Calendly vs Acuity vs SavvyCal: Best Appointment Scheduling for Cleaning Businesses
Wasting time on back-and-forth emails to book a cleaning job means lost income for your cleaning business. A smart scheduling tool turns that lost time into direct client bookings. Calendly is the industry standard for simple calls, Acuity Scheduling is built for service businesses needing detailed intake and payment, and SavvyCal aims for a smoother experience when you're the one asking for a meeting with high-value prospects or partners.
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Quick Answer
Use Calendly Free if your cleaning business mainly needs to schedule quick phone consultations with potential clients or interview new cleaning staff. Choose Acuity Scheduling if you're selling residential cleans, Airbnb turnovers, or commercial cleaning services, as it handles booking, specific service details via intake forms, recurring appointments, and payment collection. Opt for SavvyCal if you frequently schedule meetings with commercial property managers or high-level partners, where a collaborative and friction-free booking experience is crucial.
How They Compare
Calendly's free plan offers one event type and one calendar integration – enough for a '15-minute cleaning consultation' call. The Standard plan at $10/month unlocks unlimited meeting types and reminders, which can help reduce no-shows for client walkthroughs. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and is powerful for cleaning businesses, including online booking, payment collection via Stripe or PayPal (crucial for deposits or full service payments), detailed intake forms (e.g., 'What size is your home?', 'Any pets?', 'Special cleaning requests?'), and features for selling cleaning packages or subscriptions. SavvyCal starts at $12/month, offering overlay scheduling where clients see your availability alongside their own calendar, unlimited meeting types, and a polling feature for group scheduling, which is useful for coordinating with multiple stakeholders for commercial contracts.
When to Choose Calendly
Calendly is the right choice when your primary need is to book initial phone calls or virtual walkthroughs with potential clients, or when interviewing new team members. Its free tier reliably handles one-on-one calls. Clients are more likely to recognize and trust a Calendly link, which can reduce hesitation in booking. Upgrade to the Standard plan if you need to offer multiple types of consultation calls (e.g., 'Residential Quote Call,' 'Commercial Site Visit Prep Call') or want automated SMS reminders for these pre-service meetings to minimize missed appointments.
When to Choose Acuity
Acuity Scheduling (part of Squarespace) is the best fit for most cleaning businesses where clients need to book a specific service, provide details, and pay upfront or leave a deposit. This is ideal for booking 'Standard Residential Clean (3-bed, 2-bath)', 'Airbnb Turnover Service', or 'Weekly Office Cleaning'. Its robust features allow you to: collect critical information like square footage, number of bathrooms, specific cleaning instructions, gate codes, or if they have pets, through customizable intake forms; manage recurring service subscriptions; offer cleaning packages like 'Move-in/Move-out Deep Clean' or 'Post-Construction Cleanup'; and integrate seamlessly with Stripe or PayPal for deposits or full payments. If your business needs clients to self-book specific cleaning jobs with all necessary details and payment, Acuity is your top choice.
When to Choose SavvyCal
SavvyCal shines when the experience for the person you're asking to book is paramount. For a cleaning business, this means scheduling meetings with high-value commercial clients, property management companies overseeing multiple Airbnb units, or potential business partners. Its overlay feature shows your availability and the invitee's calendar side-by-side, making it genuinely easier for them to find a mutual time, which is key when coordinating with busy professionals. If your business development relies on smooth, impressive scheduling with decision-makers, SavvyCal's $12/month cost is a worthwhile investment for the professional impression it creates and the friction it removes.
The Verdict
For a new cleaning business, start with Calendly Free for simple phone consultations and internal meetings. As you grow and start booking actual cleaning jobs, move to Acuity ($16/month) — it's purpose-built for service businesses, handling detailed intake forms, recurring bookings, and critical payment collection for residential, Airbnb, and commercial cleaning services. If you regularly schedule with senior commercial clients or partners and want to provide the smoothest, most thoughtful booking experience, consider SavvyCal ($12/month). All three offer free trials, so you can test which best fits your cleaning business operations.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Calendly
Free 1-event-type plan, Standard from $10/month
Acuity Scheduling
Service business scheduling with payments, from $16/month
SavvyCal
Overlay scheduling, best invitee experience, from $12/month
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Calendly free?
Yes. Calendly's free plan supports one event type and one calendar integration with unlimited bookings. It is sufficient for founders who need to schedule one type of meeting (e.g., a 30-minute discovery call).
Can Calendly collect payments?
Yes, Calendly supports Stripe and PayPal payment collection on the Standard plan and above. For more advanced payment features (packages, subscriptions, deposits), Acuity Scheduling is a better fit.
What is the best scheduling tool for a solo consultant?
Calendly Standard ($10/month) covers most solo consultant use cases: multiple meeting types, automated reminders, Zoom/Google Meet integration, and basic payment collection. If you sell session packages, upgrade to Acuity Scheduling.
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