The Complete Review of Calendly, Acuity & TidyCal: Which Scheduler Should Coaches Use?

Here’s a full review of Calendly, Acuity Scheduling and TidyCal — three of the most popular scheduling tools coaches often choose — to help you decide which scheduler best matches your needs in 2026.

📅 The Need for a Reliable Scheduler in Coaching

Coaches manage many meetings — discovery calls, coaching sessions, follow-ups, group calls — often across time zones. A good scheduler helps you:

• Avoid back-and-forth emails for booking
• Prevent double-booking/overscheduling
• Allow clients to self-book at convenient times
• Automate reminders, payments, and bookings
• Scale booking processes as your business grows

Not all schedulers are equal. The right choice depends on your volume of clients, whether you take payments, need integrations, and want simplicity or advanced features.

1. Calendly — The Widely Adaptable Standard

✅ Strengths

• Very easy to set up and user-friendly for both coach and clients. Calendly.com+1
• Handles individual & group bookings, round-robin/team scheduling, time-zone detection, calendar-sync (Google, Outlook, etc.). Calendly.com+1
• Strong integrations: video-meeting tools, payment tools, CRMs, automations — useful if you run a business with many moving parts. Calendly.com+1
• Mobile app + browser extensions make it convenient to manage bookings on the go. Calendly.com+1

⚠️ Limitations & What to Know

• Free plan is very basic (often just one event type), which can be limiting if you offer multiple session types. Jessica Dornieden & CO.+1
• Paid plans can add up, especially for teams or if you need advanced automation and integrations.
• For simpler coaching needs, may feel like overkill.

🎯 Best For

• Coaches with medium to high volume of clients.
• Coaches needing team/assistant involvement, or integrations with CRM/payment/video tools.
• Coaches offering varied services (e.g. discovery calls, coaching sessions, group calls, etc.).

2. Acuity Scheduling — For Coaches Wanting Booking + Payment + Client Management

✅ Strengths

• More than a “just-scheduler”: supports booking, payment processing, package/deposit payments, memberships, recurring appointments — good for coaches who also sell services. Koalendar+1
• Client intake forms, custom scheduling logic, and better control over session types and bookings. Calendly.com+1
• Well-suited for service-based practices — e.g. wellness coaching, therapy, consulting — where clients may pay per session or package. savvycal.com+1

⚠️ Considerations

• No reliable free plan (unlike Calendly and TidyCal); you pay for flexibility. Koalendar+1
• Slightly more complex setup compared to minimalist schedulers — more features means more configuration.
• For very simple coaching (few clients, no payments), may feel too heavy.

🎯 Best For

• Coaches offering paid sessions, packages, deposits or subscription-style services.
• Wellness, therapy, nutrition, health coaching — where intake forms, payment handling, and session management are essential.
• Coaches wanting a full-featured booking + payment + client-management system.

3. TidyCal — Cost-Effective, Simple & Lightweight Scheduler

✅ Strengths

• Very affordable: lifetime one-time payment (instead of recurring subscription), which can be a big win for solo coaches or solopreneurs. help.tidycal.com+1
• Covers essential scheduling needs: calendar sync, booking links, appointment types, basic booking pages. help.tidycal.com+1
• Simple to set up and use — minimal features means minimal learning curve, less tech overhead. coachilly.com+1
• Great for coaches who want “just scheduling” without paying recurring fees.

⚠️ Trade-offs

• Limited integrations compared to Calendly and Acuity. help.tidycal.com+1
• Lacks advanced automation, team scheduling features, and some payment/CRM connectivity. help.tidycal.com+1
• Not ideal if your business scales or requires complex scheduling/workflows.

🎯 Best For

• Solo coaches, freelancers, or new coaches starting out.
• Coaches who want a budget-friendly, no-frills scheduler.
• Those offering simple 1:1 sessions, with low volume and minimal need for integrations.

🔄 How They Compare — Quick Breakdown

✅ My Recommendation for Coaches in 2026

• If you’re a solo coach with a small client base and want a simple, cheap scheduler — start with TidyCal.
• If you expect moderate growth, multiple session types, and want scheduling that scales — Calendly is the balanced, flexible choice.
• If you offer paid services, packages, subscriptions, or want integrated payments & client management — go for Acuity Scheduling.

Many coaches begin with TidyCal or Calendly, then move to Acuity as their business expands and they need more robust features.