myAthenaAI

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Cliniko vs myAthenaAI

Cliniko: Practice management software for allied health and clinical practitioners, such as physiotherapists. myAthenaAI: the AI-native clinic management system for aesthetic and beauty clinics — booking, clinic management, stock and marketing in one system, with Athena, the AI built in, doing the work.

The short answer

Cliniko is clinic software your team operates. It keeps the diary and the records; you still do the answering, chasing, booking and marketing.

myAthenaAI does the work for you. It's a full clinic management system (booking, client records, stock, payments, staff) with Athena built in. She knows the clinic, and she answers every WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger message, text, email and phone call, and books, moves and takes deposits inside the diary. She runs the reminders, follow-ups and rebooking, answers anything you ask about the business, and makes the marketing: campaigns, images, before-and-afters, content and your website.

Why myAthenaAI

  • It covers more of a clinic's work: 53 of the 54 features we compared, against Cliniko's 16 (counting its paid add-ons and partial versions). Included as standard: myAthenaAI 53, Cliniko 11.
  • It gives you time back. Other systems keep the diary while you do the work. Athena does the answering, booking, chasing, follow-ups and marketing herself, on every channel and the phone, 24/7. See your own hours back.
  • It has every angle covered. Front desk, owner assistant, the clinic's running, marketing and content, your website and your ad tracking, in one clinic management system with one login, instead of booking software plus add-ons plus five other tools.
  • It's built for appointment businesses, by people who've run them. Made specifically for aesthetic clinics, med spas, salons and practitioner-led clinics, by people who have built and run clinics.
  • It's AI-native, not bolted on. Athena runs inside the system, so she knows the clinic: the same Athena who answers your clients works from your diary, client history, treatments, prices and policies, and she's the one you ask about takings and stock. Other systems add an AI receptionist on top; in myAthenaAI the receptionist is one of the jobs she does.
  • It's built for where clinic software is going. The whole system was built around Athena, and new capabilities ship every week.

Feature counts are from this page's comparison, checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website.

How many hours a day would she give you back?

With other clinic software, the software keeps the diary and you still do the work: replying, chasing, booking, following up and posting. With myAthenaAI, Athena does that work, so the hours come back to you and the bookings that slip through missed calls and no-shows come back too.

Every clinic is different, so we don't print a made-up number. Answer eleven quick questions and see your hours a day back and bookings won back a month, with every assumption shown.

Get my estimate

Feature by feature

FeaturemyAthenaAICliniko
Who does the work
Who answers, books, chases and markets Athena does itAthena answers, books, chases, follows up and makes the marketing. You approve and treat. You and your teamThe software gives you tools; you or your staff operate them.
AI built in, not sold as an add-on IncludedThe AI is the product: one employee across every job, not an add-on. Not listed on their siteNo built-in client-facing AI; third-party AI receptionist and messaging apps connect to Cliniko separately. source
Hours given back and bookings won back Get your estimateHours a day back and bookings won back, worked out from your own week. You still do the workBooking software saves some admin; the answering, chasing, booking and marketing are still yours.
AI front desk
AI replies on WhatsApp IncludedReplies by herself, 24/7, and books from the chat. Not listed on their siteNo native WhatsApp or AI; third-party connected app Vascue handles AI WhatsApp enquiries into Cliniko. source
AI replies to Instagram DMs IncludedAnswers DMs (and the story they replied to) and books from the chat. Not listed on their siteNo Instagram DM handling or built-in AI found on official pages. source
AI replies on Facebook Messenger IncludedSame brain and booking power on Facebook Messenger. Not listed on their siteNo Facebook Messenger handling or built-in AI found on official pages. source
AI replies to texts (SMS) IncludedReplies to texts and books. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI; third-party connected apps DataFlows SMS and AI Jane offer AI-handled SMS replies. source
AI replies to emails IncludedAnswers client emails and can book. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI replies to client emails found on official pages. source
AI answers the phone IncludedAnswers in a natural voice, knows returning callers, books during the call. Not listed on their siteNo built-in phone answering; several third-party AI receptionist apps integrate with Cliniko. source
Books, moves and cancels inside the conversation IncludedBooks, moves, cancels, adds or swaps treatments in the real diary. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI; third-party connected apps such as Heron and Vascue book into Cliniko. source
Sends deposit and payment links in the conversation IncludedSends deposit, balance or payment links; the amount comes from the system. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI; third-party AI receptionists Lyngo and BookedSolid mention payment handling. source
Understands voice notes IncludedUnderstands WhatsApp and Instagram voice notes. Not listed on their siteNo voice-note handling found; native client messaging is SMS and email. source
Owner assistant
Ask anything about your business IncludedAsk by chat or voice: takings, gaps, no-shows, top clients, stock. 50+ instant answers. Not listed on their siteStandard reports only; third-party ClinicExec offers an AI consultant using Cliniko data. source
Tell her to do it (move, cancel, message, block time) Included"Move Sarah to 3pm", "block Friday", "text her": hundreds of actions, by role. Not listed on their siteNo owner-facing AI assistant found on official pages. source
Growth ideas from your own numbers IncludedOffer and campaign ideas from your margins, quiet days and lapsed clients. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI; third-party ClinicExec gives weekly ranked actions from Cliniko and Xero data. source
Reports and daily brief IncludedReports, spoken day and client briefs, optional daily and weekly digests. IncludedRevenue, appointment, practitioner and growth reports; no AI or daily summary found. source
Running the clinic
Online booking IncludedOn your Smart Site, or straight from the conversation. Included24/7 online bookings, shareable link or embeddable in a website, synced to the diary. source
Diary and staff calendar IncludedYour real diary: rooms, practitioners, treatment times, rota. IncludedAppointment calendar with flexible views, repeat appointments and multi-location support. source
Deposits and no-show protection IncludedDeposits at booking, chased automatically; saved-card charges; trusted-client exemptions. IncludedDeposits or full prepayment at online booking via Stripe; late-cancellation fees can be created. source
Fills cancelled slots automatically IncludedA freed slot is offered to waitlisted clients and booked when one says yes. PartialManual wait list filtered by practitioner or type; staff book from it, no auto-fill found. source
Appointment reminders IncludedWhatsApp, SMS or email reminders, plus confirmations and change notices. IncludedAutomatic SMS and email reminders 1-9 days before; SMS requires purchased credits. source
Rebooks clients who went quiet IncludedSpots who's due back and reaches out in your voice. IncludedAutomated follow-ups can target patients with no later booking, up to two years after a visit. source
Aftercare and check-in messages IncludedAftercare, day-3 and day-7 check-ins, progress-photo requests. IncludedAutomated follow-up email/SMS per appointment type, earliest one day after the appointment. source
Consent and medical forms IncludedSent before the visit, signed in the client's members area. IncludedCustom online intake forms and questionnaires, automatically saved to the patient record. source
AI-written treatment notes IncludedDictate or type; Athena tidies the treatment note. Not listed on their siteCustom note templates but no built-in AI; many third-party AI scribes (e.g. Heidi) push notes in. source
Stock IncludedLevels, orders, suppliers, usage forecast, margin per treatment. IncludedProduct sales with barcodes and current stock level tracking. source
Drafts reorders; reads serial numbers from a photo IncludedDrafts reorders of what's low for your approval; reads serials from a label photo. Not listed on their siteTracks product stock levels; no reorder drafting or purchase orders found. source
Payments IncludedStripe and Square: payment links, deposits, saved cards, refunds. IncludedOnline card, Apple Pay and Google Pay via Stripe; integrated card terminal not found. source
Marketing and content
Email / SMS / WhatsApp campaigns IncludedEmail, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns and sequences. PartialGroup email and bulk SMS sends with marketing opt-outs; newsletters suggested via Mailchimp integration. source
AI builds the campaign (audience and messages) IncludedAthena picks the audience and offer and writes the drafts; you approve. Not listed on their siteNo built-in AI; group emails and bulk SMS are set up manually. source
Revenue from each campaign IncludedBookings and revenue from each campaign. PartialReferral-source reports show how new patients were referred; no booking or revenue per campaign found. source
AI images and flyers in your brand IncludedTreatment images and promo flyers, with your real logo and colours. Not listed on their siteNo AI image generation found on official feature pages. source
Before-and-after assistant IncludedAuto-aligns, checks and brands side-by-sides; won't send without consent. Not listed on their siteImages stored as patient file attachments; no before-and-after comparison tool found. source
Content research (trends, viral videos, search questions) IncludedViral aesthetics videos and competitor ads analysed; the questions people search. Not listed on their siteNo content research tools found on official feature pages. source
Content planner IncludedPlans the week and reminds you on the day; you post. Not listed on their siteNo built-in content planner; third-party Jimmy AI offers social media scheduling and posting. source
Writes posts and captions IncludedPost ideas, captions and shot-by-shot storyboards. Not listed on their siteNo social media content creation found on official feature pages. source
Writes your blog and newsletter IncludedWrites and publishes SEO blog posts and a newsletter. Not listed on their siteNo blog or newsletter writing found; built-in AI not offered. source
Voiceovers in your own voice IncludedVoice Studio: scripts and voiceovers, even WhatsApp voice notes, in your voice. Not listed on their siteNo voice cloning found; built-in AI not offered. source
Review requests IncludedAsks for a Google review after the visit. PartialNo dedicated review tool; follow-up messages can request feedback via a survey link. source
AI-drafted review replies IncludedDrafts on-brand replies for you to post; turns good reviews into images. Not listed on their siteNo built-in review tool; third-party DemandHub lists AI features including reviews. source
Smart Site
Clinic website IncludedThe Smart Site: your clinic's website, built for you. Not listed on their siteBooking page can be embedded in your website; no website builder found. source
A page per treatment, with prices and booking IncludedEvery treatment gets its own page with prices, aftercare and booking. Not listed on their siteOnline bookings page lists appointment types and embeds in your site; no per-treatment pages found. source
Courses and upgrades offered at booking IncludedRecommends a multi-session course at the booking step, with the per-session price. Not listed on their siteNo add-ons, upgrades or packages found in the online booking flow. source
AI on the website (chat or voice) IncludedVisitors chat or talk to Athena; she answers and sends them to book. Not listed on their siteNo built-in website chat; third-party DemandHub offers AI web chat. source
Built to be found by ChatGPT and AI search IncludedStructured pages, llms.txt and IndexNow so ChatGPT and Google can read and quote you. Not listed on their siteNo website builder or SEO features found; online bookings embed in your own site. source
Ads and tracking
Traces bookings to the ad that made them IncludedWhich source and which Meta ad brought each lead, booking and pound. PartialConnects to Google Tag Manager, GA4 and Meta Pixel; attribution is viewed in those tools. Referral-source reports. source
Server-side tracking IncludedFirst-party, server-side tracking through your own site address. Not listed on their siteOnline bookings support Google Tag Manager, GA4 and Meta Pixel in the browser; no server-side tracking found. source
Sends bookings and revenue back to ad platforms IncludedBookings and payments, with value, sent to Meta, Google, TikTok, ChatGPT and Microsoft. Not listed on their siteHelp guide sets up Meta Pixel custom conversions; no Conversions API or offline conversions found. source
Syncs client lists as ad audiences IncludedClient and lead lists kept in sync as ad audiences; opt-outs left out. Not listed on their siteNo ad-platform audience sync found; Mailchimp integration covers email lists. source
AI ad advisor (what to back, pause, make next) IncludedTells you which ads to back or pause and briefs the next one. Not listed on their siteNo ad recommendations or AI ad analysis found on official pages. source
Also compared
Consumer marketplace for new clients Not offeredNot a marketplace: Athena works your own channels and clients. Not listed on their siteNo consumer marketplace or discovery app found. source
Treatment records and photos IncludedClient history, notes, photos and serial numbers on every appointment. IncludedCustom treatment note templates and body charts; images stored as file attachments, no dedicated before/after tool. source
Two-way WhatsApp inbox IncludedOne inbox per client across every channel; staff can take over any time. Not listed on their siteNative messaging is SMS and email only; WhatsApp appears only via third-party connected apps. source
Instagram DMs in the inbox IncludedInstagram DMs in the same inbox. Not listed on their siteNo Instagram booking button or DM handling found on official feature pages. source

✓ Included  ·  £ Paid add-on or higher plan  ·  ◐ Partial  ·  — Not listed on their official site (it may exist; we couldn't find it). Competitors checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website and help centre, with a source on every cell of the one-to-one pages. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@myathenaai.com and we'll correct it.

Fresha, Phorest, Pabau, Cliniko, Timely, Ovatu, Boulevard, Vagaro, Mindbody and Square are trademarks of their respective owners; their names and logos are shown only to identify their products. myAthenaAI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Cliniko itself has no WhatsApp or AI features listed, but its connected-apps directory lists third-party AI receptionist and messaging apps (including WhatsApp) that integrate with it.

myAthenaAI notes: answering clients on every channel and the phone is on the Assistant + Reception plan. Tracking and analytics (server-side tracking, conversion feedback, audience sync, per-ad attribution and the AI ad advisor) are included. Automations are switched on per clinic.

Where myAthenaAI goes further

What myAthenaAI does that we couldn't find on Cliniko's own site:

Where Cliniko may be the better fit

Switching from Cliniko

When you apply, we ask which system you book clients in with today so we know what we'd move your clients and diary over from. Every clinic is installed by hand, and Athena is trained on your treatments, prices, policies and tone before she answers anyone. Before you move, read what to check before switching booking software.

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