Home → DrinCloud vs Cliniko: an honest comparis…
DrinCloud vs Cliniko: an honest comparison for cash-pay practices
Start with the number that decides most of these pages. Cliniko is cheaper than us at every team size, and at six practitioners it is not close: $145 a month against our $407. One practitioner is $45 there and $69 here with the AI scribe on, three is $95 against $179, and the gap only widens. Cliniko is also a careful product with a loyal following in physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage and allied health, and this page will not pretend otherwise. DrinCloud is the US edition of a clinic system with 12+ years and 8,000+ clinics in 14 countries, built for practices the patient pays directly. Our case is not the invoice: the AI scribe at $20 a provider with no counter, a record you shape per specialty, real clinic modules, superbills for out-of-network reimbursement, three languages. Prices on pricing, the field in all comparisons.
Cliniko wins the money, outright and at every size. It charges by practitioner band with every feature in every subscription: $45 for one, $95 for two to five, $145 for six to eight, then $195, $295 and $395 up to two hundred. Unlimited reception users, locations, storage and patients, free support, no setup fee, a 30-day trial with no credit card, and a minimum 2% of revenue donated to charity. We do none of that for the same money. At six practitioners with the scribe on we are $407 against their $145, and they take the pricing block 4.3 to our 2.5.
Our case is what sits inside the record, not the bill. Cliniko's own pages document no AI of its own: its directory lists 34 third-party AI apps, each billed separately, and its dictation article points at Apple, Windows and Dragon. Ours is $20 a month per provider with no minute or appointment counter, plus a clinical assistant included on every plan. Its claiming is Australian, Medicare, DVA, NDIS and health funds, so a US practice gets nothing from it, and we file no claims either. What a US cash-pay practice needs is the superbill, with NPI, EIN, CPT and ICD-10. If price is your first filter, buy Cliniko.
What each one really costs (November 2026)
| Pricing | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| The published price ladder | $49 · $107 · $119 · $287 · $574Essential, Solo, Clinic 1 to 3, Medical Center 4 to 30, Large Clinics 31 to 50 | $45 · $95 · $145 · $195 · $295 · $395bands of 1, 2 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 12, 13 to 25, 26 to 200 |
| Lower price for one practitioner | ✗ No$49, or $69 with the scribe on | ✓ Yes$45, everything included |
| Lower price at two or three practitioners | ✗ No$159 with two, $179 with three | ✓ Yes$95 covers two through five |
| Lower price at six practitioners | ✗ No**$407** | ✓ Yes**$145**, a difference of $262 a month |
| What the fourth practitioner adds | ✗ Nothe 4th and 5th Clinic user are $45 each | ✓ Yesnothing until practitioner six |
| Price by practice size, not per seat | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Every price published, no quote form | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Free trial before you pay | ✗ Nopaid signup in about 3 minutes; one month is our smallest commitment | ✓ 30 daysno card to start |
| Annual billing discount | ✓ 2 months free12 months at the price of 10, about 17% | Partialone month free a year, about 8% |
| AI note drafting with a published price | ✓ $20/moper provider, no counter | Not documentedits pricing page names no AI and no AI price |
| No setup fee, no minimum term | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Block score · Pricing and transparency (20%) | 2.5 | 4.3 |
Sources: cliniko.com/pricing/ and cliniko.com/faq/ for the bands, the inclusions, the 30-day trial, the annual month free and the 10c SMS credits, plus drincloud.com/pricing, checked November 2, 2026. DrinCloud figures are the annual rate.
This is the block Cliniko wins, and it wins it everywhere. Its bands are tighter and its ceiling lower: practitioner six costs them $145 and costs us $407. Everything sits inside the subscription, reception users are free, and the trial runs 30 days without a card while we ask you to pay for a month. Two rows go our way and both are small: a bigger annual discount, and an AI price printed next to the plans, because theirs names none. Run your headcount through pricing first.
The real math: four invoices, AI included on our side
| Scenario | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Solo practitioner, AI scribe on | $69/moEssential $49 plus the $20 scribe | $45/moeverything included, no AI. They win by $24 |
| 3 practitioners, AI for all three | $179/moClinic $119 covers 1 to 3, plus 3 x $20 | $95/mothe 2 to 5 band. They win by $84 |
| 6 practitioners, AI for everyone | $407/moMedical Center $287 covers 4 to 30, plus 6 x $20 | $145/mothe 6 to 8 band. They win by $262 |
| 20 practitioners, AI for everyone | $687/moMedical Center $287 still covers it, plus 20 x $20 | $295/mothe 13 to 25 band. They win by $392 |
Arithmetic with the rates on cliniko.com/pricing/ and drincloud.com/pricing, checked November 2, 2026, with our AI scribe on for every provider and nothing added on the Cliniko side, because its pricing page sells no AI add-on. DrinCloud rows are the annual rate. SMS is excluded on both sides: ours is $36 per 300 messages, theirs is 10c a message.
There is no crossover to wait for. Cliniko is cheaper at one practitioner, at three, at six and at twenty, and the gap widens because our scribe is charged per provider while they charge nothing for AI they do not sell. Turn our scribe off and the twenty seat line drops to $287, still roughly double their band. The question is not which bill is smaller. It is whether the record, the AI and the clinic modules are worth the difference. See what an EHR really costs.
Charting, notes and the AI that drafts them
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Custom note templates per discipline | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Record depth per specialty, history carried forward | ✓ Yesmemory fields pull allergies, medication and history forward | Partialyou copy the last note into a blank template, by hand |
| AI records the visit and drafts the note, built in | ✓ Yes$20 a month per provider, one button | Partialnone of its own; its directory lists third-party scribes such as Heidi and PatientNotes, billed separately |
| AI clinical assistant for differentials and interactions | ✓ Yes | Not documented |
| AI chatbot that books for patients | ✓ Yes$20 a month per practice | Partialthird-party AI receptionists, own fees |
| Body charts and diagrams in the note | Not documentedwe attach before and after photos instead | ✓ Yes |
| Pre-visit forms the patient fills in | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yessecure patient forms, filed automatically |
| In-visit procedures billed on top of the visit | ✓ Yesbilled separately from the visit | Not documented |
| Consents signed remotely by the patient | ✓ Yessigned on the patient's own phone | Not documentedforms are submitted online, but no e-signature |
| Ward, operating room and diagnostic test modules | ✓ Yesinpatients by floor and room, surgery from the record | Not documentedbuilt for allied health clinics |
| Letter templates that fill patient data | ✓ Yestagged templates, printed or emailed | ✓ Yes |
| Block score · Clinical record and AI (25%) | 4.5 | 2.5 |
Sources: cliniko.com/features/health-records/, cliniko.com/features/, cliniko.com/connected-apps/artificial-intelligence/ (94 connected apps, 34 of them AI, with 'most of these apps were developed by third parties'), help.cliniko.com voice dictation options, plus drincloud.com/features, checked November 2, 2026.
The heaviest block, and the one that has to pay for the price difference. Cliniko's notes are genuinely good: unlimited templates, body charts, drafts, pinned notes, letter templates with placeholders. What its own pages do not document is AI. Dictation is handed to Apple, Windows or Dragon, and the scribes live in a directory of apps you pay for separately. Ours records, drafts, answers clinical questions on every plan, and costs $20 a provider. Details on the AI scribe.
Scheduling and patient communication
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-practitioner, multi-room calendar | ✓ Yesshifts tie the provider to the room, plus an operating room calendar | Partialunlimited locations with a view each; rooms not described |
| Online booking on your own website | ✓ Yesembeddable widget, availability by provider | ✓ Yes |
| Waitlist that fills a cancelled slot | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Automatic email appointment reminders | ✓ Yesincluded | ✓ Yes |
| Text message reminders | Partialincluded, but $36 per 300 messages, with TCPA consent at intake | Partialincluded, but 10c a message on prepaid credits |
| Patient portal: appointments, payments, documents, messages | ✓ Yesfrom the $107 Solo plan, $10 on Essential | Not documentedsecure forms and booking, but no portal |
| Telehealth with no minute counter | ✓ Unlimitedfrom Solo, $10 on Essential | ✓ Yesincluded, once a card is on file |
| Group appointments and classes | Not documentedwe chart one patient at a time | ✓ Yesseveral clients in one appointment |
| Recurring and repeat appointments | ✓ Yesplus follow-up recall from the note | ✓ Yesany interval, any number of occurrences |
| Check-in kiosk and waiting room call screen | ✓ Yestablet check-in and a visit rating | Not documented |
| Google Calendar sync | ✓ Yestwo way | Not documentedconfirmation emails carry a calendar attachment |
| Block score · Scheduling and patient communication (15%) | 4.3 | 3.2 |
Sources: cliniko.com/features/appointments/, cliniko.com/features/, help.cliniko.com on how telehealth works and on appointment confirmations and reminders, cliniko.com/pricing/ for the SMS credits, plus drincloud.com/features, checked November 2, 2026.
The daily basics tie, and they should: calendar, online booking, waitlist, email reminders, telehealth, repeat appointments. Cliniko wins group appointments outright, which matters if you run classes, and its SMS is cheaper per message than our packs. We pull ahead at the physical front desk, because this product grew up in buildings with waiting rooms: tablet check-in with a visit rating, a call screen, an operating room calendar, and a portal their pages do not describe. Weigh both lists if you run a physical therapy clinic.
Getting paid without an insurer in the middle
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Charge at the desk, online or by link | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yesonline payments, refunds, account credit |
| Your own payment account, no markup | ✓ Yesyour own Stripe, standard US rates 2.9% + $0.30 online | ✓ Yesyour own Stripe too, and Cliniko takes no cut of the fee |
| Deposit charged when the slot is booked | ✓ Yesthe card is taken when the appointment is | Partialprepayments applied to a later invoice |
| Superbill with NPI, EIN, CPT and ICD-10 | ✓ Yesa PDF with the balance, for the patient to submit | Partialinvoice item codes help patients claim; no superbill document |
| Prices per service, specialty and professional | ✓ Yesby service, specialty and provider | ✓ Yes |
| Sliding scale or concession rates per patient | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Product sales with stock deducted | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Quotes and treatment plans the patient approves | ✓ Yesa priced plan the patient signs | Not documented |
| Production and revenue reporting per professional | ✓ Yesproduction, occupancy and revenue | ✓ Yesrevenue, outstanding invoices, daily payments |
| Practice expenses and tax tracking | Not documentedwe report revenue, not expenses | ✓ Yesexpenses, tax rates, plus Xero |
| Block score · Cash-pay billing (15%) | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Sources: cliniko.com/features/transactions/, help.cliniko.com on online payments (Stripe connected from Settings, with Cliniko stating it does not profit from Stripe's fees) and on setting up billable items, plus drincloud.com/features, checked November 2, 2026. Card rates quoted for DrinCloud are the standard Stripe US rates on the client's own Stripe account, not a DrinCloud fee.
Closer than we expected, and one row deserves credit: Cliniko also runs on your own Stripe account and takes nothing off the top, which most of this market does not offer. Its bookkeeping beats ours, with expenses, tax rates and Xero. Three rows separate us and all three are cash-pay specifics: a deposit charged at booking, a priced plan the patient signs, and a real superbill with NPI, EIN, CPT and ICD-10. Item codes on an invoice help a patient claim, but an invoice is not a superbill.
Languages, surveys and how patients experience you
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Interface language chosen per user | ✓ YesEnglish, Spanish, Portuguese and more | Not documentedno language setting on its pages |
| Communication language per patient | ✓ YesEnglish, Spanish, Portuguese or German | Not documented |
| Support in Spanish and Portuguese | ✓ Yesemail, and WhatsApp with video from Solo | Not documentedhelp center and forum are in English |
| Secure two way messaging with the patient | ✓ Yesportal messages attached to the file | Not documentedstaff messaging yes, patient messaging no |
| Patient surveys and questionnaires you send out | ✓ Yesafter each visit, anonymous or named | ✓ Yesquestionnaires and surveys as patient forms |
| Survey statistics and event campaigns | ✓ Yesif X happened, send Y after Z days, results charted | Not documentedchannel reporting, but no event campaigns |
| Referral source recorded per patient | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Automatic birthday greetings to patients | ✓ Yessent on their own | Not documented |
| Free support on every subscription, plus a public user forum | Partialsupport is free, but no public forum | ✓ Yesfree support, help center and a user forum |
| Phone support line | ✗ No | ✗ Noforum, help center and email only |
| Native app for iOS and Android | ✗ Nobrowser only | ✗ Noits FAQ says no native app, but the software is mobile friendly |
| Block score · Languages and patient experience (10%) | 3.9 | 1.4 |
Sources: cliniko.com/faq/ (no native app, support by forum, help center and email, HIPAA settings), cliniko.com/features/, cliniko.com/features/health-records/ and cliniko.com/pricing/ for free support on every subscription, plus drincloud.com/features, checked November 2, 2026.
Two honest notes before the score. Cliniko's free support on every subscription, with a forum where users answer each other, is better than ours, and neither of us answers a telephone or ships a native app. The block still goes our way for one reason: language. The software in each user's language, and a field on the patient that decides what language the reminders, portal and documents arrive in. If half your schedule speaks Spanish, that field does more for attendance than anything else here. Relevant for massage therapy.
Where Cliniko wins and we do not: price, polish and the things we simply lack
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Years of focus on physiotherapy, osteopathy and massage | ✗ Nonew to the US and to allied health, and it shows | ✓ YesMelbourne founded, owner operated, users who stay |
| 30-day free trial with no credit card | ✗ Nopaid signup; one month is our smallest commitment | ✓ Yesthe full product, and it becomes your live account |
| Lower monthly bill at every team size | ✗ No$69 against $45, $179 against $95, $407 against $145 | ✓ Yescheaper at every band |
| Public API documented openly with no fee | Partial$300 to set up plus $80 a month, no developer docs | ✓ Yespublic REST API with OpenAPI docs, no fee |
| Every feature in every subscription, nothing gated | Partialrecord, superbills and scribe from $49, but portal, telehealth and CRM are gated | ✓ Yesevery feature on every subscription, SMS the only extra |
| Unlimited file storage on every subscription | Partial2 GB on Essential, 1 TB on Clinic, unlimited from Medical Center | ✓ Yesstorage, patients and locations unlimited on all six bands |
| Unlimited reception and admin users at no cost | Partialthe 4th and 5th Clinic user are $45 each | ✓ Yesunlimited, every subscription |
| Insurance or third-party claiming built in | ✗ Nono claims engine at all, by design | ✓ Yesreal claiming, but Australian: Medicare, DVA, NDIS, health funds. Useless in the US |
| US e-prescribing with EPCS | ✗ Nowe print or send a PDF, which fails the mandates in CA, FL, NY, MI, MN and DE | Not documented |
| ONC certification and a licensed CPT code set | ✗ Nono certification, and no CPT database: the code set is an AMA license, so you type your own | Not documented |
| Block score · Where Cliniko wins (10%) | 1.0 | 4.0 |
Sources: cliniko.com/pricing/, cliniko.com/faq/, docs.api.cliniko.com for the public API documentation, help.cliniko.com collection 'Processing Medicare, health fund, DVA claims (Australia only)' and its Tyro Health and HealthPoint articles, plus drincloud.com, checked November 2, 2026.
Four point zero against one point zero, and this is the block to read twice. Cliniko is cheaper at every size, trials for 30 days without a card, puts every feature in every subscription, gives unlimited storage and free reception users, and publishes an API we charge for. Then come our plain absences: no US claims, no e-prescribing, no ONC certification, no CPT database. Their claiming is Australian, so it saves a US practice nothing, but ours does not exist at all. See alternatives.
Moving in, moving out and compliance
| Feature | DrinCloud | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Free import you run yourself | ✓ Yesany Excel or XML file, and a bad import is redone | ✓ Yesfree transfer, usually from CSV, with help preparing files |
| Full data export, free, no retention | ✓ YesCSV and PDF whenever you want | Partialnotes to PDF and reports to spreadsheet; no full account export, data kept 12 months |
| Public API with open documentation | Partial$300 setup plus $80 a month, no public docs | ✓ Yespublic REST API, OpenAPI file, developers group |
| Directory of third-party integrations | ✗ NoStripe and Google Calendar, the honest list | ✓ Yes94 connected apps, 34 of them AI |
| Accounting software integration | Not documentedwe export CSV for your accountant | ✓ YesXero |
| HIPAA with a BAA | ✓ Yesevery plan, encryption in transit and at rest | ✓ Yesa HIPAA setting, and a BAA on request |
| Multi-location in one account | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yesunlimited locations, every subscription |
| Patient data never used to train AI | ✓ Yeswritten into our terms | Not documentedno AI of its own; third-party apps set their own terms |
| Role based permissions per user | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Continuous backups and systems monitoring | ✓ Yescontinuous backup and encryption | ✓ Yes |
| HL7 or FHIR interoperability | Not documented | Not documented |
| Block score · Integrations and data (5%) | 3.4 | 3.9 |
Sources: cliniko.com/faq/ (data import, Xero, HIPAA and the BAA request), cliniko.com/pricing/, cliniko.com/connected-apps/artificial-intelligence/, docs.api.cliniko.com and drincloud.com/security, checked November 2, 2026. 'Not documented' here means the item does not appear on those public pages on that date.
Cliniko takes this block and the reason is fair. It is the better citizen of other people's software: a free public REST API with real documentation, 94 connected apps, Xero for the bookkeeping. We publish no developer docs, we charge $300 plus $80 a month for API access, and we name two integrations in total. What we do better is the exit: a full CSV and PDF export whenever you want, with no retention period, where their pages keep your data 12 months after you cancel.
Which one fits you?
Cliniko is the better fit if...
- Price is your first filter. Cliniko is cheaper at every team size: $45 against our $69 solo, $95 against $179 at three, $145 against $407 at six, $295 against $687 at twenty.
- You want to try before you pay: 30 days of the whole product with no credit card, and the trial becomes your live account. We sell one paid month as the smallest commitment.
- You are a physiotherapist, osteopath, massage therapist or allied health practitioner. The product was built for that work for years, by an owner operated team, and its users stay.
- You hate plan ladders. Every feature is in every subscription, with unlimited reception users, locations, storage and patients, and SMS at 10c the only extra.
- You want integrations: a free public REST API with real documentation, and 94 connected apps, 34 of them AI, that you pick and pay for yourself.
- You run classes, you want body charts in your notes, or you want expenses and Xero beside your invoices. Those are theirs, not ours.
DrinCloud is the better fit if...
- You want the AI scribe inside the software at a price you can read: $20 a month per provider, no minute counter and no appointment counter. Cliniko's pages name no AI price and point you at third-party apps you pay for separately. See the AI scribe.
- You want a clinical assistant for differentials, drug interactions and guidelines included on every plan, from $49.
- You want the record shaped to your specialty, with memory fields that drag allergies, medication and history forward instead of copying the last note by hand.
- You are a medical clinic, not an allied health practice: inpatients by floor and room, separate nursing and physician forms, surgery from the record, diagnostic tests, stock.
- Out-of-network reimbursement is the heart of your billing. We build a superbill with NPI, EIN, CPT and ICD-10 for the patient to submit, not an invoice with item codes.
- Part of your schedule speaks Spanish or Portuguese: the software in each user's language, and reminders, portal and documents in each patient's language.
- You want a patient portal and a patient CRM in one system: forms, messages, satisfaction surveys with statistics, event campaigns, birthday greetings.
- Your front desk is a physical one: tablet check-in with a visit rating, a waiting room call screen, an operating room calendar with its own waitlist.
- You charge cash-pay the way it works: a deposit at booking, a sliding scale rate on the patient record, a priced treatment plan the patient signs.
- You want the price in front of you before anyone calls, the move in free and the exit open. It is on pricing, the rest in all comparisons.
Questions about this comparison
Which one is cheaper, honestly?
Does Cliniko have AI note taking?
Can Cliniko bill US insurance or produce a superbill?
Why would anyone pay $407 instead of $145?
Where does the final score come from?
Can I migrate from Cliniko to DrinCloud?
Is this comparison impartial?
See it yourself: online signup in about 3 minutes
No sales call and no setup fee. You pick a plan, pay for it and the account is live, and the software's built-in AI assistant walks you through setup in your own language. One month is our smallest commitment, and if Cliniko's price is the right answer for your practice, buy Cliniko.
Cliniko is a trademark of its owner. This page is an informational comparison published by DrinCloud (Massive Bionics LLC), not affiliated with or endorsed by Cliniko, using public data verified on cliniko.com/pricing/, cliniko.com/features/ and its appointments, transactions and health records feature pages, cliniko.com/faq/, cliniko.com/connected-apps/artificial-intelligence/, docs.api.cliniko.com, help.cliniko.com (billable items, online payments, voice dictation, telehealth, and the Australia only Medicare, health fund and DVA claims collection) and drincloud.com on November 2, 2026. 'Not documented' means the feature does not appear on the vendor's public website on that date, not that it does not exist. Cliniko prices are the published practitioner bands, with no AI add-on included because its pricing page sells none; DrinCloud columns include the $20 per provider AI scribe wherever a scenario says AI is on, and DrinCloud rows use the annual rate. Card rates quoted for DrinCloud are the standard Stripe US rates applied to a client's own Stripe account, not a DrinCloud fee. Scores come only from the table cells, with the published formula. If you represent Cliniko and find an inaccuracy, write to info@dricloud.com and we will correct the data and the score immediately.
Correction history: first published November 2, 2026.