Comparing systems
Looking for a Consentz alternative?
We do not publish claims about other products, because feature sets and prices change and stale comparisons help nobody. Instead, this page sets out what PillarClinic does around consent and the wider clinical record, and gives you questions to put to every system on your shortlist.
Who this page is for
- Clinics whose consent tool is separate from their diary and records
- Practitioners who want consent, notes, photos and prescriptions in one client file
- Clinics adding prescribing or compliance responsibilities to an existing setup
- Owners consolidating three or four subscriptions into one
- Anyone comparing systems properly rather than shopping for reassurance
Why clinics look at alternatives
Consent-first tools solve a real problem well. Clinics usually start looking around when the rest of the clinical picture grows around that one strong point.
Consent is only one artefact
Once photos, session notes, batches and prescriptions matter too, keeping consent in its own tool means the record is assembled by hand.
Two systems, two diaries
If the booking system and the clinical system do not share appointments, someone re-enters everything — and that is where mistakes appear.
Compliance arrives later
Policies, staff acknowledgement and training records tend to become urgent suddenly, and rarely live in the same place as consent.
What PillarClinic covers
Consent is a strong part of the product, but it sits inside a full clinical system rather than beside one.
Consent built into the booking
Templates per treatment, invited automatically when the appointment is created, signed on the client's phone, then locked and attached to the episode.
Intake and medical history
Pre-appointment questionnaires captured with the same flow, so history and consent arrive together rather than separately.
One clinical record
Episodes hold consent, session notes, photos, mapping, product batches and prescriptions for the same course of treatment.
Prescribing
A distinct prescriber role, POM services, private prescriptions and immutability once issued.
Compliance library
Versioned policies, staff acknowledgements, training register and an inspection pack export.
The commercial side
Diary, deposits, till, invoices, payment links, plus recalls, waitlist and memberships — so a second system is not needed for the front desk.
A fair comparison framework
Take these to any demo, including ours. The point is to fill in the third column from what you actually see, not from a website.
| Question to ask | PillarClinic | System you are comparing |
|---|---|---|
| Does the consent tool own the diary too, or sync with one? | Same system — appointments, consent and records share one record. | Ask the vendor |
| Are signed forms immutable? | Yes — signed consent cannot be edited; a correction creates a new record. | Ask the vendor |
| Do photos and notes live with the consent? | Yes — all attached to the treatment episode on the client record. | Ask the vendor |
| Is prescribing supported with a separate role? | Yes — enforced in the database, not just the interface. | Ask the vendor |
| Are clinic policies versioned and acknowledged? | Yes — with review dates, alerts and an inspection pack export. | Ask the vendor |
| What is charged per signature or per form? | Nothing — consent and intake forms are unlimited on paid plans. | Ask the vendor |
| Can you export everything if you leave? | Yes — records and per-client subject access exports are available. | Ask the vendor |
PillarClinic is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Consentz. Product names are the trademarks of their respective owners. We publish no claims about another vendor's features, pricing or limitations — confirm those with them directly.
UK aesthetics, not general healthcare
Defaults, templates and terminology assume a UK aesthetic clinic treating private clients.
- Consent wording you own and edit, per treatment type
- Cooling-off and cancellation policy published at the point of booking
- Prescription-only medicine handling as part of the normal workflow
- Data retention periods and DSAR export configured per clinic
- Clinic-branded email and SMS rather than platform-branded messages
One flow, from booking to follow-up
- 1
Booking creates the paperwork
The right consent and intake forms are invited the moment the appointment exists.
- 2
The room has context
Signed forms, prior photos and previous sessions are on the same screen as today's treatment.
- 3
The record stays whole
Notes, batches, prescription and aftercare join the same episode, retained under your policy.
Pricing philosophy
One monthly price per clinic, with nothing metered per form or per signature, so good documentation practice is never the expensive option.
£49 per month, pro plan
- Unlimited consent and intake forms
- Every module included on paid plans
- Monthly AI credits included, carried over when unused
- Group plan for clinics with more than one site
Questions clinics ask
- Is PillarClinic affiliated with Consentz?
- No. PillarClinic is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Consentz.
- Why is there no feature-by-feature table against Consentz?
- Any table we published would be a snapshot that goes out of date and would inevitably favour us. Ask them directly for their current capabilities and compare using the framework above.
- Can I keep my existing consent wording?
- Yes. Templates are fully editable, so you can paste in the wording you and your insurer already agreed.
- How do I migrate historic records?
- Clients and appointments import from CSV through the Migration Centre with mapping and validation. Historic signed PDFs can be uploaded to the relevant client's documents.
Who PillarClinic suits — and who may prefer another system
A comparison is only useful if it is honest about fit. This is written from what PillarClinic does today, not from any claim about Consentz. If the right-hand column describes your clinic, keep looking.
PillarClinic tends to suit
- UK aesthetic clinics from a single room up to a small group of sites
- Prescribers and practitioners who want consent, notes, prescribing and aftercare on one record
- Clinics that need governance evidence — policies, training, risks, inspection packs — rather than a separate folder of documents
- Owners who want bookings, recalls and revenue reporting driven by real clinical activity
- Teams willing to move over with CSV exports of clients and appointments
You may prefer another system if
- You run a large multi-site group needing bespoke enterprise integrations or a dedicated account team
- Your business is mainly non-medical beauty, hair or spa retail rather than aesthetic treatment
- You depend on an existing integration or hardware we do not support — ask us before you assume either way
- You need a full accounting package rather than invoicing that syncs to Xero
- You want an on-premise install; PillarClinic is hosted only
Cost and plans are set out on the pricing and registration page, and how your data is held is documented in the trust centre.
See consent inside a full record
Create an account, build one consent template and run a booking through to aftercare.