The Core Difference
Cliniko is Australian-built practice management software designed for allied health practitioners: physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, podiatrists. It's been around since 2011, it's used by over 65,000 practitioners in 95+ countries, and it's the only platform officially partnered with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the UK.
Aestheticc is built for UK aesthetic clinics: Botox, dermal fillers, skin treatments, body contouring. The clinical workflows, record-keeping, and compliance features are designed around what aesthetic practitioners actually do.
This isn't a quality comparison. Cliniko is excellent software for its market. The question is whether allied health software fits an aesthetics workflow.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Aestheticc | Cliniko | |---------|-----------|---------| | Built for aesthetics | Yes | No (allied health) | | Online booking | Yes | Yes | | Patient/client records | Yes (aesthetics-focused) | Yes (allied health-focused) | | Treatment notes | Yes (injectable protocols) | Yes (customisable templates) | | Consent forms with photos | Yes (built-in, aesthetic-specific) | Basic patient forms (no photo capture in consent) | | Before/after photo management | Yes (managed, side-by-side comparison) | File attachments only | | Injection mapping | Yes | No | | Telehealth | No | Yes (built-in video calls) | | Payment processing (Stripe) | Yes | Yes (Stripe integration) | | Klarna / buy-now-pay-later | Yes | No | | SMS reminders | Yes (UK numbers) | Yes (10c USD per SMS) | | Marketing automation | Yes | No (integrates with Mailchimp) | | UK compliance (CQC, GDPR) | Yes | General compliance only | | Multi-location | Yes | Yes | | Treatment intelligence (AI) | Yes | No |
Pricing
| Plan | Aestheticc | Cliniko | |------|-----------|---------| | Solo practitioner | £39/month | $45/month USD (~£35/month) | | Small team (2-5) | £69/month | $95/month USD (~£75/month) | | Larger team (6-8) | Contact us | $145/month USD (~£115/month) | | Currency | GBP | USD | | SMS | Included | 10c USD per message (extra) |
Cliniko's pricing is straightforward and public. All plans include every feature, unlimited users and locations, and free support. The catch for UK clinics: you pay in USD, so your monthly bill fluctuates with the exchange rate. The approximate GBP figures above are estimates. Check cliniko.com/pricing for current rates.
Aestheticc prices in GBP. What you see is what you pay.
The Allied Health vs Aesthetics Gap
Cliniko was built around the clinical workflow of a physiotherapist or chiropractor. That workflow looks like this: patient books, arrives, gets assessed, receives manual treatment or exercises, practitioner writes SOAP notes, patient gets invoiced, books follow-up.
An aesthetic clinic workflow is different. A client books a Botox appointment. Before they arrive, they need to complete a consent form specific to that treatment, with medical history questions relevant to injectables. The practitioner reviews before photos, performs the treatment, records injection sites and units on a face map, takes after photos, processes payment (possibly through Klarna for a larger treatment), and the system tracks when that client should rebook based on the treatment type.
Cliniko handles the first workflow brilliantly. It has customisable treatment note templates, body charts for marking areas of concern, and integrations with physiotherapy-specific tools. But it doesn't have injection mapping, consent forms designed for cosmetic procedures, before/after photo comparison tools, or treatment-specific rebooking logic.
You could make Cliniko work for aesthetics by building workarounds. Custom templates for injectable records. File attachments instead of managed photo galleries. Manual tracking of consent. But you would be fighting software that was designed for a different clinical discipline.
Where Cliniko is Strong
Credit where it's due. Cliniko does several things well:
- Telehealth. Built-in video consultations with end-to-end encryption. No extra cost, no third-party tool needed. If virtual consultations are part of your practice, this is a genuine advantage.
- Customisable templates. You can upload PDFs or images and Cliniko will convert them into digital form templates using image analysis. The template builder is flexible.
- CSP partnership. Being the official platform of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy carries real weight in the UK allied health market.
- Transparent pricing. Every plan includes every feature. No tiers, no upsells on individual features.
- Track record. 15 years in the market, 65,000+ practitioners. This is mature, stable software.
When Cliniko Makes Sense
- You run a physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, or psychology practice
- Telehealth video consultations are a core part of your service
- You want software with a long track record and a large user community
- You're an allied health practitioner who also does some aesthetic work on the side and want one system for everything
When Aestheticc Makes Sense
- You run a UK aesthetic clinic (Botox, fillers, skin treatments)
- You need consent forms built for cosmetic procedures, not physio intake forms
- Before/after photo management and injection mapping are part of your daily workflow
- You want Klarna and buy-now-pay-later for higher-value treatments
- You want to pay in GBP, not USD
- You want marketing automation and treatment intelligence built in, not bolted on through integrations
Built for UK aesthetic clinics, not adapted from allied health software. Try Aestheticc free.