1. Talkspresso
Talkspresso is built specifically for creators and experts who want to monetize their time through paid video calls, workshops, and group sessions. The entire platform is designed around one flow: someone books you, pays, and joins the video call, all from a single link.
What it automates:
- Scheduling with real-time availability
- Payment collection at booking (Stripe-powered)
- Confirmation and reminder emails
- Built-in video rooms (no Zoom required)
- Google Calendar sync
- Session recording
- Pre-session intake forms so you know what clients need before they arrive
Pricing: No monthly subscription. Talkspresso takes 10% of each booking plus standard Stripe processing fees (2.9% + 30 cents). You pay nothing when you earn nothing.
Best for: Creators, coaches, consultants, and speakers who want a single link that handles everything. Particularly strong for group sessions and workshops where you need attendee management at scale.
Limitations: Less customization than enterprise speaker bureau software. Not designed for high-volume corporate event bookings requiring contract workflows.
2. Calendly
Calendly is the most widely recognized scheduling tool on this list. It eliminates email back-and-forth by showing your availability and letting people book directly.
What it automates:
- Scheduling with availability rules
- Calendar sync (Google, Outlook, iCloud)
- Confirmation and reminder emails
- Routing forms (routing leads to the right meeting type)
What it does NOT automate:
- Payments (requires a separate Stripe or PayPal integration)
- Video calls (requires Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams integration)
- Session recording
- Intake forms on paid plans only
Pricing: Free tier available. Standard plan is $10/month per seat. Teams plan is $16/month per seat. Payment collection requires a paid plan plus your own Stripe or PayPal account.
Best for: Professionals who need scheduling automation and already have a separate payment processor and video tool in place. Works well inside larger organizations where you have IT setting up integrations.
Limitations: It is a scheduling tool, not an end-to-end booking platform. You are still managing payments, video, and reminders across separate products.
3. Acuity Scheduling
Acuity (owned by Squarespace) is a scheduling and appointment management platform with native payment support. It sits one step above Calendly for speakers who need payments built in.
What it automates:
- Scheduling with availability and buffer times
- Payment collection (Stripe, Square, PayPal)
- Confirmation and reminder emails with customizable templates
- Calendar sync
- Intake forms included on all plans
- Package and subscription selling
What it does NOT automate:
- Video hosting (connects to Zoom or Google Meet but does not host video itself)
- Session recording
Pricing: Starts at $16/month. $27/month for multiple staff members. $49/month for enterprise features.
Best for: Coaches and consultants who want scheduling plus payment in one tool and already use Zoom for video. Good option if you sell session packages or recurring subscriptions.
Limitations: You still need a separate video tool. Monthly subscription regardless of whether you have bookings.
4. SpeakerHub
SpeakerHub is a marketplace and management platform specifically for professional speakers. It functions more like a speaker bureau directory than a booking automation tool, but it has workflow features worth noting.
What it automates:
- Speaker profile and availability listing for event organizers
- Lead capture from event organizer inquiries
- Proposal and contract workflows
- Fee negotiation and agreement tracking
What it does NOT automate:
- Payments (manual invoicing)
- Video calls
- Scheduling in the traditional sense
Pricing: Free listing with commission on bookings. Premium visibility plans start around $29/month.
Best for: Keynote speakers and professional speakers who want to be discovered by event organizers and conference planners. The focus is on being found and booked for in-person or virtual events through a marketplace model.
Limitations: Not designed for recurring 1:1 calls or paid coaching sessions. The workflow assumes one-off high-ticket speaking engagements, not ongoing expert availability.
5. Clarity.fm
Clarity.fm is a marketplace for paid phone-based advisory calls. It connects entrepreneurs and founders with advisors and experts, billing by the minute.
What it automates:
- Matching callers with available experts
- Phone call facilitation
- Per-minute billing
- Payout to experts
What it does NOT automate:
- Video calls
- Scheduling (calls happen on-demand or by request)
- Calendar sync
- Session recording
- Group sessions
Pricing: Clarity takes a 15% marketplace fee. You set your per-minute rate.
Best for: Advisors who want on-demand calls from a warm audience of entrepreneurs already on the platform. Works well as a supplemental channel.
Limitations: Phone only, no video. You are dependent on Clarity's marketplace traffic rather than your own audience. Not a good fit for coaches or speakers who want to build their own brand and client list.
6. Intro.co
Intro is a marketplace that lets experts and creators offer paid video calls. It has a similar positioning to Talkspresso but operates as a closed marketplace.
What it automates:
- Scheduling and booking through the platform
- Payment collection
- Video calls
- Reminders
Pricing: Intro takes approximately 25% of each session. No monthly fee.
Best for: Experts who want marketplace exposure and do not mind the high commission in exchange for being discovered by Intro's audience.
Limitations: 25% platform fee is significantly higher than alternatives. You are building your client base inside a closed marketplace rather than on your own domain. Limited customization and branding.
| Platform | Scheduling | Built-in Payments | Built-in Video | Calendar Sync | Reminders | Recording | Pricing Model |
|---|
| Talkspresso | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10% per booking |
| Calendly | Yes | Partial (integration) | No |
A lot of speakers and coaches default to building their own stack. They use Calendly for scheduling, Stripe for payments, and Zoom for video calls. On paper this looks cheaper. In practice it creates a tax on your time every single week.
Here is what that stack actually requires:
Setup time: 3-5 hours to connect accounts, configure Zapier automations, test the booking flow, and make sure payment links land correctly in confirmation emails.
Per-session maintenance: Every new service offering requires recreating the configuration across three platforms. Every Zoom meeting needs to be created and the link inserted into the Calendly event type manually or through automation.
When things break: If a Zapier automation fails, clients pay without getting a Zoom link. You find out when someone emails you 5 minutes before the call. Now you are tech support.
Attendee experience: The client books on Calendly, pays on Stripe, then receives a Zoom link in a third email. Some people never complete the payment step because the handoff is confusing. That is lost revenue.
Monthly cost example (1 service offering, 10 bookings/month at $100 each):
- Calendly Standard: $10/month
- Zoom Pro: $16/month
- Zapier Starter: $20/month
- Stripe fees (10 x $100): $32
- Total: $78/month, plus your setup and maintenance time
Same scenario on Talkspresso:
- Platform fee (10% x $1,000): $100
- Stripe processing (10 x $100): $32
- Total: $132/month, zero setup time, zero maintenance
At low volume the DIY stack is cheaper. But most speakers and coaches are not running 10 bookings a month when they start. They are running 3 to 5. At that volume the monthly subscriptions cost more than Talkspresso's per-booking fee, and you save hours of setup work.
You should use Talkspresso if:
- You want one link that handles booking, payment, and video
- You run workshops, group sessions, or 1:1 calls
- You prefer paying a percentage of revenue over a monthly subscription
- You do not want to maintain integrations
- You are building your own brand rather than relying on marketplace traffic
You should use Calendly + integrations if:
- You already pay for Zoom and Stripe and do not want to switch
- Scheduling automation is your primary need and payments are secondary
- You work inside a company where tools are already standardized
You should use Acuity if:
- You sell session packages or memberships alongside individual bookings
- You need highly customized intake forms and availability rules
- You want scheduling plus payments and are okay using a separate video tool
You should use SpeakerHub if:
- You are a professional keynote speaker looking to be discovered by event planners
- Your focus is large-scale speaking engagements rather than recurring calls
You should use Clarity.fm if:
- You want to supplement your income through on-demand calls to a warm entrepreneurial audience
- Phone calls are fine and you do not need video
The Bottom Line
Speaker booking automation is not complicated in theory. Clients find you, pick a time, pay, and join the call. The question is how many tools you want to stitch together to make that happen.
For most creators, coaches, and speakers who are building their own audience and want to monetize their time, Talkspresso handles the full loop in one place with no monthly subscription. For high-volume professionals who already have enterprise tool agreements in place, a Calendly or Acuity plus Zoom setup may fit better into existing workflows.
If you are starting fresh and want to start taking paid bookings today without a three-hour setup session, Talkspresso is the fastest path from zero to paid.
For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.
For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.
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