Comparing systems
Looking for a Pabau alternative?
This page does not tell you what Pabau does or does not do — only they can do that accurately, and it changes. What it does is set out exactly what PillarClinic covers for a UK aesthetic clinic, and give you a framework for comparing any two systems on the things that matter in practice.
Who this page is for
- UK aesthetic clinics reviewing their clinic system at renewal
- Practices that want the clinical record, not just the diary, to be the centre of the software
- Clinics where prescribing and compliance currently live outside the main system
- Smaller clinics who want one predictable monthly price rather than a stack of modules
- Anyone building an honest shortlist rather than looking for a comparison table to agree with them
Why clinics look at alternatives
Clinics rarely change systems because of a single missing feature. It is usually one of a few structural reasons, and they are worth naming honestly before you shortlist anything.
The work has changed
A clinic that started with facials and now runs injectables needs prescribing, batch traceability and clinical consent that the original setup was never chosen for.
Too many places to look
When forms, policies, photos and stock sit in different tools, the cost is not licence fees — it is the time spent assembling a client's history.
Pricing that grows sideways
Per-module or per-feature pricing makes it tempting to leave safety-related features switched off. A single inclusive price removes that decision.
What PillarClinic covers
Stated plainly, so you can check each line against whatever you are using today.
Diary, online booking and deposits
Practitioner availability, rooms and equipment, a branded booking page with deposits, a published cancellation policy, and manual booking for reception.
Clinical records
Treatment episodes, session notes, clinical photos with comparison, skin and treatment mapping, and a full client history in one place.
Consent and intake
Treatment-specific templates sent automatically at booking, signed digitally, locked once signed and attached to the episode.
Prescribing and stock
A separate prescriber role, prescription-only medicine services, private prescriptions, product batches and automatic stock deduction.
Compliance and audit
Versioned policy library, staff acknowledgement, training register, compliance alerts and a branded inspection pack export.
Money and growth
Till with card reader support, invoices, receipts, payment links through your own Stripe account, plus recalls, waitlist, memberships and vouchers.
A fair comparison framework
Rather than publish claims about another vendor that could go out of date, here are the questions we would want a clinic to ask us — and to ask anyone else on their shortlist. Fill in the third column from a demo or a trial, not from a marketing page.
| Question to ask | PillarClinic | System you are comparing |
|---|---|---|
| Is consent treatment-specific and sent automatically at booking? | Yes — templates per service, invited when the appointment is created. | Ask the vendor |
| Is prescribing a separately enforced role? | Yes — a prescriber role checked at the database level. | Ask the vendor |
| Can a product batch be traced to a treated client? | Yes — batch usage recorded per session with stock deduction. | Ask the vendor |
| Are clinic policies versioned and acknowledged by staff? | Yes — version snapshots plus immutable per-person acknowledgements. | Ask the vendor |
| Is every module included in one price? | Yes — one plan covers clinical, compliance, AI, payments and growth features. | Ask the vendor |
| Can you export your data if you leave? | Yes — records are exportable, including per-client subject access exports. | Ask the vendor |
| How is client data separated between clinics? | Records are isolated per clinic and enforced by database access rules. | Ask the vendor |
PillarClinic is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pabau. Product names are the trademarks of their respective owners. We deliberately publish no claims about another vendor's features, pricing or limitations — please confirm those directly with them before making a decision.
Built for UK aesthetics specifically
PillarClinic is not a general practice-management product with an aesthetics skin. The defaults assume a UK aesthetic clinic.
- Prescription-only medicine workflow as a first-class concept
- Policy and SOP templates written for aesthetic practice
- Deposits, cancellation and no-show policy handling at the point of booking
- Pounds, UK date formats and clinic-branded email and SMS
- Retention periods and subject access export built in
How a treatment runs end to end
- 1
Booked with paperwork attached
Deposit taken under a stated policy, consent and intake forms sent immediately for that treatment.
- 2
Treated with the record open
Signed forms, history and photos on screen; products and batches recorded as you go.
- 3
Documented and followed up
Aftercare sent, invoice raised, and the episode retained with notes, images, consent and any prescription together.
Pricing philosophy
One inclusive monthly price per clinic. We do not want a clinic deciding whether consent or compliance is worth an upgrade.
£49 per month, pro plan
- Every module included on paid plans
- AI credits included monthly and carried over
- Group plan for multi-site clinics
- No commission on your bookings or payments
Questions clinics ask
- Is PillarClinic affiliated with Pabau?
- No. PillarClinic is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pabau.
- Why does this page not list Pabau's features?
- Because we cannot keep another company's feature set and pricing accurate over time, and publishing stale claims about a competitor would be unfair to them and unhelpful to you. Check their current details with them directly.
- Can I move my existing data across?
- The Migration Centre imports clients and appointments from CSV exports with column mapping, validation and a per-row result log, so you can review before committing.
- Can I trial it alongside my current system?
- Yes. Many clinics run one practitioner or one treatment type in parallel for a few weeks before deciding.
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 Pabau. 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.
Compare it against your own workflow
Set up an account, load one service and one client, and run the comparison framework above with a real treatment.