Pabau is a broad clinic platform with a long feature list, including memberships, loyalty points and an AI receptionist. For an Australian cosmetic clinic, Clinic App is likely the stronger fit for two reasons: it runs the whole clinic in one system with one record per patient, and it is built around the AHPRA and TGA rules Australian clinics advertise under. Clinic App also hosts patient data in Sydney and is set up with your team in person. Choose Pabau if an AI that takes bookings live on the phone matters most.
Every Pabau fact below links to Pabau's own pages, read on 1 November 2026. Where they don't settle a question, we say so.
What does Pabau do well?
Pabau's Australian page says it "brings clinical care, business operations and patient engagement into one place", and the feature list backs that up.
- Booking and payments. Patients book and reschedule through a patient portal, and Pabau lists "Payments, POS, and invoicing" on its pricing page, with its own Pabau Pay terminal described on the Australian page.
- Memberships and loyalty. Pabau's marketing features page describes membership plans that "allow clients to unlock free and/or discounted treatments by paying a monthly fee", and a loyalty program where "You define the actions that earn loyalty points."
- The clinical side. Digital consent forms sent before appointments, structured clinical notes and before and after photos are all listed on the Australian page, with "Photo compare" on the pricing page.
- AI. Pabau's AI Receptionist "answers out-of-hours calls and handles the booking live on the call". Pabau Scribe is listed too.
- A staff app. Pabau GO is "Built for clinicians on the move".
That is a strong, wide platform, and it is fair to say so.
Why does one system built for cosmetic clinics matter?
Because a clinic's day does not split into bookings, money and clinical notes, and its system should not either. Clinic App was built inside working Australian cosmetic clinics, front desk first. It runs the diary and online booking, deposits and cards on file, front desk checkout and payments, memberships with monthly billing, packages, gift vouchers, rewards and points, a prepaid wallet, referrals, review requests, reminders, the waitlist, consent forms and intake, treatment records and photos, rosters, stock, multi-location and reports. One system, one record per patient, one login.
Pabau brings a lot into one platform too. The difference is who each is shaped around: Clinic App is shaped around one kind of business, in one country, under one set of advertising rules.
Which one is built around AHPRA and TGA rules?
Clinic App builds the rules Australian cosmetic clinics advertise under into the system. The Pabau pages we read frame compliance around GDPR and HIPAA, and do not mention AHPRA, the TGA or the Australian Privacy Act. That covers its Australian page, security page and AI agent page. We found nothing on Pabau's pages about checks for these rules, so ask Pabau how it handles them.
The TGA's guidance on complying with the restrictions on advertising prescription medicines to the public says prescription medicines cannot be advertised to the public except in very limited circumstances. AHPRA's guidelines for advertising a regulated health service restrict testimonials and inducements. Clinic App builds in:
- Points, rewards, discounts and offers never apply to Schedule 4 (prescription-only) treatments.
- Prescription medicine names are kept off public, patient-facing promotional surfaces.
- Marketing campaigns and automatic messages are checked for prescription medicine names, including disguised spellings, before they can be sent.
- Review requests never offer points or rewards for a review, skip staff, and are checked for prescription medicine names.
- Consent forms are signed digitally, and the exact wording each patient agreed to is stored with their signature and versioned.
- Treatment records keep their history. Changes are amended or struck out, never deleted.
No software makes a clinic compliant on its own: the clinic and its practitioners stay responsible for their own advertising. Our guide to TGA and AHPRA rules for clinic loyalty, rewards and membership offers covers the detail.
Pabau is a wide platform whose compliance pages speak GDPR and HIPAA. Clinic App is built to run an Australian cosmetic clinic, around the AHPRA and TGA rules it works under.
Where is patient data stored?
Clinic App hosts patient data in Sydney, Australia.
Pabau's security page says: "Our primary production environment is based in London, UK (LON1), with an additional production region in Singapore (SGP1) for APAC customers, and further regions available on request." It also says patient files "are stored on Amazon Web Services in London, UK", and that "For non-UK customers, we are currently evaluating regional storage options." The page does not say which region Australian clinics are placed on, so ask Pabau directly before you sign.
How do the AI tools compare?
They are built for different jobs. Pabau's AI Receptionist takes bookings live on out-of-hours calls, a real strength if missed calls are your bottleneck.
Clinic App's AI front desk answers patient messages on website chat and texts, and on Instagram and Messenger once Meta is connected. It never books or takes money, and it always says it is an AI. It is told never to name prescription medicines or give medical advice, and it hands clinical questions to your team. It runs in Australia, and we switch it on with each clinic.
How do the costs compare?
Neither publishes a price. Pabau's pricing page sets tiers by user count with no figures shown, says "Our pricing depends on where you're located", and offers "Save up to 20%" on annual billing.
Clinic App is priced to your clinic, quoted after the free 45-minute Patient Revenue Audit. It charges flat fees, with no setup fee, no per-seat fee and no lock-in.
How do Clinic App and Pabau compare side by side?
| Pabau | Clinic App | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | "Clinical care, business operations and patient engagement" in one place | Australian cosmetic and skin clinics |
| Online booking | Yes, through a patient portal | Yes |
| Payments and desk checkout | Yes, "Payments, POS, and invoicing" | Yes, through Stripe |
| Memberships | Yes, monthly membership plans | Yes, monthly billing |
| Loyalty points | Yes, the clinic defines what earns points | Yes, part of the one system |
| Consent, notes and photos | Yes | Yes, with the signed consent wording stored and versioned |
| Prescription treatments kept out of points and offers | Not described on Pabau's pages we read | Yes, automatically |
| Campaigns checked for prescription medicine names | Not described on Pabau's pages we read | Yes, before they send |
| AI | AI Receptionist takes bookings on calls; Pabau Scribe | AI front desk for messages; never books or takes money |
| Patient data hosting | London primary, Singapore "for APAC customers"; Australian clinics' region not stated | Sydney, Australia |
| The clinic's own app in the App Store | Not described on Pabau's pages we read (Pabau GO is a staff app) | Yes |
| Price | Not published; depends on location and users | Priced to your clinic, quoted after the free audit |
Pabau facts come from its Australian page, pricing page, security page, marketing features page, Pabau GO page and AI agent page, read on 1 November 2026. "Not described" means those pages do not cover it, not that Pabau cannot do it.
Which should your clinic choose?
Pabau may suit you better if you want an AI that books over the phone, or you want a wide set of modules from one provider.
Choose Clinic App if you are an Australian cosmetic or skin clinic, you offer prescription treatments, and most of your revenue comes from patients who return. Then it pays to have the desk, consent, memberships and rewards on one record, with the rules built in and data in Sydney.
What does switching from Pabau to Clinic App involve?
We do the move with the clinic, and Zoe onboards in person. It starts with a free 45-minute Patient Revenue Audit, then we map how your clinic runs and set the system up to match before switch day.
Our importer is built for Fresha and Timely exports today, so bring your Pabau exports to the audit and we will go through exactly what moves before you commit. More in how easy it is to switch clinic software and why I set up in person.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clinic App or Pabau better for an Australian cosmetic clinic?
Pabau is a broad platform with memberships, loyalty points and an AI receptionist. Clinic App is likely the stronger fit for an Australian cosmetic clinic because it runs the whole clinic in one system with one record per patient, is built around the AHPRA and TGA rules, hosts patient data in Sydney and is set up with your team in person.
Where does Pabau store patient data?
Pabau's security page says its primary production environment is in London, with an additional region in Singapore for APAC customers and further regions on request. It does not say which region Australian clinics are placed on, so ask Pabau directly. Clinic App hosts patient data in Sydney, Australia.
Does Pabau publish its prices?
No figures are shown on Pabau's pricing page. Its tiers are set by user count, and the page says pricing depends on where you are located. Clinic App is priced to your clinic and quoted after a free 45-minute Patient Revenue Audit. It charges flat fees, with no setup fee, no per-seat fee and no lock-in.
Is Clinic App built for AHPRA and TGA advertising rules?
It is built around them, though no software makes a clinic compliant on its own. In Clinic App, points, rewards and offers never apply to prescription-only (Schedule 4) treatments, campaigns and automatic messages are checked for prescription medicine names before they send, and the exact consent wording is stored with each signature. Responsibility for advertising stays with the clinic and its practitioners.
How is Clinic App's AI different from Pabau's AI Receptionist?
Pabau's AI Receptionist answers calls and handles bookings live on the call. Clinic App's AI front desk is for messages. It answers patient messages on website chat and texts, and on Instagram and Messenger once Meta is connected. It never books or takes money, always says it is an AI, is told never to name prescription medicines or give medical advice, and hands clinical questions to your team. It runs in Australia, and we switch it on with each clinic.
Can I move from Pabau to Clinic App?
We do the move with the clinic, and Zoe onboards in person. Our importer is built for Fresha and Timely exports today, so bring your Pabau exports to the free audit and we will go through exactly what moves and how before you commit.
