Find answers to typical questions asked about our appointment-booking tool.
This guide answers common questions about getting started with Acuity Scheduling, including how to customize your schedule and how clients book appointments with you.
Tip: Register for our Acuity Scheduling webinar series where we'll teach you how to use Acuity. The Fundamentals webinar is ideal if you’re new to Acuity. The Next Steps webinar includes topics like customizing a scheduler and appointment notifications, using multiple staff members, syncing third-party calendars, and more.
What is Acuity?
Acuity is an online appointment-booking tool. To learn more, visit Getting started with Acuity Scheduling.
If you get started and decide you want more hands-on help setting up Acuity Scheduling, you can hire a vetted expert.
What types of businesses can use Acuity?
Acuity is great for any business that needs clients to book appointments for services in advance. Businesses including yoga studios, massage therapists, acupuncture, life coaches, photographers, hair and nail salons use Acuity with great success.
Acuity isn't a great fit for businesses that want to book appointments that last more than a day, like car rentals, vacation rentals, or hotels.
Do I need special software to use Acuity?
Everything is web-based, so all you need is an internet connection and a web browser. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. We also have a completely optional mobile app, which is great for managing Acuity once you've set up your account. Clients can use any type of device, including smartphones and tablets, to book with you.
Can I try Acuity before committing?
Absolutely. We recommend anyone considering Acuity to start a free trial. It's the best way to get a feel for the benefits of Acuity. To learn more, visit Starting an Acuity trial.
What happens when my trial ends?
When your Acuity trial is almost over, upgrade messages will appear in the app. To continue using Acuity after your trial ends, you can purchase a paid plan. You won't be charged unless you choose a paid subscription.
If you don't select a plan, your Acuity subscription will be canceled. Everything you've done will be saved, but you'll need to purchase a plan for clients to continue booking appointments.
To learn more, visit Starting an Acuity trial.
Is Acuity available in languages other than English?
Yes. Your client scheduling page (and embedded schedulers) can display in one of the following languages:
- Brazilian Portuguese
- English
- French
- German
- Italian
- Spanish
To learn more, visit Translate your scheduler.
Can I use Acuity for classes?
Yes. You can offer classes and group events, and multiple people can book an appointment for a specific time. To learn more, visit Creating and editing appointment types.
Can I sell memberships or offer discounts?
Yes. In Acuity, you can sell packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions. Clients buy a code, then redeem that code to book appointments. To lean more, visit Packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions. These are separate from gift cards and subscriptions in Squarespace Commerce.
Where do clients book with me?
There are a few ways to book appointments through Acuity:
- Add a scheduler to your Squarespace site using the scheduling block.
- Send clients a link to your standalone scheduling page.
- Embed a scheduler in a website from another provider.
You can also book appointments for clients from the Calendar panel in your Acuity account.
How do I ask clients questions when they book?
To collect more information from clients when they book, create intake forms and agreements.
Can I collect payment through Acuity?
Yes. You can use PayPal, Stripe, or Square to accept payments from clients. These payment processors are separate from any other payment processors you use in Squarespace. To learn more, visit Connecting payment processors to Acuity.
Does Acuity send email and text notifications?
Yes. Acuity can send email and text messages to remind clients of upcoming appointments. It can also send emails confirming appointment booking, following up after appointments, and more. You can decide if Acuity sends you notifications. To learn more about notifications, visit Email notifications for Acuity Scheduling clients and Sending appointment reminders via text.
Can I connect Acuity to my personal calendar?
Yes. Acuity can sync with Google, iCloud, and online Outlook calendars. To learn more, visit Syncing with third-party calendars.
Can I use Acuity for Protected Health Information (as defined under HIPAA)?
Yes. On the Powerhouse plan, you can enter into a Business Associate Addendum (BAA) to make your Acuity account HIPAA-enabled.
To learn more, visit Acuity Scheduling and HIPAA.
Can I import data from another online booking service?
Yes, you can import clients and appointments. To learn more, visit Importing appointments and clients to Acuity.
Is Acuity offered as a private label product?
Acuity isn’t available as a private label product for resale.
On the Powerhouse plan, you can remove the “Powered by Acuity Scheduling” link from your scheduler in the Scheduling page options panel. Email notifications are sent from scheduling@acuityscheduling.com or scheduling@squarespacescheduling.com.
How many calendars do I need?
Each calendar is a set of times that clients can book with you. Some businesses have one set of hours and can use one calendar. Many businesses use a calendar for each employee, while others use one for each location. (And some people use them for other things, like one per room or per stylist chair.) If you're not sure how many you need, contact us and we'll help you find a solution.
Do you offer an enterprise solution?
We do. If you need more than 36 calendars, want support from a dedicated account manager, or have other special concerns, contact us about our Enterprise Plan.
How do I edit a booked appointment?
To learn how to change a client's existing appointment, visit Booking appointments for clients with Acuity.
Clients can also reschedule their own appointments by clicking Change/Cancel Appointment in their confirmation emails.
Can I offer a loyalty or reward program with Acuity?
Acuity doesn’t include a built-in loyalty or reward program, but there are features you can use to reward loyal customers. Consider creating an appointment package that offers a free session when clients commit to buy in bulk. For example, you could offer five appointments for the price of four. Or create a coupon good for 100% off of one appointment and distribute it to clients who’ve been booking with you the most consistently.
Will Acuity sales data show up in Squarespace analytics?
No. Acuity has its own reports separate from analytics. To learn more, visit Generating reports in Acuity.
Can I attach an existing Acuity subscription to a different site?
Each Acuity subscription is unique to one website. You can add a new Acuity subscription to a website, or create a new website starting from an Acuity subscription that isn't already attached to a website.
It's not possible to transfer Acuity subscriptions and settings between websites. It's also not possible to attach a standalone Acuity subscription to an existing website.
To embed your scheduler in a site your Acuity subscription isn't attached to, use a scheduling block.
Can I hand over Acuity to someone else?
If you signed up for Acuity without an attached Squarespace website, you can transfer the subscription to another user who already has permissions. To learn how, visit Changing Acuity ownership.
Is Acuity different than Squarespace Scheduling?
Acuity was acquired by Squarespace in 2019. For several years, we offered Squarespace Scheduling, a rebranded version of Acuity for new customers using Squarespace accounts. At the same time, we continued to support our many loyal customers through the Acuity brand.
Now, we’re uniting the scheduling experience under the Acuity name for everyone. If you’ve been using Squarespace Scheduling, you’ll find everything works the same, even if the name is different. To learn more, visit What is Acuity Scheduling?