What’s the difference between Multiply Appointments (Add-on) & Custom Duration (Add-on)

Add-ons for Bookly have been created to add more advanced functionality to the default configuration of your Bookly PRO.

If you have doubts about which extension is best for you, here’s a quick overview of the Multiply Appointments (Add-on) and Custom Duration (Add-on) for Bookly.

Both add-ons will allow your customers to change the length of their appointment, but there is a difference in how Bookly will treat such bookings.

Bookly Multiply Appointments (Add-on)

This add-on will add a new field called ‘Quantity’ (by default) at the first step of the booking process. Your customers will be able to select a number of appointments they would like to get in a row with the same employee.

Example

You provide one-on-one meetings with a duration of 30 minutes. The maximum time you can spend with one client is 2 hours.

In Settings > Multiply Appointments > Max quantity, set 4 as maximum value.

When the booking is created, Bookly Calendar or Appointments list will display consecutive bookings as separate appointments.


But in Payments, this booking will be bundled in one transaction, because all appointments were booked together.


Note: If you edit one of the identical appointments in a row, others will remain unchanged. So if you need to reschedule the whole chain, make sure you update each appointment manually.

Bookly Custom Duration (Add-on)

This add-on will add a new field called ‘Service duration’ (by default) at the first step in your Bookly booking form. This enables your customers to decide on the appointment duration by choosing one of the pre-defined options.

Example

You provide massage services that may have flexible duration. The minimum length of the appointment is 30 minutes, and the maximum one is 2 hours.

In the Services section, pick a service, click Edit > Time and choose Custom from the Duration drop-down field. There will be additional fields where you should enter the duration of one Unit (30 minutes) and min (1) and max (4) values for them.

The Unit price in the General tab indicates the cost of one unit. The longer duration a customer would select, the higher would be the price.

When the booking is created, Bookly Calendar or Appointments list will display such bookings as one appointment showing the number of units booked.


Now you see that both add-ons provide the ability to choose a service duration by your client in a Bookly booking form. Bookly automatically calculates the price for such services according to the settings. The difference is in displaying services and managing such bookings in the Bookly admin area.

You can try and see the difference between the two add-ons on our free live demos.

If you need help with Bookly settings or have any questions, you can always reach out to us and we’ll be happy to assist you!