Cliniko vs Practice Better (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Cliniko if

• Fits if you run an allied health clinic with classes such as pilates as well as one-on-one visits
• Works for clinics with lots of reception and admin staff, since only practitioners are charged

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you bill US insurance from inside the app, as claims come only through third-party apps
• Skip it if you want AI notes built in or a native phone app; neither is on Cliniko's own feature pages
• Watch out: prices step up in bands, so a clinic of 6 pays $145 a month, the same as one of 8
• Watch out: SMS reminders use prepaid credits at 10¢ a message, and connected apps may charge their own fees
• Watch out: telehealth stays locked during the trial until you add a card

Pick Practice Better if

• Fits if you're a nutritionist, dietitian or health coach who sells programs alongside sessions
• Works for functional medicine practitioners who build supplement protocols with Fullscript or WholeScripts

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you have more than 10 clients, as Starter stops there and Professional at 300
• Watch out: text reminders aren't on Sprout or Starter, need add-on credits on Professional and stop at 750 a month on Plus
• Not for you if you have a second practitioner, since only Team allows one, at $155 plus $50 each beyond two
• Pricey if you want group sessions, evergreen programs, portal branding or admin seats, which start at $62 or $89
• Watch out: the pricing page's comparison table lists Team at $145 while its plan card says $155

Cliniko

• Prices step up in bands: a clinic with 6 practitioners pays $145 a month, the same as one with 8.
• SMS reminders use prepaid credits at 10¢ per message; connected third-party apps may charge their own fees.
• Cliniko's feature pages list no insurance claim filing or AI scribe of its own; those come from third-party connected apps.
• There are no native mobile apps; the calendar and notes are mobile-friendly pages in the browser.

Practice Better

• Client caps apply below Plus: 3 on Sprout, 10 on Starter and 300 on Professional.
• Text reminders are not on Sprout or Starter, need add-on credits on Professional, and are capped at 750 a month on Plus.
• Only Team allows more than one practitioner, at $50 each beyond the first two; practices with 10+ practitioners are quoted a custom package.
• Group sessions start on Professional; evergreen and self-paced programs, portal branding and admin seats start on Plus.

Cliniko

Calendar and online bookings

Clients book and cancel online around the clock. The calendar handles repeat appointments, wait lists, multiple locations, time zones, and groups or classes such as pilates.

Telehealth

Video consultations are built in. During the free trial they unlock only once a credit card is on file.

Treatment notes and forms

Fully configurable note templates, body charts, draft notes, letters and medical alerts, plus online intake forms and questionnaires that save to the patient record.

Invoicing, payments and stock

Invoices from the calendar, online payments, prepayments, concessions, statements, product sales with stock levels, expenses, and automatic sync to Xero.

Reminders and SMS

Automated SMS and email reminders and follow-ups, bulk SMS and two-way replies logged on the client record, using prepaid credits at 10¢ a message.

API and connected apps

A public API, and a directory of 94 connected apps, mostly third-party, for AI notes and receptionists, booking sites, exercise programs and reporting.

Practice Better

Booking and telehealth

A public booking page and widgets with real-time availability, session packages and Google Calendar sync, plus built-in HIPAA telehealth that needs no Zoom account.

Programs and courses

Fixed-date programs from Professional, and evergreen and self-paced programs from Plus, with an AI generator that drafts program content from a short description.

Charting, protocols and journals

Forms and note templates, protocols with supplements from Fullscript or WholeScripts, and food and lifestyle journals that can sync from Oura, Garmin, Fitbit and Apple Health.

Payments and superbills

Practice Better Payments, powered by Stripe, handles invoices and card payments; superbills are on every plan and claims can be managed through Claim.MD.

AI session tools

AI Session Prep summarizes a client's history and forms before a session, Session Insights pulls out themes and next steps, and a writing assistant drafts messages.

Team tools

The Team plan adds custom roles and permissions, a shared calendar, team chat, team reporting and managed billing for group practices.

Cliniko

• 1 practitioner$45

  per month for 1 practitioner

  Every feature, with unlimited patients, admin and reception users, locations and file storage.

• 2 to 5 practitioners$95

  per month for up to 5 practitioners

  Same features as every plan; the price covers any number of practitioners from 2 to 5.

• 6 to 8 practitioners$145

  per month for up to 8 practitioners

  Same features as every plan, for clinics of 6 to 8 practitioners.

• 9 to 12 practitioners$195

  per month for up to 12 practitioners

  Same features as every plan, for clinics of 9 to 12 practitioners.

• 13 to 25 practitioners$295

  per month for up to 25 practitioners

  Same features as every plan, for clinics of 13 to 25 practitioners.

• 26 to 200 practitioners$395

  per month for up to 200 practitioners

  Same features as every plan, for clinics of 26 to 200 practitioners.

Practice Better

• Sprout$0

  3 clients and 100 MB of storage, with scheduling, payments, templates and session notes, but no telehealth.

• Starter$25

  per month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

  One practitioner, 10 clients and 1 GB: scheduling, telehealth, billing and payments, secure messaging, client portal, forms and note templates.

• Professional$62

  per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)

  300 clients and 5 GB; adds group sessions and messaging, fixed-date programs, deposits and payment plans, PDF branding and Zapier.

• Plus$89

  per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)

  Unlimited clients and storage, 3 admin seats, evergreen and self-paced programs, portal branding, 750 texts a month and a dedicated fax number.

• Team$155

  per month for 2 practitioners, plus $50 per additional

  Up to 200 practitioners, unlimited admins, roles, shared calendar, team chat and reporting, managed billing and 2,000 texts a month. The comparison table lists $145.

Cliniko

• Annual discount

  One month free with annual billing

  Cliniko's pricing FAQ says paying annually gives one month free every year, on top of the initial trial.

• Nonprofit

  Free for charities and educational institutions

  Registered charities and educational institutions can use Cliniko free; they arrange the free subscription by contacting the company.

Practice Better

• Annual discount

  Save up to 10% with annual billing

  Practice Better's pricing page lists annual billing savings of $120 a year on Starter and Plus and $84 a year on Professional.

• Other savings

  Free migration on the Team plan

  The Team plan includes free migration of existing records, which the pricing page values at $500.