Carepatron vs Cliniko
Carepatron scores 7.9/10 vs 7.8/10. Best for: New or cost-conscious practitioners who want a genuinely usable free tier with telehealth and AI notes, not a crippled demo that forces an upgrade after a week.
Carepatron scores higher overall at 7.9/10 vs 7.8/10. Buy Carepatron if you want the most generous free tier in the market or you are starting a practice and need to keep costs near zero. Skip if you need deep integrations with other tools or if 1GB storage is too limiting for your workflow.
Carepatron 
Cliniko Rank
#8 of 41
Rank
#9 of 41
Features
15/18
Features
14/18
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$45/mo
User reviews
4.5/5 (973)
User reviews
4.5/5 (227)
What they cost
| Carepatron | Cliniko | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | $45 /mo |
| Free trial | Free tier available | 30 days |
| Number of plans | 4 | 4 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Carepatron looks cheaper at $0/month vs $45/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.
Where Carepatron wins
- Free tier includes telehealth, client portal, AI scribe, and unlimited clients, which is genuinely usable for a starting practice
- Over 8,000 note templates covering every therapy modality from CBT to EMDR to occupational therapy
- 973 combined reviews across G2 and Capterra with 4.5 on both platforms, which is consistent satisfaction
- Paid plans start at $11.50/mo on annual billing, making it the cheapest paid option in the category
Where Cliniko wins
- Every plan gets the full feature set with no feature gating, so you are not paying more just to unlock telehealth or notes
- Prices have not changed since 2011, which is rare in SaaS and means no surprise annual increases
- 4.9/5 ease-of-use score on Capterra, which is the highest in allied health practice management
- 30-day free trial is enough time to actually migrate data and test with real patients before committing
- Unlimited locations included on all plans, which matters for clinics expanding to a second site
Where Carepatron falls short
- Free plan has only 1GB storage, which fills up fast if you record telehealth sessions or store client documents
- Automated SMS and email reminders are locked behind the Essential plan at $23/mo, so free users send reminders manually
- Newer platform with fewer third-party integrations than established players like SimplePractice
- Advanced analytics and reporting only available on the highest tier at $39/mo
Where Cliniko falls short
- Only 23 reviews on Capterra means the 4.7 rating is based on a thin sample compared to competitors with 200+ reviews
- No built-in insurance billing or clearinghouse integration, so US practices billing insurance need a separate tool
- Jump from $45 Solo to $95 Team is a big leap just for adding one more practitioner
- SMS reminders are billed separately by country, and costs are not published upfront on the pricing page
Who is each product built for?
Carepatron
Target: 1-20 practitioners
Buy Carepatron if you want the most generous free tier in the market or you are starting a practice and need to keep costs near zero. Skip if you need deep integrations with other tools or if 1GB storage is too limiting for your workflow.
Cliniko
Target: 1-25 clinicians
Buy Cliniko if you want the cleanest interface in allied health with zero feature gating and stable pricing. Skip if you bill US insurance directly or need a platform with a large review base to validate before buying.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Carepatron | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance & Security | ||
| HIPAA compliant | ||
| Telehealth / video sessions | ||
| Secure messaging | ||
| Scheduling & Clients | ||
| Online scheduling | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Intake forms / assessments | ||
| Automated reminders | ||
| Clinical | ||
| Progress notes / documentation | ||
| Treatment plans | ||
| E-prescribing | ||
| Outcome measures / assessments | ||
| Billing & Payments | ||
| Insurance billing / claims | ||
| Payment processing | ||
| Superbill generation | ||
| Automated billing | ||
| Platform | ||
| Group practice support | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Integrations / API | ||
Common questions
Carepatron scores 7.9/10 vs Cliniko's 7.8/10 in our ranking. Carepatron is the better pick for 1-20 practitioners. Cliniko is better if you need physiotherapy and allied health clinics that want a clean interface with all features unlocked on every plan and no per-feature upsells.
Carepatron starts at $0/month. Cliniko starts at $45/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-04-01.
Carepatron: Yes, 14-day free trial. Cliniko: Yes, 30-day free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Carepatron covers 15 of 18 features we track. Cliniko covers 14 of 18. Carepatron has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.
Yes, Carepatron has a mobile app. Cliniko does too.
Yes. The main effort is migrating your data (customer lists, job history, invoices). Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both. Most healthcare practice management tools can import CSV data. Ask both vendors about migration support before you sign.
The bottom line
Pick Carepatron if...
New or cost-conscious practitioners who want a genuinely usable free tier with telehealth and AI notes, not a crippled demo that forces an upgrade after a week.
Pick Cliniko if...
Physiotherapy and allied health clinics that want a clean interface with all features unlocked on every plan and no per-feature upsells.