Overview
Timely is nz-made salon booking and payments software for hair and beauty. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Dunedin, New Zealand (offices in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Europe), it serves Australian businesses.
NZ-made salon booking and payments software for hair and beauty
Pricing (AUD inc. GST)
All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.
Build
$42/mo
AUD exc GST
Per bookable staff member per month. Includes appointment calendar, client records, online bookings, basic automated marketing, TimelyPay payments, and online support. Best for solo practitioners or small salons getting started.
- Staff Members: per bookable staff
- Sms Credits: 100
- Locations: unlimited
- Bookings: unlimited
Most Popular
Elevate
$65/mo
AUD exc GST
Per bookable staff member per month. Everything in Build plus brand boost features, business tool sync (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks), document and photo uploads, and integrated consultation forms. A 5-person team costs A$325/month.
- Staff Members: per bookable staff
- Sms Credits: 200
- Locations: unlimited
- Bookings: unlimited
Innovate
$79/mo
AUD exc GST
Per bookable staff member per month. Everything in Elevate plus advanced consultation forms, direct phone support, and VIP service. Best for businesses wanting to transform the client experience with full customisation.
- Staff Members: per bookable staff
- Sms Credits: 350
- Locations: unlimited
- Bookings: unlimited
Pros & Cons
Pros
- AUD pricing with genuine Australasian roots — NZ-founded with a Melbourne office, one of few salon platforms with local presence
- Flexible payment processing: choose from TimelyPay (Stripe), Tyro EFTPOS, PayPal, eWay, Authorize.Net, or Pin Payments — not locked into one processor
- Native integration with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks Online — auto-syncs invoices and payments at no extra cost
- Branded online booking page lets clients book without creating a marketplace account, maintaining your salon's identity
- 14-day free trial is longer than Fresha's 7-day and Acuity's 7-day trial periods
- Digital consultation forms with photo uploads on Elevate/Innovate plans support clinical documentation and allergy tracking
- 30+ built-in reports across staff, financial, stock, client, appointment, and business categories
- Surcharging feature lets Australian businesses pass card processing fees to customers, compliant with RBA surcharging rules
Cons
- Per-staff pricing compounds quickly — a 5-person team on Elevate costs A$325/month before transaction fees, significantly more than Fresha's A$149.75
- TimelyPay in-salon terminal rate of 2.49% + A$0.05 is nearly double Fresha's 1.29% + A$0.26 per transaction
- Data hosted on AWS in EU, not Australia — no Australian data sovereignty despite having a Melbourne office
- Phone support only available on the most expensive Innovate plan (A$79/staff/month) — Build and Elevate limited to email and chat
- No client acquisition marketplace — unlike Fresha's consumer marketplace, Timely relies on you driving your own bookings
- Accounting integration is one-way only — changes in Xero/MYOB won't sync back to Timely
- No publicly listed security certifications beyond AWS's ISO 27001 — Timely itself does not advertise SOC 2 or equivalent
Who Is Timely Best For?
- Salon
- Barber
- Spa
- Beauty Therapist
- Wellness Clinic
- Small Business
Timely may not be the best fit for:
- Data Sovereignty Required
- Large Team Cost Sensitive
- Marketplace Client Acquisition
Timely Alternatives
If Timely doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:
- Calendly — Market-leading meeting scheduling and appointment booking platform. Free plan available.
- Acuity Scheduling — Appointment booking and client scheduling platform by Squarespace. From $20/mo inc. GST.
- Fresha — All-in-one salon and spa booking software with built-in payments. From $44.95/mo inc. GST.
- Square Appointments — Free booking and POS platform from the Square ecosystem. Free plan available.