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PandaCue vs Acuity Scheduling at a Glance
PandaCue is the premium operating system for salons, spas, and med-spas that want to book fuller books and keep clients coming back. See how it compares to Acuity Scheduling on retention, booking, and day-to-day operations.
PandaCue vs Acuity Scheduling
Great for
PandaCue
Teams and multi-location salons that want booking, payments, marketing and messaging in one place.
Acuity Scheduling
Solo professionals and small teams that want self-scheduling, payments, forms and reminders in one place.
Pricing and Value
PandaCue
Free $0, Studio $197, Empire $397 monthly. Up to 3 locations, unlimited staff, no commission.
Acuity Scheduling
Starter $20, Standard $34, Premium $69 monthly. Annual $16, $27, $55. Premium price unverified, re-check.
Top Features
PandaCue
Online booking, calendar, payments, CRM, unified inbox, forms, automations, marketing, gift cards, memberships and website builder.
Acuity Scheduling
Self-scheduling, payments, deposits, custom forms, packages, subscriptions, gift certificates and waitlist included.
Client Experience
PandaCue
Booking, payments, CRM, forms, memberships and every client conversation in one inbox, all in one place.
Acuity Scheduling
Unlimited services and appointments, automatic time-zone conversion, waitlist and client follow-ups on all plans.
Marketing and Automation
PandaCue
Marketing campaigns, automations and forms included on Studio, with 1,500 booking texts a month included.
Acuity Scheduling
Email-list sync with Mailchimp and Constant Contact, no marketing campaigns on the pricing page.
Payments and Sales
PandaCue
Payments with 0% markup stated, gift cards and memberships, with no commission on any booking.
Acuity Scheduling
Payments and deposits on all plans, via Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo.
Communication
PandaCue
One unified inbox for SMS, email, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and live chat.
Acuity Scheduling
Email confirmations, reminders and follow-ups on all plans, SMS reminders from Standard, no unified inbox.
Integrations and Growth
PandaCue
Website builder, forms, automations and free data migration on Studio. Studio $197 a month, up to 3 locations.
Acuity Scheduling
Two-way sync with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCloud, Zoom, Meet, Zapier and QuickBooks.
Bottom Line
PandaCue
Choose PandaCue for 2 or 3 locations, one inbox and no commission on any booking.
Acuity Scheduling
Choose Acuity for self-scheduling, forms, packages and payments at a low entry price.
Before PandaCue, we were jumping between different tools just to keep up with clients. Now our appointments, messages, payments, and follow-ups are all in one place. It’s made the day-to-day work much easier for our team.
Maya Thompson · Owner, Multi-Service Beauty Studio
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acuity Scheduling cheaper than PandaCue?
Acuity Starter starts at $20 a month for 1 calendar, $16 a month on annual billing, Standard is $34 a month and Premium is $69 a month. PandaCue Studio is $197 a month, and the difference is what is included. Studio covers up to 3 locations, unlimited staff, a unified inbox, website builder, forms and automations in one flat price, with no commission on any booking.
Does Acuity Scheduling charge per staff member or per location?
Acuity is priced per calendar, with 1 calendar on Starter, up to 6 on Standard and up to 36 on Premium, and one calendar covers one staff member or one location. PandaCue Studio and Empire include unlimited staff, and Studio covers up to 3 locations for $197 a month flat, so the price does not rise when you add staff or a second or third location.
Does Acuity Scheduling take a commission on bookings?
Acuity has no marketplace and charges no marketplace commission. PandaCue also charges no commission on any booking, because it has no marketplace, and it states 0% payment markup on Studio.
Does Acuity Scheduling have a free trial?
Yes, Acuity offers a 7-day trial on any plan with no credit card required. PandaCue shows no trial on its live pricing page, but its Free plan is $0 a month, so you can start with online booking, calendar, payments, CRM, unified inbox, forms, automations, marketing campaigns, gift cards, memberships and a website builder without paying anything.
Which one is better for multiple locations?
PandaCue Studio covers up to 3 locations for $197 a month flat, and Empire covers unlimited locations for $397 a month. That flat price is the plus point, the price does not rise when you add a second or third location. Acuity handles extra locations through extra calendars, with up to 36 calendars on Premium.
Does Acuity Scheduling have a free plan?
No, Acuity has no free plan. PandaCue Free is $0 a month with 1 location, 1 staff, 50 bookings a month and 200 clients.
Which software is better for marketing?
PandaCue includes marketing campaigns and automations on Studio. Acuity has no marketing campaigns on its pricing page, only email-list sync with Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
What add-ons does Acuity Scheduling offer?
No paid add-ons were listed on Acuity's official pricing page. A custom Enterprise option is mentioned by third parties, but it was not visible on the official pricing page, so it is unverified. PandaCue Studio has only two stackable extras, an extra phone number at $5 a month each and message credit top-ups.
Can I switch from Acuity Scheduling to PandaCue?
No free data migration offer from Acuity was found on its official pricing page. PandaCue Studio includes free data migration.
How many calendars do I need?
One calendar covers one staff member or one location, so a team of 6 needs Standard at $34 a month, and a team of 36 needs Premium. PandaCue Studio is $197 a month flat for unlimited staff and up to 3 locations.
Your entire salon, perfectly managed in one place
From online booking to payments and staff scheduling, get everything you need to run and grow your business with complete ease
