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  5. Amelia

Amelia

WordPress Appointment and Event Booking Plugin

Updated on: 12th Oct 2021

Strengths

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    May be difficult at first...it may take some time before you grasp all the features 

    Description

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    Less customizable on the look and feel 

    Description

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    Competitively priced annual and lifetime premium plans

    Description

Weaknesses

    Amelia is a top-listed appointment setting plugin for WordPress. It has a decent rating with many users highlighting its pros and cons. Amelia offers enterprise-level booking functionality for legal consultancies, gyms and sports businesses, repair centers, private clinics, spas, beauty salons, and more. There is a steep learning curve involved when you install the plugin but the documentation is very helpful. The plugin developer is also very active in responding to support queries. While not as customizable, Amelia is GDPR compliant and provides diverse features and integrations for an all-rounded booking experience.

    What sets Amelia apart

      Free plan limitations

      Amelia Lite is a free version that is available in the WordPress plugin repository. It offers an opportunity for users to get an idea of how Amelia works. You will be able to create a booking view by adding shortcodes, configure basic settings, configure provider details and working schedules, and set up email notifications. However, Amelia Lite lacks important functionality such as group services, coupons, Calendar synchronization, zoom integration, locations, recurring appointments, WooCommerce support, payment gateway integration, and access to premium support.

      Alternatives

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      BirchPress Scheduler

      BirchPress Scheduler

      https://www.birchpress.com/

      Birchpress Scheduler is a WP appointment setting plugin that offers comparable (albeit slightly higher) pricing to Amelia.

      This alternative plugin offers a decent appointment booking functionality and is highly rated by users.

      A key advantage of Birchpress Scheduler over Amelia is that it makes it super easy to capture PayPal and Credit Card payments without the need for a third-party gateway. This booking plugin also has an extendable codebase, which means you can write custom functions to better suit your unique appointment booking needs.

      A key disadvantage of Birchpress scheduler over Amelia is that it doesn’t have an active freemium version, which denies users the opportunity to get an impression of what this plugin offers before committing to the paid version.

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      Simply Schedule Appointments

      Simply Schedule Appointments

      https://simplyscheduleappointments.com/

      Simply Schedule Appointments is a great alternative plugin that offers a well-rounded booking functionality but is slightly more expensive than Amelia.

      The freemium version of Simply Schedule Appointments is very capable and is Top Rated on the WordPress plugin marketplace. Like Amelia, this plugin has very active developer support.

      It also offers an easy 5-minute setup wizard that can make onboarding easier, along with attractive interfaces that improve the organization and shorten the learning curve.

      While this plugin may not be as diverse as Amelia, it, all the same, offers an excellent booking experience with the right balance between simplicity and functionality.

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      Booking Calendar

      Booking Calendar

      https://wpbookingcalendar.com/

      Booking Calendar is one of the oldest booking plugins for WordPress, and one of the most mature for that matter.

      It is a great Amelia alternative especially for users who want to bank on a plugin that has been tried and tested for over a decade. However, there may be a slightly steeper learning curve involved.

      One notable thing about Booking Calendar is that it has a powerful free version that is top-rated by hundreds of users on the WordPress plugin marketplace. This allows you to get a good idea of what the plugin offers before you even contemplate purchasing the premium version.

      The pro versions of Booking Calendar are comparably priced but slightly cheaper than Amelia. Users have 15 premium plans to choose from. While these can be all too confusing, they may also be an advantage in that they make it possible for you to pinpoint a precise package that is suited to your needs and number of websites.

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      Start Booking

      Start Booking

      https://www.startbooking.com/

      Start Booking is an Amelia alternative that makes sense especially for users who prefer to separate management of appointments from the WP dashboard (this is a SaaS-based solution).

      One notable thing about Start Booking is that it is very easy and simple to set up. It also blends in with your existing website design and layout.

      Outside of that, the plugin may not be as versatile as Amelia is. It has an extremely limited (and unimpressive) free version, which means that you may need to purchase a premium plan to get any real value.

      Furthermore, Start Booking is notably more expensive than Amelia and thus may not make sense for users who are keen to get optimal value for money.

      View All

      Features

      • Flexible scheduling– supports custom services schedule so you can configure working hours and breaks per service and employee.
      • Recurring appointments– makes it easier for customers to schedule recurring appointments (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) to maximize revenue. Also, set up special days with a non-recurring service schedule and working hours. 
      • Custom booking forms – create custom fields to collect as much information as needed from each customer. 
      • Set up events– configure one-time or repeating events such as classes, conferences, concerts, meetings with front-end booking and back-end attendance management. 
      • Collect payments– accept payments via PayPal, Stripe, and native WooCommerce integration.
      • Calendar Sync– Amelia synchronizes with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar for easier management.
      • Booking wizard– a step-by-step booking wizard that’s almost intuitive for customers to use. 
      • Insightful dashboard– view your services and calendar in friendly interfaces. Also, track financials and conversions through dashboard-presented charts.
      • Search interface – customers can use up a search functionality to look up a service, employee, or date with filters. 
      • Multiple employees & locations – numerous settings to manage multiple services, employees, and locations.
      • Group appointments– set up group bookings with a minimum and maximum capacity.
      • Notifications – supports SMS and e-mail notifications to customers and employees. 
      • GDPR compliance– Amelia is compliant with GDPR data privacy requirements. 
      • Discounts and coupons – create discount coupons and track how they are used.
      • Customizable design– adjust the fonts and colors to match your WordPress theme and brand style.

      Pricing

      The premium version of Amelia is available in both annual and lifetime plans:

      Annual Plans (inclusive of 12 months of support and updates)

      • BASIC – $59 per year per domain for unlimited appointments, unlimited employees, unlimited locations, and customizable design.  
      • PRO - $109 per year for three domains for all the features in Basic plus packages of services.  
      • DEVELOPER – $249 per year for unlimited domains and all the features you get in PRO.  

      Lifetime Plans (inclusive of lifetime support and updates)

      • BASIC LIFETIME – $189 per domain for unlimited appointments, unlimited employees, unlimited locations, and customizable design.  
      • PRO LIFETIME - $389 per three domains for all the features in Basic plus packages of services.  
      • DEVELOPER LIFETIME – $589 for unlimited domains and all the features you get in PRO.

      Conclusion

      If you are looking for a lightweight system that gives you control to create diverse booking forms for your website without having to break the bank, Amelia is a great choice.

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      Amelia

      Amelia

      https://wpamelia.com/
      (about affiliate links)

      From their site:
      Award-winning WP booking plugin that manages services, appointments, customers, events, analyze business performance, and accept payments online.