Software comparison
Cliniko vs Nookal: two Australian tools, two pricing shapes
Both are Australian built but price differently. Cliniko charges US$45, US$95 and US$195 a month at 1, 5 and 10 practitioners, flat within each tier. Nookal charges AUD$49 (Essentials) or $59 (Professional) per practitioner a month plus GST, so 5 practitioners cost 5 times as much as 1. Figures checked 25 September 2026.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Cliniko
Pick Cliniko if you would rather your bill held flat as you add practitioners within a tier, particularly at 2 to 5 or 9 to 12 practitioners.
Nookal
Pick Nookal if you run several sites and want built-in multi-location staff and schedule management, or you are a solo practitioner where its flat per-head rate is close to Cliniko's own price anyway.
What it costs
Cliniko bills in USD; Nookal bills in AUD with GST calculated separately on top of the listed price. Neither figure has been converted to the other's currency, so compare them as a shape (flat tier vs flat per head) as much as a number; the real AUD cost of Cliniko depends on the exchange rate on your billing date.. Prices captured 25 Sep 2026 from Cliniko and Nookal.
| Plan | 1 practitioner | 5 practitioners | 10 practitioners | How we worked it out | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliniko | Monthly, all features, USD | US$45 | US$95 | US$195 | Tier lookup: 1 practitioner in the US$45 tier, 5 in the 2 to 5 tier at US$95, 10 in the 9 to 12 tier at US$195. |
| Nookal | Essentials, monthly, AUD, ex GST | $49 | $245 | $490 | Flat AUD$49 per practitioner. 1 x $49 = $49; 5 x $49 = $245; 10 x $49 = $490. GST (10%) is calculated separately on Nookal's pricing page. |
| Nookal | Professional, monthly, AUD, ex GST | $59 | $295 | $590 | Flat AUD$59 per practitioner. 1 x $59 = $59; 5 x $59 = $295; 10 x $59 = $590. GST (10%) is calculated separately. |
Feature by feature
| Cliniko | Nookal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Tiered by practitioner headcount, flat within each tier. | Flat rate per practitioner, no volume discount. |
| Cost at 5 practitioners | US$95 a month, same as 2 practitioners. | AUD$245 (Essentials) or $295 (Professional) a month, ex GST. |
| Multi-location management | Unlimited locations included; no dedicated cross-location staff or schedule tools described on its pricing page. | Described on Nookal's features page as designed for multi-location clinics managing staff, schedules and data across sites. |
| Medicare, DVA and NDIS claiming | Through the Tyro Health integration. | Listed integrations with Medicare Australia, DVA, NDIS, HICAPS and Healthcode; Medicare claims free in Professional. |
| SMS | 10 cents a message. | From 7 cents a message. |
| AI features | Not listed as a Cliniko feature on its pricing page. | AI and Voice add-on at $25 per active licence a month. |
Declared bias and what this page is for
FFP Digital builds websites and online booking and tracking setups for physio and allied health clinics, and we work with whichever practice software a clinic already runs. We are not a reseller for Cliniko or Nookal and neither pays us for this page. Both companies are Australian, so this page focuses on where the pricing shape and the multi-location features actually differ, rather than on origin.
A flat tier against a flat per head rate
Cliniko's tiers hold the price steady across a range of practitioners: 2 to 5 practitioners all pay US$95, and 9 to 12 all pay US$195. Nookal instead charges a fixed rate per practitioner with no volume discount: AUD$49 a practitioner a month on Essentials, or AUD$59 on Professional, plus GST calculated separately. That means a 5 practitioner clinic on Nookal Essentials pays AUD$245 a month before GST, and a 10 practitioner clinic pays AUD$490, growing in a straight line rather than in steps. Whether that is better or worse than Cliniko depends on exactly how many practitioners you run and where that lands inside a Cliniko tier.
Multi location management
Nookal's own features page states the platform "is designed to support multi-location clinics, allowing you to effectively manage staff, schedules, and data across all your practice locations", and its Enterprise tier adds multi account management, custom integrations, API access and SLA-backed support on top. Cliniko includes unlimited locations on every tier, but its pricing page does not describe dedicated cross-location staff or schedule management tools the way Nookal's feature pages do, so a clinic running several sites with shared staff rosters should compare the two on that feature specifically, not just on price.
Claiming integrations
Nookal lists integrations with Medicare Australia, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, NDIS, HICAPS and Healthcode directly on its features page, and includes Medicare claims free within the Professional tier (Essentials charges a small per-claim fee). Cliniko covers Medicare, DVA and health fund claiming through its Tyro Health integration instead of listing each scheme separately.
Common complaints and catches
Cliniko
- Priced in US dollars only, so the AUD cost moves with the exchange rate on your billing date
- No dedicated multi-location staff or schedule management tools described on its pricing page
Nookal
- A flat per-practitioner rate means the bill grows in a straight line as you add staff, with no volume discount described
- GST is calculated separately on top of the listed price
Switching between them
Patient records, appointments and billable items typically move by CSV export and import; check Nookal's or Cliniko's help centre for the exact fields each accepts before you start. Reconnect Tyro Health or Nookal's Medicare, DVA and NDIS integrations, and rebuild your online booking embed on your website, before switching off the old account.
FFP Digital is a ServiceM8 developer and builds for Cliniko clinics. We have tried to be fair; prices are the vendors' own published figures on the date shown.
Sources
- Cliniko pricing by practitioner count per month, in US dollars: US$45 (1), US$95 (2 to 5), US$195 (9 to 12); every plan includes every feature. Cliniko, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Nookal Essentials is AUD $49 a month per practitioner and Professional is AUD $59 a month per practitioner, both flat rates with GST calculated separately; Enterprise is by quote. Nookal, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Nookal add-ons include AI and Voice at $25 per active licence a month, a Patient Portal from $10 per active location a month, Secure Messaging from $1.50 per user a month, SMS from $0.07 per outbound message, and Medicare claims from $0.10 per claim, included free in the Professional tier. Nookal, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Nookal states its platform is designed to support multi-location clinics, allowing staff, schedules and data to be managed across all practice locations. Nookal, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Nookal lists integrations with Medicare Australia, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, NDIS, HICAPS and Healthcode for claiming and public health data exchange. Nookal, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Cliniko processes Medicare, DVA and health fund claims through its Tyro Health integration, and includes unlimited locations on every plan. Cliniko, checked 25 Sep 2026.