A study suggests that executives spend about 40% of their time making decisions<\/a>, much of which happens in meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n However, manual appointment scheduling is highly inefficient, given the sheer volume of daily meetings. Imagine spending hours going back and forth to find a mutually convenient time for a meeting\u2014utter chaos!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where scheduling tools and calendar apps<\/a> like Calendly and Acuity Scheduling come in, simplifying the booking process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But which one\u2019s better? We pit the two scheduling tools against each other to find the winner. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n \ud83e\udde0 Fun Fact: <\/strong>Netflix has tackled ineffective meetings by limiting their duration to 30 minutes. As a result, the company reduced meetings by over 65%<\/a>, and more than 85% of employees supported the change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n Calendly is a leading appointment scheduling software that simplifies meeting coordination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Calendly syncs all your calendars\u2014personal and professional\u2014making it easy for others to see your availability and schedule meetings. You stay in control, avoiding double bookings. Its simple design works for individuals, and its features scale to meet the needs of large enterprises, including Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>\n\n\n Calendly\u2019s strength lies in its ability to fit into your workflow without a steep learning curve. Here\u2019s what it brings to the table:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calendly syncs with your Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Office 365 suite to keep everything organized in one place. It updates your availability across all linked calendars in real time, helping you avoid scheduling conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n You can customize your availability for different meeting types or teams\u2014from specifying working hours, adding buffers between meetings, and adjusting for location or time zone. Customizing availability ensures you book meetings only when available, making scheduling more manageable for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n Calendly integrates<\/a> with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other video conferencing tools to add meeting links to scheduled events automatically. This eliminates manual setup and ensures that meeting links are ready when a meeting is confirmed, making remote collaboration<\/a> more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n You can customize event types to fit your organization\u2019s needs by setting parameters like duration, location, and attendee requirements. You can create event types for one-on-ones, group sessions, or webinars. Add forms or questions to gather necessary information before the meeting, streamlining the scheduling process.<\/p>\n\n\n Calendly lets you generate a personalized link to share with clients and team members or post on your website. This link gives others direct access to your available time slots, eliminating back-and-forth emails. Anyone can easily book a meeting based on your availability, saving time and improving scheduling efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1Pro Tip: <\/strong>Add buffer times between meetings to prevent overlap and give yourself a breather. Non-stop meetings can drain your energy and cause you to miss essential details due to exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n Acuity Scheduling is an online appointment scheduling tool that goes beyond basic scheduling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It allows invitees to select available time slots and enables you to manage your availability. It also includes client database management, customizable intake forms, and invoicing. Acuity Scheduling simplifies booking and client interactions for small business owners like stylists, coaches, and therapists.<\/p>\n\n\n Acuity Scheduling combines scheduling with tools for managing clients, payments, and branding, making it ideal for appointment-based businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can easily control your availability by setting specific booking hours, hosting virtual appointments or classes, and blocking off personal time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acuity Scheduling allows clients to book based on their preferences, making scheduling flexible and efficient for one or multiple locations.<\/p>\n\n\n In-built automation features that handle appointment booking, reminders, and receipts help you save time. Clients can cancel or reschedule their appointments via online calendars<\/a> without your intervention. Meanwhile, automated workflows reduce no-shows and ensure a smoother scheduling experience.<\/p>\n\n\n Acuity Scheduling simplifies payments with integrations for Stripe, Square, and PayPal. It allows prepayments, tips, and deposits while storing credit cards to prevent no-shows. It also lets you create invoices and receipts and upsell services during checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n You can personalize the client experience with custom intake forms to gather relevant information before appointments. Use loyalty tools to encourage repeat bookings and offer packages, gift cards, or subscriptions that keep customers returning. These features help build stronger client relationships and drive long-term growth.<\/p>\n\n\n Integrations for social platforms like Instagram, Google, and Facebook allow clients to book appointments directly with Acuity Scheduling. The platform also integrates with third-party apps like Zapier, MailChimp, and Google Analytics to improve workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcee ClickUp Insight: <\/strong>37% of workers<\/a> send follow-up notes or meeting minutes to track action items, but 36% still rely on other, fragmented methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to research by ClickUp<\/a>, without a unified system for capturing decisions, key insights you need may get buried in communication channels like chats, emails, or spreadsheets. With ClickUp, you can turn meetings into tasks, right from ClickUp’s Calendar View. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also instantly turn conversations into actionable tasks across all your tasks, chats, and docs\u2014ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both tools cater to scheduling needs but focus on different strengths. Here\u2019s how they compare on key features:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Calendly? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendly:](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-583.png\")
Calendly features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Feature #1: Calendar integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendar](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-584.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #2: Availability settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendly](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-585.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #3: Video conferencing integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendly](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-586.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #4: Custom event types<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendly](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-587.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #5: Scheduling link sharing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Calendly](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-588.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nCalendly pricing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
What Is Acuity Scheduling? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Acuity](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-589.png\")
Acuity Scheduling features <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Feature #1: Customizable scheduling options<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Acuity](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-590.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #2: Automated appointment management<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Acuity](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-591.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #3: Secure payment integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Acuity](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-592-647x1400.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #4: Client engagement tools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Acuity](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-593.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFeature #5: Powerful integrations and accessibility<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Acuity Scheduling pricing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Calendly vs. Acuity Scheduling: Features Compared <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"ClickUp](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-594.png\")
![\"ClickUp](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/image-595.png\")