Comparison · As of June 2026
Eclipse Scheduler vs Calendly, Square Appointments & Acuity
Calendly is built for scheduling meetings. Square is built for businesses on Square POS. Acuity is a general-purpose scheduler. Eclipse Scheduler is built for service businesses that take appointments, collect deposits, and need no-show fees to protect their time.
Here's an honest look at how they compare — with pricing verified as of June 2026.
Why the tool you pick matters
Every scheduling tool on this list will give you a booking link. The differences are in the details: Can you collect a deposit before the client walks through the door? Can you charge a no-show fee if they don't? Are you locked into a specific payment processor? How does pricing scale if you add a second provider?
For a salon owner, a personal trainer, or a mobile service provider, those questions are the whole ballgame. Calendly was designed for corporate meeting scheduling — it doesn't have a service menu and doesn't include native deposit collection because those features aren't relevant to its core user. That's not a knock — it's just a different product for a different problem.
Eclipse Scheduler was built from the ground up for appointment-based service businesses in markets like DFW. The features it has are the ones that matter to a barber, a lash tech, or a mobile groomer — not a sales team.
Side-by-side comparison
Pricing verified June 2026
| Feature | Eclipse Scheduler | Calendly | Square Appts | Acuity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — Starter plan includes a real booking page, email confirmations, and 1 service type | Yes — 1 event type, 1 calendar connection | Yes — 1 location | No — 7-day trial only |
| Paid pricing | $19/mo (Standard) · $35/mo (Growth) — flat per business | $10/seat/mo (Standard) · $16/seat/mo (Teams) — billed annually, per seat | $49/mo (Plus) · $149/mo (Premium) — per location | $16/mo (Emerging) · $27/mo (Growing) · $49/mo (Powerhouse) — per account |
| Pricing model | Flat per business | Per seat | Per location | Per account (tiered) |
| Built for | Service appointments — salons, barbershops, trainers, mobile providers | Meeting and sales call scheduling | Businesses already using Square POS hardware | General service scheduling |
| Payments & deposits | Yes — via your own Stripe account (Stripe Connect). Eclipse adds a 2% platform fee on Standard, 1% on Growth, on top of Stripe's standard processing rate | Stripe/PayPal on paid plans | Square processing only (2.6%–3.5%+ per transaction) | Stripe, Square, or PayPal |
| No-show fees | Yes | Limited | Higher tiers only | Yes |
| Service menu | Yes | No — uses event types, not a service menu | Yes | Yes |
| Native owner mobile app | Yes (iOS) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SMS reminders | Yes | Add-on / limited | Paid tiers | Growing plan and above |
| Support | Local DFW founder — direct, personal support | Help center / ticket | Help center / ticket | Help center / ticket |
Where each tool actually shines
These tools are not interchangeable — each was built with a specific kind of business in mind.
Calendly
Best for teams scheduling meetings
If you run a sales team, recruiting operation, or any organization where the main scheduling task is getting people onto calls or into Zoom rooms, Calendly is excellent. It integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, and most enterprise conferencing tools. Per-seat pricing makes sense at that scale.
Square Appointments
Best for businesses already on Square POS
Square Appointments is a natural extension if you already use Square hardware for in-person payments — the appointments, inventory, and payment history all live in one place. The trade-off is processor lock-in: all payments go through Square at their rates, and switching away means migrating your entire stack.
Acuity Scheduling
Best for Squarespace users and general service scheduling
Acuity (now part of Squarespace) integrates cleanly into Squarespace websites and works well for general-purpose appointment scheduling. It supports multiple payment processors and has no-show fee capabilities. The per-account tiered pricing is predictable for solo operators.
Eclipse Scheduler
Best for local service businesses that book appointments
Salons, barbershops, lash studios, personal trainers, mobile groomers, tattoo artists — businesses where the appointment itself is the product. Eclipse gives you a branded booking page, Stripe payments and deposits via your own account, no-show fees, SMS reminders, and a native iOS app to manage everything between clients. Flat pricing means your cost doesn't grow when you add a second provider.
What sets Eclipse apart
Flat pricing — no per-seat math
Standard is $19/month. Growth is $35/month. Those prices cover your whole business — not one seat. Calendly charges per user on paid plans, so a two-person team on their Standard tier runs $20/month before you've unlocked any service-business features. Growth at $35/month gives you multiple team sign-ons, unlimited services, and advanced analytics with no per-user math.
Bring your own Stripe — no processor lock-in
Eclipse connects to your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect. Your payouts go directly to your bank. You own the relationship. Eclipse adds a 2% platform fee on Standard or 1% on Growth on top of Stripe's standard card processing rate — that's transparent and disclosed upfront. Square Appointments locks you into Square's processing at rates ranging from 2.6% to over 3.5% depending on the transaction type, with no option to use a different processor.
A real free tier
The Starter plan is free indefinitely — not a trial. You get a real client-facing booking page, email confirmations, and one service type. Acuity has no free plan at all, only a 7-day trial. Every new Eclipse account also gets a 14-day Standard trial so you can test payments and reminders before committing to a paid plan.
Deposits and no-show fees built in
Collecting a deposit before a client books is the single most effective way to reduce no-shows. Eclipse makes this a first-class feature on paid plans — clients pay (or put down a deposit) when they book, not after. No-show fee policies are set up once and enforced automatically. This is why service businesses choose Eclipse over general scheduling tools.
Native iOS app and local human support
Eclipse Scheduler has a native iOS app for managing your calendar, viewing bookings, and updating your schedule on the go — available on every plan. And when something goes wrong, you're not opening a ticket into a help center queue. Eclipse is run out of Frisco, Texas; support comes from the founder directly.
Serving salons and barbershops across DFW? See the salons page or barbershops page for more detail on how Eclipse fits those businesses.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eclipse Scheduler a good Calendly alternative for service businesses?+
Yes — if you run a service business that takes appointments. Calendly was built for meeting and sales call scheduling. Eclipse Scheduler was built for the kind of business that books haircuts, fitness sessions, or spa appointments: it has a service menu, collects deposits via Stripe, sends reminders, and charges no-show fees. If those are the things you need, Eclipse fits the job better than Calendly does.
Can I take deposits and charge no-show fees with Eclipse Scheduler?+
Yes. Standard and Growth plans let you collect a deposit or full payment at the time of booking through Stripe. You can also set up no-show fees — clients are aware of the policy before they book, which significantly reduces missed appointments. Eclipse adds a 2% platform fee on Standard and 1% on Growth, on top of Stripe's standard card processing rate.
Do I have to use a specific payment processor with Eclipse Scheduler?+
No. Eclipse Scheduler connects to your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect. You own your Stripe relationship, your payouts go directly to you, and you are not locked into a proprietary processor. Square Appointments, by contrast, requires Square processing for in-app payments.
Is there a free plan on Eclipse Scheduler?+
Yes. The Starter plan is free forever and includes a real client-facing booking page, email confirmations, and one service type. Every new account also gets a 14-day Standard trial at no charge — no credit card required.
Is there an iPhone app for managing bookings?+
Yes. Eclipse Scheduler has a native iOS app for business owners, available on the App Store. You can manage your schedule, view incoming bookings, and update availability from your phone.
Built for service businesses. Free to start.
14-day Standard trial on every new account — no credit card required.
Stays free on the Starter plan after that.
Pricing verified June 2026. Calendly pricing · Square Appointments pricing · Acuity Scheduling pricing