Session vs Acuity Scheduling
Acuity is a general appointment scheduler from Squarespace. Session is built for saunas, where many guests book spaces in the same session. Both take group bookings and payments, but a sauna runs on shared capacity, private hire, per-guest waivers and check-in, and that’s what Session is built around.
Founder of Session, setting up a community sauna in Cardiff
Updated 21 October 2026
Acuity’s prices read on acuityscheduling.com
Compared on
Shared-capacity sessions
Private hire
Per-guest waivers
Refunds
Monthly cost
THE MODEL
Sessions, not appointments
Many guests book spaces in one session, up to its capacity, with private hire of the whole room.
COST
No subscription
Session is free to set up and charges 0.5% per paid booking, capped monthly. Acuity starts at US$20 a month.
REFUNDS
Refunds inside Session
Refund in full or in part from the booking. On Acuity you refund in your payment processor.
WHAT SESSION ADDS
What Session adds for a sauna
Acuity can cap a group class, and share a room between appointment types with some setup. Session is built around how a sauna runs from the start.
Shared-capacity sessions
Sell spaces in one session until it’s full, with a waiting list when it is.
Private hire
A private hire price books out the whole session, so nobody else can join it.
Flexible start times
Guests choose how long they stay, and starts that overlap share the sauna’s spaces, so it’s never overbooked.
Per-guest waivers
Each guest signs on their own phone, and staff see who has signed at check-in.
Refunds in one place
Refund in full or in part from the booking, paid back from your own Stripe account.
Several locations
Run more than one site from one account, each with its own booking page.
AT A GLANCE
Session and Acuity side by side
SESSION
ACUITY
Saunas and other shared, timed sessions
Appointments and classes for any business
Many guests book spaces in one session, up to its capacity
One-to-one appointments, plus group classes with a maximum
A private hire price books out the whole session, and a communal booking takes it off sale
Possible with Resources, once Acuity’s support team switches on per-type quantities
Flexible start times
Guests choose a length, and overlapping starts share one set of spaces
Not published
Per-guest digital waivers, checked at check-in
One intake form per booking, with no e-signatures
Check guests in on the day and see who has signed
Not published
Memberships with included sessions or member rates, bundles and gift vouchers
Packages, subscriptions, memberships and gift certificates
Several locations from one account
Yes, with 1, 6 or 36 calendars by plan
Full or part refunds inside Session
Made in your payment processor, not in Acuity
Free to set up. 0.5% per paid booking, capped monthly in your own currency
US$20, US$34 or US$69 a month, 7-day trial, no free plan
Stripe, into your own account
Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo
Acuity details as published on acuityscheduling.com and its help centre on 29 September 2026, with prices, private hire and waivers re-read on 21 October 2026. “Not published” means we couldn’t find it on Acuity’s own site.
PRICING
What each costs
Acuity is a monthly subscription with no free plan, and card fees on top. Session has no subscription: 0.5% per paid booking, capped each month in your own currency (US$150, £100, €90, A$150), plus Stripe’s card fees paid from your own account. Larger operators: talk to us about a rate for your size.
See full pricing
Each month
SESSION
ACUITY
Subscription
None
US$20-69
Fee per paid booking
0.5%
None
Fee capped at
US$150
-
Free to start
Yes
7-day trial
Card fees are extra on both. Acuity’s plans are US$16-55 a month billed annually.
WHERE ACUITY FITS
When Acuity is the better pick
Acuity is a solid scheduler, and for some businesses it’s the right one.
You mainly sell one-to-one appointments
Massage, treatments or consultations, where one client books one practitioner.
Your website is on Squarespace
Acuity is a Squarespace company, so booking sits alongside your site.
You want a fixed monthly price
A flat subscription from US$20 a month, whatever you take.
If most of what you sell is shared sessions, private hire and memberships, that’s what Session is built for.
“I transferred from Acuity - the process took a couple of weeks, but I could have done it in a day or two if it had been my sole focus. All of my previous customers and information transferred smoothly.”
K
Katie Green
Stone & Steam Community Sauna, switched from Acuity
Switching from Acuity
Import bookings and customers from an Acuity export, and bring gift certificates and packages across as gift vouchers and bundles.
Read the switching guide
Common questions
Is Session a good Acuity alternative for a sauna?
Yes, if you sell shared sessions. Session is built for saunas, where many guests book spaces in the same session, with private hire, guests choosing how long they stay, per-guest waivers and check-in included. Acuity is a general appointment scheduler that can also run group classes.
Can Acuity handle sauna sessions and capacity?
Yes, with some setup. Acuity runs group classes with a maximum number of people, and its Resources feature lets different appointment types share a room’s capacity, so private hire can block communal bookings once its support team switches on per-type quantities. Session works that way out of the box, with per-guest waivers checked at check-in, which Acuity’s forms don’t offer.
How do refunds work on Acuity and on Session?
On Acuity you refund through your payment processor, such as Stripe or Square, not inside Acuity. On Session you refund in full or in part from the booking, and the money goes back from your own Stripe account.
How much does Acuity cost compared to Session?
Acuity costs US$20, US$34 or US$69 a month (US$16, US$27 or US$55 billed annually), with a 7-day trial and no free plan, plus card fees. Session is free to set up with no subscription: 0.5% per paid booking, capped each month in your own currency (US$150, £100, €90, A$150), plus Stripe’s card fees.
Can I move my Acuity bookings and customers to Session?
Yes. Import bookings and customers from an Acuity export. Acuity can’t export gift certificate and package balances, so send us a screenshot and we’ll build the file, or import them from a simple spreadsheet so existing codes keep working.
Booking software built for saunas
Free to set up. 0.5% per paid booking, capped each month in your own currency.
Last updated: 29 September 2026. Written by Wil Grace, founder of Session. Competitor details are as published on each vendor’s own site that day.