Compare
Pabau vs myAthenaAI
Pabau: All-in-one practice management and clinical records for medspas, aesthetic and medical clinics. 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
Pabau 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.
- AI front desk: myAthenaAI 9/9 · Pabau 8/9
- Owner assistant: myAthenaAI 4/4 · Pabau 2/4
- Running the clinic: myAthenaAI 12/12 · Pabau 12/12
- Marketing and content: myAthenaAI 12/12 · Pabau 7/12
- Smart Site: myAthenaAI 5/5 · Pabau 3/5
- Ads and tracking: myAthenaAI 5/5 · Pabau 1/5
Why myAthenaAI
- It covers more of a clinic's work: 53 of the 54 features we compared, against Pabau's 37 (counting its paid add-ons and partial versions). Included as standard: myAthenaAI 53, Pabau 17.
- 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 estimateFeature by feature
| Feature |  myAthenaAI |  Pabau |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Paid add-on / higher planClient-facing AI agents need Engage Plus: £99 / $130 per location monthly, plus usage credits; 3 months free. 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. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus adds WhatsApp and 'AI agents on voice and chat'; page doesn't confirm AI replies per channel. source |
| AI replies to Instagram DMs | IncludedAnswers DMs (and the story they replied to) and books from the chat. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus adds Instagram and 'AI agents on voice and chat'; page doesn't confirm AI replies per channel. source |
| AI replies on Facebook Messenger | IncludedSame brain and booking power on Facebook Messenger. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus AI Receptionist watches Facebook Messenger for unanswered enquiries and drafts replies; auto-send once approved per skill. source |
| AI replies to texts (SMS) | IncludedReplies to texts and books. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus AI Receptionist checks unanswered client texts every 30 minutes and drafts replies; skills can auto-approve. source |
| AI replies to emails | IncludedAnswers client emails and can book. | PartialEngage Plus AI agents send recall and rebooking emails; replying to inbound client emails isn't explicitly listed. source |
| AI answers the phone | IncludedAnswers in a natural voice, knows returning callers, books during the call. | Paid add-on / higher planAI Receptionist answers calls out of hours and in busy gaps, and can book, reschedule or cancel; Engage Plus add-on. source |
| Books, moves and cancels inside the conversation | IncludedBooks, moves, cancels, adds or swaps treatments in the real diary. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus AI agents 'triage, answer FAQs and book appointments'; per-channel detail not given; actions start in approval mode. source |
| Sends deposit and payment links in the conversation | IncludedSends deposit, balance or payment links; the amount comes from the system. | PartialEngage Plus AI Finance Specialist sends pay-by-link reminders for unpaid invoices; deposit links in booking chats not described. source |
| Understands voice notes | IncludedUnderstands WhatsApp and Instagram voice notes. | Not listed on their siteEngage Plus transcribes calls and voicemails; client WhatsApp or Instagram voice notes not mentioned. 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 site80+ reports and a custom report builder; no plain-language AI questions about the business found. 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 siteAI agents run preset skills with staff approval; no interface for the owner to instruct an AI found. source |
| Growth ideas from your own numbers | IncludedOffer and campaign ideas from your margins, quiet days and lapsed clients. | Paid add-on / higher planEngage Plus AI Marketeer finds lapsed clients to win back, local keyword opportunities and website changes. source |
| Reports and daily brief | IncludedReports, spoken day and client briefs, optional daily and weekly digests. | Included80+ built-in reports and custom reports; extra dashboards and BI connectors via Insights Plus. source |
| Running the clinic | ||
| Online booking | IncludedOn your Smart Site, or straight from the conversation. | IncludedBranded online booking page with forms, payment and waitlist; included on every plan. source |
| Diary and staff calendar | IncludedYour real diary: rooms, practitioners, treatment times, rota. | IncludedDrag-and-drop calendar covering staff, rooms and equipment, with multi-location views. source |
| Deposits and no-show protection | IncludedDeposits at booking, chased automatically; saved-card charges; trusted-client exemptions. | IncludedDeposits or full prepayment at booking via Stripe; staff prompted to apply cancellation/no-show fees. source |
| Fills cancelled slots automatically | IncludedA freed slot is offered to waitlisted clients and booked when one says yes. | IncludedCancellations auto-matched to waitlisted clients; staff send the notification with a booking link. source |
| Appointment reminders | IncludedWhatsApp, SMS or email reminders, plus confirmations and change notices. | IncludedAutomated SMS and email reminders before appointments; SMS uses paid Pabau credits. source |
| Rebooks clients who went quiet | IncludedSpots who's due back and reaches out in your voice. | IncludedRecall workflows on all plans (50 free actions monthly, then credits); AI win-back needs Engage Plus. source |
| Aftercare and check-in messages | IncludedAftercare, day-3 and day-7 check-ins, progress-photo requests. | IncludedPer-service pre- and post-care messages sent automatically; video aftercare is listed under Care Plus. source |
| Consent and medical forms | IncludedSent before the visit, signed in the client's members area. | IncludedIntake and consent forms collected at booking; advanced form-builder options need Care Plus. source |
| AI-written treatment notes | IncludedDictate or type; Athena tidies the treatment note. | IncludedPabau Scribe AI treatment notes on all plans, charged in credits per use; unlimited with the Care Plus add-on. source |
| Stock | IncludedLevels, orders, suppliers, usage forecast, margin per treatment. | IncludedStock levels, injectable unit deduction from notes, stocktakes and purchase orders on all plans. source |
| Drafts reorders; reads serial numbers from a photo | IncludedDrafts reorders of what's low for your approval; reads serials from a label photo. | Included'Suggest for me' pre-fills purchase orders from low and empty stock, one per supplier. source |
| Payments | IncludedStripe and Square: payment links, deposits, saved cards, refunds. | IncludedPabau Pay card terminals, Tap to Pay, online payments and payment links. source |
| Marketing and content | ||
| Email / SMS / WhatsApp campaigns | IncludedEmail, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns and sequences. | PartialStandard plan: one email campaign a month; unlimited email/SMS campaigns need Marketing Plus. source |
| AI builds the campaign (audience and messages) | IncludedAthena picks the audience and offer and writes the drafts; you approve. | PartialEngage Plus AI Marketeer sends personal win-back messages to chosen patient profiles; Marketing Plus campaigns are built manually. source |
| Revenue from each campaign | IncludedBookings and revenue from each campaign. | PartialBooking analytics show revenue by channel and tag bookings by share link; no per-email-campaign revenue report 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 marketing image generation found; AI Studio makes consultation 'after' previews (credits or Care Plus, rolling out). source |
| Before-and-after assistant | IncludedAuto-aligns, checks and brands side-by-sides; won't send without consent. | PartialPhotos on all plans; Care Plus adds before-and-after sliders and side-by-side compare. No auto-alignment or branded exports found. source |
| Content research (trends, viral videos, search questions) | IncludedViral aesthetics videos and competitor ads analysed; the questions people search. | PartialEngage Plus AI Marketeer finds local search keywords and which competitors AI assistants recommend; no trend or ad research. source |
| Content planner | IncludedPlans the week and reminds you on the day; you post. | Not listed on their siteNo social content planner or post scheduler found; scheduling covers email and SMS campaigns. source |
| Writes posts and captions | IncludedPost ideas, captions and shot-by-shot storyboards. | Not listed on their siteNo social post or caption creation found; AI Marketeer covers SEO, reviews and win-backs. source |
| Writes your blog and newsletter | IncludedWrites and publishes SEO blog posts and a newsletter. | Not listed on their sitePremium newsletter templates in Marketing Plus; no AI blog or newsletter writing found. source |
| Voiceovers in your own voice | IncludedVoice Studio: scripts and voiceovers, even WhatsApp voice notes, in your voice. | Not listed on their siteAI agents get a chosen name and tone of voice; no cloned owner voice found. source |
| Review requests | IncludedAsks for a Google review after the visit. | IncludedAutomatic feedback survey after appointments; pricing table puts Google review redirect under Marketing Plus. source |
| AI-drafted review replies | IncludedDrafts on-brand replies for you to post; turns good reviews into images. | Included'Draft with AI' writes a first review reply for staff to edit, then posts it to the review platform. source |
| Smart Site | ||
| Clinic website | IncludedThe Smart Site: your clinic's website, built for you. | Not listed on their siteBranded booking page with reviews, gallery and team found; no general 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 siteBranded booking page with services, reviews, gallery and team; no website or 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. | IncludedBooking page sells packages, memberships, gift cards and products alongside services; add-on upgrades not described. source |
| AI on the website (chat or voice) | IncludedVisitors chat or talk to Athena; she answers and sends them to book. | Paid add-on / higher planWeb chat widget on all plans is answered by staff; Engage Plus adds 'AI agents on voice and 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. | PartialNo website builder; Engage Plus AI Marketeer audits your own site for search and AI answers, proposes WordPress edits. source |
| Ads and tracking | ||
| Traces bookings to the ad that made them | IncludedWhich source and which Meta ad brought each lead, booking and pound. | PartialBooking dashboard shows source channel; GA, Tag Manager and Meta Pixel can track confirmed bookings. source |
| Server-side tracking | IncludedFirst-party, server-side tracking through your own site address. | Not listed on their siteGoogle Analytics, Tag Manager and Meta Pixel connect to booking; 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 siteMeta Pixel and Google tags track confirmed bookings; no Conversions API or offline conversion upload 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 client-list sync to ad platforms found; integrations list Meta Pixel and Google Analytics. 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 siteAI Marketeer covers SEO and AI-answer visibility; no ad recommendations or ad performance analysis found. 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 discovery marketplace found; 'App Marketplace' refers to integrations. source |
| Treatment records and photos | IncludedClient history, notes, photos and serial numbers on every appointment. | IncludedClinical records and before/after photos on client card; photo compare listed under Care Plus. source |
| Two-way WhatsApp inbox | IncludedOne inbox per client across every channel; staff can take over any time. | Paid add-on / higher planTwo-way WhatsApp Business in the shared inbox requires the Engage Plus add-on (per location). source |
| Instagram DMs in the inbox | IncludedInstagram DMs in the same inbox. | Paid add-on / higher planInstagram and Facebook messages land in the inbox only with the Engage Plus add-on. 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.
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 Pabau's own site:
- AI front desk: Understands voice notes.
- Owner assistant: Ask anything about your business; Tell her to do it (move, cancel, message, block time).
- Marketing and content: AI images and flyers in your brand; Content planner; Writes posts and captions; Writes your blog and newsletter; Voiceovers in your own voice.
- Smart Site: Clinic website; A page per treatment, with prices and booking.
- Ads and tracking: Server-side tracking; Sends bookings and revenue back to ad platforms; Syncs client lists as ad audiences; AI ad advisor (what to back, pause, make next).
Where Pabau may be the better fit
- Pricing: Per-user tiers: Solo (1 user), Team (2-3), Medium (4-5), Group (6-15), Enterprise (16+). No prices shown on the page body in UK or US view; demo required. Page meta description says 'from $104/month' for one user. Monthly or annual (up to 20% off). Add-ons: Marketing Plus, Care Plus, Insights Plus (prices not shown); Engage Plus GBP 99 / USD 130 per location per month plus usage credits, 3 months free (per https://pabau.com/features/omnichannel-patient-engagement-software/). source myAthenaAI shares pricing when your intake opens, and waitlist clinics get 3 months free.
- Track record: Pabau is an established product; myAthenaAI is in early access, installing a limited number of clinics by hand.
- What myAthenaAI doesn't do (yet): she doesn't make outbound calls or transfer calls; she replies in English; she plans and writes your social posts, but you post them; review replies are drafted for you to post.
Switching from Pabau
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.