Timely Salon vs booksy

Timely Salon and Booksy, though they come from slightly different corners of the cosmos, share an uncanny similarity in that they both allow people to book appointments for their haircuts, massages and various other services in a far more civilized manner than the old “just walk in and hope for the best” approach. Both are mobile and web-based, which means you can book that last-minute manicure while stuck in traffic or lounging in a cafe pretending to be busy. They both cater to businesses that rely on appointments, offering everything from schedule management to reminders, as though the universe itself is gently nudging you to keep your next appointment.

Now, if we were to talk about Timely Salon, we’d begin by pointing out that it arrived on the scene in 2015, from New Zealand, of all places. It’s like the quiet overachiever of the salon software world—focusing heavily on small-to-medium businesses and independent contractors, like those lone rangers who brave the world of beauty and wellness. It integrates neatly with payment systems, sends automatic reminders (because who can remember everything?) and offers a marketing toolkit that could turn any small business into a local phenomenon—if only they remembered to turn the 'Open' sign on.

Meanwhile, Booksy came charging into existence a year earlier, in 2014, from Poland—a country known more for pierogi than apps, but that’s beside the point. It’s more of a generalist in the business of appointments, catering not just to salons but also barbers, trainers and even the occasional wellness guru. It gives a little more weight to customer reviews and tips, as if trying to be the Yelp of appointment scheduling and it links up with various business tools to make sure you’re not scrambling to reconcile your books at the end of the month. If Timely Salon is the quiet overachiever, Booksy is the ambitious, multitasking dreamer—always trying to do a bit more.

See also: Top 10 Beauty Salon software