Is Sway a replacement for Acuity?

For a UK salon or studio that wants online booking, deposits, and staff calendars, yes. If your site and payments already live in Squarespace, Acuity may be the smaller change.

Do I need a Squarespace website to use Sway?

No. Sway gives you a booking page on Free. Embedding that booking form on your own website is an Individual feature.

Can I switch from Acuity to Sway?

Yes. Recreate your services and hours, point your booking links at Sway, and leave Acuity live until clients are using the new page.

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Guides · Comparisons

Sway vs Acuity Scheduling for UK service businesses

Compare Sway and Acuity Scheduling for UK appointment businesses: free start versus paid scheduling, service calendars, and Squarespace.

Published 2 October 2026

Shop counter where clients book appointments

Key facts

What Sway is: Sway is UK appointment booking and calendar software for service businesses such as salons, barbers, beauty, wellness, and fitness.
Free plan: The Free plan is free forever and does not need a credit card. It includes 1 staff member, up to 10 services, up to 50 bookings per month, 1 location, a public booking page, deposits, and optional online card payments.
Not included on Free: Individual adds: No service cap; Unlimited bookings; Embed booking on your website; Calendar subscription (Google, Apple, Outlook); Custom branding; Up to 5 booking locations; Gift vouchers, passes & memberships; Promo discount codes; Loyalty rewards; Automated appointment reminder emails; Priority support; Customer tags & email campaigns. Team adds: 2 staff members included (extra seats from £7/mo each); Staff calendars; Per-staff calendar subscription links; Roles and permissions; Team analytics.
Fees: There is no monthly subscription on Free. Sway charges a 2.4% platform fee only when you take online card payments, on top of Stripe's typical standard UK card fees (~1.5% + 20p*). *Standard UK cards. Premium and corporate cards cost more. Pay-at-venue bookings have no Sway platform fee. Individual's platform fee is 0.5% and Team's is 0.35%.
Paid plans: Individual starts at £14.99/mo and Team at £19.99/mo. Cancel anytime. No marketplace commission on new bookings.

At a glance

Acuity Scheduling is paid appointment software, often chosen by businesses already on Squarespace. Sway lets a new UK business open a booking page on a free forever plan and pay monthly only after the diary needs more.

Sway is best for

New UK businesses that want appointments online before a monthly software bill
Salons and studios that want deposits without a Squarespace site
Owners who may never need a website, only a booking link

Acuity is best for

Businesses already paying for Squarespace who want scheduling in that account
Owners who want Acuity's intake forms and are ready to pay for scheduling

Watch out for

Acuity is not a free forever booking calendar — budget the subscription
Sway's website embed is on Individual and above, not on Free
Confirm Acuity's current UK price on their site before you compare totals

Pricing verified October 2026. Acuity Scheduling pricing

Why people compare Sway and Acuity

Acuity Scheduling is established appointment software for classes, salons, and consultants, and it sits inside Squarespace. Sway is appointment booking for UK service businesses, with a free plan for people who are just opening.

They overlap once you are paying for a service calendar. They do not overlap at the very start, because Acuity is a paid product.

Starting without a monthly fee

Sway Free gives you a booking page, a calendar, and deposits with no monthly subscription and no credit card. That is the point of the plan: prove that clients will book online before you pay.

Acuity expects a subscription. If you already pay for Squarespace, adding Acuity can be simpler than a second tool. If you do not have a site yet, a Sway booking link is enough.

Your website

Acuity is a natural fit when the website is already on Squarespace. Sway's embed, which puts booking on your own site, starts on the Individual plan. On Free you share a Sway link instead.

Many new businesses do not have a site. A link in Google and Instagram covers the same job until a website is worth building.

Payments

Sway takes online payments through Stripe, with a platform fee on those card payments only. Pay at the venue and Sway does not add a platform fee.

Acuity connects to its own payment options. Compare the card fee on a real appointment as well as the software subscription.

Frequently asked questions

No. Acuity Scheduling is paid appointment software. Sway has a free forever plan for one staff member, with caps on services and monthly bookings.

Migration help

We'll help you switch

On Fresha, Booksy, Treatwell, Phorest, Square, Timely, or something else? Tell us what you use and we'll help you move your services, staff, and bookings.

Free, no obligation. We'll email you to plan the move.