What is the main difference between SmartCookie and Acuity Scheduling?

Acuity Scheduling is booking software for any business that sells time: clients book from your page, fill in intake forms and pay online. SmartCookie is built for language teachers. It books the lesson too, then keeps packs, attendance, lesson notes and card or Bizum payments in one place. SmartCookie is our product, so keep that in mind.

Who should choose SmartCookie over Acuity Scheduling?

Language teachers and small language academies with students who come every week, packs to track, attendance to mark and notes for each lesson, and students who pay by card or Bizum. If your bookings live in Acuity and everything else in a spreadsheet, SmartCookie keeps it all next to the booking.

When is Acuity Scheduling the better choice?

When you sell more than lessons, or need intake forms and gift certificates. One Standard plan covers up to 6 calendars, so a team pays less than with SmartCookie. Acuity connects Stripe, Square or PayPal with no Acuity fee, syncs with Google, iCloud and Outlook, and its booking page comes in Spanish.

How much does Acuity Scheduling cost, and is SmartCookie cheaper?

For one teacher, it's close. Acuity Starter costs $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly, in US dollars. Packages and text reminders need Standard: $34 a month, or $27 billed yearly. SmartCookie costs €19 a month for one teacher, or €15.20 billed yearly, and adds attendance, lesson notes and a student portal. For a team, no. Acuity Standard covers up to 6 calendars for $34 a month, and SmartCookie costs €91 a month for 5 teachers, or €72.80 billed yearly.

Is Acuity Scheduling free?

No. Acuity doesn't offer a free plan. You get a 7-day trial with no card, then Starter, Standard or Premium, priced in US dollars. SmartCookie has no free plan either: you get a 14-day trial, no card needed, then €19 a month for one teacher.

Can I use SmartCookie and my current tool together?

Yes. Start your 14-day trial while your current tool keeps running, import your students from a CSV and move over when you're ready. If both tools take bookings, keep only one booking link live so no student books twice.

SmartCookie vs Acuity Scheduling: scheduling for any service, or built for lessons?

Acuity Scheduling, part of Squarespace, is booking software for any service business, with intake forms, group classes and plans from $16 a month billed yearly. SmartCookie is an Acuity alternative built for language teachers: booking, plus packs, attendance, lesson notes and card or Bizum payments.

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SmartCookie vs Acuity Scheduling for private language lessons

SmartCookie is a web app for language teachers and small language academies: booking link, weekly lessons, packs, attendance, lesson notes and card or Bizum payments. €19 a month for one teacher, €91 for a team of 5, excluding VAT. Checked on 22nd of October 2026.

SmartCookie vs Acuity Scheduling for private language lessons
What we compare	SmartCookie	Acuity Scheduling	What it means
Built for	Language teachers and small language academies	Service businesses that sell their time, from coaches and salons to tutors	Acuity books any kind of appointment. SmartCookie runs lessons
How you pay	Per teacher, monthly or yearly	Plans by number of calendars: 1 on Starter, up to 6 on Standard, up to 36 on Premium	For a team, Acuity costs less: one plan covers up to 6 calendars
Booking	Students book from your link and see your free times	A branded booking page for appointments and group classes, with intake forms	Both let students book on their own
Weekly lessons	Set a weekly lesson once and every class is created	Clients can repeat a booking every week, up to 24 times (52 when you book it)	Both fit students who come every week
Lesson packs	Each class comes off the student's pack	Packages, subscriptions and gift certificates, from the Standard plan	Both sell prepaid lessons. Acuity adds subscriptions and gift certificates
After the lesson	Attendance, lesson notes and a student portal	No-show mark and private notes per client. Client accounts if you turn them on	SmartCookie covers the teaching, not only the booking
Payments	Card and Bizum through Stripe, 0.6% per online payment	Stripe, Square or PayPal, with deposits, tips and invoices, and no Acuity fee. Bizum not listed	SmartCookie adds Bizum. Acuity takes no cut and offers more providers
Calendar sync	Your lessons show up in Google Calendar and your busy times are blocked	Google, iCloud, Outlook and Office 365. Changes are made in Acuity	Acuity syncs with more calendars
Good fit for	Teachers who want booking and teaching in one place	Service businesses that need bookings, forms and payments	Pick by what happens after the booking

Acuity Scheduling and SmartCookie pricing: what each plan covers

SmartCookie's price per teacher includes packs. For one teacher, Acuity Starter costs about the same, but packages need Standard. For a team, Acuity costs less.

Acuity Scheduling and SmartCookie pricing: what each plan covers
Pricing question	SmartCookie	Acuity Scheduling	Planning note
Trial	14 days, no card	7 days, no card. No free plan	SmartCookie gives you a week longer to decide
One teacher	€19 a month, or €15.20 a month billed yearly	$20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly (Starter)	Packages and text reminders need Standard: $34 a month
A team of 5	€91 a month, or 20% less billed yearly	$34 a month, or $27 a month billed yearly (Standard, up to 6 calendars)	For a team, Acuity costs less
Payment fees	0.6% per online payment, plus Stripe's fee	No Acuity fee, Stripe, Square or PayPal fees apply	SmartCookie adds a small fee on online payments. Acuity doesn't
Billing	Monthly or yearly, 20% less yearly	Monthly or yearly, 20% less yearly	Both take 20% off when you pay yearly

Acuity's prices are its US dollar list prices, excluding tax. Each plan includes a set number of calendars, one per staff member or location. SmartCookie prices exclude VAT. Checked on 22nd of October 2026 on acuityscheduling.com/pricing. See SmartCookie pricing.

Choose SmartCookie when your work starts after the booking

Acuity is built for any business that sells time. SmartCookie follows the lesson after the booking: attendance, notes and payments.

Attendance on every lesson
Acuity marks a no-show when you cancel the appointment. SmartCookie marks who came, who missed and who let you know.
Lesson plans and notes
Plan before the lesson and note what happened after. Acuity keeps private notes per client, not per lesson.
Card and Bizum payments
Request payment for the lessons you gave. Students pay by card or Bizum, without an account.
Every student in one place
Contact details, lessons and packs for each student, ready before every class.

Acuity remains a strong pick if you sell more than lessons: intake forms on every plan, packages and gift certificates on Standard, and no cut on your payments.

Go further than a booking page

Student portal

A private space for each student in one link

Intelligent calendar

Plan and manage every session

Maria's B2 grammar

10:00 - 11:00

Leo's trial lesson

13:00 - 14:00

Booking link

Receive and manage bookings

smartcookieapp.com/book/martina

Pick a time

Lesson notes & tracking

Track progress effortlessly

Maria's B2 grammar

Plans

Bring the B2 role-play cards

Prep the listening clip

Review conditionals, then a warm-up

In-class

Struggled with third conditional

Great vocab recall today

Student management

Records, packs and attendance

Student payments

Get paid by card or Bizum

Payments1 unpaidAll paid

Maria Torres€120Paid

Leo Fischer€90UnpaidPaid

Our review: SmartCookie or Acuity Scheduling?

Use SmartCookie when you teach languages and want booking, packs, attendance, lesson notes and card or Bizum payments in one place. Use Acuity Scheduling when you sell more than lessons and want intake forms, more payment providers and one flat plan for up to 6 calendars.

“When you're a language teacher, you have to do a thousand things at once. So to manage everything, having an assistant really helps. Well, I see SmartCookie as if it were one :) It helps me plan my classes properly, manage notes, and keep track of students in a smooth and easy way!”

Olga Filimonova

Lecturer and PhD student

“Within moments of using SmartCookie, it was obvious that this was built by someone that understands what it means to be a passionate teacher that cares about structure, a detailed overview and precision. SmartCookie completely takes care of my administrative tasks so that I can focus on being a passionate teacher.”

Tinika Muller

CEO at FloTutor

“SmartCookie it's an essential app for teachers because it frees up our time by centralizing planning, student tracking, and assessment, reducing administrative tasks and allowing us to focus on what truly matters as educators: teaching.”

Óscar Ortega

Language teacher & Co-founder of didactas.com

“When I met Martina, I knew she had the best interests of teachers in her heart. That's why I was so excited to learn about SmartCookie. I've interviewed her and was able to test it out - it's a lifesaver for independent teachers who want to focus on growing their business and leave busy work behind. Congrats to the Smart Cookie team!”

Andrew Woodbury

Educator & Co-Founder of ImPact Canada

“When I met Martina, I knew she had the best interests of teachers in her heart. That's why I was so excited to learn about SmartCookie. I've interviewed her and was able to test it out - it's a lifesaver for independent teachers who want to focus on growing their business and leave busy work behind. Congrats to the Smart Cookie team!”

Andrew Woodbury

Educator & Co-Founder of ImPact Canada