A Cliniko alternative built for UK physio clinics
Cliniko is popular in UK private practice for a reason: clean diary, solid notes, unlimited locations, and pricing that has stayed simple for years.
Pulse Health is for clinics that want that operational core plus UK physio billing (including Healthcode), London-only hosting as a product rule, exercise prescription in the same system, and an optional AI scribe — without bolting on a second vendor for each gap. This is not “Cliniko is bad.” It is where the products differ, and who Pulse is for.
Published monthly prices (same practitioner bands)
Pulse Solo is 100% free for 6 months, then £19/mo. Ongoing bands sit about 20–23% lower than Cliniko at every size except Solo after the free period.
| Practitioners | Pulse | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| 1 practitioner | £19 (6 months free first) | £29 |
| 2–5 | £47 | £59 |
| 6–8 | £69 | £89 |
| 9–12 | £99 | £129 |
| 13–25 | £155 | £199 |
| 26+ | £199 | £259 |
Both exclude VAT. Cliniko includes all features at every tier, as do we.
Who this is for
Pulse is a better fit if you:
Bill PMI (Bupa, AXA, and similar) and want Healthcode in the PMS, not a spreadsheet or a bridge
Want patient data in the UK with a UK company, ICO registration, and production hosting in London (lhr)
Want AI clinical notes inside the same product (add-on), instead of a separate scribe that writes back to Cliniko
Want exercise programmes without a per-clinician Physitrack bill — Pulse has a built-in library (add-on) and can still connect Physitrack
Run classes, memberships or gift cards with Stripe
Want founder-led onboarding from someone who runs UK physio clinics (PhysioWork)
Cliniko does not offer an AI clinical scribe; Pulse’s scribe is included.
Stay on Cliniko if you are happy with the diary, you do not need Healthcode in-product, and you do not want to change tools. Switching has a cost even when the import is free.
Pulse pricing (GBP, published)
All core features sit on every plan. Prices exclude VAT.
| Plan | Practitioners | Pulse / month | Cliniko / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 1 practitioner | Free 6 mo, then £19 | £29 |
| Team | 2-5 practitioners | £47 | £59 |
| Practice | 6-8 practitioners | £69 | £89 |
| Clinic | 9-12 practitioners | £99 | £129 |
| Growth | 13-25 practitioners | £155 | £199 |
| Enterprise | 26+ practitioners | £199 | £259 |
- 14-day trial, no card required
- Annual billing: 20% off (2 months free) — that is Pulse’s own annual discount, not a “vs Cliniko” claim
- Cancel anytime; export available for 30 days after cancellation
Optional add-ons (not in the Solo–Clinic base fee):
- AI Clinical Scribe — £4.99 per practitioner / month (2 months free if added within 30 days of signup)
- AI Clinical Assistant — £6.99 / month (3 months free for new clinics)
- Exercise library — £9.99/mo for the first therapist, then £4.99 per additional therapist (3 months free)
- CRM / enquiry pipeline — £14.99/mo flat (track enquiries from first contact to booked appointment)
- AI Voice — £29/mo with 200 minutes included (inbound receptionist + outbound sales)
- SMS and extra AI Voice minutes after the included 200 — billed separately (see pricing)
Cliniko GBP bands above are their published UK list prices. Pulse is about 20–23% below those bands on every tier. Compare your real Cliniko invoice (subscription + SMS + Physitrack/Heidi if you use them) to a Pulse plan plus the add-ons you would actually switch on.
Feature comparison (honest)
Ticks on older Pulse pages that said Cliniko has “no UK data residency,” “no telehealth,” and “no migration” were too strong. This table is the version we want live.
| Feature | Pulse Health | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| Diary, online booking, patient records | Yes | Yes |
| Clinical notes | Yes (templates, side-by-side notes) | Yes (strong templates) |
| Invoicing and card payments | Yes (Stripe) | Yes |
| Multi-site | Yes | Yes (unlimited locations) |
| SMS / email reminders | Yes (SMS usage extra) | Yes (SMS credits extra) |
| Mailchimp | Yes | Yes |
| Physitrack | Yes (optional integration) | Yes (optional integration) |
| Healthcode / PMI claims in-product | Yes (API + CSV) | No native Healthcode — clinics typically use a third party |
| UK production hosting | London only (Fly.io lhr) | Regional shards including UK (uk1) — confirm your account region |
| ICO-registered UK operator | Yes | Australian company; GDPR as processor — different corporate setup |
| AI Clinical Scribe | Add-on, in Pulse | Not in Cliniko — many clinics buy Heidi/Motics separately |
| Exercise library in the PMS (1,000+ illustrated exercises on the marketing site) | Add-on | Not built-in; usually Physitrack or similar |
| Group classes with Stripe | Yes | Group appointments exist; Pulse’s class + Stripe packaging is the differentiator to verify on a demo |
| Gift cards and memberships | Yes | Not a Pulse-equivalent membership/gift-card product |
| Built-in telehealth | Yes (Jitsi) | Yes (Cliniko Telehealth; card required to unlock in trial) |
| Google Calendar two-way sync | Yes | Cliniko calendar / feeds — not the same as Pulse’s two-way Google sync |
| Patient self check-in kiosk | Yes | No |
| Automated debt chasing | Yes | No equivalent Pulse-style chaser |
| Doctify | Yes | No |
| Built-in CRM pipeline | Add-on | No |
| Sessional / FCP-PCN contracts | Add-on | Not a Pulse-equivalent module |
| Data migration | Included, founder-led | Cliniko also migrates into Cliniko for free |
| Trial length | 14 days | 30 days |
| Support | Email; phone from Practice plan; founder onboarding | Cliniko’s own support (they include it on all plans) |
Why UK physio clinics look at Pulse anyway
Healthcode
Pulse can store Healthcode settings, test the connection, submit claims, and export Healthcode CSV. That is a UK PMI workflow Cliniko does not ship natively.
One product for notes + rehab
Scribe and exercise prescription are Pulse add-ons, not a second login. Physitrack remains available if your clinicians already live there.
London-only production
Pulse does not offer a US or AU production region. If your DPO wants a simple answer to “where is the database?”, it is London.
Onboarding
Every new clinic gets a setup call with the founder. We import Cliniko data and configure templates rather than leaving you with an empty account.
Pricing shape
Pulse is a clinic band (1, 2–5, 6–8, 9–12, 13–25, 26+), not a surprise per-seat bill inside the band. Add-ons are explicit. Published Pulse bands sit about 20–23% below Cliniko’s published GBP bands — still compare your real invoice (SMS, Physitrack, Heidi) before you switch.
Migration
Covered in full on the migration page: patients, appointments, notes, invoices, practitioners. Files/attachments are not in the standard import. Stripe and Healthcode are reconnected in Pulse. Parallel run is recommended.
What we will not do on this page
Invent review scores or testimonials
Quote a saving that ignores SMS, Physitrack, Heidi, or other extras on your real invoice
Pretend AI scribe or the exercise library is free on Solo–Clinic
Pretend Cliniko cannot host in the UK
Frequently asked questions
Is Pulse Health cheaper than Cliniko?
At every practitioner band, yes — roughly 20–23% lower (e.g. 2–5 practitioners: £47/mo vs £59/mo). Solo is 100% free for 6 months, then £19/mo.
Does Cliniko have an AI scribe?
No, Cliniko doesn’t offer an AI clinical scribe. Pulse Health’s AI scribe is included in every plan and drafts structured SOAP notes from the consultation.
Can I migrate from Cliniko to Pulse Health?
Yes — free migration of patient records, appointments and notes, typically within a few days.
Does Pulse Health handle UK insurance claims?
Yes, via Healthcode integration for electronic submission to major UK insurers.
Which is better for a UK clinic?
Both are capable systems. Cliniko has a long track record; Pulse Health is UK-built and UK-hosted, includes the AI scribe, integrates with Healthcode, and costs less at every practitioner band. The 14-day free trial is the honest way to decide.
Next step
If you are comparing seriously, book a demo with a recent Cliniko invoice and a note on whether you use Healthcode, Physitrack, or an AI scribe today. We will map that to a Pulse plan without inflating the quote.
Comparing other systems? See Pulse Health vs Jane and vs WriteUpp.