Take Bookings Now vs Timely
A Timely alternative that does not charge per staff member
Timely and Take Bookings Now agree on the important thing: neither charges you for new clients. The difference is how the price grows with your team, and how much software you actually need.
Prices checked on from Timely's own UK pages. See the sources.
Timely is a good product, and on the thing that matters most we agree: its pricing page says no new client fees on every plan, and so do we. If you are choosing between the two, it will not be because one of them takes a cut.
The difference is how the bill grows. Timely charges per staff member: £22 each on Build, the cheapest plan it lists for Great Britain, and more on Elevate and Innovate. A salon of three pays £66 a month on Build, and six pay £132. We charge £17.99 a month for the whole business, however many people you add.
What you get for that difference is real, though. Timely has calendar sync, repeat appointments, stock control and in-salon card payments. Some businesses need those things, and plenty do not.
Take Bookings Now is likely the better fit if
- You have more than one person to book, and per-head pricing adds up
- Online booking, reminders and deposits are what you actually need
- You would rather take card payments through your own Stripe account
- You run classes as well as appointments
Timely is likely the better fit if
- Your staff live in Google Calendar or Outlook and need it synced
- Clients book repeat appointments on a fixed pattern
- You want in-salon card payments, stock and product sales in one place
- You run more than one location from a single account
What it costs each month
The subscription alone, for the cheapest plan on each pricing page that fits the team, before card fees or any fee on new clients.
| Staff | Take Bookings Now | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | £17.99 | £22.00 |
| 3 people | £17.99 | £66.00 |
| 6 people | £17.99 | £132.00 |
Timely: Build plan at £22 per staff member. Elevate and Innovate cost more. Take Bookings Now: one plan, the same price for any number of staff; the price shown is what you are charged.
Fees and terms, side by side
| What | Take Bookings Now | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | £17.99 whatever the size of your team | Build £22 per staff member; Elevate £34 for one, £28 each for a team; Innovate £39, £35 each |
| Fee on new clients | None | None |
| Online card payments | Through your own Stripe account, at Stripe's fee: 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards | TimelyPay: 1.85% + 30p online; 1.59% + 5p in person |
| Payment provider | Your own Stripe account | TimelyPay only for UK businesses, according to Timely's help centre |
| Text reminders | Bought as credit when you want it, with no monthly fee. Email reminders included | 100 texts a month included on Build, 200 on Elevate, 300 on Innovate |
| Calendar sync | No | Google Calendar and Outlook |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 14 days, no card |
| Contract | Monthly. Cancel any time | Month by month, no fixed-term contract |
What Timely does that we do not
Google and Outlook calendar sync
Appointments show in the calendar your team already uses. Our diary is the only place bookings live.
Repeat appointments
Book somebody every four weeks in one go. Here, each appointment is booked on its own.
In-salon payments and stock
Card terminals, Tap to Pay, product sales and stock levels. We handle online payments only.
Waitlist and consultation forms
On Elevate and above. We have consultation forms as a paid extra, but no waitlist.
Several locations
Run more than one site from one account. A second branch with its own team is a second account here.
Importing clients
Bring in your client list from a CSV file. We cannot import a client list yet.
What is different about Take Bookings Now
One price for any team
£17.99 a month whether you book one person or twelve. Add a Saturday junior without thinking about the bill.
Your own Stripe account
Deposits and prepayments go straight into a Stripe account in your name, at Stripe's standard rate. If you leave, your payment history stays with you.
Classes as well as appointments
Any service can be a class with a set number of places, in the same diary as your one-to-ones.
Everything included
Email reminders, deposits, discount codes, reviews and a gallery are in the one plan, with no higher tier to unlock them.
Moving from Timely
Set up alongside Timely. Start your free trial and add your services, team and hours while Timely carries on as normal.
Get your data out before you cancel. Timely's help centre says you can no longer log in once you have cancelled. You can export a client report yourself, and for a full export of clients, appointments and notes you ask Timely's support team, allowing up to 48 hours.
Be aware there is no client import here yet. Clients are added to your list automatically the first time they book, and you can add regulars by hand.
Pick a switch-over date and move your booking link on Google, Instagram, Facebook and your website on that day. Let the appointments already booked in Timely run their course.
If you use calendar sync, decide how your team will see the diary first. There is no sync here, so staff check the diary on their phone, with their own login if they need one.
Questions about switching from Timely
Timely's pricing page for Great Britain lists Build at £22 per staff member a month, Elevate at £34 for one person or £28 per staff member for a team, and Innovate at £39 for one person or £35 per staff member.
Take Bookings Now is £17.99 a month for the whole business, with unlimited staff and no commission. It does not have Timely's calendar sync, repeat appointments or in-salon payments.
No. Timely's pricing page says there are no new client fees on any plan. Neither does Take Bookings Now.
With Take Bookings Now, yes: you connect your own Stripe account. Timely's help centre says TimelyPay is the only payment option for UK businesses.
Not yet. Export your client report from Timely, or ask its support team for a full export, before you cancel. Clients are added here automatically when they book.
No. The diary is where bookings live, and it is not synced with Google Calendar or Outlook. If your team depends on sync, Timely will suit you better.
Sources
Every figure about Timely on this page was read from these pages on 16 September 2026. Prices and features change, so check them before you decide. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
- Timely pricing (Great Britain)
- Timely: payment gateways by country
- Timely: memberships
- Timely: requesting a data export
- Timely: cancelling your subscription
- Timely: Google Calendar sync
- Stripe UK pricing
Timely is a trademark of its owner. Take Bookings Now is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Timely.
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Try it alongside Timely for 14 days
No card needed. Set it up, send a few customers to it, and keep whichever works.
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