If you run a service business — coach, consultant, photographer, therapist, wedding supplier — the right booking system is worth thousands a year in time and lost leads. Here's the honest comparison.
Calendly — best for simple "book a call"
- Cost: Free to £16/month
- Best for: Free discovery calls, sales calls, anyone who just needs a slot picked
- Limitations: No invoicing, no contracts, no proposals, no workflows. It's a scheduler, not a CRM.
Acuity Scheduling — best for paid sessions
- Cost: £12–£40/month
- Best for: Therapists, coaches, fitness — anyone selling individual paid sessions
- Strengths: Take payment at booking, packages, gift certificates, intake forms
- Limitations: Weak contracts, no proposal workflow, dated UI
Dubsado — best for full client workflows
- Cost: £30/month (£200/year)
- Best for: Photographers, wedding suppliers, designers, consultants — anyone with a full enquiry → proposal → contract → invoice → project flow
- Strengths: Genuine end-to-end CRM, beautiful client portal, automated workflows, branded everything, contracts + invoicing built-in
- Limitations: Steep learning curve (this is where I help — most clients save 20+ hours setting it up properly)
Custom-built booking system
- Cost: £4k–£15k one-off
- Best for: Multi-staff businesses, complex availability rules, integrations with bespoke systems, anyone whose business is the booking flow (e.g. a marketplace)
- Strengths: Exactly what you need, no monthly SaaS bill, scales infinitely
- Limitations: Upfront cost and you own the maintenance (or pay someone to)
My recommendation flow
- Just need calls in your diary → Calendly
- Paid 1:1 sessions only → Acuity
- Full client journey with proposals/contracts/invoices → Dubsado (and get help setting it up)
- Bespoke, multi-staff, or marketplace → Custom build
The wrong system costs you more in lost time than the right one ever costs in subscriptions. Pick on workflow fit, not price.
