Calendly vs Acuity vs SavvyCal: Best Scheduling App for Childcare Businesses
Parents need easy ways to book childcare. Wasting time on texts or emails for babysitting gigs, daycare tours, or nanny interviews loses potential clients. A scheduling app lets parents book instantly, saving you time and filling your slots. We'll compare Calendly (simple booking), Acuity (for complex bookings with payments and forms), and SavvyCal (for an easy booking experience for parents or nannies).
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Quick Answer
Calendly Free works for quick calls like initial parent interviews or booking a single babysitting slot. Acuity Scheduling is best for home daycares or nanny agencies needing parent intake forms (allergies, emergency contacts), collecting deposits for weekly care, or selling packages of hours. SavvyCal makes booking easy for busy parents or nannies you're interviewing, showing both calendars clearly.
How They Compare
Calendly's free plan lets you schedule one type of booking, like a '30-min Meet & Greet' for new families. The $10/month Standard plan adds unlimited booking types (e.g., 'Hourly Babysitting,' 'Daycare Tour,' 'Nanny Interview') and automatic parent reminders. Acuity costs $16/month and is built for collecting payments (deposits for daycare, full babysitting fees) and critical parent forms (medical info, permission slips). SavvyCal, at $12/month, helps busy parents or nannies find a time fast by showing your available slots right next to their own calendar.
When to Choose Calendly
Pick Calendly if you mainly need to schedule initial phone calls with interested parents, meet-and-greets, or single babysitting jobs. Parents know Calendly links, making them more likely to click and book. The free version works well for one type of booking, like '15-min Parent Chat.' Upgrade to the $10/month Standard plan when you need separate booking types for different services (e.g., 'Nanny Interview,' 'Childcare Tour') or want automated text/email reminders to cut down on missed appointments for playdates or trial sessions.
When to Choose Acuity
Acuity Scheduling (part of Squarespace) is ideal for home daycares or nanny agencies that need parents to book, pay a deposit or full fee, and complete important intake forms (like allergy lists, emergency contacts, pickup authorizations) all at once. For example, a home daycare can have parents book weekly slots and pay a deposit immediately. Nanny agencies can use it for screening interviews with nannies and collecting application fees. Its payment system is stronger than Calendly's, and selling packages (e.g., 10 hours of babysitting) is built-in. If your business website is on Squarespace, Acuity integrates easily.
When to Choose SavvyCal
SavvyCal offers the smoothest booking experience for busy parents or nannies you want to interview. Its unique feature shows your available times right alongside their own calendar, making it super fast for them to find a shared slot. If you're a nanny agency coordinating many interviews, or a high-demand babysitter trying to schedule with several families, the $12/month for SavvyCal is worth it to make booking easy and keep parents or potential nannies happy.
The Verdict
For basic booking of one-on-one calls or simple babysitting gigs, start with Calendly Free. If your childcare business needs to collect payments (deposits, weekly fees) and gather critical parent forms (health info, emergency contacts), upgrade to Acuity ($16/month). If you frequently schedule with busy parents or nannies for interviews and want the easiest possible booking experience for them, try SavvyCal ($12/month). All three offer free trials to test them out.
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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