Last updated on February 24, 2024
Whether you’re considering upgrading from Acuity to Paperbell, or you’re on the fence about which platform is more tailored to your needs, our Paperbell vs Acuity comparison is here to settle the battle. We’ll break down all the factors that matter the most when choosing the best life coaching software, including features, pricing, free trials, and main advantages.
By keeping your options open, you can increase the likelihood of making a well-informed decision. So, we’ll also recommend several alternatives that can be an excellent fit for managing your coaching business.
Table of Contents
Paperbell vs Acuity: An Overview
Paperbell is a complete management software solution for coaches. It is designed with coaching in mind, so it encompasses everything you need to run your practice, including scheduling, custom-branded landing pages, group coaching, client management, automated messages, contracts, and payments. We have analyzed this powerful software in depth in our Paperbell review.
Acuity Scheduling is an online appointment scheduling software, but its list of features goes beyond just booking appointments. You can also use Acuity to automate reminders, sell packages, classes, and memberships, and generate reports about appointments, no-shows, and performance.
Pricing & Free Trial
To ensure that you’re making an informed decision, here are Paperbell’s and Acuity’s pricing and trial options.
Pricing Plan
Paperbell’s strength is straightforward pricing. There’s only one plan, which is all-inclusive, and it costs $47.50. This provides you with unlimited access to features and client capacity, meaning that you can take full advantage of all the platform has to offer without any restrictions. If you opt for an annual subscription, you will get the first two months completely free of charge.
Acuity is inexpensive, and its three-tiered pricing structure starts at $16/month when paid annually. Each of the available plans provides access to a wider range of features and capabilities as you move up the tiers. The basic plan doesn’t support selling subscriptions and memberships, offering appointment packages, or text message reminders, among other things.
Free Trial
With Paperbell, you can try out all of the features and services without any limitations for up to one client. This allows you to take your time getting to know the platform.
Acuity’s trial period is less extensive, as it lasts only 7 days. You don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free trial.
Features
Let’s see what features each of these platforms packs and which functionalities make them different.
Paperbell Features
- Scheduling
- Client management
- Custom landing pages
- Custom shop page
- Payments
- Contract/e-signatures
- Digital downloads
- Client portal
- Group coaching
- Intake surveys
- Reminder emails
- Integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, iCal, Zoom, PayPal, Zapier, and more
Paperbell is all about centralizing and streamlining a coaching business. For example, the custom landing page feature automatically generates custom-branded landing pages for each of your offerings. There’s also the option to link clients directly to your booking page, bypassing the landing page altogether.
You can keep your clients engaged with Paperbell’s client portal, which allows clients to easily schedule appointments, view their remaining appointments, access billing history, update payment information, download contracts, answer surveys, and purchase additional sessions.
Besides selling packages, sessions, and group coaching functionality, Paperbell also covers the sales of digital products. Whether you supply journals, e-books, or other digital downloads, you can sell them as standalone products or include them in a coaching package.
Acuity Features
- Scheduling
- Customization
- Reminders
- Payments
- Integrations with Stripe, Square, Zapier, PayPal, Google Meet, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Google Analytics, Google Calendar, iCloud, Outlook.com, Exchange, Office 365, and more
Acuity is primarily a scheduling platform, but it also allows you to sell packages, gift certificates, memberships, and group classes.
Even though Acuity’s functionalities are somewhat limited, the vast number of integrations covers everything from QuickBooks for accounting to MailChimp for email marketing to Pipedrive for sales and CRM.
Acuity can reflect your brand’s personality, allowing you to add your logo and brand your scheduler’s colors and content.
Paperbell vs Acuity – How Are They Different?
Acuity and Paperbell are two distinct platforms that have significant differences, so we’ll highlight some of the most critical disparities.
Coaching-Specific Features
Acuity isn’t a coach-centric software but a scheduling platform. Therefore, it lacks lots of coaching-specific features that Paperbell delivers, like client portal, client management, group coaching, and selling digital downloads.
Payment Options
Acuity allows you to accept one-time payments, and that’s about it when it comes to payment options. This can be a downside if you want to entice clients with various payment possibilities. On the other hand, Paperbell supports one-time payments, monthly subscriptions, group packages, coupon codes, and even free discovery sessions.
Agreements and Payment Processes
Paperbell will simplify the entire agreement procedure since it lets you send contracts, sign contracts digitally, and finalize sales by simply sending a client the link to purchase a package (no need for invoicing!). Acuity is very limited in this regard, as you can only receive payments and deposits through Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
Customer Support
Paperbell has a 4.8 rating for customer service on Capterra. The reviews are predominantly positive, and users commented that agents are responsive and helpful. You can reach out via email or look into their customer support guides and FAQs for answers. The reps are available Monday to Friday, and reportedly they always follow up within 12 hours.
Acuity has a 4.7 rating for customer service on Capterra. Reviewers claim that the support is excellent. Customer service can be contacted via email, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Conclusion – Paperbell or Acuity?
After thoroughly evaluating the features and benefits of both platforms, we can say that Paperbell beats Acuity Scheduling in this comparison. Acuity can be a good budget-friendly scheduling solution, but if you want to scale your business and manage your practice from a single platform, Paperbell is, without a doubt, a superior choice.
The price difference may seem notable at first; however, when you take into account that the all-inclusive Acuity version costs $49/month while Paperbell’s all-inclusive package is $47.50, Paperbell is more cost-effective.
So, Paperbell emerges as the clear winner in this comparison due to its cost-effectiveness and comprehensive set of coaching tools.
Alternatives to Paperbell and Acuity
If you want to browse some more, consider exploring top-rated coaching platforms like CoachVantage, Practice, Coaches Console, Delenta, and Simplero.
You can also refer to our best coaching software article to get a comprehensive list of coaching software options. We have analyzed and dissected their features, pricing, and advantages for you to evaluate.If you’d like to see how Paperbell compares to other software, refer to our Paperbell alternatives post.
The Life Coach Magazine staff is your team for high-quality content on topics from personal development, to coaching tips, to how to grow your coaching business.
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