• WordPress

Start Booking vs WP Amelia WordPress Booking Plugin: What’s the Difference?

Looking for a great WordPress booking plugin to support your business’s website? By now, you’ve probably realized that there are a lot of options out there. Without trying them out, it can be difficult to determine which booking plugin is right for your business. A great booking plugin can help you book more appointments and […]

Looking for a great WordPress booking plugin to support your business’s website? By now, you’ve probably realized that there are a lot of options out there. Without trying them out, it can be difficult to determine which booking plugin is right for your business. A great booking plugin can help you book more appointments and look even more professional – while a poor booking plugin could cause you to fail to convert prospective clients, or even miss appointments entirely. 

Start Booking and WP Amelia are two popular, highly rated WordPress booking plugins that can help improve the customer booking experience. But while they perform similar functions, there are some key differences you’ll want to keep in mind. We’ll give you a brief overview of these two WordPress plugins, then go over how they’re different and which might be best for you.

What is Start Booking?

Start Booking is an online appointment scheduler that can help you grow your business and book more appointments. But it’s so much more than just a calendar. Its comprehensive platform focuses on time management, giving suggestions on how to optimize your schedule for maximum success.

The Start Booking WordPress booking plugin features a fully customizable interface that blends seamlessly into your WordPress site. It allows your customers to see available times, make an appointment or join a group class, customize their bookings to fit their needs, and pay for services directly on your website. You’ll be able to add unlimited service types, appointments, and staff. No more having to take appointments over the phone or rely on an assistant to record bookings – Start Booking allows you to fully automate the booking process. It integrates with Google Calendar, Google Analytics, Stripe, MailChimp, Zoom, and more.

Start Booking software goes beyond just a WordPress plugin, allowing you to manage your calendar and bookings outside of the WordPress admin while still accepting appointments on your WordPress site.

It’s ideal for fitness centers, spas, beauty salons, and other service-based businesses.

What is WP Amelia?

Like Start Booking, WP Amelia is a powerful automated booking specialist. The Amelia WordPress booking plugin boasts a modern design and interface. It also allows customers to book appointments and events 24/7, without having to talk to a human.

The Amelia WordPress booking plugin also doesn’t require any training to install and use. It’s simple, intuitive, and reliable with many good reviews. It integrates with Google Calendar, PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce. While Amelia doesn’t integrate with Google Analytics, it does provide a dashboard with key performance insights. It also allows you to add as many services, staff members, and appointments as you want.

Since the Amelia WordPress booking plugin is only available through WordPress, you’ll manage your calendar and bookings through the WordPress admin.

The Amelia WordPress booking plugin is great for law consultants, private clinics, repair centers, gyms, spas, and beauty salons.

How They’re Different

While Start Booking and Amelia offer similar functionalities and benefits, they are not the same. Both are great options that can benefit any service-based business, but one might be better for your company than the other. We’ll list a few key differences so you can make an informed decision between the two.

  • Booking Management
    A Start Booking subscription gives you full access to the Start Booking software, allowing you to accept bookings directly on your WordPress site without having to manage them through the WordPress admin. With Amelia, you’ will manage your day to day calendar in the WordPress admin.
  • Custom Integrations
    Amelia integrates with Google Calendar, PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce. Start Booking integrates with Google Calendar, Google Analytics, MailChimp, Stripe, and Zoom.
  • Interface Design
    Amelia has a minimalistic, modern user interface, with customizable fonts and colors. Start Booking’s layout is less designed but more customizable.
  • Transfer Assistance
    If you’ve been using a different online booking service that you aren’t satisfied with, transferring all of those appointments over can be a real pain. Start Booking’s team will help you move customer info and appointments over to the Start Booking platform for free. While Amelia does have great customer service, it doesn’t offer free transfer assistance.
  • Trial Options
    Start Booking offers a no-risk 14-day free trial, allowing you to try things out before having to commit. Amelia doesn’t have a free trial option, but it does offer a 15-day money-back guarantee.
  • Price
    Amelia offers three pricing tiers: Basic for $59/year, Pro for $109/year, and Developer for $249/year. Basic plans include 1 domain, Pro plans include 3 domains, and Developer plans include unlimited domains. If you’d prefer not to keep track of a subscription, Amelia also offers a lifetime price. Basic lifetime is $189, Pro lifetime is $389, and Developer lifetime is $589.

    Start Booking offers two pricing tiers: Individual for $12/month, and Business for $28/month. Start Booking doesn’t have a lifetime pricing option. Though these prices are slightly higher, they both include the ability to use the software outside of just WordPress.

Which Is the Best WordPress Booking Plugin For Your Business?

WP Amelia may be a good choice if you and your entire staff are really familiar with WordPress & comfortable performing all of your booking from there. Plus, its basic plan is an incredible value if you’re on a budget and you only need the plugin for one site.

Start Booking may be a good choice if your team would prefer not to conduct all of your bookings from the WordPress admin. It also gives you the flexibility to move your website off of WordPress in the future, or use the same software for a different site as well. It’s also ideal if you’d like to integrate your appointment scheduling with other platforms, such as Zoom, Google Analytics, or MailChimp.

Plus, you can give Start Booking’s free trial a go completely risk-free. After all, that’s the best way to see whether a certain platform is a good fit for you and your business.

With these two incredible WordPress booking plugins, you really can’t go wrong. Both Start Booking and WP Amelia have rave reviews, simple and elegant interfaces, and the potential to help your business thrive even more. The right WordPress booking plugin for you really depends on your preferences and the needs of your business.

Ready to start booking more customers?

Time to see how fast and easy managing (and filling!) your schedule can be. Start a 14-day free trial today and watch how Start Booking propels your business forward.

Ready to start booking more customers?
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