves | Through the link in their email | Yes |
| Google & Microsoft calendar sync | Busy-time sync + bookings written to your calendar | Yes, plus other calendar providers |
| EU data hosting | Servers and database in Amsterdam | No, US hosting (Squarespace) |
| European company & support | Dutch company; guest flow in Dutch, English, German and French | No, US company |
| iDEAL payments | Pay in full or a deposit at booking, through Mollie | No, payments through Stripe/Square/PayPal |
| Round-robin for teams | One link, meetings shared across the team | Yes, with multiple staff members |
| AI booking in plain language | Guests type what they need; Calio offers real open slots | Limited |
| Recurring appointments | Weekly, fortnightly or every four weeks; booked in one go | Yes |
| Mail agent: your planner in the cc | Suggests times from your calendar and books; you approve every message | No |
Acuity Scheduling features based on public information and reviews; they may differ per subscription and may have changed since.
What does it cost?
Acuity charges (as of August 2026) $16 a month for Starter (billed yearly; $20 monthly) up to $49–61 for Premium, with no free plan (there is a 7-day trial). Calio has a free plan that stays free; paid plans start at €8 per user per month billed yearly. Prices may have changed since; always check the vendor’s current pricing page.
Prices last checked in August 2026. Current Acuity Scheduling pricing
Why people switch to Calio
Staying free is an option
Acuity has no free plan. With Calio a sole trader schedules for free, unlimited event types, reminders and calendar sync included.
Your data in Europe
Acuity runs on US infrastructure. Calio runs entirely in the EU, which matters for GDPR-sensitive work such as healthcare and coaching.
European payment methods
iDEAL and card payments through Mollie, paid straight into your own account, no detour through a US processor.
Frequently asked questions
Does Calio have intake forms like Acuity?
Yes. You set your own questions per event type, free text, dropdowns or required answers, and the answers appear with the booking and in your confirmation email.
Can I take payments the way Acuity does?
Yes. Through Mollie your guests pay in full or leave a deposit while booking, with iDEAL or card; the money goes straight to your own account via Mollie Connect. You can also set a no-show fee per event type and send it afterwards as a payment request.
What does Calio cost compared to Acuity?
Calio has a free plan that stays free; Acuity starts at $16 a month (billed yearly, as of August 2026) and has no free plan. Calio’s paid plans start at €8 per user per month.
Read next
- Switching from Calendly to Calio: a practical guideWhat carries over, what stays behind, and what happens to your old links. A step-by-step switch from Calendly, without the most common mistakes.
- The CLOUD Act explained: what “data in Europe” does and doesn’t meanA 2018 US law can compel American providers to hand over data, even when it sits in Amsterdam. What that means for your scheduling software.
Try Calio for free
Booking link in 2 minutes, calendar connected, data in Europe. No credit card needed.
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