Booksy vs Timely (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Booksy grades higher than Timely: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Booksy grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Booksy
Booking app and marketplace for barbers, salons and beauty pros
Timely
Salon booking software priced per bookable staff member
Which one is for you
Pick Booksy if
- Fits if you're a barber or independent beauty pro who runs your book from your phone
- Works for small salons that want every feature at one price instead of picking a tier
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have a team, as each member beyond the first adds $20 a month to the $29.99 base, plus tax
- Watch out: card fees run from 2.49% + $0.10 on the reader to 2.69% + $0.30 keyed in, and 30-minute payouts cost 1.5%
- Watch out: card readers aren't included, at $53.10 for the M2 and $299 for the S710, plus shipping
- Pricey if you lean on Boost for new clients: it takes 30% of each one's first visit, up to $100
- Not for you if you need accounting software links or an API, as neither is on record
Pick Timely if
- Fits if you run a small salon and want booking and client notes
- Works for businesses that take bookings from Instagram
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are in a country outside its payments list
- Pricey if you have a big team, as the price is per staff member
- Tight if you text a lot, as texts are included up to 100, 200 or 350
- Watch out: the pricing page shows monthly billing only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABooksyGood | 2.2GPATimelyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$29.99 a month plus tax for one person with every feature, which is right at this category's cheaper quarter. Each extra team member adds $20, so five people pay $109.99. | C$26 a staff member a month on monthly billing, just above the $25 mark, so ten staff pay $260. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and you can take bookings during it. | CA 14-day trial with no card. No free plan. |
| Features | BA marketplace profile, booking from Instagram, Facebook, Google and your site, a calendar with waitlists, 2,000 marketing texts a month, email campaigns, forms and waivers, deposits, gift cards and memberships. That's the whole booking job for a chair or a small salon. | COnline booking, consultation forms, client profiles, reminders and staff management. Payments work only in Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK and most of the EU. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating for the business app is on record, since the App Store listing found is the client-facing app. You set up services, staff and payments before taking bookings. | CNo store rating on record. Staff, services and forms have to be set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Instagram, Facebook, Reserve with Google and Stripe. No API or accounting links on record, and no desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Instagram, Facebook and Messenger links. |
| Best for | barbers and beauty pros booking from a phone | salon booking priced per staff member |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Booksy and Timely. How we grade
Price against what you get
Booksy starts at $29.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Timely starts at $26 a month and scores 2.3.
Booksy scores higher, and starts $3.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Booksy for less, and 9 score higher than Timely for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Booksy also covers email campaigns.
- Timely also covers inventory and review collection.
At a glance
| Booksy | Timely | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member | $26 per staff / month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Booksy International Sp. z o.o. | Timely |
| Price read from | biz.booksy.com | gettimely.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Booksy
- Each team member beyond the first adds $20 a month to the $29.99 base, plus tax.
- Card fees: 2.69% + $0.30 for mobile and keyed-in payments, 2.49% + $0.10 on the card reader, and 2.49% + $0.20 with Tap to Pay. Payouts in 30 minutes cost 1.5%.
- Card readers are bought separately: the Stripe Reader M2 for $53.10 and the S710 for $299, plus shipping.
- Boost charges 30% of a new client's first visit, up to $100; clients from your own link or marketing carry no commission.
Timely
- Price scales with bookable staff, so a ten-person salon pays ten times the per-staff rate.
- SMS is included up to 100, 200 or 350 messages a month depending on the plan; the page footnotes SMS terms.
- Payments are only available in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, UK and most of the EU.
- The pricing page lists monthly billing only; no annual price is shown.
Key features
Booksy
- Booksy profile and marketplace
- Each business gets a profile on the Booksy marketplace and the free Booksy app for customers, plus booking from Instagram, Facebook, Reserve with Google and a website widget.
- Calendar and client records
- Manage the calendar, waitlists and client profiles from the Booksy Biz phone app, a tablet or the web.
- Text and email marketing
- Message blasts and automated campaigns by text and email, with 2,000 marketing texts a month included; confirmations and reminders are always free.
- Payments and no-show protection
- Take deposits and cancellation fees, sell gift cards, memberships and packages, and check out on a Booksy card reader or with Tap to Pay.
- Boost
- Turn on Boost for more visibility on the marketplace. It has no monthly fee but takes a one-time 30% of a new Boost client's first visit, capped at $100.
- AI Receptionist
- A beta AI receptionist answers calls and books appointments. Booksy says early sign-ups get it free for at least 12 months.
Timely
- Online booking
- Clients book 24/7 online, and booking buttons can be added to Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. Gaps between appointments can be minimized.
- Consultation forms
- Forms can be built in the Consult app for iOS and sent before appointments from Elevate; Innovate can send them automatically.
- Client profiles
- Profiles with appointment history and notes; Elevate and Innovate add before-and-after photos, uploaded documents and loyalty rewards.
- Reminders and messages
- Email and SMS confirmations and reminders. Rebooking reminders, thank-you messages and review requests depend on the plan.
- Staff management
- Rosters, timesheets, staff logins and performance dashboards on every plan; weekly and monthly staff targets are on Innovate.
Plans
Booksy
Booksy Biz$29.99
per month, plus $20 per extra team member
Every feature: unlimited bookings, reminders, 2,000 marketing texts a month, email marketing, forms and waivers, waitlists, gift cards and memberships.
Timely
Build$26
per staff / month, billed monthly
Online booking, social media booking buttons, reminders and stock levels. 100 SMS a month included.
Elevate$39
per staff / month, billed monthly
Everything in Build, plus digital consultation forms, client photos, add-on services and a waitlist. 200 SMS a month.
Innovate$47
per staff / month, billed monthly
Everything in Elevate, plus automatic forms, rebooking reminders and staff targets. 350 SMS a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Booksy or Timely?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Timely is cheaper to start with: $26 a month, against $29.99 a month for Booksy. Booksy starts at $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member, and Timely starts at $26 per staff / month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Booksy or Timely?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Booksy nor Timely has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.