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Healthcare · head to head

Cliniko vs Meru Health

Cliniko logo

Cliniko

Healthcare

Clinic management software for health practitioners

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Meru Health logo

Meru Health

Healthcare

Twelve week therapist led mental health programme combining an app, a clinician and HRV biofeedback

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cliniko has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cliniko priced in practitioner bands rather than per seat, so a clinic adding a sixth practitioner jumps from $95 to $145 a month; Meru Health the programme is twelve weeks and then it ends, which fits an episode of treatment but not a chronic condition needing maintenance, so relapse after week twelve lands on whatever pathway the buyer has funded next, if any.
  • They diverge on capability: Cliniko covers Appointment Scheduling, Meru Health covers Twelve week structured programme.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cliniko and Meru Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Cliniko and Meru Health differ
AttributeClinikoMeru Health
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cliniko

  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Online Booking
  • Client Management
  • Invoicing
  • Patient Portal
  • Telehealth
  • Payment processors
  • Online forms

Only in Meru Health

  • Twelve week structured programme
  • Licensed therapist
  • Psychiatric consultation
  • HRV biofeedback device
  • Daily in app practice
  • Meru Health Advanced
  • Payer contracting
  • Outcome measurement

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cliniko

  • Practice management for allied health clinicsnot Meru Health
  • Appointment scheduling and online bookingsnot Meru Health
  • Clinical notes and patient recordsnot Meru Health
  • Telehealth consultationsnot Meru Health
  • Invoicing and payment tracking for a multi-practitioner clinicnot Meru Health

Meru Health

  • A health plan that wants a mental health intervention it can underwrite as a bounded episode rather than an open ended benefitnot Cliniko
  • An employer whose staff need treatment rather than wellbeing content, with a therapist and a prescriber in one pathwaynot Cliniko
  • A member who needs medication review alongside therapy, which most app based mental health products cannot providenot Cliniko
  • A health system seeking to offload moderate depression and anxiety from a psychiatry service with long waitsnot Cliniko

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cliniko

  • Priced in practitioner bands rather than per seat, so a clinic adding a sixth practitioner jumps from $95 to $145 a month
  • The top published band stops at 200 practitioners
  • SMS is charged separately at 10 cents a message
  • Telehealth requires entering card details before it unlocks, even during the trial
  • There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial

Meru Health

  • The programme is twelve weeks and then it ends, which fits an episode of treatment but not a chronic condition needing maintenance, so relapse after week twelve lands on whatever pathway the buyer has funded next, if any.
  • Whether the employer, the health plan or the member pays depends on the contract route, and members frequently do not know which applies to them until they receive a bill or discover they do not.
  • A structured programme demands daily engagement, and members who cannot sustain that get much less than the outcome data implies, because the published results reflect members who completed.
  • The heart rate variability device is a differentiator but also a logistics and support burden, adding shipping, returns and device support to what would otherwise be a software deployment.
  • Meru is small relative to Lyra, Spring Health and the large payer owned behavioural health offerings, so an employer choosing it takes on more vendor concentration risk in a category that has seen frequent consolidation.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cliniko

Free
  • 1 Practitioner$45/month
  • 2-5 Practitioners$95/month
  • 6-8 Practitioners$145/month
  • 9-12 Practitioners$195/month

Meru Health

On request
  • Meru Health$undefined/year
    • Contracted per completed programme or per member per month depending on buyer type
    • Health plan contracts bill differently from employer contracts
    • Member cost sharing depends on whether access comes via insurance or an employer benefit

Which should you pick?

Choose Cliniko if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want online booking.
Cliniko review

Choose Meru Health if

  • You need twelve week structured programme.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want licensed therapist.
Meru Health review

Questions people ask

Is Cliniko or Meru Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Cliniko starts at Free and Meru Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cliniko or Meru Health?
Cliniko has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cliniko and On request for Meru Health.
Does Cliniko or Meru Health run on more platforms?
Cliniko runs on Web, Mobile. Meru Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Cliniko for free?
Yes. Cliniko has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Meru Health starts at On request.
What is Cliniko best used for?
Cliniko is most often used for practice management for allied health clinics, appointment scheduling and online bookings, clinical notes and patient records, telehealth consultations. Of those, practice management for allied health clinics and appointment scheduling and online bookings are not what Meru Health is typically brought in for.
What can Cliniko do that Meru Health cannot?
Cliniko covers Appointment Scheduling, Online Booking, Client Management, Invoicing. Meru Health covers Twelve week structured programme, Licensed therapist, Psychiatric consultation, HRV biofeedback device.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cliniko: How much does Cliniko cost for a practice?

Cliniko uses per-practitioner pricing: 1 practitioner $45/month, 2-5 practitioners $95/month, 6-8 practitioners $145/month, 9-12 practitioners $195/month, 13-25 practitioners $295/month, 26-200 practitioners $395/month.

Source
Meru Health: Is Meru Health still operating?

Yes. It launched Meru Health Advanced in May 2026 and expanded its Harvard Pilgrim Health Care collaboration in 2025. It has not wound down.

Cliniko: Does Cliniko offer a free trial?

Cliniko is free to try for the first 30 days with no credit card required initially. A credit card is required to unlock features like Telehealth after the trial begins.

Source
Meru Health: How long is the programme?

Around twelve weeks. It is a bounded treatment episode rather than open ended therapy, which is why health plans will contract for it.

Cliniko: What is included in all Cliniko plans?

Every Cliniko subscription includes complete feature access, unlimited admin and reception users, unlimited locations, unlimited file storage, unlimited patients, 24/7 monitoring, automatic backups, regular updates, and 24/7 customer support.

Source
Meru Health: Who pays?

It depends on the contract. Meru sells to both health plans and employers, and member cost sharing differs between those routes. Confirm which applies before enrolling.

Cliniko: Does Cliniko charge extra for SMS and what discounts apply?

SMS messaging costs 10 cents per message (pre-paid credits required). Annual billing includes one month free every year. Charities and educational institutions qualify for free access. Cliniko commits to no feature-specific fees beyond SMS and offers no annual commitment discounts.

Source
Meru Health: Does it include medication?

Psychiatric consultation is part of the programme where medication is indicated, which distinguishes it from app plus coaching products that cannot prescribe.

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