What are the best Timely alternatives in the UK?
Timely bills by the week, from £4, £7 or £9 a week plus VAT on its Run, Boost and Thrive plans, and the bill moves with the bookings you take. If you’d rather pay a monthly price, Square Appointments has a free plan for one location, SalonBooking Solo is £9 a month, Fresha Independent is £14.95 plus VAT, with a fee on each brand-new client its marketplace finds you, and Covered Beauty, which we make, is £9 a month for one person or £19.99 for a team of up to 5, with no commission. Timely is still a good fit for a bigger team, as every plan includes unlimited team members. Prices read on 2, 3 and 12 November 2026.
We make Covered Beauty, so read this knowing that. Every other figure links to the provider’s own page with the day we read it, and there are no affiliate links on this page.
How does Timely charge?
- By the week. From £4, £7 or £9 a week, and the bill moves with the bookings you take each week. Billed weekly in advance, 14 days' notice to cancel.
- VAT on top. Its terms say its fees don’t include taxes such as VAT.
- Card payments: 1.85% + 30p online.
- Texts: 1, 2 or 3 per booking by plan, then 4p to 8p each.
- No-show fees: From Boost.
- Consultation forms: Consult app for iOS on every plan. Forms sent before a visit and saved to the client's profile from Boost.
- People: unlimited team members on every plan, and no new-client fees.
- Free trial: 14 days, no card.
| Plan | From, a week | As a month | With VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run | £4 | £17.33 | £20.80 |
| Boost | £7 | £30.33 | £36.40 |
| Thrive | £9 | £39 | £46.80 |
A year has 52 weeks, so a month is a week’s price times 52, divided by 12. These are the lowest each plan costs, and a busier week can cost more.
Sources: Timely pricing and Timely terms of service, checked 12 November 2026.
When is Timely still the right choice?
Every Timely plan includes unlimited team members, so you don’t pay for each person you add. A quiet week costs less, which suits a salon with slow months. And its free trial is longer than ours, with no card needed. If you have more than 5 people, a flat plan with a cap on team size may not fit, and Timely may well be the better buy.
If you’re one person or a small team with a steady diary, a flat monthly price usually means fewer surprises. Add up your Timely invoices for the last 4 weeks and multiply by 13. That’s a year, and divided by 12 it’s a month to set against the table below.
What do the alternatives cost a month?
Plans with a monthly price, cheapest first for one person, as each provider listed them. The order isn’t a ranking. VAT is added only where the provider says it’s added.
| Plan | A month | People | Forms | Card fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments FreeSource: Square Appointments UK pricing, checked 12 November 2026 | £0VAT not stated | No employee limit, one location | Contracts sent when a client books | 1.4% + 25p online, 2.5% on a card on file |
| Covered Beauty SoloOurs. See the plans | £9Nothing added | 1 login | Yes, 25 ready-made | Stripe, 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards |
| SalonBooking SoloSource: SalonBooking pricing, checked 3 November 2026 | £9VAT not stated | 1 staff | Yes | Stripe, 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards |
| Covered Beauty ProOurs. See the plans | £14Nothing added | 1 login | Yes, 25 ready-made | Stripe, 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards |
| Fresha IndependentSource: Fresha UK pricing and Fresha help: new client fees, checked 2 November 2026 | £17.94£14.95 plus VAT at 20% | 1 | Yes, and patch tests | 1.40% + 25p online, 1.19% + 20p in person |
| Glow MonthlySource: Glow pricing, checked 3 November 2026 | £19VAT not stated | Unlimited | Consent, aftercare and patch tests | Your own Stripe account |
| SalonBooking TeamSource: SalonBooking pricing, checked 3 November 2026 | £19VAT not stated | Unlimited | Yes | Stripe, 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards |
| Covered Beauty TeamOurs. See the plans | £19.99Nothing added | Up to 5 logins | Yes, 25 ready-made | Stripe, 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards |
| Square Appointments PlusSource: Square Appointments UK pricing, checked 12 November 2026 | £29VAT not stated | No employee limit, per location | Contracts sent when a client books | 1.4% + 25p online, 2.5% on a card on file |
| BooksySource: Booksy UK pricing and Booksy Boost, checked 2 November 2026 | £48£40 plus VAT at 20% | £5 for each extra person | Custom forms and waivers | 1.29% + 20p + VAT |
| Salonized ProSource: Salonized pricing, Salonized UK launch page, Salonized Pay and Salonized help: deposits, checked 12 November 2026 | £59VAT not statedIts UK launch page says from £25 a month after the trial. Its pricing page shows UK visitors one plan, Pro at £59. | Its pricing page shows UK visitors no price for a team | Online forms | Salonized Pay 1% + VAT on standard domestic cards |
Phorest isn’t in the table because it prices by quote only. Its plans are pitched at salons and clinics with 3 or more staff. Source: Phorest UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026.
Fresha and Booksy also run marketplaces with a fee on some new clients, so Fresha vs Booksy vs Treatwell is worth a read before you pick either. Every plan we could read is on UK booking app prices, cheapest first.
How do I move from Timely?
- Export your clients. Timely’s client overview report exports as a CSV with each client’s name, email and mobile.
- Ask for the rest. Timely’s support team can send an export of your appointments, services, client notes and products, which it says can take up to 48 hours.
- Set up your new system, bring your clients and future bookings across, and change the booking link on your Instagram and website.
- Then give notice. Timely asks for 14 days, and bills a week in advance until then.
Sources: Timely help: How to use the client overview report, Timely help: How to print or export a report, Timely help: How to request and access your Timely data export and Timely help: the customer import template, checked 24 October 2026.
Our guide to moving from Timely has every step, and Covered Beauty vs Timely puts the two side by side.
Why you might choose Covered Beauty
A monthly plan price that doesn’t move with your bookings: £9 a month for one person, £14 for Pro, or £19.99 for the Team plan, for up to 5 people on one diary. Texts come with every plan, 50 texts a month on Solo, 150 on Pro and 300 on the Team plan, and reminder emails are included. If a busy month uses up the texts, 150 more cost £6.50. Consultation forms are on every plan, with 25 ready-made templates, and card deposits and no-show fees go into your own Stripe account. There’s no booking commission, and it’s 7 days free with no card.
It isn’t for a team of more than 5 people, and it has no marketplace, so it won’t find you new clients.
Questions about leaving Timely
What are the best Timely alternatives in the UK?
Timely bills by the week, from £4, £7 or £9 a week plus VAT on its Run, Boost and Thrive plans, and the bill moves with the bookings you take. If you’d rather pay a monthly price, Square Appointments has a free plan for one location, SalonBooking Solo is £9 a month, Fresha Independent is £14.95 plus VAT, with a fee on each brand-new client its marketplace finds you, and Covered Beauty, which we make, is £9 a month for one person or £19.99 for a team of up to 5, with no commission. Timely is still a good fit for a bigger team, as every plan includes unlimited team members. Prices read on 2, 3 and 12 November 2026.
Is Timely billed weekly?
Yes. Timely’s terms say its fees are billed weekly in advance, and its pricing page gives each plan as a price a week. Its terms also say the fees don’t include taxes such as VAT.
Does Timely charge per booking?
Its plans start at £4, £7 and £9 a week, and its pricing page says the bill moves with the bookings you take each week, so a busier week can cost more. It doesn’t charge a fee on new clients.
How much notice do I need to give Timely to cancel?
14 days, as its terms say. Give it once your clients and future bookings have moved across, so nothing is lost in between.
What’s the cheapest alternative to Timely?
Square Appointments has a free plan for one location. Of the paid plans in the table on this page, SalonBooking Solo and Covered Beauty Solo cost the least for one person, both at £9 a month. Each leaves different things out, so check the table before you pick on price.
Can I bring my clients and future bookings from Timely?
Yes. Timely lets you export your client list from its client overview report as a CSV. Its help centre says its support team can also send an export of your clients, appointments, services, client notes, products and product purchases, and that it can take up to 48 hours. Our guide to moving from Timely has the steps.
Do I get consultation forms without paying extra?
Timely’s pricing page puts its Consult app for iOS on every plan, but sending forms before an appointment and saving them to the client’s profile start on Boost, from £7 a week. On Covered Beauty, clients sign forms on their phone before they arrive and the signed copy stays on their record on every plan, with 25 ready-made templates. We read Timely’s page on 12 November 2026.
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@covered.technology and we’ll check it and change it.
What else should you read?
Moving from Timely to Covered Beauty
Export your clients from Timely or ask it for a data export, bring your menu and bookings across, and what to tell clients.
Read the guideCheapest salon booking software in the UK (2026)
A month of bookings for a solo tech, costed nine ways: the subscription, marketplace fees and card fees added up, and when a free plan wins.
Read the guideBooking app for a small salon team: what 2 to 5 people pay
Per-person plans against flat ones for 2, 3 and 5 people, with VAT, and what a small team needs from a shared diary.
Read the guide
