Acuity Scheduling vs Doodle

Acuity is a business-grade scheduling powerhouse built to scale with solo professionals and larger multi-location operations alike. It offers fully branded booking pages, embedded or standalone, with flexible appointment types, buffer and availability controls, time-zone detection, and the ability for clients to self-schedule, reschedule, or cancel—all automatically synced across platforms.

Its client-management tools include intake forms, profiles, automated email/SMS confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, and intake policies. Financial tools are robust, allowing for online or in-person payments (via Stripe, PayPal, Square), deposits, tipping, packages, subscriptions, gift certificates, and invoices—streamlining both bookings and billing.

Doodle is a veteran favorite in collaborative scheduling, widely trusted by individuals, businesses, and educational institutions across more than 200 countries and reaching tens of millions of users monthly. It thrives on simplicity: one person proposes multiple date-and-time options, shares a poll link, and participants indicate their availability—creating a clear visual grid that reveals the best fit effortlessly.

On paid plans, it becomes even more powerful with branded booking pages, “power settings” to control buffers, booking limits, minimum notice, and automated reminders to prevent no-shows. Doodle also integrates seamlessly with external tools like Zoom, Outlook, and Zapier, enhancing its behavior as a scheduling hub.