Compare
Timely vs myAthenaAI
Timely: Booking and payments software for hair and beauty professionals, solo to multi-location. myAthenaAI: the AI-native clinic management system for aesthetic and beauty clinics — booking, clinic management, stock and marketing in one system, with Athena, the AI built in, doing the work.
The short answer
Timely is clinic software your team operates. It keeps the diary and the records; you still do the answering, chasing, booking and marketing.
myAthenaAI does the work for you. It's a full clinic management system (booking, client records, stock, payments, staff) with Athena built in. She knows the clinic, and she answers every WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger message, text, email and phone call, and books, moves and takes deposits inside the diary. She runs the reminders, follow-ups and rebooking, answers anything you ask about the business, and makes the marketing: campaigns, images, before-and-afters, content and your website.
- AI front desk: myAthenaAI 9/9 · Timely 0/9
- Owner assistant: myAthenaAI 4/4 · Timely 1/4
- Running the clinic: myAthenaAI 12/12 · Timely 11/12
- Marketing and content: myAthenaAI 12/12 · Timely 3/12
- Smart Site: myAthenaAI 5/5 · Timely 2/5
- Ads and tracking: myAthenaAI 5/5 · Timely 1/5
Why myAthenaAI
- It covers more of a clinic's work: 53 of the 54 features we compared, against Timely's 20 (counting its paid add-ons and partial versions). Included as standard: myAthenaAI 53, Timely 7.
- It gives you time back. Other systems keep the diary while you do the work. Athena does the answering, booking, chasing, follow-ups and marketing herself, on every channel and the phone, 24/7. See your own hours back.
- It has every angle covered. Front desk, owner assistant, the clinic's running, marketing and content, your website and your ad tracking, in one clinic management system with one login, instead of booking software plus add-ons plus five other tools.
- It's built for appointment businesses, by people who've run them. Made specifically for aesthetic clinics, med spas, salons and practitioner-led clinics, by people who have built and run clinics.
- It's AI-native, not bolted on. Athena runs inside the system, so she knows the clinic: the same Athena who answers your clients works from your diary, client history, treatments, prices and policies, and she's the one you ask about takings and stock. Other systems add an AI receptionist on top; in myAthenaAI the receptionist is one of the jobs she does.
- It's built for where clinic software is going. The whole system was built around Athena, and new capabilities ship every week.
Feature counts are from this page's comparison, checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website.
How many hours a day would she give you back?
With other clinic software, the software keeps the diary and you still do the work: replying, chasing, booking, following up and posting. With myAthenaAI, Athena does that work, so the hours come back to you and the bookings that slip through missed calls and no-shows come back too.
Every clinic is different, so we don't print a made-up number. Answer eleven quick questions and see your hours a day back and bookings won back a month, with every assumption shown.
Get my estimateFeature by feature
| Feature |  myAthenaAI |  Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | ||
| Who answers, books, chases and markets | Athena does itAthena answers, books, chases, follows up and makes the marketing. You approve and treat. | You and your teamThe software gives you tools; you or your staff operate them. |
| AI built in, not sold as an add-on | IncludedThe AI is the product: one employee across every job, not an add-on. | Not listed on their siteNo client-facing AI found; only AI is Textie Bestie, which drafts SMS text. source |
| Hours given back and bookings won back | Get your estimateHours a day back and bookings won back, worked out from your own week. | You still do the workBooking software saves some admin; the answering, chasing, booking and marketing are still yours. |
| AI front desk | ||
| AI replies on WhatsApp | IncludedReplies by herself, 24/7, and books from the chat. | Not listed on their siteNo AI client replies found; only AI is Textie Bestie SMS text generator. source |
| AI replies to Instagram DMs | IncludedAnswers DMs (and the story they replied to) and books from the chat. | Not listed on their siteNo AI client replies found; Instagram booking buttons only. source |
| AI replies on Facebook Messenger | IncludedSame brain and booking power on Facebook Messenger. | Not listed on their siteNo AI client replies found; Messenger booking buttons only. source |
| AI replies to texts (SMS) | IncludedReplies to texts and books. | Not listed on their siteTwo-way SMS is staff-operated; no AI replies found. source |
| AI replies to emails | IncludedAnswers client emails and can book. | Not listed on their siteNo AI client replies found on AI and automation page. source |
| AI answers the phone | IncludedAnswers in a natural voice, knows returning callers, books during the call. | Not listed on their siteNo AI or automated call answering found on AI and automation page. source |
| Books, moves and cancels inside the conversation | IncludedBooks, moves, cancels, adds or swaps treatments in the real diary. | Not listed on their siteNo AI booking in conversations found on AI and automation page. source |
| Sends deposit and payment links in the conversation | IncludedSends deposit, balance or payment links; the amount comes from the system. | Not listed on their siteNo AI conversations found, so no AI payment links. source |
| Understands voice notes | IncludedUnderstands WhatsApp and Instagram voice notes. | Not listed on their siteNo voice note handling found on AI and automation page. source |
| Owner assistant | ||
| Ask anything about your business | IncludedAsk by chat or voice: takings, gaps, no-shows, top clients, stock. 50+ instant answers. | Not listed on their siteFeb 2026 update lists 'AI assistance within Timely' as being explored, not launched. source |
| Tell her to do it (move, cancel, message, block time) | Included"Move Sarah to 3pm", "block Friday", "text her": hundreds of actions, by role. | Not listed on their siteFeb 2026 update lists 'AI assistance within Timely' as being explored, not launched. source |
| Growth ideas from your own numbers | IncludedOffer and campaign ideas from your margins, quiet days and lapsed clients. | Not listed on their siteNo AI growth suggestions found on AI and automation page. source |
| Reports and daily brief | IncludedReports, spoken day and client briefs, optional daily and weekly digests. | IncludedBusiness and financial reports on all plans; optional daily appointment summary email; no AI insights found. source |
| Running the clinic | ||
| Online booking | IncludedOn your Smart Site, or straight from the conversation. | Included24/7 online booking on all plans. source |
| Diary and staff calendar | IncludedYour real diary: rooms, practitioners, treatment times, rota. | IncludedOnline appointment calendar and mobile app on all plans. source |
| Deposits and no-show protection | IncludedDeposits at booking, chased automatically; saved-card charges; trusted-client exemptions. | IncludedDeposits and cards on file on all plans; cancellation fees need Boost or Thrive. source |
| Fills cancelled slots automatically | IncludedA freed slot is offered to waitlisted clients and booked when one says yes. | Paid add-on / higher planWaitlist on Boost and Thrive; staff book waitlisted clients manually, no auto-fill found. source |
| Appointment reminders | IncludedWhatsApp, SMS or email reminders, plus confirmations and change notices. | IncludedAutomated appointment reminders and confirmations by SMS and email on all plans. source |
| Rebooks clients who went quiet | IncludedSpots who's due back and reaches out in your voice. | Paid add-on / higher planRebooking reminders and reconnect messages on Thrive plan only. source |
| Aftercare and check-in messages | IncludedAftercare, day-3 and day-7 check-ins, progress-photo requests. | Paid add-on / higher planAutomated aftercare and follow-up messages on Boost and Thrive. source |
| Consent and medical forms | IncludedSent before the visit, signed in the client's members area. | Paid add-on / higher planSending forms before visits needs Boost; automatic sending needs Thrive; Run limited to Consult iOS app. source |
| AI-written treatment notes | IncludedDictate or type; Athena tidies the treatment note. | Not listed on their siteNo AI note writing found on AI and automation page. source |
| Stock | IncludedLevels, orders, suppliers, usage forecast, margin per treatment. | Paid add-on / higher planFull stock management on Boost+; Run gets Stock app capped at 50 products. source |
| Drafts reorders; reads serial numbers from a photo | IncludedDrafts reorders of what's low for your approval; reads serials from a label photo. | Paid add-on / higher planThrive: stock orders filter low items and calculate quantities to ideal level; not AI, no photo scanning. source |
| Payments | IncludedStripe and Square: payment links, deposits, saved cards, refunds. | IncludedIntegrated payments, card terminals and Tap to Pay on all plans. source |
| Marketing and content | ||
| Email / SMS / WhatsApp campaigns | IncludedEmail, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns and sequences. | Paid add-on / higher planTargeted SMS campaigns and Mailchimp email on Boost+; Run has one-off messages only. source |
| AI builds the campaign (audience and messages) | IncludedAthena picks the audience and offer and writes the drafts; you approve. | PartialFree Textie Bestie web chatbot suggests SMS campaign text; audiences chosen manually with filters. source |
| Revenue from each campaign | IncludedBookings and revenue from each campaign. | Not listed on their siteSMS campaign guide covers sending and cost only; no bookings or revenue per campaign found. source |
| AI images and flyers in your brand | IncludedTreatment images and promo flyers, with your real logo and colours. | Not listed on their siteNo AI image generation found on AI and automation page. source |
| Before-and-after assistant | IncludedAuto-aligns, checks and brands side-by-sides; won't send without consent. | Not listed on their siteBefore and after photo storage on Boost and Thrive; no comparison image builder found. source |
| Content research (trends, viral videos, search questions) | IncludedViral aesthetics videos and competitor ads analysed; the questions people search. | Not listed on their siteNo content research tools found on AI and automation page. source |
| Content planner | IncludedPlans the week and reminds you on the day; you post. | Not listed on their siteNo social content planner found on pricing or AI pages. source |
| Writes posts and captions | IncludedPost ideas, captions and shot-by-shot storyboards. | Not listed on their siteNo social post or caption creation found; AI tool drafts SMS text only. source |
| Writes your blog and newsletter | IncludedWrites and publishes SEO blog posts and a newsletter. | Not listed on their siteNo AI blog or newsletter writer found; Textie Bestie drafts SMS text only. source |
| Voiceovers in your own voice | IncludedVoice Studio: scripts and voiceovers, even WhatsApp voice notes, in your voice. | Not listed on their siteNo voice cloning found on AI and automation page. source |
| Review requests | IncludedAsks for a Google review after the visit. | Paid add-on / higher planAutomated review requests on Boost and Thrive. source |
| AI-drafted review replies | IncludedDrafts on-brand replies for you to post; turns good reviews into images. | Not listed on their siteReview requests on Boost and Thrive; no AI review replies found. source |
| Smart Site | ||
| Clinic website | IncludedThe Smart Site: your clinic's website, built for you. | IncludedFree customisable mini-website on a Timely domain on all plans. source |
| A page per treatment, with prices and booking | IncludedEvery treatment gets its own page with prices, aftercare and booking. | Not listed on their siteFree mini-website shows services, staff and hours on a Timely subdomain; per-service pages not stated. source |
| Courses and upgrades offered at booking | IncludedRecommends a multi-session course at the booking step, with the per-session price. | Paid add-on / higher planAdd-on service upsells during online booking on Boost and Thrive, not Run. source |
| AI on the website (chat or voice) | IncludedVisitors chat or talk to Athena; she answers and sends them to book. | Not listed on their siteNo AI chat for website visitors found on AI and automation page. source |
| Built to be found by ChatGPT and AI search | IncludedStructured pages, llms.txt and IndexNow so ChatGPT and Google can read and quote you. | Not listed on their siteMini-website guide mentions no SEO, schema or AI-search features; custom domains unsupported. source |
| Ads and tracking | ||
| Traces bookings to the ad that made them | IncludedWhich source and which Meta ad brought each lead, booking and pound. | PartialGoogle Tag Manager booking tracking (Thrive) feeds GA/Meta Pixel; attribution sits in those tools. source |
| Server-side tracking | IncludedFirst-party, server-side tracking through your own site address. | Not listed on their siteGoogle Analytics (Boost+) and Google Tag Manager (Thrive) only; no server-side tracking found. source |
| Sends bookings and revenue back to ad platforms | IncludedBookings and payments, with value, sent to Meta, Google, TikTok, ChatGPT and Microsoft. | Not listed on their siteGoogle Analytics and Tag Manager integrations only; no server-side conversion sending found. source |
| Syncs client lists as ad audiences | IncludedClient and lead lists kept in sync as ad audiences; opt-outs left out. | Not listed on their siteMailchimp email integration on Boost+; no ad-platform audience sync found. source |
| AI ad advisor (what to back, pause, make next) | IncludedTells you which ads to back or pause and briefs the next one. | Not listed on their siteNo AI ad recommendations found on AI and automation page. source |
| Also compared | ||
| Consumer marketplace for new clients | Not offeredNot a marketplace: Athena works your own channels and clients. | Not listed on their siteNo Timely consumer marketplace found; Reserve with Google on Boost and Thrive. source |
| Treatment records and photos | IncludedClient history, notes, photos and serial numbers on every appointment. | Paid add-on / higher planClient notes on all plans; before/after photos and document uploads need Boost or Thrive. source |
| Two-way WhatsApp inbox | IncludedOne inbox per client across every channel; staff can take over any time. | Not listed on their siteHelp centre only covers posting a booking link in a WhatsApp group; two-way messaging is SMS. source |
| Instagram DMs in the inbox | IncludedInstagram DMs in the same inbox. | PartialInstagram, Facebook and Messenger booking buttons on all plans; no Instagram DM replies found. source |
✓ Included · £ Paid add-on or higher plan · ◐ Partial · — Not listed on their official site (it may exist; we couldn't find it). Competitors checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website and help centre, with a source on every cell of the one-to-one pages. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@myathenaai.com and we'll correct it.
Fresha, Phorest, Pabau, Cliniko, Timely, Ovatu, Boulevard, Vagaro, Mindbody and Square are trademarks of their respective owners; their names and logos are shown only to identify their products. myAthenaAI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.
myAthenaAI notes: answering clients on every channel and the phone is on the Assistant + Reception plan. Tracking and analytics (server-side tracking, conversion feedback, audience sync, per-ad attribution and the AI ad advisor) are included. Automations are switched on per clinic.
Where myAthenaAI goes further
What myAthenaAI does that we couldn't find on Timely's own site:
- AI front desk: AI replies on WhatsApp; AI replies to Instagram DMs; AI replies on Facebook Messenger; AI replies to texts (SMS); AI replies to emails; AI answers the phone; Books, moves and cancels inside the conversation; Sends deposit and payment links in the conversation; Understands voice notes.
- Owner assistant: Ask anything about your business; Tell her to do it (move, cancel, message, block time); Growth ideas from your own numbers.
- Running the clinic: AI-written treatment notes.
- Marketing and content: Revenue from each campaign; AI images and flyers in your brand; Before-and-after assistant; Content research (trends, viral videos, search questions); Content planner; Writes posts and captions; Writes your blog and newsletter; Voiceovers in your own voice; AI-drafted review replies.
- Smart Site: A page per treatment, with prices and booking; AI on the website (chat or voice); Built to be found by ChatGPT and AI search.
- Ads and tracking: Server-side tracking; Sends bookings and revenue back to ad platforms; Syncs client lists as ad audiences; AI ad advisor (what to back, pause, make next).
Where Timely may be the better fit
- Pricing: UK, GBP, booking-based weekly pricing (bill adjusts to weekly booking volume): Run from £4/week, Boost from £7/week, Thrive from £9/week. Unlimited team members, no new-client fees, no contract, 14-day free trial. Advanced team management add-on +£8/week. Payments 1.59%+5p in person, 1.85%+30p online (3.00%+30p international cards). SMS included per booking; extra SMS 8p/5p/4p by plan. VAT treatment not stated on page. source myAthenaAI shares pricing when your intake opens, and waitlist clinics get 3 months free.
- Track record: Timely is an established product; myAthenaAI is in early access, installing a limited number of clinics by hand.
- What myAthenaAI doesn't do (yet): she doesn't make outbound calls or transfer calls; she replies in English; she plans and writes your social posts, but you post them; review replies are drafted for you to post.
Switching from Timely
When you apply, we ask which system you book clients in with today so we know what we'd move your clients and diary over from. Every clinic is installed by hand, and Athena is trained on your treatments, prices, policies and tone before she answers anyone. Before you move, read what to check before switching booking software.