The main Timely alternatives for UK salons are Fresha, Booksy and Vagaro if you want a marketplace that sends you new clients, Phorest or SalonIQ if you want a long-standing UK system, and Daviana if you want the phone answered by voice and colour costed on the same client record. Timely itself is hard to beat on price: from £4 a week with unlimited team members, no new client fees and 14 days' notice. Salons usually look elsewhere because the weekly bill rises with bookings, there is no marketplace, and its AI writes texts but does not answer calls. Here is where each alternative wins.
Superscripts link to the sources at the foot of the page. Prices are as each company shows them; Vagaro does not say whether its price includes VAT.
| Price | Contract and new-client fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Timely (for reference) | From £4, £7 or £9 a week by plan (Run, Boost, Thrive), billed in GBP; the price adjusts with the bookings you take; unlimited team members1 | Contract: None; 14 days' notice1 New clients: No new client fees; no marketplace1 |
| Fresha | £14.95 a month on your own; £9.95 a month per team member on Team2 | Contract: None; cancel any time2 New clients: A one-time fee on brand-new clients who find you on the Fresha marketplace; 20%, minimum £4, when we last saw the figure on 2026-10-132 |
| Booksy | £40 a month plus £5 a month per extra team member, plus VAT; 7-day free trial3 | Contract: None; cancel any time3 New clients: Only with Boost on: a one-time 30% of a Boost client's first visit, minimum £5, plus VAT3 |
| Phorest | Quote only; no prices published4 | Contract: One year, renewing automatically for another year unless you give two months' written notice; leaving early means paying the rest of the year5 New clients: No marketplace |
| SalonIQ | From £47 a month for a solo stylist; setup fee from £175 plus VAT6 | Contract: Its pricing page says no long-term contracts and 60 days' notice;6 its terms set an initial term, then 90 days' written notice7 New clients: No marketplace |
| Vagaro | £20 a month for one bookable calendar, plus £10 a month for each extra calendar up to seven licences; 30-day free trial8,9 | Contract: None; cancel any time with no cancellation fees8 New clients: Since 14 July 2026, a one-time 20% fee when a brand-new client books through the Vagaro Marketplace or partner network (Yelp, Google, Apple Maps)10 |
| Daviana | From £25 a month including VAT for the diary and till (one person; £45 for two or three, £80 for four to eight, £120 for nine or more); first month free | Contract: None; cancel any month New clients: None. No marketplace and no commission on bookings |
Start with what Timely actually charged you, not the "from" price. Its bill is calculated from the bookings you take each week,1 so a busy salon pays more than £4. Take your own numbers:
In that example Fresha and Vagaro cost less than Timely before any new-client fees, Booksy costs a little more once VAT is in, and Daviana costs more. The numbers are only an illustration, so use your own. If price is the reason you are leaving, compare the marketplace fees honestly: they buy new clients, and a full diary may not need them. If the reason is the phone, colour or a second system bolted on, price the whole set-up, including any separate answering service or colour app, against one system that does it on one record. Our guide to what salon software costs in the UK works through the fees in more detail, 12 questions to ask before switching salon software covers the move, and the UK salon software guide compares the wider field.
Usually not for the price. Timely starts at £4 a week with unlimited team members and no new client fees. Salons look elsewhere because the weekly bill adjusts with the bookings you take, so a busy salon pays more than the headline; because Timely has no consumer marketplace to send new clients; and because its AI writes text messages but does not answer the phone.
Timely's UK pricing page lists three plans from £4, £7 and £9 a week, billed in GBP, with unlimited team members on every plan. The price adjusts based on the bookings you take each week, and SMS is included per booking. There is no contract; you cancel with 14 days' notice. Card payments carry processing fees on top.
Timely's own product information lists Textie Bestie, an AI tool that helps you write SMS messages to clients. We found no voice receptionist that answers phone calls in it, checked 2026-10-28. Fresha sells an AI Concierge add-on that answers calls and messages, and Daviana's AI receptionist answers the call by voice and books into the same diary the front desk uses.
For a team of four, Fresha's Team plan is £39.80 a month and Vagaro is £50 a month on the prices each publishes, before any marketplace fee on new clients. Booksy is £55 a month plus VAT. Daviana is £80 a month including VAT. Phorest is quote only. Compare those with your own Timely invoices, not the 'from' price, because Timely's bill moves with bookings.
Timely asks for 14 days' notice and there is no contract to wait out. Before you give notice, ask the new supplier to look at a real export of your clients, appointments and notes, including colour formulas, which are the easiest data to lose. The Daviana team moves your clients and prices across for you.
Thirty minutes, your services and your numbers. We will tell you if staying on Timely makes more sense.
Book a demoTimely, Fresha, Booksy, Phorest, SalonIQ and Vagaro are trademarks of their owners. We are not affiliated with any of them. Prices and terms change, so check with each company before deciding.