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Healthcare · head to head

Nookal vs Shepherd

Nookal logo

Nookal

Healthcare

Australian allied health practice management priced per practitioner with usage charges on top

From
49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shepherd logo

Shepherd

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Nookal the features most multi-practitioner clinics need, including advanced reporting, custom forms and automated recalls, are held back to the Professional tier, so the AUD 49 entry price is not a realistic budget for anything beyond a solo practice.; Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • They diverge on capability: Nookal covers Per practitioner pricing, Shepherd covers Consultation-first records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nookal and Shepherd actually diverge.

Attributes where Nookal and Shepherd differ
AttributeNookalShepherd
Starting price49/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer user per monthquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud
CategoryHealthcareVeterinary

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Nookal

  • Per practitioner pricing
  • Clinical notes
  • Online booking
  • Automated recalls
  • KPI dashboards
  • Claiming
  • Patient portal
  • AI and voice

Only in Shepherd

  • Consultation-first records
  • Charges from treatment
  • Inventory
  • Cloud-based

What people use each for

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

Nookal

  • A three to ten practitioner physiotherapy clinic in Australia that wants Medicare claiming and published pricing rather than a quote processnot Shepherd
  • A New Zealand practice that needs ACC claim submission integrated with its clinical notes and billingnot Shepherd
  • A chiropractic group opening a second location that wants shared patient records and one reporting view across sitesnot Shepherd
  • A UK or Irish allied health clinic that wants an Australian-style clinical workflow with GBP or EUR billingnot Shepherd

Shepherd

  • Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot Nookal
  • Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot Nookal
  • Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot Nookal

Where each one falls short

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

Nookal

  • The features most multi-practitioner clinics need, including advanced reporting, custom forms and automated recalls, are held back to the Professional tier, so the AUD 49 entry price is not a realistic budget for anything beyond a solo practice.
  • Add-ons stack quickly: AI and voice at about USD 25 per active licence, the patient portal from USD 10 per location and secure messaging from USD 1.50 per user can push a seat close to double its list price.
  • Pricing is not a simple currency conversion, with the USD Essentials tier at 65 and Professional at 89 against AUD 49 and 59, so overseas clinics pay a meaningful premium for the same software.
  • Messaging and claiming are metered per SMS and per claim, so a clinic that leans on reminders to control no-shows finds a variable line item that grows with appointment volume and is easy to underestimate at purchase.
  • Single sign-on is quoted rather than listed and sits with the Enterprise tier, which puts basic identity governance out of reach for mid-sized groups that would otherwise stay on Professional.

Shepherd

  • Quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • A smaller vendor than the established systems, with a correspondingly shorter track record
  • Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity

Pricing, plan by plan

Nookal

49/month
  • Essentials$49/month
    • Per practitioner per month
    • Appointments, patient records and invoicing
    • Online booking
  • Professional$59/month
    • Per practitioner per month
    • Advanced reporting and KPI dashboards
    • Custom forms
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Quoted pricing
    • Multi-account management
    • Dedicated support

Shepherd

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Nookal if

  • You need per practitioner pricing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want clinical notes.
Nookal review

Choose Shepherd if

  • You need consultation-first records.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want charges from treatment.
Shepherd review

Questions people ask

Is Nookal or Shepherd better?
Neither clearly leads. Nookal starts at 49/month and Shepherd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nookal or Shepherd?
Nookal starts at 49/month and Shepherd at On request.
Does Nookal or Shepherd run on more platforms?
Nookal runs on Web, iOS, Android. Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud.
What is Nookal best used for?
Nookal is most often used for a three to ten practitioner physiotherapy clinic in australia that wants medicare claiming and published pricing rather than a quote process, a new zealand practice that needs acc claim submission integrated with its clinical notes and billing, a chiropractic group opening a second location that wants shared patient records and one reporting view across sites, a uk or irish allied health clinic that wants an australian-style clinical workflow with gbp or eur billing. Of those, a three to ten practitioner physiotherapy clinic in australia that wants medicare claiming and published pricing rather than a quote process and a new zealand practice that needs acc claim submission integrated with its clinical notes and billing are not what Shepherd is typically brought in for.
What can Nookal do that Shepherd cannot?
Nookal covers Per practitioner pricing, Clinical notes, Online booking, Automated recalls. Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Nookal: How much does Nookal cost per practitioner?

Essentials is AUD 49 per practitioner per month and Professional is AUD 59, with published equivalents of GBP 29 and 39, EUR 65 and 89, and USD 65 and 89. Enterprise is quoted.

Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?

Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.

Nookal: What is not included in the subscription?

SMS from about 7 cents per message, Medicare claims from about 10 cents, ACC claims at about 12 cents, the patient portal, secure messaging, AI and voice, and single sign-on are all charged separately.

Shepherd: What makes it different from other veterinary systems?

It was designed by a practising vet around the consultation workflow, so charges accrue from recorded treatment rather than being entered as a separate billing step.

Nookal: Is there a contract?

No lock-in contract, and the free trial does not require a credit card.

Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?

Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.

Nookal: Which countries does the claiming work in?

Medicare claiming is Australian and ACC claiming is New Zealand. Elsewhere the software works but you invoice and reconcile manually.

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