Head to Head: Pricing
Clarity.fm and Talkspresso charge differently enough that a direct dollar comparison requires choosing a scenario.
Clarity.fm pricing (as of 2026, verify current rates):
- Experts set a per-minute rate
- Clarity.fm takes approximately 15% of each call
- No monthly subscription fee
- No flat-rate session pricing option
- Calls can be phone or video
Talkspresso pricing:
- Free plan: 10% fee, no monthly subscription
- Pro plan: 0% fee, $29.95/mo
- Flat-rate pricing per session (you set the price)
- No per-minute billing
Scenario: 30-minute consultation at $75 value
- Clarity.fm at $2.50/min, 30 min = $75. After 15% fee: you keep $63.75
- Talkspresso free plan: $75 session. After 10% fee + payment processing (~3%): you keep $65.25
Scenario: 60-minute strategy session at $150 value
- Clarity.fm at $2.50/min, 60 min = $150. After 15%: you keep $127.50
- Talkspresso free plan: $150 session. After 10% + processing: you keep $130.50
At similar session values, Talkspresso's free plan keeps slightly more per session. The Pro plan ($29.95/mo, 0% fee) becomes cheaper than the free plan after approximately 3 sessions per month at $100 each.
For a detailed look at how to charge for consulting calls, that guide covers flat-rate pricing strategy across niches.
Head to Head: Features
This is where the platforms diverge significantly.
| Feature | Clarity.fm | Talkspresso (Free) | Talkspresso (Pro) |
|---|
| Platform fee | ~15% | 10% | 0% |
| Monthly cost | $0 | $0 | $29.95/mo |
| Built-in video | Yes (phone + video) | Yes (HD) | Yes (HD) |
| Automatic recording | No | Yes |
The most significant difference is marketplace discovery. Clarity.fm surfaces your profile to buyers searching for expertise. Talkspresso does not have a marketplace, so you need to bring your own traffic.
For experts with an existing audience, social following, or email list, the marketplace is unnecessary and the fee difference and feature gap favor Talkspresso. For experts starting from zero, Clarity.fm's marketplace can generate early traction that justifies the higher fee.
Where Both Fall Short
Both platforms have gaps worth noting:
Clarity.fm's gaps: No flat-rate pricing. No automatic recording. No intake forms. No group sessions. Per-minute billing creates awkward incentives in longer calls. Limited control over your brand (you exist within Clarity.fm's marketplace).
Talkspresso's gaps: No marketplace discovery. You must generate your own bookings. If you have no social following, email list, or existing client base, you will not generate bookings without investing in promotion first.
For a broader comparison of the top platforms for paid expert calls, see the best platforms for paid 1:1 expert calls in 2026.
The Live-Video Third Option: Talkspresso in More Detail
For experts who want flat-rate sessions with built-in video and recording, Talkspresso covers all the bases:
HD video included: Every session runs in the Talkspresso video environment. Clients click one link from their confirmation email and join the HD call directly. No Zoom subscription, no external video tool.
Automatic recording: Every session records automatically. You can share the recording with the client as a follow-up deliverable, or sell it as a digital product afterward. For strategy and consulting sessions, recordings are often valuable enough to be sold standalone.
Intake forms per service: Before a client books a strategy session, they fill in the context you need. Company name, current situation, specific problem, what they have tried. You arrive at the session informed. The client gets a better session. Both parties benefit.
Group sessions: Run paid workshops, webinars, or group Q&As for up to 500 attendees with per-seat pricing. Clarity.fm has no group session feature.
AI session summaries: After every session, Talkspresso generates an AI summary of key points and action items that you can send to the client as a follow-up deliverable.
For a comparison of Talkspresso versus the Topmate alternative, that post covers a similar comparison between flat-rate platforms.
Which Should You Pick
Here is the decision framework by reader type:
You are starting with no audience:
Clarity.fm's marketplace gives you a path to early bookings without social media or an email list. The 15% fee is the cost of that discovery. Start there, build reviews, and transition to Talkspresso as your direct bookings grow.
You have a small but engaged social following (1,000-10,000 followers) or email list (200+):
Talkspresso will outperform Clarity.fm from day one. Your audience can find your booking page directly. The lower fee, built-in recording, and intake forms produce a better client experience than the marketplace alternative.
You run strategy sessions, audits, or longer consulting calls:
Talkspresso is the right choice. Flat-rate pricing fits the format better. Recording and intake forms are necessary features for session quality. Per-minute billing creates the wrong incentives for longer, more valuable sessions.
You primarily field short Q&A calls (under 30 minutes):
Clarity.fm's per-minute model works well for this format. The marketplace brings buyers who want quick expert access. Talkspresso works here too with flat-rate 30-minute sessions, but Clarity.fm's discovery advantage matters more for short-format calls.
You want group sessions or workshops:
Talkspresso. Clarity.fm has no group session support.
For a broader look at platform choices for startup advisors in particular, see Clarity.fm alternatives for startup advisors.
Some experts use Clarity.fm and Talkspresso simultaneously, which is a practical approach for building a direct booking practice while maintaining marketplace visibility.
A typical migration path looks like this: An expert signs up on Clarity.fm first, fields early calls through the marketplace, builds their review count, and gets a feel for what types of calls they most want to run. As they build a social following or email list, they create a Talkspresso profile alongside their Clarity.fm presence. Talkspresso handles the flat-rate strategy sessions from their own audience. Clarity.fm continues to surface them to marketplace buyers who do not know them yet.
Over 6-12 months, most experts find that their own-audience bookings (via Talkspresso) generate higher revenue per session and better client relationships than marketplace bookings (via Clarity.fm). The migration is gradual, not a hard cutover. There is no penalty for maintaining both profiles indefinitely.
When to consolidate: When direct bookings from your own audience consistently fill your calendar, the Clarity.fm marketplace adds less value than the fee cost. At that point, directing all promotion to your Talkspresso profile simplifies the operation and keeps more revenue per session.
The Bottom Line
Clarity.fm and Talkspresso solve different problems for different experts at different stages of building a paid session business.
Clarity.fm wins on marketplace discovery and familiarity with the per-minute model. Talkspresso wins on features, fee structure, and session quality for longer, flat-rate calls.
The cleanest path: use Clarity.fm to generate early traction if you have no existing audience. Migrate to Talkspresso as your direct booking capability grows. Many experts run both simultaneously for a period, with Clarity.fm handling marketplace discovery and Talkspresso handling direct bookings from their own audience.
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