Your studio deserves software built for studios — not a general scheduling tool
Acuity Scheduling is great for booking appointments. But if you run group classes, you need waitlists, attendance tracking, and member management — features Acuity doesn't have. Here's why studios switch to Punchpass.
Punchpass vs Acuity Scheduling at a Glance
Punchpass
- ✓ Purpose-built for class-based studios
- ✓ Native waitlists, attendance tracking, member management
- ✓ Standing reservations for regulars
- ✓ 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- ✓ Bootstrapped, profitable, independently owned
- ✓ Regular product updates and new features
Acuity Scheduling
- ✕ Built for 1:1 appointments — classes are secondary
- ✕ No native waitlists, attendance tracking, or member management
- ✕ Group scheduling gated behind Growing plan ($34/mo)
- ✕ 7-day free trial only
- ✕ Acquired by Squarespace (2019), then PE firm Permira (2024)
- ✕ Users report stagnant development and removed features
Ratings from Capterra
Eight Reasons Studios Choose Punchpass Over Acuity Scheduling
Purpose-built for class-based studios, not general scheduling
Acuity Scheduling was designed for 1:1 appointments — salons, consultants, photographers. Group classes were added later as a secondary feature. Punchpass was built from day one for class-based fitness and wellness studios. That means your schedule, your clients, and your workflows all work the way a studio actually operates — not as an afterthought.
Native waitlists that manage themselves
When your most popular class fills up, Punchpass automatically manages a waitlist and notifies clients when a spot opens. Acuity has no native waitlist — their own help docs suggest creating a separate "waitlist calendar" and managing it manually. For busy studios, that's a dealbreaker.
Attendance tracking built in
Studios need to know who actually showed up, not just who booked. Punchpass tracks attendance as a core feature — it's fundamental to how the platform works. Acuity has no attendance tracking at all beyond marking a reservation as a no-show. If you've been managing this with spreadsheets or sticky notes alongside Acuity, Punchpass handles it natively.
Real member management, not just a contact list
In Punchpass, every client has a profile with their membership status, pass balance, attendance history, and activity. In Acuity, clients are essentially appointment records — there's no member management system designed for studios. If you want to see at a glance who's active, who's lapsing, and who needs attention, Punchpass gives you that.
Standing reservations for your regulars
Your Tuesday morning regulars shouldn't have to re-book every week. Punchpass's standing reservations automatically hold their spot in recurring classes — zero friction for your most loyal members. Acuity doesn't offer anything like this.
Better ease of use and support when you need it
On Capterra, Punchpass scores 4.8 for Ease of Use and 4.9 for Customer Service — compared to Acuity's 4.6 and 4.7, respectively. And unlike Acuity, which offers no phone support (email and limited weekday chat only), Punchpass provides responsive, personal support from people who understand how studios work.
No corporate acquisition chain
Acuity was acquired by Squarespace in 2019, which was then taken private by Permira (a PE firm) for $7.2B in 2024. Acuity's founder left in 2022. Users report features being removed, stagnant development, and Squarespace forums filled with requests for updates. Punchpass is bootstrapped, profitable, and independently owned — we answer to studios, not investors.
A class booking flow your clients will actually use
Acuity users have described buying class packages as a 17-step process where clients "lost the will to live." When your booking flow is that complex, clients give up. Punchpass keeps purchasing and booking simple — because every extra step costs you revenue.
Pricing: Punchpass vs Acuity Scheduling
Acuity's entry price is lower — but the comparison isn't apples to apples. Acuity is a scheduling tool; Punchpass is a studio management platform. Here's what you actually get at each price point.
| Punchpass | Acuity Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/mo (Willow) | $20/mo (Emerging) — 1 calendar, no group classes |
| Studio-ready plan | $59/mo — all studio features included | $34/mo (Growing) — adds group classes, packages, SMS |
| Waitlists | Native, automatic | Not available — manual workaround only |
| Attendance tracking | Built in | Not available |
| Member management | Full profiles, activity, history | Basic contact records only |
| Standing reservations | Yes — auto-books regulars | Not available |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 7 days |
| Added processing fees | None | None |
Scheduling software vs studio management — what's the difference?
Acuity is a scheduling tool — it helps people book appointments and classes. Punchpass is a studio management platform — it helps you run your entire class-based business. Here's why that distinction matters:
- • Scheduling tools only track bookings. Studio management tracks members — their passes, attendance, activity, and engagement over time. Scheduling tools handle everything before a class happens; studio management encompasses before and after — follow-up automations, class capacity reporting, individual class revenue reporting, and more.
- • Scheduling tools only let clients pick a time slot. Studio management handles waitlists, standing reservations, VIP access, and capacity management automatically.
- • Scheduling tools are only designed for generic, cross-industry use. Studio management is purpose-built for how fitness and wellness studios actually operate — class packs, memberships, drop-ins, and multi-class passes.
If you're using Acuity and finding yourself building workarounds — spreadsheets for attendance, manual waitlists, no way to see a client's full history — that's because you've outgrown a scheduling tool and need studio management.
Ready for software built for studios?
Try Punchpass for 14 days, on us. No credit card required.
Is Punchpass right for your studio?
Punchpass is a great fit if you...
- ✓ Run group classes as your core business — yoga, Pilates, fitness, dance, or martial arts
- ✓ Need waitlists, attendance tracking, and member management built in — not bolted on
- ✓ Want software designed for studio workflows, not adapted from a general scheduling tool
- ✓ Value responsive, personal support from people who understand studios
- ✓ Want a platform that's independently owned and actively developed
Acuity Scheduling may be better if you...
- • Run primarily 1:1 appointments (massage, personal training, consulting) with occasional group sessions
- • Need a broad integration ecosystem across payment, video, and email tools
- • Your website runs on Squarespace and you want native scheduling integration
- • Need HIPAA compliance for a health or medical practice
Switching is easier than you think
We've helped many studios migrate from Acuity Scheduling. The process is quick, painless, and completely free.
Start a free trial
Try Punchpass for 14 days alongside Acuity Scheduling. No credit card, no obligation.
We migrate your data
Send us your Acuity Scheduling exports and we'll upload your customers, passes, and memberships — usually within 24 hours.
You're up and running
Many studios launch while still in their trial. It's that straightforward.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Acuity Scheduling is a general-purpose appointment scheduling tool built for 1:1 bookings across dozens of industries — salons, consultants, photographers, and more. Group classes were added later as a secondary feature.
Punchpass is a studio management platform built specifically for class-based fitness and wellness studios. It includes native waitlists, attendance tracking, member management, standing reservations, and VIP access — none of which Acuity offers. If you run group classes as your core business, Punchpass was designed for exactly how you work.
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Acuity's Growing plan ($27–34/mo) is cheaper on paper than Punchpass ($59/mo). But Acuity's pricing doesn't include the studio-specific features that Punchpass bundles into every plan: waitlists, attendance tracking, member management, standing reservations, and VIP access.
Studios that choose Acuity often end up building manual workarounds for these gaps — spreadsheets for attendance, separate calendars for waitlists, no way to track member activity. The real cost isn't the monthly fee; it's the time you spend compensating for what's missing.
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Acuity has 5,700+ Capterra reviews because it serves hundreds of thousands of businesses across every industry. But review volume reflects market size, not product quality for your specific use case.
On the metrics that matter for studios — Ease of Use (Punchpass 4.8 vs Acuity 4.6), Customer Service (Punchpass 4.9 vs Acuity 4.7), and Value for Money (Punchpass 4.8 vs Acuity 4.7) — Punchpass outperforms. And Acuity's Trustpilot rating is 1.4/5 (74 reviews), revealing significant dissatisfaction that doesn't show up on Capterra.
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Punchpass is month to month. No contracts, no commitments. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime — and you won't be billed again once your current month ends. Acuity also offers monthly billing, but with a 7-day free trial compared to Punchpass's 14 days.
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Absolutely. Start a free 14-day trial — no credit card required. You can run Punchpass alongside Acuity to see how it works before making any changes.
Many studios get fully set up during the trial period. You can add classes, test client bookings, explore the reporting, and see how waitlists and attendance tracking work before you commit.
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We've helped many studios migrate and we make it as painless as possible. We can upload your customer data for you — and we don't charge for data migration.
We'll help you transfer customer information, active passes, and memberships. Most studios are up and running quickly, often while still in the free trial.
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Yes. Punchpass has deep, native Zoom integration for running virtual or hybrid classes directly from your schedule. Acuity also integrates with Zoom (plus Google Meet and GoToMeeting), so both platforms handle virtual classes — though Punchpass's implementation is designed specifically for class-based studio workflows.
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If the majority of your revenue comes from group classes with some 1:1 sessions, Punchpass is the better choice — it handles classes natively with all the studio features you need, and you can schedule individual sessions too.
If you run private sessions — especially where they're booked in-person after the last session or via text — Punchpass works great for that. We have a lot of personal trainers who use Punchpass for exactly this reason. You don't need Acuity's self-service scheduling flow when your clients are booking directly with you. Where Acuity has the edge is if your business depends on clients finding open slots and booking themselves entirely online — that's the specific workflow Acuity was designed for.
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Squarespace acquired Acuity in 2019, and was itself taken private by Permira (a PE firm) for $7.2B in 2024. Acuity's original founder left in 2022.
Users have reported features being removed post-acquisition, forced re-logins after the Squarespace account migration, and stagnant development. Whether this matters to you depends on how much you value long-term platform stability. Punchpass is independently owned with no investors or acquisition risk.
See how Punchpass can work for your studio
