No free plan
Acuity has a 7-day trial and no free plan, so even a quiet month costs at least $16. Payly has no plan.
The free Acuity Scheduling alternative
Online booking without Acuity's monthly plan
Acuity starts at $16 a month billed yearly, or $20 billed monthly, and has no free plan. Payly takes bookings and payments through your own PayPal or Stripe account, with no plan to buy.
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Payly and Acuity Scheduling at a glance
$0
A month, with paid bookings
Acuity's plans start at $16 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly, after a 7-day trial. Payly has no plan.
$35.00
20 paid $50 bookings a month
That is Stripe's fee, the same on both. With Acuity's Starter plan added, the month comes to $51.00 to $55.00.
$192
Saved in a year
Acuity's Starter plan costs $192 a year billed yearly, or $240 billed monthly. Payly costs nothing.
Why businesses move from Acuity Scheduling
Acuity has more booking tools than Payly, such as deposits and packages. Every one of them comes with a monthly plan.
The same payments, minus the plan
Both send payments straight to your own PayPal or Stripe account, with no fee of their own. On Payly you skip the monthly plan.
Google Calendar and Meet included
Payly blocks your busy times in Google Calendar, adds each booking to it, and makes a Google Meet link for online services, at no cost.
More from the same dashboard
Payly also makes online stores, payment forms, event tickets and tip jars, all free, from the same account.
What you actually pay
Acuity's Starter plan against Payly, for 20 paid $50 bookings in a month, paid by card through Stripe.
| Cost | Payly$0/mo | Acuity SchedulingStarter plan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $0 | $16 billed yearly, $20 billed monthly |
| Fee of its own on each booking | None | None, Acuity says |
| Stripe's fees on 20 bookings of $50 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| A month of 20 paid $50 bookings, all fees | $35.00 | $51.00 billed yearly, $55.00 billed monthly |
20 bookings of $50 is $1,000 in sales. Stripe's fee is 2.9% + 30 cents for US cards, the same on both sides, and the business pays it. Acuity's Starter plan has 1 calendar. Standard is $27 or $34 a month, and Premium $55 or $69. Acuity Scheduling pricing as published November 2026.
What you get
- Several services on one page, each with its own length, price and link
- Free and paid services, with paid add-ons if you like
- Weekly hours, days off and different hours on any date
- Open times shown in each client's own time zone
- Minimum notice, how far ahead, gaps between bookings and a daily limit
- Group classes, with several people at the same time
- In person, by phone, your own video link or Google Meet
- Google Calendar: busy times blocked and bookings added
- Confirmation and reminder emails with Add to calendar links
- Clients cancel or pick a new time up to the cutoff you set
- A Bookings screen to see, cancel and refund bookings
- A link to share, and code to add your calendar to any website
How Calendar Bookings works in Payly
You set the services and hours. PayPal or Stripe collects each payment.
-
Create a booking page
In Your sites, click New and choose Calendar Bookings. Start from a template or from scratch.
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Add your services and hours
Give each service a length and a price, or make it free. Then set the hours you take bookings on each day of the week.
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Connect PayPal or Stripe, then publish
Your booking page runs on your own free Cloudflare account. Share its link, or add it to your own website.
Honest answers
Is Payly really free?
Yes. There is no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no paid tier. PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees on paid bookings, as they would on any platform. How can this possibly be free?
Is Acuity Scheduling free?
No. Acuity has a 7-day free trial and no free plan. Its plans are $16, $27 or $55 a month billed yearly, or $20, $34 or $69 billed monthly.
What does Acuity do that Payly does not?
Acuity takes deposits, charges a saved card later and accepts tips. Its Standard plan adds packages, memberships, gift certificates, a waitlist and text reminders. Payly's booking pages have none of these.
Can clients pay with PayPal?
Yes, on both. Acuity connects PayPal beside Stripe or Square. Payly connects PayPal, Stripe or both, and clients choose how to pay.
How do I move from Acuity to Payly?
Payly has no importer for Acuity. Make a booking page from a template, add your services and hours, then share the new link or add it to your website. Your past appointments stay in Acuity.
Thinking about another platform?
Take bookings without a monthly plan
Your calendar, your payment account, your clients. The only thing you pay is normal PayPal and Stripe processing fees.
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Acuity Scheduling is a trademark of its owner. Payly is not affiliated with or endorsed by Acuity Scheduling.