Gone are the days when booking a medical appointment meant sitting on hold for twenty minutes or playing phone tag with reception staff. The digital transformation of Australian healthcare has made booking appointments as straightforward as ordering your morning coffee. For business owners seeking the right medical practice software for their Australian clinic, understanding these platforms isn’t just helpful – it’s essential for meeting modern patient expectations and staying competitive.
If you’re running a medical practice, dental clinic, or allied health business, this guide will walk you through the major medical practice software solutions that are reshaping how Australians access healthcare.
Patient-facing medical booking platforms
HotDoc: The established patient favourite
HotDoc allows patients to book appointments instantly with GPs, dentists, psychologists, dietitians and more, with up-to-date availability displayed in real-time. What started as a simple booking platform has evolved into a comprehensive patient engagement tool that handles the entire patient journey from initial booking through to payment processing.
Who it’s for: Medical practices of all sizes wanting to offer patients convenient online booking without major technical complexity.
Key benefits: Widespread patient adoption means many patients already have the app installed, reducing barriers to online bookings. The platform handles automated reminders, online forms, and telehealth capabilities whilst integrating with most practice management systems.
Website integration: Very straightforward. HotDoc provides embeddable booking widgets that can be added to any website quickly and easily. There are options for both a frame or a lightbox, and both mean you can take bookings directly on your existing website. Brand new patients can even find you via the HotDoc website where they can book direct, and if you need a custom implementation they also have an API available.
Website: https://practices.hotdoc.com.au/
Healthengine: Australia’s largest healthcare discovery platform
As Australia’s largest consumer healthcare platform, Healthengine helps patients find and book appointments 24/7 with trusted practitioners Australia-wide. The platform positions itself as more than just booking software – it’s a comprehensive healthcare discovery tool.
Who it’s for: Practices wanting to attract new patients through a searchable directory whilst offering existing patients convenient booking options.
Key benefits: The My Care Team feature allows patients to save all their healthcare providers in one place for faster booking, whilst detailed filtering by location, bulk billing, practitioner gender, and opening hours helps attract well-matched patients. The platform also includes patient reviews and detailed practice information.
Website integration: Moderate complexity. Healthengine offers booking widgets and profile integration, though getting the most from the platform often requires maintaining your practice profile and encouraging patient reviews to improve discoverability.
Website: https://listyourpractice.healthengine.com.au/
Comprehensive medical practice software solutions
Zanda: The allied health specialist
Zanda is comprehensive Australian medical practice software that offers calendar management, online bookings, automated SMS and email reminders, invoicing, optional AI-powered session transcription and clinical notes, telehealth, and integrations with many third party services.
Who it’s for: Allied health practices of all sizes wanting everything under one roof, from solo practitioners to multi-location practices with up to 200 practitioners. Zanda is especially popular with psychologists, counselling and the mental health space.
Key benefits: Eliminates the need to juggle multiple software subscriptions. The AI-powered session notes feature appeals to busy practitioners who want to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks. Strong integration capabilities mean it connects with tools you’re likely already using.
Website integration: Good integration options. Zanda provides a client portal you can either embed on your website, or link to that allows clients to book with you directly. The platform’s focus on reducing administrative burden extends to making website integration relatively painless.
Website: https://zandahealth.com/au/
Acuity Scheduling: The flexible customiser
Acuity offers scheduling automation, custom intake forms, automated appointment reminders via text and email, and integrates with payment systems like Stripe, Square, and PayPal. The platform isn’t specific to the medical industry, but has gained popularity among healthcare and wellness providers for its reliability, simplicity and customisation options.
Who it’s for: Practices and allied health professionals wanting a simple, straightforward booking management setup wanting maximum control over their booking process, particularly those wanting to include some basic customisations without the complexity of a larger system.
Key benefits: Very user friendly for both business owners & staff and customers. Great flexibility allowing you to customise exactly how and when patients can book, set up virtual appointments, block personal time, and create detailed intake forms. The platform’s strength lies in adapting to your existing processes rather than forcing you to change.
Website integration: Excellent. Acuity provides multiple integration options from simple embed codes to advanced API integration. For most businesses, the embedded scheduled will work well, or there is also a booking button & booking bar method that is easy to add to an existing site. Aquity Scheduling is owned by Squarespace, so if you’re already using them for your website it means a particularly smooth integration, but they support virtually any website setup.
Website: https://acuityscheduling.com/solutions/wellness
Cliniko: The allied health favourite
Cliniko is trusted by more than 65,000 health professionals and allows you to take bookings, conduct telehealth consultations, write treatment notes, create invoices, and take payments. The cloud-based solution has built a strong reputation in the allied health community.
Who it’s for: Loved by physiotherapists, podiatrists, therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and more. Works great for solo practitioners, large teams and anything in between.
Key benefits: Fully customisable treatment notes and templates, secure telehealth built-in, and comprehensive financial tools. The platform meets Australian Privacy Principles, GDPR, PIPEDA, and HIPAA compliance standards. Can scale up to 200 practitioners and manage multiple businesses.
Website integration: Good online booking widget options and API access for custom integration. For most businesses, you can simply copy your online bookings embed code, and easily add to your existing site. The platform focuses on ease of use, which extends to their integration tools being relatively straightforward to implement.
Website: https://www.cliniko.com/
Enterprise and specialist medical software
DoctorConnect: The communication specialist
DoctorConnect specialises in multi-channel appointment reminder systems and patient engagement, designed to dramatically reduce no-shows, increase cash flow, and improve patient satisfaction. In business for over 25 years, they provide highly customisable services to thousands of doctors, clinics and hospitals.
Who it’s for: Established practices with significant no-show problems or those wanting to automate patient communications without changing their existing practice management system. The website and support does look very US focused, but the platform is available in Australia.
Key benefits: Integrates with hundreds of EMR and practice management systems, focusing specifically on reducing no-shows through automated reminders, confirmations, and follow-up messages. Outstanding customer support with dedicated account managers.
Website integration: Primarily integrates with existing practice management systems rather than websites directly. However, the patient communication features can complement website-based booking systems effectively.
Website: https://doctorconnect.net/
Zedmed: The established Australian medical practice software
Zedmed is powerful Australian medical practice software providing scalable, easy-to-use solutions available on premise or in the cloud. Used by over 10K medical professionals, practice managers and administration staff, the platform has strong roots in the Australian healthcare system.
Who it’s for: Medical practices wanting a thoroughly Australian solution with strong Medicare, DVA, and local compliance integration. Particularly suited to practices that have been operating with traditional systems and want to modernise gradually.
Key benefits: Over 45 years of experience means extensive functionality, with Zedmed being first to implement e-Prescription. Strong integration with Australian-specific systems and claiming processes. Local Melbourne-based support team.
Website integration: Zedmed’s Online Appointments (OLA) enables patients to book directly from an existing practice website. Once the platform is set up, patients can book via a branded booking portal which can be linked to from your website, so while easy to work with it might not feel as integrated as some other providers with dedicated embeddable widgets. Integration tends to be more focused on internal practice workflows than patient-facing web features.
Website: https://www.zedmed.com.au/
Halaxy: The free Australian practice software
Halaxy provides free core medical practice software with all essential features needed to run your practice, from smart calendar and online bookings to invoicing and financial reports. They’re the second-largest provider of practice and patient management software in Australia. The core software is 100% free, but there are paid add on features available.
Who it’s for: Any healthcare practice, but particularly attractive to new practices or those wanting to test practice management software without upfront costs. Completely customised to your profession, with different features for GPs, specialists, and allied health professionals.
Key benefits: Completely free core software with no subscription fees. Includes clinical tools and templates, customisable reminder systems, and automatic payment processing that saves time on every appointment. 24-hour support Monday to Friday, which is important.
Website integration: Good online booking integration with customisable booking options. You can embed your full booking page online, or use a simple button to link to the booking portal. The free model makes it particularly attractive for practices wanting to test online booking without significant investment.
Website: https://www.halaxy.com/
Magentus (Genie/Gentu): The specialist enterprise medical software
Magentus offers two medical practice software options: Genie (desktop) and Gentu (cloud), trusted by over 22K medical professionals across Australia. Gentu is Australia’s number 1 choice for specialists in the cloud.
Who it’s for: Medical specialists and larger practices requiring sophisticated features for complex workflows. Genie is fully-featured to support clinicians with complex tasks unique to their specialty.
Key benefits: Co-design process means they collaborate with specialists and practice managers to solve real workflow problems. Data securely stored in Australian data centres with ISO27001 certification. Extensive integration ecosystem with AI scribes, telehealth, and laboratory systems.
Website integration: Professional-grade integration options suited to larger practices. Focus is more on comprehensive practice management than simple website booking, though online appointment capabilities are included.
Website: https://www.magentus.com/practice-management/
How medical practice software impacts your website strategy
Understanding these Australian medical practice software platforms is crucial for any healthcare business’s digital strategy. Your website doesn’t exist in isolation – it needs to work seamlessly with whichever booking system you choose.
Many practices make the mistake of treating their website and booking platform as separate entities. Smart businesses ensure their website guides visitors toward their preferred booking method, whether through embedded booking widgets, clear calls-to-action, or strategic links to their profiles on platforms like HotDoc or Healthengine.
Consider your patient journey: someone finds your practice online, visits your website to learn more about your services, then wants to book immediately. If there’s friction between your website and booking system, you’ll lose potential patients to competitors who’ve made the process seamless.
Your website should showcase the convenience of your booking system. Highlight features like online booking, automated reminders, or telehealth options. These aren’t just operational benefits – they’re competitive advantages that busy patients actively seek.
From an SEO perspective, being listed on major booking platforms can improve your online visibility. These platforms often rank well in search results for local healthcare queries, giving you additional exposure beyond your own website.
Choosing the right medical practice software for your Australian clinic
Security and compliance should be your first consideration when evaluating medical practice software in Australia. Any system handling patient information must comply with Australian privacy laws and healthcare regulations. Look for platforms that explicitly mention compliance with relevant standards.
Integration capabilities matter more than you might think. The best booking system becomes a burden if it doesn’t connect with your existing practice management software, accounting system, or email marketing platform. Before committing to any solution, map out all the systems you currently use and ensure your chosen platform can integrate with them.
Patient user experience should heavily influence your decision. A booking system that’s difficult for patients to use will frustrate existing clients and deter new ones. Test the patient-facing interface yourself, or ask current patients to try it and provide feedback.
Consider scalability from day one. The booking system that works perfectly for a solo practice might not handle the complexity of a multi-practitioner clinic with varying schedules, services, and locations. Choose a platform that can grow with your business rather than one you’ll need to replace in two years.
Budget considerations extend beyond subscription fees. Factor in setup costs, training time, integration expenses, and the potential cost of switching systems later. Free platforms like Halaxy can be attractive, but ensure they’ll meet your needs as you grow.
Making the right choice for your practice
The Australian medical practice software landscape offers remarkable variety, from free solutions like Halaxy to enterprise platforms like Magentus. Whether you opt for a patient-facing platform like HotDoc or Healthengine, a comprehensive solution like Zanda or Cliniko, or a specialised service like DoctorConnect, the key is ensuring your choice aligns with your practice’s specific needs and growth plans.
Remember, the best medical practice software is the one your patients actually use. Don’t just consider features and pricing – think about your patient demographic and their digital comfort level. A cutting-edge platform won’t help if your patients prefer phone bookings, whilst a basic system might frustrate tech-savvy patients who expect seamless digital experiences.
The intersection of healthcare and technology will only continue to evolve. By choosing the right medical practice software and ensuring it integrates well with your overall digital presence, you’re not just improving operational efficiency – you’re positioning your practice for long-term success in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.
Ready to build a professional website that works seamlessly with modern medical practice software? Book a consultation to discuss how we can create a high-quality, conversion-focused website that integrates perfectly with your chosen booking system, ensuring potential patients can find you online and book appointments effortlessly.
