Comparison
Gig Nest vs PlanningBeats
PlanningBeats is a UK-built DJ business platform (Planning Beats Ltd, built since 2024) with one plan that includes every feature, a large published feature list and a community of 700+ DJs. Gig Nest is also UK-built, and also puts every feature on every plan — the differences are in what each has chosen to build first. Here's a like-for-like look, with their facts taken from their own site.
At a glance
| Gig Nest | PlanningBeats | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | DJs & event businesses, UK-first — multi-trade agencies on Agency | DJ businesses; UK company (Planning Beats Ltd), built since 2024 |
| Plans | Three plans, every feature on every plan: Solo £19 (1 DJ), Team £27 (3 DJs, extra DJs £3.50), Agency £59 (unlimited DJs, fair use) | One plan, every feature: £27/month for 3 DJs, extra DJs £3.95/month (£43.45/year) |
| Office staff | Free on every plan | Office and support staff free |
| Annual billing | 2 months free (12 months for the price of 10) | 12 months for the price of 11 |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial (card at signup, nothing charged until it ends) | 7-day free trial, no card |
| Contract | No contract, cancel any time | No contract |
| Currencies | GBP | GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, CAD, NZD |
| Phone calls | AI receptionist add-on: answers 24/7, checks your diary, files a scored lead | Not found in their published feature list — check their site |
| Enquiry handling | AI reads, scores & drafts replies to every enquiry in your voice — plus one-shot recovery of enquiries that go quiet | Connected Gmail / Microsoft 365 inbox; visual automation builder |
| Inbox | One thread per client across email, WhatsApp, portal messages and receptionist calls, with AI drafts; Microsoft 365 mailbox connection. Gmail on our roadmap | Connected Gmail / Microsoft 365 inbox |
| Music & DJ library | Guest requests with heart voting and a QR card; exports to M3U, CSV, Apple Music, Spotify or Tidal (via TuneMyMusic or Soundiiz); AI set briefs. Library matching for Rekordbox, Serato, Engine DJ, Traktor and VirtualDJ in the browser and app, with Rekordbox, Serato crate and M3U8 exports | Set Ready desktop app matches requests to your library in 7 DJ platforms and exports crates; On Cue live overlay |
| Automation | Automation builder with triggers, waits and stop rules; describe one in a sentence and AI builds it for you to check; steps written in your voice; approve from your phone. Your existing reminders are editable presets | Visual automation builder with triggers, waits and stop-on-reply |
| Proposals | Proposals that draft themselves from the enquiry; the client picks a package and extras, signs and pays the deposit on one page; see when it's opened | Proposals & brochures signed and paid on one page |
| Invoicing & accounts | UK VAT invoices, credit notes, gapless numbering, PO & NET-30, crew self-billing statements. Live Xero and QuickBooks sync of paid invoices, credit notes, crew bills and card fees, with UK VAT mapped | Live QuickBooks sync; Xero listed in their integrations |
| Integrations & API | Stripe, two-way Google & Outlook calendar sync with Meet/Teams links, Spotify song search, Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365 mail. Open REST API with an OpenAPI file, signed webhooks, and Zapier, Make and n8n through webhooks | 34 integrations, open API, webhooks, Zapier / Make / n8n |
| Payments | Stripe: card, payment plans by card or Bacs Direct Debit, Klarna, Pay by Bank, Apple Pay, Google Pay | See planningbeats.com for payment options |
| Equipment | Register with PAT and service reminders to whoever holds the kit, repairs, consumables with low-stock alerts, depreciation, load lists, and automatic kit checks when a package is sold | Equipment with depreciation and consumables |
| Apps | Native iPhone and Android apps, plus an installable web app | See planningbeats.com |
Checked against planningbeats.com on 21 October 2026. Their features and prices are as published on their own site that day; ours are as of this release. Prices change — always confirm current details on their site.
Price by team size
| DJs | Gig Nest | PlanningBeats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 DJ | £19/mo (Solo) | £27/mo |
| 3 DJs | £27/mo (Team) | £27/mo |
| 5 DJs | £34/mo (Team) | £34.90/mo |
| 8 DJs | £44.50/mo (Team) | £46.75/mo |
| 15 DJs | £59/mo (Agency) | £74.40/mo |
Monthly prices, both excluding VAT. Gig Nest: Solo £19 for 1 DJ; Team £27 for 3 DJs plus £3.50 per extra DJ; Agency £59 for unlimited DJs (fair use). PlanningBeats: £27 for 3 DJs plus £3.95 per extra DJ. Office staff are free on both.
Where PlanningBeats shines
A desktop app in the booth
Their Set Ready desktop app (Windows and Mac) keeps your library in sync and covers Lexicon and djay Pro too, and the On Cue live overlay brings the plan into the night itself.
Gmail inbox connection
They connect Gmail as well as Microsoft 365. Gig Nest connects Microsoft 365 today, with Gmail to follow.
More ready-made integrations
They list 34 integrations and 7 DJ platforms, and a published Zapier app alongside Make and n8n.
Multi-currency
Pricing in GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, CAD and NZD.
Breadth and reputation
They publish 164 features across 28 areas, a community of 700+ DJs and an “Excellent” Trustpilot rating.
Where Gig Nest is different
An AI receptionist that answers your phone
Gig Nest's optional AI phone receptionist answers calls 24/7 on your own local number, checks your diary live and files every call as a scored lead with a transcript. It's £15 a month including 20 calls, then 75p a call, with your own monthly limit. We didn't find an equivalent in PlanningBeats' published feature list.
AI that works the enquiry
Every enquiry is read, scored and availability-checked, with a reply drafted in your voice for you to approve. AI set briefs and timelines are written before each event, and Ask AI answers business questions in plain English.
UK VAT paperwork on every plan
VAT invoices with credit notes and gapless numbering, PO numbers and NET-30 terms for corporate clients, and crew self-billing statements at month end — on Solo as well as Team and Agency.
Native apps, plus the web app
Native iPhone and Android apps, plus an installable web app, with push alerts the moment an enquiry lands.
Multi-trade agencies
On Agency, run photo booth, photography and DJ work from one account, with done-with-you onboarding and priority support.
Automations you can describe in a sentence
Type “chase quotes that haven't replied in 3 days, twice, then mark them lost” and Gig Nest builds the automation for you to check. Steps can be written in your own voice, and an approval step lets you OK a message from your phone before it sends.
Proposals that write themselves
A proposal drafts itself from the enquiry: venue, date, guest count and the client's own words. The client picks a package and extras, signs and pays the deposit on one page.
Xero and QuickBooks, with UK VAT done right
Paid invoices, credit notes, crew self-billing statements and card fees go across by themselves, each at the VAT rate it was issued at.
Your DJ library, in the browser
Upload your Rekordbox, Serato, Engine DJ, Traktor or VirtualDJ library from the browser or the app, for every DJ on the team. Each gig shows who already has the couple's songs and what's missing, and exports a Rekordbox playlist, a Serato crate or an M3U8.
One inbox with calls in it
Email, WhatsApp, portal messages and your AI receptionist's calls sit in one thread per client, with an AI draft in your voice under every message. Connect Microsoft 365 and replies go from your own address.
Reviews collected for you
Automated review requests after each event, and a public reviews page with star ratings you can share.
A cheaper start for solo DJs, and a longer trial
Solo is £19/month for one DJ against their single £27/month plan, and our free trial is 30 days against their 7. At three DJs we're the same price; above that, our extra DJs are £3.50 against their £3.95, and Agency caps it at £59 for unlimited DJs.
Where PlanningBeats is ahead today
We'd rather say so. These are on our roadmap — we don't give dates until they ship.
A desktop companion and live booth view
On our roadmap. Today library matching and crate exports work in the browser and the app.
Gmail inbox connection
On our roadmap. Microsoft 365 connects today, and Gmail users' replies still come back to their own inbox.
Gig Nest vs PlanningBeats — common questions
Is Gig Nest a good PlanningBeats alternative?
It depends what you want first. If a desktop app in the booth, Gmail inbox connection or multi-currency matter most today, PlanningBeats has them now. If you want AI to answer your phone and your enquiries, UK VAT paperwork on every plan, native apps or a cheaper solo plan, Gig Nest is built for that.
How do the prices compare?
Both exclude VAT. One DJ: £19 on Gig Nest Solo vs £27. Three DJs: £27 vs £27. Five: £34 vs £34.90. Eight: £44.50 vs £46.75. Fifteen: £59 on Agency vs £74.40. Office staff are free on both. Prices checked on planningbeats.com on 21 October 2026.
Can I move from PlanningBeats?
Yes. Switching from PlanningBeats (or anything else)? We'll move your data for you, and you get 3 months at half price. Send us your exports and a human sets your account up, and you can run both side by side until you're sure.
Can I try both?
Yes. PlanningBeats offers a 7-day free trial with no card. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial of everything. A card is taken at signup so the account can continue seamlessly, but nothing is charged until day 31, and cancelling takes two clicks.
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