Why Career Coaches Need More Than Topmate
The career coaching workflow makes the missing features concrete.
Consider a career coach who specializes in tech industry job transitions. She offers 60-minute resume and LinkedIn profile reviews at $120 each, 45-minute mock interview sessions at $95, and a monthly group job search workshop for 12 people at $45 per seat.
On Topmate: she can take the 1:1 bookings. But for the resume review, she has to ask clients to email their resume after booking. For the mock interview, she cannot share the recording automatically. For the group workshop, she cannot host it on Topmate at all.
The actual workflow becomes: Topmate booking, then email requesting the resume, then a separate Zoom call (or Topmate call without recording), then manually downloading and sharing the recording if she remembered to press Record, then a separate Zoom webinar for the group session.
The fee math also changes the picture. Moving from Topmate's 15% to a 10% platform takes that 12-session month from $1,224 kept to $1,224 kept at 10%, or $12 per session back in her pocket. On a $120 session, 5% is $6. On 120 sessions per year, it is $720 back.
For coaches building a full career coaching practice, the career coaches guide to building a full online practice covers the complete revenue model.
What to Look for in a Topmate Alternative
Check these six criteria when evaluating alternatives:
Lower platform fee. Every percentage point is money that stays in your pocket. A 5% difference on $120/session is $6. On 200 sessions per year, that is $1,200.
Automatic recording. For career coaches, the session recording is often part of the product. A mock interview replay lets clients study their performance. A resume review recording captures every specific note you gave.
Intake forms. Pre-session intake is table stakes for career coaching. Clients should share their resume, target role, industry, and timeline before the call starts.
Group session support. If you run workshops, accountability groups, or group mock interviews, the platform needs to support multiple paying participants on a single call.
Scheduling with calendar sync. Real availability shown to clients, bookable without email back-and-forth.
No separate video subscription. Every dollar spent on Zoom is a dollar that could go to you.
Talkspresso as the Live-Video Alternative
Talkspresso closes each gap:
Platform fee. 10% on the free plan, 0% on Pro at $29.95/month. Five percentage points lower than Topmate on the free plan.
Automatic recording. Every session records automatically. Share the replay link with the client directly from your dashboard. No remembering to hit Record, no manual upload.
Intake forms. Add intake questions to any service. "Please attach your current resume" and "What is your target role and company type?" can be in every resume review booking automatically.
Group sessions. Talkspresso supports group video sessions up to 500 participants. A 12-person job search workshop at $45 per seat is a $540 session bookable on the same platform as your 1:1 calls.
Scheduling with calendar sync. Google Calendar sync. You set your open hours; clients see real availability and book specific slots.
Built-in video. No Zoom subscription. HD video for 1:1 and group sessions.
Take-home math: A $120 resume review on Topmate (15% fee) keeps $99.82 after fee and processing. The same session on Talkspresso free plan (10% fee) keeps $103.82. Ten sessions per month means $40 more per month on Talkspresso, or $480 per year.
For how to set rates as a career coach, the how to charge for coaching calls guide covers pricing methodology for the professional services niche.
Other Alternatives Worth Knowing
Clarity.fm charges per minute of call time. For career coaches running structured 45 to 60 minute sessions, a flat-rate platform is more predictable than per-minute billing. Clarity is better suited for shorter advisory calls or quick questions from founders or executives, not for coaches who run fixed-length resume reviews or mock interview sessions.
Intro.co positions itself as a curated expert marketplace with 25 to 30% fees (check current pricing). Higher fee but potentially stronger marketplace positioning for high-profile coaches. If you are a former VP of Engineering at a recognizable company and want Intro to surface you to candidates looking for that background, the marketplace exposure might justify the higher cut. For most career coaches, the fee is hard to absorb.
Calendly plus Zoom plus Stripe is the DIY stack. Total cost around $23 to $30 per month in subscriptions, lower per-session fee, but no automatic recording, no intake forms built in, and you manage three tools. You also lose the client-facing profile that lets prospects browse your services in one place.
For how Clarity.fm compares to Topmate on the per-minute vs flat-rate question, the Clarity.fm alternatives guide covers that comparison in depth.
Cost Comparison
| Tool | Platform fee | Monthly cost | Built-in video | Recording | Intake forms | Best for |
|---|
| Topmate | 15% per session | $0 | Yes | No | No | Tech-niche professional consultations |
| Talkspresso (free) | 10% per session | $0 | Yes (HD) | Automatic | Yes |
Fees current as of 2026. Always verify on each platform's pricing page before deciding.
How to Switch in an Afternoon
Migrating from Topmate to Talkspresso does not require closing your Topmate account. You can run both during the transition.
Step 1: Claim your profile. Sign up at app.talkspresso.com. Add a photo, your credentials or background, and a clear description of your coaching focus. "Resume and interview prep for tech industry job seekers" is specific enough to convert.
Step 2: Create your services. Set up session types: Resume and LinkedIn Review (60 min, $120), Mock Interview Session (45 min, $95), Group Job Search Workshop (90 min, $45/seat). Add intake questions to each service, especially the resume review.
Step 3: Set your availability. Connect Google Calendar. Configure open hours and buffer time between sessions.
Step 4: Share the link. Update your LinkedIn bio, email signature, and social profiles with your Talkspresso booking link. Post the link in the communities where your target clients gather.
Step 5: Run your first session. The call runs inside Talkspresso. Recording is automatic. The client's resume and intake responses are stored in their profile before you join the call.
For best practices on building a complete career coaching practice, the best booking platforms for coaches in 2026 guide covers the full competitive landscape.
The Bottom Line
Topmate is a reasonable starting platform for career coaches who want marketplace discovery in professional and tech niches. But the 15% fee, missing recording, and lack of intake forms are real costs as your practice grows.
The fee math is straightforward. The recording gap is a product quality issue: clients who leave a mock interview session with no replay have less reason to refer others or book again. The intake form gap means you are spending the first few minutes of every paid session asking questions you should have already answered.
Talkspresso covers all three gaps at a lower fee. Switch your direct-referral bookings to Talkspresso in an afternoon and keep both running during the transition. Every session through Talkspresso puts 5% more in your pocket and captures a recording your clients can reference after the call.
