An Avenue alternative when the diary itself is the problem
Avenue positions itself as “The booking software for Trades & Services”: lead-capture forms and a Book Online button, not automotive-only. BookMyVenue runs the diary underneath: real slots, rosters and the record of the job.
Two different jobs
Lead-capture booking tools for workshops (e.g. multi-step form + Google Book Online). It is good at turning a visit into a lead. BookMyVenue is built for the week underneath: no-shows, double-ups and the calls you miss while you are under a car or on a job. The figures below are the same sourced set used on the automotive & trades page.
Payments, price, SMS and maturity
Payments.
Marketed, but not in the public booking flow
Avenue markets taking payment inside the form. Their words: “Collect deposit or payments without customers leaving the form.” Payment processing is listed under their Enterprise plan. Walking its public booking embed end to end, there was no payment step and no price on any service or add-on. Worth asking them which plan turns it on.
Source: avenue2.au (home page, and its public booking embed) · observed 2026-09-15
BookMyVenue deposits at booking are coming; online payments are not live yet.
Entry price.
$199/month
Avenue's entry plan. Their published prices carry no GST statement; ours are quoted +GST.
Source: avenue2.au · observed 2026-09-15
Our entry plan is published at $99 a month +GST.
SMS.
+$196/month
Step up to Avenue's $395/month Premium plan for two-way SMS.
Source: avenue2.au · observed 2026-09-15
Every BookMyVenue plan includes SMS and email confirmations and reminders. Ours are one-way notifications.
Maturity.
14 Aug 2026
Avenue's appointments calendar shipped this date (customer dashboard shipped 19 Mar 2026); before that, calendar changes went through Avenue's own team, as their product blog describes.
Source: avenue2.au (product blog) · observed 2026-08-27
Figures observed 2026-08-27 and re-verified 2026-09-15, sources linked per figure. Avenue publishes four plans (Standard, Premium, Enterprise and a 24/7 AI agent) and states no GST position on any of them, so read their figures as published and ours as +GST. We publish nothing about a competitor that we can't source and date.
Side by side
| Avenue | BookMyVenue | |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | “The booking software for Trades & Services” (their home page) | Booking diary for workshops, mobile trades, venues and clinics |
| Entry price | $199/month | $99 a month +GST |
| Two-way SMS | +$196/month (Premium plan) | Confirmations and reminders included; one-way |
| Payments in the public booking flow | Marketed, but not in the public booking flow | Deposit at booking via Stripe hosted checkout: coming, not live yet |
| Appointments calendar shipped | 14 Aug 2026 | Live product diary |
Source: avenue2.au · observed 2026-09-15
Where Avenue is better than us
If what you need is lead capture in front of a diary you already trust (a polished multi-step form on your website and a Book Online button on your Google profile), Avenue does that job well. Their forms are the product strength. BookMyVenue is the better fit when the diary itself is the problem: empty bays, no deposits, and the job details that never arrive with the booking.