Cliniko vs Kounta

Cliniko or Kounta? An Expert Industry Tools Comparison

Every business has different workflows, team sizes, and budgets. This comparison of Cliniko vs Kounta helps you find the platform that matches your actual needs - not just the one with the biggest marketing budget.

Features compared

50+

Clients advised

98%

Client retention

12+

Years experience

Book Free Assessment View All Comparisons

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature analysis for Cliniko and Kounta.

Industry fit

Cliniko

Cliniko provides industry fit functionality, popular with Healthcare & Allied Health businesses

Kounta

Kounta provides industry fit functionality, popular with Hospitality & Tourism businesses

industry fit capabilities vary by plan tier on both platforms. Confirm the specific features you need are available at your target price point before committing.

Job management

Cliniko

Limitation: Inventory management for product sales (supplements, braces, etc.) is basic and requires workarounds or third-party tools

Kounta

Purpose-built for hospitality with table management, order management, kitchen display, and split billing designed for restaurant workflows

Kounta highlights job management as a core strength. Cliniko offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Quoting and invoicing

Cliniko

Cliniko provides quoting and invoicing functionality, popular with Healthcare & Allied Health businesses

Kounta

Kounta provides quoting and invoicing functionality, popular with Hospitality & Tourism businesses

Edge cases in quoting and invoicing (bulk edits, exports, undo, permissions) are where Cliniko and Kounta diverge; map your five toughest scenarios and reproduce them in each trial.

Scheduling and dispatch

Cliniko

Cliniko provides scheduling and dispatch functionality, popular with Healthcare & Allied Health businesses

Kounta

Kounta provides scheduling and dispatch functionality, popular with Hospitality & Tourism businesses

If scheduling and dispatch is a daily-use area for your team, the onboarding curve and keyboard ergonomics matter more than feature counts - trial both with a real operator, not an evaluator.

Mobile field access

Cliniko

Letter and report templates with merge fields generate professional referral letters and clinical reports in seconds

Kounta

Staff management with role-based access, shift tracking, and basic labour cost reporting provides operational visibility

Both platforms are strong here. Cliniko emphasises this as a core strength, and Kounta also invests heavily in mobile field access. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Compliance features

Cliniko

Limitation: Marketing and patient recall features are limited, often requiring integration with Mailchimp or similar for targeted campaigns

Kounta

Limitation: Reporting features are adequate for single venues but lack the depth needed for multi-venue analytics and benchmarking

Both platforms cover the compliance features basics. The edges - automations, reporting depth, mobile parity - are where their opinions show.

Reporting

Cliniko

Letter and report templates with merge fields generate professional referral letters and clinical reports in seconds

Kounta

Multi-site capability with centralised reporting suits hospitality groups managing multiple venues from a single dashboard

Kounta highlights reporting as a core strength. Cliniko offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Client management

Cliniko

Limitation: Inventory management for product sales (supplements, braces, etc.) is basic and requires workarounds or third-party tools

Kounta

Purpose-built for hospitality with table management, order management, kitchen display, and split billing designed for restaurant workflows

Kounta highlights client management as a core strength. Cliniko offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Inventory and materials

Cliniko

Limitation: Inventory management for product sales (supplements, braces, etc.) is basic and requires workarounds or third-party tools

Kounta

Kounta provides inventory and materials functionality, popular with Hospitality & Tourism businesses

inventory and materials capabilities vary by plan tier on both platforms. Confirm the specific features you need are available at your target price point before committing.

Integrations with accounting

Cliniko

Purpose-built for allied health with patient records, treatment notes, telehealth, and Medicare/DVA claiming built into the workflow

Kounta

Purpose-built for hospitality with table management, order management, kitchen display, and split billing designed for restaurant workflows

Both platforms are strong here. Cliniko emphasises this as a core strength, and Kounta also invests heavily in integrations with accounting. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Ease of setup

Cliniko

Cliniko provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

Kounta

Kounta provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

Edge cases in ease of setup (bulk edits, exports, undo, permissions) are where Cliniko and Kounta diverge; map your five toughest scenarios and reproduce them in each trial.

Value for money

Cliniko

Solo from approximately $55/month (1 practitioner), Team from approximately $109/month (2-5 practitioners), Growing from approximately $179/month (6-10 practitioners), Large from approximately $279/month (AUD). Annual billing discounts.

Kounta

Custom pricing based on venue size and requirements. Transitioning to Lightspeed Restaurant pricing from approximately $109/month (AUD). Contact Lightspeed for current Kounta migration pricing.

Pricing models differ significantly. Compare the total cost of ownership including add-ons and per-user fees, not just the headline price.

Pricing Comparison

General pricing information for each platform.

Cliniko

Prices shown are approximate and may differ based on your plan, team size, and billing cycle. Verify directly with the vendor for current AUD rates.

Kounta

Custom pricing based on venue size and requirements. Transitioning to Lightspeed Restaurant pricing from approximately $109/month (AUD). Contact Lightspeed for current Kounta migration pricing.

Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.

Pros & Cons

An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.

Cliniko

Pros

Purpose-built for allied health with patient records, treatment notes, telehealth, and Medicare/DVA claiming built into the workflow
Online booking with practitioner availability, service selection, and intake forms reduces receptionist workload and fills empty appointment slots
Telehealth video consultations are included at no extra cost, allowing practitioners to offer remote consultations without a separate Zoom subscription
Letter and report templates with merge fields generate professional referral letters and clinical reports in seconds
Australian data hosting with encryption at rest and in transit meets Australian privacy and health records requirements

Cons

Per-practitioner pricing can be expensive for multi-disciplinary practices with many part-time practitioners
Inventory management for product sales (supplements, braces, etc.) is basic and requires workarounds or third-party tools
Marketing and patient recall features are limited, often requiring integration with Mailchimp or similar for targeted campaigns
Customisation of clinical templates requires understanding of Cliniko template syntax, which has a learning curve

Kounta

Pros

Purpose-built for hospitality with table management, order management, kitchen display, and split billing designed for restaurant workflows
Integrates with major Australian payment terminals (Tyro, Square) and accounting software (Xero, MYOB) for local business compatibility
Menu management with modifiers, variants, and time-based pricing handles the complexity of restaurant, bar, and cafe operations
Multi-site capability with centralised reporting suits hospitality groups managing multiple venues from a single dashboard
Staff management with role-based access, shift tracking, and basic labour cost reporting provides operational visibility

Cons

Now part of Lightspeed, with the platform gradually being merged into Lightspeed Restaurant, creating transition uncertainty
Integration ecosystem is smaller than Square or Lightspeed, with fewer third-party apps available for hospitality-specific needs
Offline functionality has been reported as inconsistent, which is problematic during peak service in venues with unreliable connectivity
Reporting features are adequate for single venues but lack the depth needed for multi-venue analytics and benchmarking

Best For

Which tool suits which use case.

Choose Cliniko if you need

✓ Healthcare & Allied Health businesses
✓ Field service operations
✓ Moderate data needs (patients, appointments)
✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Specialised compliance

Choose Kounta if you need

✓ Hospitality & Tourism businesses
✓ Industry-specific workflows
✓ Specialised compliance
✓ Complex data models (orders, products, customers and more)
✓ Businesses connecting multiple tools

Expert Verdict

Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.

Clever Ops Recommendation

Choose Cliniko if Australian allied health practices (physio, chiro, osteo, psychology, speech pathology) that need integrated patient management, online booking, and telehealth with Australian compliance built in. Choose Kounta if Australian hospitality venues (cafes, restaurants, bars) that need a cloud POS with table management and integration with local payment terminals and accounting software. Avoid Cliniko if medical practices needing GP-specific features (prescribing, pathology ordering) where Best Practice or Medical Director are more appropriate, or fitness businesses where Mindbody is better suited. Avoid Kounta if hospitality businesses wanting long-term platform stability given the Lightspeed transition, or venues that need extensive third-party integrations beyond basic accounting and payments. If you are still weighing the trade-offs, Clever Ops offers a free assessment where our Harvard-educated consultants map your requirements to the right platform.

Migration Notes

What to know about switching between Cliniko and Kounta.

Migrating Between Cliniko and Kounta

Since Cliniko and Kounta are both industry tools tools, they share similar data structures - making migration more predictable. Clever Ops maps products along with custom fields, automations, and workflows. We have completed similar industry tools migrations many times and typically finish within 4-8 weeks.

Cliniko vs Kounta FAQ

For Healthcare & Allied Health, the answer depends on your operational model. Cliniko is best for Australian allied health practices (physio, chiro, osteo, psychology, speech pathology) that need integrated patient management, online booking, and telehealth with Australian compliance built in. Kounta is best for Australian hospitality venues (cafes, restaurants, bars) that need a cloud POS with table management and integration with local payment terminals and accounting software. Clever Ops has helped businesses across Healthcare & Allied Health choose the right stack. Book a free assessment for advice specific to your situation.

If both tools are in the same category, you typically choose one as your primary system. However, some businesses run both during migration periods or for different teams. Cliniko and Kounta share 1 common data types, making integration feasible. Clever Ops can sync them so your data stays consistent across both platforms.

Cliniko: Solo from approximately $55/month (1 practitioner), Team from approximately $109/month (2-5 practitioners), Growing from approximately $179/month (6-10 practitioners), Large from approximately $279/month (AUD). Annual billing discounts.. Kounta: Custom pricing based on venue size and requirements. Transitioning to Lightspeed Restaurant pricing from approximately $109/month (AUD). Contact Lightspeed for current Kounta migration pricing.. When comparing costs, factor in per-user charges, add-on modules, and implementation costs, not just the headline price. Clever Ops can model the total cost of ownership for your team size during a free assessment.

We audit your current workflows, team size, budget, and growth plans, then recommend the platform that fits. Our advice is vendor-neutral: we do not earn commissions from Cliniko, Kounta, or any vendor. Our Harvard-educated consultants have helped 50+ businesses make informed technology decisions over 12+. Book a free assessment to get started.

Cliniko limitations: Per-practitioner pricing can be expensive for multi-disciplinary practices with many part-time practitioners. Inventory management for product sales (supplements, braces, etc.) is basic and requires workarounds or third-party tools. Kounta limitations: Now part of Lightspeed, with the platform gradually being merged into Lightspeed Restaurant, creating transition uncertainty. Integration ecosystem is smaller than Square or Lightspeed, with fewer third-party apps available for hospitality-specific needs. Understanding these trade-offs in the context of your specific workflows is critical. Clever Ops can help you weigh which limitations matter most for your business during a free assessment.

Switching costs include data migration, team retraining, workflow rebuilding, and potential downtime. Cliniko pricing: Solo from approximately $55/month (1 practitioner), Team from approximately $109/month (2-5 practitioners), Growing from approximately $179/month (6-10 practitioners), Large from approximately $279/month (AUD). Kounta pricing: Custom pricing based on venue size and requirements. Beyond licensing costs, budget for implementation (Clever Ops typically completes migrations in 4-8 weeks) and training. We run parallel systems during transitions and provide 3 months of post-migration support to minimise disruption.

Kounta is generally simpler to set up. Cliniko typically requires more configuration and may benefit from expert implementation support. Clever Ops provides implementation services for both platforms, typically completing setup within 2 weeks.

Kounta is more commonly used in Hospitality & Tourism. Cliniko is stronger in Healthcare & Allied Health. That said, popularity alone should not drive your decision. The right tool depends on your specific processes and integration needs. Clever Ops can advise based on what we have seen work for similar businesses.