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Healthcare · head to head

Cliniko vs Talkspace

Cliniko logo

Cliniko

Healthcare

Clinic management software for health practitioners

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Talkspace logo

Talkspace

Healthcare

Consumer online therapy and psychiatry app billed by subscription or insurance copay

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; Talkspace without insurance, self-pay plans can run into the hundreds of dollars a month, materially more than many people expect from an app-based service.
  • They diverge on capability: Cliniko covers Appointment Scheduling, Talkspace covers Messaging therapy.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cliniko and Talkspace actually diverge.

Attributes where Cliniko and Talkspace differ
AttributeClinikoTalkspace
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionSubscription or insurance copay
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobileiOS, Android, Web
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 Talkspace

  • Messaging therapy
  • Live sessions
  • Psychiatry
  • Insurance billing
  • Therapist matching and switching
  • Teen therapy

What people use each for

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

Cliniko

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

Talkspace

  • Someone wanting to start therapy without waiting weeks for an in-person appointmentnot Cliniko
  • A person whose insurance is in-network with Talkspace, getting therapy at a standard copaynot Cliniko
  • Someone who prefers asynchronous messaging therapy over scheduled live sessionsnot Cliniko
  • A patient needing psychiatric medication management alongside or instead of talk therapynot 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

Talkspace

  • Without insurance, self-pay plans can run into the hundreds of dollars a month, materially more than many people expect from an app-based service.
  • Psychiatry is billed as a separate service from therapy, so a user wanting both medication management and talk therapy pays two distinct charges.
  • Message-based therapy is not equivalent to weekly live sessions for every clinical need, and some conditions are better served by in-person or live-only care.
  • Therapist continuity is not guaranteed; a matched provider can leave the platform, requiring the user to rematch and rebuild rapport with someone new.
  • Cancelling a subscription plan requires navigating Talkspace's account settings or support, and complaints about difficulty cancelling or unexpected renewal charges have been documented by users.

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

Talkspace

On request
  • Messaging Therapy (self-pay)$undefined/week
    • Roughly 69 USD a week billed monthly, messaging only
    • Live session add-ons cost extra
  • Messaging Plus Sessions (self-pay)$undefined/week
    • Roughly 99 to 129 USD a week billed monthly, includes live sessions
  • Insurance plan$undefined/session
    • Cost set by the user's own insurance plan, not Talkspace, when in-network
  • Psychiatry$undefined/visit
    • Initial evaluation priced separately, commonly a few hundred dollars
    • Lower cost follow-up visits

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 Talkspace if

  • You need messaging therapy.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want live sessions.
Talkspace review

Questions people ask

Is Cliniko or Talkspace better?
Neither clearly leads. Cliniko starts at Free and Talkspace at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cliniko or Talkspace?
Cliniko has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cliniko and On request for Talkspace.
Does Cliniko or Talkspace run on more platforms?
Cliniko runs on Web, Mobile. Talkspace runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Cliniko for free?
Yes. Cliniko has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Talkspace 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 Talkspace is typically brought in for.
What can Cliniko do that Talkspace cannot?
Cliniko covers Appointment Scheduling, Online Booking, Client Management, Invoicing. Talkspace covers Messaging therapy, Live sessions, Psychiatry, Insurance billing.

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
Talkspace: Does insurance make Talkspace cheaper?

Yes, if in-network with your plan, you generally pay your plan's standard copay rather than Talkspace's self-pay list price.

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
Talkspace: Is psychiatry included in a therapy plan?

No, psychiatry for medication management is billed separately from therapy subscription plans.

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
Talkspace: Can I choose my own therapist?

You are matched initially based on an intake questionnaire, but you can request a different therapist if the match is not a good fit.

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
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