Timely’s no-commission, subscription-based model was a great alternative to Fresha — five years ago. But the platform has barely moved since. Here’s the honest math on when Timely is the right call, when it stops being one, and what the alternative looks like.
Stay on Timely if you’re a mid-size salon happy with the current feature set, don’t need anything custom, and have a predictable monthly subscription budget.
Switch to custom if you’re scaling, if Timely’s 2018-era UX is costing you bookings, if support slowness has burned you, or if you want features Timely doesn’t ship and won’t.
| Timely | Custom (Qarbi) | |
|---|---|---|
| Build cost | $0 upfront | $8K–$18K |
| Per-booking commission | $0 | $0 |
| Monthly subscription | $30–$120+ per month per location | $0 |
| Support quality | Reported 2.3–3.5 stars, UK-based, slow | AU business hours, Slack response in minutes |
| Innovation pace | Stagnant — owners say "feels like 2018" | You commission what you need |
| Branded checkout | Limited | Full control |
| Custom workflow | Limited | Anything you need |
| You own client data | Cloud-hosted | Yes |
| Best for | Mid-size salons that want predictable monthly fee | Multi-practitioner businesses that want ownership |
Timely: $30/mo × 36 → $1,080 over 3 years
Qarbi build: $8K–$10K build
Timely: $70/mo × 36 → $2,520 over 3 years
Qarbi build: $10K–$12K build
Timely: $120/mo × 2 locs × 36 → $8,640 over 3 years
Qarbi build: $12K–$18K build
Run your own numbers in the interactive calculator →
"Non-existent post-signup support." — UK Trustpilot reviewer
"Felt like paying for something built in 2018 that hasn't moved much. No AI, no predictive features." — salon owner, Melbourne
"Price hike after we'd migrated everything across. Felt like a bait-and-switch." — multi-location clinic owner
Timely’s subscription model is genuinely the cheaper option for low-volume operators who don’t need anything custom. The math only flips once you’re paying $70+/month and have 2+ years of tenure ahead of you.
Over a 3-year window: only at low booking volumes. A solo operator on Timely Starter pays around $1,080 over 3 years. A custom build at the same stage doesn't make sense yet. But for mid-tier and pro tiers, the math flips — by year 4 the custom build has paid for itself with permanent fee-free operation after that.
Multiple Australian Timely users report long response times and limited post-signup hand-holding. The product itself is mostly stable — but when something breaks or you need configuration help, the wait can be frustrating.
Most of the platform shipped years ago and core flows haven't changed materially since. There's no AI, no predictive scheduling, no automated rebooking, and the UI patterns predate modern booking expectations. For some clinics that's fine — for others, it's why they're looking for an alternative.
Yes. Timely has a usable API for export — full client list, booking history, services, recurring appointments. Migration runs in parallel with no downtime; old system stays live until the new one is tested.