Switch from Acuity (Squarespace Scheduling)
Acuity is a good general scheduler. Booked is a specific one for shops.
Acuity (now Squarespace Scheduling) is a general-purpose scheduling tool used across coaching, consulting, and personal services. Shops that switch to Booked usually cite three reasons: a mobile-first booking page tuned for barbershop and salon flows, deposits that map cleanly to services, and a flat card-processing rate.
Concept mapping
| Acuity | Booked |
|---|---|
| Scheduling page | booked.co/<slug> |
| Appointment types | Services |
| Calendars (one per provider) | Staff (Pro) |
| Client list | Customers (Pro) |
| Group classes with capacity | Services with seats per session, plus a waitlist |
| Text reminders (add-on) | SMS add-on ($5 for 500, Pro) |
| Stripe/Square/PayPal processing | Booked Card Payments at 3.75% + 45¢ (Pro) |
Export from Acuity
Business Settings → Import/Export → Export Clients. Acuity also exports appointments; take that file too and import it as Past bookings at Dashboard → Import data, after your services and staff exist.
What Acuity does that Booked does not
- Intake forms with conditional logic. Booked has a notes field on a booking and nothing more.
- Packages and bundles sold inside the scheduler.
- A calendar that is not a shop. Acuity's model is one calendar per provider, which suits a consultant with three offerings. Booked's model is a shop with staff, services and opening hours, and it assumes those things exist.
If forms or packages matter to your shop, Acuity is a better fit. If they do not, Booked will feel simpler day to day — mostly because it has fewer things in it.
One processor note
Acuity lets you attach Stripe, Square or PayPal and pays you directly. Booked's Card Payments is one arrangement at one rate, settling to your bank on a 2-day rolling schedule. Simpler, and not adjustable.