Why This Guide Exists
Most "best software" articles are written by people who've never run a clinic. They list features from marketing pages and call it a comparison.
We built Aestheticc, so we're biased — we'll be upfront about that. But we also know this market inside out. We know which platforms work for aesthetic clinics and which ones are salon software with a new label.
This guide covers 15 platforms. For each one, we'll tell you what it actually does well, where it falls short for aesthetic clinics, and who it's really built for.
What Aesthetic Clinics Actually Need
Before comparing software, here's what separates clinic management from salon booking:
- Clinical consent forms — not basic waivers, but treatment-specific forms with photo capture and e-signatures that hold up legally
- Treatment records — injection maps, units administered, product batch numbers, clinical notes
- Before/after photo management — secure storage, linked to client records, easy to pull up during consultations
- CQC compliance — incident logging, practitioner verification, audit trails
- UK payment processing — GBP, Stripe, Klarna, no currency conversion headaches
If the software doesn't handle these, it's not clinic management. It's a booking calendar.
The 15 Platforms
Tier 1: Built for Medical Aesthetics
Aestheticc — Purpose-Built UK Aesthetic CRM
Price: £39/month (solo) | £69/month (team)
Yes, this is us. We built Aestheticc specifically for UK aesthetic clinics because nothing else fit. Every feature is designed around how aesthetic practitioners actually work — consent collection before appointments, treatment records with injection mapping, automated rebooking based on treatment intervals, and UK compliance baked in.
Best for: UK aesthetic clinics that want clinical-grade software at a fair price. Weakest at: We're newer and smaller than some competitors. No marketplace or client discovery features.
Pabau — Feature-Rich but Expensive
Price: From $69/month (~£55)
Pabau has broad functionality — forms, records, marketing, booking. It serves clinics across aesthetics, dental, and general healthcare. The feature list is long, but so is the price tag, and the interface can feel overwhelming.
Best for: Larger clinics that need a wide feature set and don't mind paying for it. Weakest at: Price. UI complexity. Some features feel bolted on rather than integrated.
Cliniko — Clean Allied Health Platform
Price: From $55/month (~£44)
Cliniko is well-made software built for allied health (physio, osteo, chiro). It handles clinical records, appointment booking, and patient communication cleanly. It's used by some aesthetic clinics, but it doesn't have aesthetics-specific features like injection mapping or consent forms with photo capture.
Best for: Allied health practices. Aesthetic clinics that prioritise clean UI over specialist features. Weakest at: No aesthetics-specific workflows. Limited UK compliance features.
Tier 2: Salon Software Used by Some Clinics
Fresha — Free Marketplace with Commission
Price: Free (but 20% commission on new clients + payment processing fees)
Fresha is free to use — no monthly fee. The catch: they take commission on marketplace bookings and charge for payment processing. For salons, this can work. For aesthetic clinics doing high-value treatments, the commission adds up fast.
Best for: New businesses that need client discovery and can't afford monthly fees yet. Weakest at: Commission costs. No clinical features. You're building Fresha's marketplace, not your own brand.
Treatwell — European Marketplace
Price: Free base + 35% commission on new clients
Treatwell is a booking marketplace popular in Europe. Like Fresha, the "free" software comes with heavy commission costs. Unlike Fresha, Treatwell is more heavily marketplace-focused — your clients find you through Treatwell, not through your own website.
Best for: Salons in European cities where Treatwell has strong consumer presence. Weakest at: 35% commission is brutal. No clinical features. Client loyalty goes to Treatwell, not you.
Vagaro — General Salon + Spa
Price: From ~£24/month + add-ons
Vagaro handles bookings and payments for salons, spas, and fitness studios. Base price is low, but the features clinics need — custom forms, marketing, advanced reporting — are all paid add-ons. US-focused.
Best for: US salons and spas that want a low entry price. Weakest at: Add-on pricing inflates costs. No clinical features. US-focused.
Timely — Clean NZ Salon Booking
Price: From £20/month (basic) | £35/month (full features)
Timely is well-designed salon software from New Zealand. Clean booking interface, decent client management, reasonable pricing. But it's salon software — no clinical records, consent forms, or compliance features.
Best for: Hair and beauty salons that want a clean, affordable booking system. Weakest at: No medical/clinical features. Marketing tools only on higher tiers.
Booksy — Beauty Marketplace
Price: Free base + marketplace fees
Booksy is a consumer marketplace for finding beauty appointments. Clients discover you through the Booksy app. Similar model to Fresha and Treatwell but with a stronger mobile-app focus.
Best for: Solo beauticians and barbers who need help finding clients. Weakest at: Marketplace model means shared client ownership. No clinical depth at all.
Tier 3: Wrong Market or Wrong Price
Jane App — Canadian Allied Health
Price: From ~£47/month (CAD $79)
Jane App is excellent software — for Canadian physiotherapists. It handles clinical records, booking, and patient communication for allied health practices in North America. Using it for a UK aesthetic clinic means fighting the software on payments, compliance, and workflows.
Best for: Canadian/US physio, chiro, and allied health practices. Weakest at: Not designed for UK market. No aesthetics workflows. Canadian dollars.
GlossGenius — US Beauty Booking
Price: From ~£19/month ($24)
GlossGenius is Instagram-friendly booking software for American beauty professionals. Beautiful consumer experience, built-in card reader, strong social integrations. Completely wrong for a UK aesthetic clinic.
Best for: US solo stylists and beauty professionals with strong Instagram presence. Weakest at: US-only. No clinical features. No UK payment support.
Square Appointments — Payment Company's Booking Add-On
Price: Free (basic) or from ~£23/month ($29)
Square Appointments exists to drive transactions through Square's payment hardware. The free tier is genuinely free, but it's a booking calendar — not clinic software. And you're locked into Square's payment ecosystem.
Best for: Simple service businesses already using Square for payments. Weakest at: Payment lock-in. No clinical features. Exists to sell Square hardware.
Consentz — Consent Forms Only
Price: From £19/month
Consentz does one thing: digital consent forms for aesthetic clinics. It does it reasonably well. But it's a consent tool, not a clinic management system. You'll still need separate software for bookings, payments, records, and marketing.
Best for: Clinics that already have a booking system and just need digital consent forms. Weakest at: Only handles consent. You need 2-3 other tools to run a clinic.
Boulevard — Premium US Salons
Price: Not published (~$175+/month)
Boulevard is enterprise-grade salon software targeting high-end US spas. Polished, powerful, and expensive. No UK market support, no published pricing, and designed for luxury salons rather than medical clinics.
Best for: Premium US salons and spas with large teams and big budgets. Weakest at: No UK support. Enterprise pricing. Not designed for medical aesthetics.
Mangomint — US Salon Automation
Price: From ~£130/month ($165)
Mangomint is US salon software focused on automation — smart scheduling, waitlists, cancellation backfilling. Impressive technology for reducing front-desk workload. But it's salon automation, not clinical automation, and it costs 3-5x more than Aestheticc.
Best for: High-volume US salons that want to reduce front-desk staffing. Weakest at: Price. US-only. No clinical features.
Zenoti — Enterprise Spa Chains
Price: Not published (~£200-300+/month + implementation fees)
Zenoti is enterprise software for spa chains with 10+ locations. If you have 50 locations and a corporate IT team, Zenoti might make sense. For an independent aesthetic clinic, it's an aircraft carrier when you need a speedboat.
Best for: Large spa chains with dedicated IT staff and enterprise budgets. Weakest at: Overkill complexity. Enterprise pricing. Weeks of implementation time.
Quick Comparison Table
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Clinical Features | UK-Focused | Best For | |----------|-------------|-------------------|------------|----------| | Aestheticc | £39-69 | Full | Yes | UK aesthetic clinics | | Pabau | ~£55+ | Good | Partial | Larger multi-specialty clinics | | Cliniko | ~£44+ | Basic | No | Allied health practices | | Fresha | Free + commission | None | No | Salons needing client discovery | | Treatwell | Free + 35% commission | None | Partial | European salon marketplaces | | Vagaro | ~£24 + add-ons | None | No | US salons/spas | | Timely | £20-35 | None | No | Small salons | | Booksy | Free + fees | None | No | Solo beauticians | | Jane App | ~£47 | Basic (allied health) | No | Canadian allied health | | GlossGenius | ~£19 | None | No | US beauty professionals | | Square Appointments | Free-£23 | None | Partial | Simple service businesses | | Consentz | £19+ | Consent only | Yes | Add-on consent forms | | Boulevard | ~£140+ | Limited | No | Premium US salons | | Mangomint | ~£130+ | None | No | High-volume US salons | | Zenoti | ~£200+ | Partial | No | Enterprise spa chains |
How to Choose
If you run a UK aesthetic clinic and want one system that handles everything — bookings, clinical records, consent, payments, marketing, compliance — Aestheticc is built for exactly this.
If you're a larger clinic with complex needs and budget isn't the primary concern, Pabau is worth evaluating alongside Aestheticc.
If you're just starting out and can't afford monthly fees, Fresha gets you bookings — but budget to move off it once the commission costs exceed what you'd pay for proper software.
If you're an allied health practice (physio, chiro, osteo) that also does some aesthetics, Cliniko might bridge both worlds, though you'll miss aesthetics-specific features.
If you're a salon that also does light aesthetic treatments, Fresha, Timely, or Vagaro might work — but the moment you're doing medical treatments, you need clinical software.
Built for UK aesthetic clinics. Not salon software, not enterprise bloatware. Try Aestheticc free.