All comparisons
General scheduling

Dropinly vs Acuity Scheduling.

Acuity Scheduling (owned by Squarespace) is a flexible, widely-used appointment tool that serves many industries. Dropinly is built specifically for personal-care and wellness businesses — barbers, salons, spas, tattoo studios — with features like multi-chair staff scheduling, built-in waitlists, and commission tracking.

Check the growth model.

If Acuity Scheduling gives you marketplace discovery, price that reach honestly. If your demand already comes from your own brand, prioritize ownership.

Model the real bill.

Plan fees, staff seats, payment fees, messaging, marketplace fees, exports, deposits, and add-ons belong in one monthly model.

Verify the exit path.

Before switching, confirm import scope, export format, parallel running, cancellation rules, and who owns the client relationship.

Operational comparison

Compare the details that affect your shop.

Sourced from public competitor pages and help docs. Pricing and terms change, so verify the source links before buying.

Industry focus
Dropinly

Purpose-built for personal-care and wellness: commission/booth-rent financial modes, patch-test tracking, aftercare delivery.

Acuity Scheduling

General-purpose scheduling used across many industries — coaches, photographers, consultants, and salons alike.

Pricing
Dropinly

Flat monthly plan. 3-month free trial, no credit card required.

Acuity Scheduling

Three paid plans from $16/month (billed annually). No ongoing free tier. Trial available per their website.

Staff commission tracking
Dropinly

Per-staff financial modes: commission %, booth rent, W-2, hybrid. Built-in payout statement.

Acuity Scheduling

Multi-staff support on higher plans; no built-in commission or booth-rent financial computation.

Website builder integration
Dropinly

Standard embed link works on any site builder.

Acuity Scheduling

Deep native integration with Squarespace; works on other platforms via embed.

Waitlist with automatic cascade
Dropinly

Automatic slot-offer cascade: waitlisted clients are notified in order and offered a hold window.

Acuity Scheduling

Waitlist support is available on higher plans; no automatic offer cascade.

Data ownership
Dropinly

Free CSV and JSON export anytime. Month-to-month, no contract.

Acuity Scheduling

Client and appointment data exportable. No long-term contract per their public terms.

Why teams switch

The practical reasons to move.

See migration plan

Built for salons, not a general scheduler

Acuity is one of the most flexible scheduling tools available, but that generality means salon- and barber-specific features — commission splits, booth-rent financial modes, patch-test minimum wait periods, and automatic waitlist cascade — are absent or require workarounds. Dropinly covers these out of the box.

3-month free trial vs. paid-from-day-one

Acuity's plans start at $16/month (billed annually) with no ongoing free tier. Dropinly offers a 3-month free trial with no credit card required, so you can run a full booking season before any billing begins.

Commission and payout statements

If you run a multi-chair salon, tracking who earned what matters every pay period. Dropinly generates per-staff payout statements covering service revenue, tips, commission, and booth rent. Acuity does not include this capability.

When Acuity Scheduling may be better

No fake scoreboard.

Choose Acuity Scheduling if you are on Squarespace, need a highly flexible general-purpose scheduler, or want a tool with a long track record across many service types. Dropinly is the better fit for barbers, salons, tattoo studios, and wellness pros who want industry-specific features like commission splits, patch-test tracking, and built-in waitlist cascade.

Switch without chaos

Test Dropinly beside Acuity Scheduling.

Import services, staff, clients, forms, deposits, and booking history. Run both tools in parallel before you point customers to the new booking link.

FAQ

Common questions.

Is Acuity Scheduling good for barbers and salons?

Acuity works for scheduling appointments, but it is a general-purpose tool and lacks salon- and barber-specific features like commission splits, booth-rent financial tracking, patch-test reminders, and automatic waitlist cascade. Dropinly is purpose-built for personal-care businesses.

How does Dropinly pricing compare to Acuity?

Acuity's plans start at $16/month (billed annually) for solo use, scaling up for multiple staff. Dropinly is a flat monthly subscription with a 3-month free trial, no credit card required, and staff management included from the first plan.

Can I import from Acuity into Dropinly?

Yes. Export your client list from Acuity as a CSV and import it into Dropinly. Dropinly offers free migration support for businesses switching from Acuity.

Sources