Timely alternatives for Australian salons
Australian salons switching from Timely typically save money once their team grows past three or four staff, because Timely charges per staff member while flat-rate alternatives stay at the same monthly price regardless of headcount. Other common reasons to switch: wanting a larger SMS allowance without overages, AUD billing with GST on the invoice, and features like marketing or AI included on all plans rather than tier-gated.
Why salons look for Timely alternatives
Timely is a well-regarded ANZ booking platform with a clean interface and strong Australia/New Zealand presence. The reasons salons explore alternatives are mostly about the pricing model and where features sit across tiers.
Per-staff pricing scales with your team
Timely charges per staff member, per month. On the Build plan, that's approximately A$42/staff exc GST. A salon with five team members pays roughly A$210/month exc GST. A salon with eight pays roughly A$336/month. The cost compounds as you grow — every new hire or junior added to the system adds to the bill, even if their bookings make up a small share of revenue. Flat-rate platforms charge one predictable monthly fee regardless of headcount, so the calculation flips once your team grows past three or four people.
SMS allowances and overage charges
Timely's included SMS allowances are per-staff: 100/staff on Build, 200/staff on Elevate, 350/staff on Innovate. For a 5-staff salon on Build, that's 500 SMS/month total. A busy salon running both confirmations and 24-hour reminders for 300+ appointments can exceed that. Once exceeded, each additional SMS costs 20c. Platforms with more generous included SMS or flat monthly allowances can reduce that unpredictability.
Marketing tools and advanced features are tier-gated
Targeted SMS campaign marketing is only available on the Innovate tier (A$79/staff exc GST). Automatic consultation forms, staff performance targets, and custom confirmation pages also require the higher tiers. A salon that needs these features alongside basic scheduling will need to factor in the higher per-staff cost. Flat-rate platforms that include every feature on every plan remove the tier-upgrade calculation.
Booking page on gettimely.com
Timely's booking page is hosted at gettimely.com. While you can customise colours and add your logo, the URL signals to clients they're booking through a third-party platform. Alternatives that let you embed the booking page on your own domain or use a branded subdomain keep the experience feeling more like your business.
What Timely does well
Timely has genuine strengths worth weighing before switching. It's earned its popularity in the ANZ market for good reasons.
- Clean, intuitive calendar interface that staff learn quickly
- Strong Australia and New Zealand presence with AUD/NZD billing
- TimelyPay integrated payments with tap-to-pay on iPhone
- Consultation forms available on Elevate tier and above, with automatic sending on Innovate
- Embeddable online booking widget that drops into any website
- Gap minimisation between appointments built into the scheduling engine
- Service grouping — combine services clients typically book together
- Xero and QuickBooks integrations for accounting
- Mature, well-known product — staff coming from another Timely salon already know the workflow
- Month-to-month billing with no lock-in contracts
When Timely might be the better choice
Timely isn't always the wrong answer. In some situations it's genuinely the better fit.
- Salons that need Xero or QuickBooks integration — Timely has native accounting integrations that not all alternatives offer
- Businesses already deeply embedded in Timely — staff know it, workflows are built around it, and the migration effort may outweigh the savings
- Teams that value the TimelyPay hardware ecosystem, including tap-to-pay on iPhone and competitive in-person rates (1.59% + 5c)
- Salons where the higher SMS-per-staff allowance matters — Timely Build includes 100 SMS per staff member, so a 5-staff salon gets 500 SMS/month compared to smaller flat allowances on entry-level plans elsewhere
On pure price, Timely Build at ~A$46/month inc GST for a solo operator is more expensive than most flat-rate entry plans. The cost advantage of Timely narrows or reverses at every team size — a solo operator on a flat-rate Solo plan (e.g. A$25/month inc GST) pays roughly half what Timely Build costs. The gap widens further as staff are added.
What to look for in a Timely alternative
Not every alternative is an improvement. Here's what actually matters when evaluating options for an Australian salon.
Flat-rate, headcount-independent pricing
The biggest single difference for a growing team. A flat-rate plan stays the same whether you're a solo operator or a 12-chair salon. As you hire, your software cost doesn't move.
SMS included generously
Look for platforms that include enough SMS that you can run both confirmations and 24-hour reminders for every appointment without hitting an overage. A 5-staff salon doing 400 appointments/month needs at least 800 SMS. Compare the overage rate too — Timely charges 20c per excess SMS.
AUD billing with GST on the invoice
Software priced in AUD with GST on the invoice simplifies your BAS reporting. Timely already bills in AUD, so any alternative should too. Check whether the price you see includes or excludes GST — Timely shows prices excluding GST on their website.
Australian Stripe payment processing
A direct connection to your own Australian Stripe account gives you 1.7% + 30c for domestic cards. Compare this to TimelyPay's rates (1.59% + 5c in-person, 1.95% + 25c online). Different platforms have different processing fee structures — calculate based on your actual transaction volume.
Data portability
Before committing, confirm you can export everything: clients, appointment history, notes, services. Standard CSV format is the baseline. A platform that makes it hard to leave is a red flag about how they'll treat you long-term.
Pricing comparison: 5-person salon
Timely uses per-staff pricing. Here's how the monthly costs compare for a typical 5-staff Australian salon. Timely AUD pricing sourced from gettimely.com (prices shown exc GST — add 10% for inc GST).
| Cost component | Timely (Build plan) | Bella Booking | Fresha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base cost | ~A$42 × 5 = ~A$210/mo exc GST (~A$231 inc GST) | A$79/mo flat inc GST (Professional — unlimited team) | Subscription + commission |
| SMS reminders | 500 included (100/staff), 20c/SMS overage | Included monthly allowance | Included for some bookings |
| Deposit collection | All plans | All plans, fixed or % | Included |
| Marketing tools | Innovate tier only (~A$79/staff) | Bulk SMS (Messages Plus add-on) | Additional fees |
| Consultation forms | Elevate tier and above (~A$65/staff) | Professional plan — auto-sent per service | Basic |
| AI features | No | Bella AI on all plans | No |
When to factor in tier upgrades
Many salons start on Timely Build and later need features that require Elevate or Innovate. A 5-staff salon upgrading from Build (~A$210/month) to Innovate (~A$395/month exc GST) for marketing tools and automatic consultation forms sees a significant jump. Factor your likely tier needs into any comparison, not just the Build price.
Pull your last three Timely invoices. Check the per-staff price, tier, any SMS overages, and add-on charges. Then project costs for your planned headcount in 12 months — per-staff pricing means next year's cost is usually higher than today's.
Feature comparison: Timely vs alternatives
| Feature | Timely | Bella Booking | Fresha | Square Appointments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per staff (Build ~A$42/staff exc GST) | Solo A$25, Starter A$47, Professional A$79 (all inc GST) | Subscription + commission | Free + per-location paid |
| Online booking | Embeddable widget + booking page | Branded booking page | Marketplace + direct | Yes |
| Gap minimisation | Yes | Yes — configurable per service | No | No |
| Service grouping | Yes — group related services | Sequential + parallel bundles | No | No |
| Consultation forms | Elevate tier+; auto-send on Innovate | Professional plan — auto-sent per service | Basic | No |
| Deposit collection | All plans | All plans, fixed or % | Yes | Paid plans |
| Targeted SMS marketing | Innovate tier only | Messages Plus add-on | Additional fees | Marketing add-on |
| AI assistant | No | Yes — Bella AI on all plans | No | No |
| Weekly AI digest | No | Yes — performance summary email | No | No |
| Xero integration | Yes (native) | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Gift vouchers | Yes | All plans | Yes | Yes |
| Tap-to-pay | TimelyPay (1.59% + 5c in-person) | Stripe Terminal (your AU Stripe) | Fresha Payments | Square Terminal |
| AUD billing | Yes (exc GST shown) | Yes | International billing | Yes |
| HQ location | New Zealand | Australia | Ireland | United States |
| Contract | Month-to-month | Month-to-month | No lock-in | Month-to-month |
Australian-specific considerations
AUD billing and GST clarity
Timely bills in AUD, with prices shown excluding GST on their website (the inc-GST price is 10% higher than the headline). This is standard practice — just check your invoice for the GST line to make BAS reconciliation straightforward.
Payment processing options
TimelyPay offers competitive in-person rates at 1.59% + 5c per transaction. If you prefer to use your own Australian Stripe account (1.7% + 30c for domestic cards), look for alternatives that let you connect your own Stripe. The right choice depends on your transaction volume and average sale value.
Australian SMS sender ID
SMS arriving from a recognisable sender (your business name) rather than a generic short code improves open rates and looks more professional. Check whether the platform supports Australian sender IDs and whether SMS is routed through Australian carriers for fast, reliable delivery.
Support hours
Timely is based in Wellington, New Zealand (UTC+12, two hours ahead of AEST). Their support team operates during NZ business hours. For most of the Australian working day this overlaps well. If late-afternoon Australian support is important to your salon, check the specific support hours each platform offers.
How to migrate from Timely
Timely makes export reasonably straightforward. A clean migration takes one focused afternoon plus a quieter week of parallel-running.
- 1Export your data from Timely. Clients: Customers → Export. Appointments: Reports → Sales → Export with date range. Services: Settings → Services (copy to a spreadsheet). Staff: Settings → Staff (export or screenshot). Card details cannot be exported (PCI) — clients re-add their card on the first booking after switching.
- 2Sign up for a free trial of your chosen alternative and import your client data. Most platforms accept CSV imports. Verify phone numbers landed in Australian mobile format (04XX XXX XXX). With Bella Booking, email your export files to hello@bellabooking.com and our team handles the import within one business day.
- 3Re-create services, pricing, staff schedules, and resources on the new platform. Mirror your Timely setup so clients see familiar service names and prices on the new booking page.
- 4Test the entire booking flow yourself on your phone. Book an appointment as a client, receive the confirmation SMS, check the calendar view, and process a test payment.
- 5Update your booking link everywhere: Instagram bio, Facebook page, Google Business Profile, your website, email signature, printed materials, and any QR codes. The old gettimely.com URL will keep working until you turn off Timely, so there's no rush — but every day it stays live, you risk a new booking landing in the old system.
- 6Notify your clients via SMS or email about the new booking link. Reassure them that their details and upcoming appointments have been transferred.
- 7Run both systems in parallel for 1–2 weeks. Keep Timely active for any future bookings already in the system while directing all new bookings to the new platform.
- 8Cancel your Timely subscription at the end of the parallel-run period. Timely is month-to-month, so cancel before the next renewal date.
Plan migration during a quieter period (mid-January or early February in Australia, for example). Avoid the lead-up to Christmas or the Melbourne Cup carnival when you can't afford any booking disruption.
Questions to ask before switching
Before committing to a new platform, get clear answers to these:
- Can I export everything from Timely — clients, appointments, services, notes? In what format?
- Does the new platform support CSV import? Will phone numbers and emails map correctly?
- What happens to my existing gettimely.com booking link after I cancel? Can I redirect, or do I need to update it everywhere?
- How many SMS are included per month? What's the per-SMS cost if I exceed?
- Is the platform priced in AUD with GST included or added on top?
- Does it connect my own Australian Stripe account, or process payments through theirs?
- What are the contract terms — month-to-month, or a minimum commitment?
- Is there a free trial with real bookings? How long?
- What support channels are available (live chat, email, phone) and during which hours?
- Does the new platform offer free data migration help, or do I do it myself?
- How does the cost compare today vs in 12 months if I grow my team by 2–3 staff?
The last question is the one most often missed. Per-staff pricing changes the maths as you hire — a comparison that looks tight today can look very different once you add two or three team members.
Ask the new platform about migration support. Some offer free onboarding including data import, setup, and staff training — this can save hours and reduce mistakes during the transition.
The right choice depends on your salon
There's no universally "best" alternative — it depends on:
- Your team size today and where it'll be in 12 months (per-staff vs flat rate)
- Whether you need marketing, consultation forms, and advanced reporting from day one or are happy on a lower tier
- How important specific integrations are (Timely's Xero integration is a genuine advantage)
- Your comfort with switching booking URLs and notifying clients
- Whether an affordable entry plan for solo or small teams matters (compare Solo/entry plans side by side)
Use free trials to test your daily workflows — booking, checkout, reporting, SMS — before committing. Most platforms offer 14 days free, no credit card required.
Explore by business type
In-depth guides
Explore comprehensive guides on this topic
Related questions
Ready to try Bella Booking?
Start your free trial today. No credit card required.
Australian-owned business. Sydney-based support team.