Why Consultants Need More Than Topmate
Here is a concrete example of where the Topmate workflow breaks down.
A strategy consultant charges $200 per hour for advisory calls. Before each call, she needs to collect the client's business stage, their core challenge, and any relevant documents. On Topmate, there is no intake form. She has to email the client separately, wait for a response, review it, and then get on the call.
After the call, she needs the recording to reference when writing the follow-up report. Topmate does not record automatically. She has to use a third tool (Zoom, Loom, or something else), remember to start recording, download the file, store it, and share it with the client manually.
That is three separate workflows (booking, intake, recording) handled by three separate tools, plus the cognitive overhead of managing all of them for every single client.
An all-in-one platform collapses those three workflows into one. The client fills out intake questions at booking time. The session records automatically. The AI summary lands in your inbox after the call. One tool, one link, one workflow.
What to Look for in a Topmate Alternative
When evaluating a Topmate alternative as a consultant, these six criteria matter most:
- Built-in video. You should not need a Zoom subscription. The video call should happen inside the same platform you use for booking and payments.
- Automatic recording. Every session should be recorded without you having to remember to click a button.
- Intake forms. You need to collect client context before the call, not through a separate email chain.
- Scheduling with calendar sync. The platform should handle availability and prevent double bookings automatically.
- Payment processing. Clients should pay at booking, not receive an invoice after the call.
- Fee structure. Understand whether you are paying a platform percentage, a monthly subscription, or both. At high volume, a monthly flat fee often beats a percentage. At low volume, the reverse is true.
Talkspresso as the Live-Video Alternative
Talkspresso maps to every criterion above:
- Built-in HD video for 1:1 calls, no Zoom needed
- Automatic recording on every session
- AI-generated session summaries with action items delivered after every call
- Intake forms that clients complete before booking
- Google Calendar sync with automatic availability management
- Payment at booking through PayPal
- Digital product sales on the same profile as your consulting services
Pricing is 10% on the free plan with no monthly fee, or 0% on Pro at $29.95 per month. There is no payout fee and no setup cost.
The math: A consultant doing 10 sessions per month at $150 keeps $1,241.70 on the free plan (after the 10% fee and payment processing) versus $1,117.50 after Topmate's 15% and processing. That is an extra $124.20 per month, or roughly $1,490 per year, before accounting for what you save on Zoom and other tool subscriptions.
For a more detailed look at expert call platforms, see our full comparison of the best platforms for paid 1:1 expert calls in 2026.
Other Alternatives Worth Knowing
Clarity.fm is purpose-built for pay-per-minute advisory calls. If your consulting style involves quick, reactive questions rather than structured sessions, Clarity.fm is worth looking at. The discovery marketplace has real buyers in it. See our breakdown of Clarity.fm alternatives for 2026 if you are evaluating that end of the market.
Calendly + Zoom + Stripe gives you full control and a lower per-transaction cost (roughly 3%), but you pay $23 or more per month in subscriptions and manage three separate tools with no native recording or intake.
Intro.co has a strong marketplace positioning for high-profile experts, but charges 25 to 30% and has an invite-only gate for some tiers. The fee alone rules it out for most consulting practices.
Cost Comparison
| Tool | Platform Fee | Monthly Cost | Built-in Video | Recording | Intake Forms | Best For |
|---|
| Topmate | 15% | $0 | Yes | No | No | Tech/startup niche marketplace |
| Talkspresso | 10% (free) / 0% (Pro) | $0 / $29.95 | Yes | Yes (auto) | Yes |
What the fee math looks like at scale: If you charge $150 per session and run 10 sessions per month:
- Topmate: keep $1,117.50 after 15% fee and processing
- Talkspresso (free plan): keep $1,241.70 after 10% fee and processing
- Talkspresso (Pro): keep $1,441.70 after 0% fee, processing, and $29.95 monthly cost
At 10 sessions per month, Pro pays for itself by the second session.
For more context on how to set rates that hold up regardless of platform, see our guide on how to charge for consulting calls.
How to Switch in an Afternoon
Moving from Topmate to Talkspresso is a few hours of work, not a project.
Step 1: Claim your profile. Go to app.talkspresso.com and create an account. Fill out your name, bio, and a professional photo. This is your public booking page.
Step 2: Set your services. Create one service for each consulting format you offer. A typical consulting setup might be: a 30-minute discovery call, a 60-minute advisory session, and a 90-minute deep dive. Set the price, duration, and description for each.
Step 3: Set up intake questions. For each service, add the intake questions you want clients to answer before booking. Examples: What is the core challenge you want to address? What have you already tried? What does a successful outcome look like?
Step 4: Connect your calendar. Sync Google Calendar and set your availability. The platform blocks time automatically based on your existing calendar.
Step 5: Share your link. Replace your Topmate link in your bio, email signature, and LinkedIn with your Talkspresso booking URL. Tell active clients the new link.
Your Topmate profile can stay live during the transition. There is no need to delete it immediately. Just stop directing new traffic to it and let your existing bookings run out naturally.
For scheduling tool recommendations beyond the all-in-one approach, see our roundup of scheduling tools for consultants beyond Calendly.
Who Should Stay on Topmate
Not every consultant needs to switch. Topmate is the right choice if:
- Your consulting niche is primarily tech, startups, or career mentorship, where Topmate has strong marketplace discovery and an active buyer base
- You do not need intake forms or pre-session questionnaires (your clients come in with well-defined questions)
- You do not record sessions or do not need access to recordings after the call
- Your session volume is low enough that the 5% fee difference between platforms does not materially affect monthly income
If all four of those conditions are true, Topmate is serving you fine. The case for switching is strong when any one of them is false, and especially when intake forms and recording are active parts of your consulting workflow.
For a broader look at where Topmate fits within the full alternative landscape, see our complete post on the best platforms for paid 1:1 expert calls in 2026.
The Bottom Line
Topmate works for consultants who want marketplace discovery and do not need intake forms or recording. If those features are part of your workflow, the 15% fee and missing capabilities add real cost and friction to every client relationship.
Talkspresso covers the full workflow: intake before the call, HD video for the call, automatic recording and AI summary after the call, with a lower fee and no separate video subscription. The switch takes an afternoon. The compound benefit shows up in every session after that.
