Choosing Software

Best Physiotherapy Booking Software Australia (2026)

The best physiotherapy booking software depends on whether you claim Medicare, DVA or health funds through your software. Cliniko and Nookal offer claiming and per-discipline clinical documentation, while Bella Booking provides simpler appointment scheduling, online booking, payment collection, and SOAP notes your team fills in, for physios whose clients pay them directly.

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What physiotherapists need from booking software

Physio practices have specific requirements that differ from general appointment-based businesses. Here's what most physiotherapists look for:

Appointment scheduling with initial assessment vs follow-up appointment types
Client records with treatment history and notes
Online booking so clients can self-schedule
Automated SMS and email reminders to reduce no-shows
SOAP notes and clinical documentation templates
Medicare and HICAPS billing integration
Treatment plan tracking and progress notes
Digital consent forms and intake questionnaires

What Bella does and doesn't do for physiotherapy

Bella Booking is an appointment scheduling and business management platform. Here's an honest breakdown of what it covers and what it doesn't:

What Bella provides

Appointment scheduling with service variants (initial vs follow-up with different durations and pricing), client CRM with notes and history, digital forms for consent and intake questionnaires with e-signatures, a SOAP note template (or your own note form) that your team fills in from the appointment and the client never sees, online booking, automated SMS and email reminders, Stripe payment processing, itemised receipts that carry each practitioner's registration or provider number for health fund rebates, prepaid packages for session bundles, processing time between appointments, service add-ons, and gift cards.

What Bella does NOT provide

Medicare, DVA or HICAPS claiming, and telehealth. Bella is not clinical practice management: if you claim through your software, choose a clinical system. Referral letters, outcome questionnaires and home exercise sheets can be kept as files and forms on the client record, without dedicated tools for them.

If you claim Medicare or health funds through your software, look at Cliniko, Nookal, or Jane App. If clients pay you directly and you want scheduling, payments, client management and your notes in one simpler system, Bella is simpler and more affordable.

When Bella makes sense for a physio practice

Bella works well for physiotherapists whose clients pay them directly and who want scheduling, payments and their notes in one place - or who keep a clinical system and need a reliable scheduling and payments layer. This includes:

Solo practitioners who want simple online booking and payment collection
Practices that already have a clinical system but need better scheduling and client-facing booking
Physios who don't bulk-bill and primarily collect private payments via Stripe
Mobile physiotherapists who want clients to book and pay online
Practices focused on wellness, Pilates-based physio, or exercise prescription classes

Comparison: clinical vs scheduling-focused software

Feature	Cliniko / Nookal	Bella Booking
Appointment scheduling	Yes	Yes
Online booking	Yes	Yes
Automated reminders	Yes	Yes
Client records and notes	Clinical-grade	CRM with dated timeline notes you can lock, photos and files
Digital consent forms	Yes	Yes (with e-signatures)
SOAP notes templates	Yes	SOAP note template, or your own note form
Medicare/HICAPS billing	Yes	No
Treatment plan tracking	Yes	Yes (client-visible treatment plans, Professional plan)
Stripe payments	Varies	Yes (built-in)
Prepaid packages	Limited	Yes
Service variants (initial vs return)	Some	Yes (client eligibility-based)
Starting price	From A$49/month exc GST (Nookal)	From $25/month (free trial available)

Key features for physio scheduling

Initial vs follow-up appointments

Bella's service variants with client eligibility let you create separate appointment types for initial assessments (longer, higher-priced) and follow-up sessions (shorter, lower-priced). The system automatically shows the correct option based on whether the client is new or returning.

Digital intake forms

Create custom digital forms for client intake questionnaires, consent forms, and health declarations. These are sent automatically before the first appointment and stored against the client record with e-signatures.

Prepaid session packages

Sell bundles of sessions (e.g., 5 or 10 physiotherapy sessions at a discounted rate). Clients purchase upfront and redeem sessions as they book, which improves cash flow and commitment to treatment plans.