The short answer
GoHighLevel vs Acuity Scheduling comes down to what you need to run. Acuity Scheduling is the better fit for solo practitioners and small studios that want low-cost online booking, intake forms and payments without a marketing system. HighLevel is the better fit for service businesses that want booking tied to lead capture, texting, email follow-up and review requests in the same account. Acuity Scheduling's Starter plan is $16/mo billed annually, $20/mo billed monthly; HighLevel starts at $97 a month with usage billed on top.
Acuity Scheduling is an appointment booking tool from Squarespace, aimed at service providers such as therapists, coaches, trainers and salons who book clients by the hour. Clients choose a time online, fill in custom intake forms and can pay at booking through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Higher plans add text reminders, packages and memberships, more calendars, a HIPAA business associate agreement and an AI booking assistant. Acuity handles the booking step well but leaves pipelines, campaigns and two-way messaging to other software.
Independent comparison. We are a HighLevel affiliate, not HighLevel or Acuity Scheduling, and we do not speak for either company. Prices come from each vendor's own website, checked 2026-09-29.
At a glance
| Feature | HighLevel | Acuity Scheduling |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $97/mo (Starter) | $16/mo billed annually, $20/mo billed monthly (Starter) |
| Pricing model | Flat plan plus usage for texts, calls, email and AI | Acuity charges one flat monthly price per account, set mainly by how many calendars you need, with 20% off for annual billing and taxes added on top. |
| CRM and pipelines | Yes | Limited |
| Funnels | Yes | Not listed |
| Websites | Yes | Not listed |
| Email marketing | Yes | Not listed |
| Two-way texting | Yes | Limited |
| Calling | Yes | Not listed |
| AI voice agent | Yes, billed by use | Not listed |
| Review requests | Yes | Not listed |
| Courses and memberships | Yes | Not listed |
| White label for agencies | Yes, from Unlimited | Limited |
Acuity Scheduling pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $16/mo billed annually, $20/mo billed monthly | 1 calendar, email reminders, no text reminders |
| Standard | $27/mo billed annually, $34/mo billed monthly | Up to 6 calendars, text reminders, packages and memberships |
| Premium | $49/mo billed annually, $61/mo billed monthly | Up to 36 calendars, HIPAA BAA, AI booking assistant, hide branding |
Where Acuity Scheduling is stronger
Acuity Scheduling advantages
- Low entry price: Starter is $16 a month on annual billing.
- Intake forms, packages, subscriptions and gift certificates suit appointment-based service businesses.
- Premium includes a HIPAA business associate agreement at $49 a month, where HighLevel sells HIPAA as a $297 a month add-on.
- Takes payment at booking through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo.
Where Acuity Scheduling falls short
- Starter has no text reminders, and Acuity lists no two-way texting inbox on any plan.
- Calendars are capped by plan at 1, 6 or 36, while HighLevel has no user limit.
- No email campaigns, pipelines or landing pages, so lead follow-up needs another product.
- Hiding the Powered by branding requires Premium.
Where HighLevel is stronger
HighLevel puts CRM, funnels, websites, two-way texting, calling, review requests, courses and an AI phone agent in one login, and agencies can put their own brand on it from the Unlimited plan. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve and usage charges on top of the plan, which our cost calculator adds up. For the full picture read our GoHighLevel review.
Who should pick which
| Choose Acuity Scheduling | Solo practitioners and small studios that want low-cost online booking, intake forms and payments without a marketing system. |
|---|---|
| Choose HighLevel | Service businesses that want booking tied to lead capture, texting, email follow-up and review requests in the same account. |
Switching
Moving from Acuity to HighLevel is mostly setup work. Recreate each appointment type as a HighLevel calendar with the same durations and buffers, rebuild intake questions as a HighLevel form or survey, and reconnect your payment processor. Export the client list from Acuity and import it into HighLevel so existing clients keep getting reminders. If you rely on Acuity's HIPAA agreement, budget for HighLevel's HIPAA add-on before moving any health data.
Verdict
Acuity is the cheaper and simpler choice when booking is the whole job. Premium at $49 a month on annual billing gives up to 36 calendars, a HIPAA agreement and an AI booking assistant, which is hard to beat for a small practice. HighLevel costs more at $97 a month for Starter but adds the parts Acuity leaves out: a CRM with pipelines, email and SMS campaigns, missed-call text-back, review requests and websites. Pick Acuity if your calendar is already full and you only need admin help. Pick HighLevel if the real problem is getting new clients to book and then getting them back.
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