The best small business medical appointment scheduling software for 2023

We’ve all been there. You’re calling to make a medical appointment, only to be greeted by a busy tone—or worse, that mind-numbing hold music that’s guaranteed to haunt you for the rest of the day. On the other hand, if you’re a physical therapist, massage therapist, or chiropractor, booking client appointments is inevitable. Fortunately, there’s a much better way to handle appointment bookings than letting your phone ring off the hook. Medical appointment scheduling software solutions are here to save the day (and your clients’ appointment booking experience).

To help you level up your appointment-booking game, we’ve rounded up some of the best medical appointment scheduling software options for your medical clinic—and a few other tips for keeping managing your small business from feeling like a pain in the neck.

What is appointment scheduling software?

Appointment scheduling software is a digital tool used by clinics and businesses to streamline and manage appointment scheduling.

From physiotherapists to doctor’s offices, medical clinics see dozens, if not hundreds, of clients a day. Appointment scheduling software is the best way to reduce the hassle of booking appointments and elevate the experience for both practitioners and clients. 

Appointment scheduling software helps clients book their appointment themselves and helps clinics manage their schedules. Whether you operate multiple clinics or you’re a sole practitioner, scheduling software automates the entire booking process so you and your team can focus on higher-value tasks.

How can medical appointment scheduling software streamline your clinic?

An appointment scheduling software for your medical clinic can feel like a bit of an investment. It can take time and some cash to get it up and running—although there are some free options. (More on that soon!)

Implementing patient scheduling software comes with so many benefits that can make your team and your customers’ lives easier. Let’s look at a few different ways that medical appointment scheduling software can help your clinic run more smoothly and effectively.

Save money and resources 

Instead of booking appointments over calls and emails, appointment scheduling software automates your booking process. By avoiding paying someone to answer phones all day, you can either save on labor costs by automating that job, or, reassign that person to more productive tasks.

Offer more flexibility for you and your clients 

All you need to do is set your schedule, and clients can book appointments themselves at any time of day—no waiting for office hours. Set the hours that you want to work, and ensure your team’s availability is clearly marked. Clients can book appointments at the times that work best for them, with the practitioner they want. A win-win!

See scheduling at-a-glance

View all your appointments in one place so you can plan your day with ease. Most appointment scheduling tools are web or app-based, so you can view your upcoming appointments from anywhere. Some can even automatically pull up client information for your team, based on who’s next on the schedule.

Reduce cancellations and no-shows 

Automate email and SMS reminders and confirmations, so clients can remember to show up. You can even allow clients to reschedule their appointments themselves online, so they can choose times that work best for them. It’s all about making things easier for you, your clients, and your team.

Increase appointment bookings and revenue

Using a reputable appointment scheduling tool can help make your clinic look more professional. And hey, that never hurts in attracting potential clients. Plus, if appointment booking is easy, clients are more likely to book. In fact, a survey found that 94% of clients would choose a new service provider if they offered online booking services.

What are the best appointment scheduling software solutions?

Implementing an appointment scheduling software has so many perks, it’s almost a no-brainer. But the question becomes—which one should you use?

If you Google “appointment scheduling software,” there are so many choices it just might make your head hurt. But there are some solutions that stand out from the crowd, particularly for small businesses.

We did the heavy lifting by putting together a selection of some of the best appointment scheduling tools for your medical clinic. Now you can spend less time managing your calendar and more time treating your patients.

1. Jane App

Jane is an appointment management and scheduling solution designed for health and wellness clinic owners (a.k.a. you). This Canadian-founded platform was created by a health clinic owner looking for the perfect solution for managing their own busy practice. So you know that Jane was designed with your medical clinic in mind.

With Jane, you and your clients benefit from a growing list of features, including online booking, payment processing, reporting, SMS reminders, and so much more. Need to take appointments online? Jane’s got that too.

Features like Charting, Clinical Notes, and Direct Insurance Billing are perfect for healthcare clinics looking to streamline the entire client process. Jane makes operating your clinic easier than ever before—all in one place.

Pricing: The Jane Base plan starts at $79 CAD per month. The basic plan is already a pretty robust solution for a small business clinic. You’ll need to upgrade to the Insurance Plan for insurance billing features, but pricing is still reasonable at $109 CAD per month.

Best for: Jane is best for small medical clinics that need a full-service appointment management solution. It’s particularly good for those clinics looking for features like payment processing and insurance billing.

2. Mindbody

Mindbody is a California-based appointment scheduling solution founded in 2000. Their platform has been trusted by fitness and wellness businesses for decades. If you’ve ever taken a yoga or spin class, there’s a good chance you’ve used Mindbody at some point.

So it’s the perfect fit for medical clinics that may also include other fitness and wellness services, like fitness classes or open gym sessions.

Mindbody makes it easy to take payments and even collect membership fees. You can create your own branded app to elevate the customer experience or use the AI assistant feature to book clients with ease. 

Mindbody also features an online marketplace where customers can search for everything from fitness classes to body treatments. It’s an easy way to build your brand awareness with new clients in your area.

Pricing: Mindbody’s Starter plan costs a flat rate of $139 per month. While it’s more expensive than some other options on this list, the robust suite of trusted marketing features and client experience tools might just make it worth it.

Best for: Medical clinics that have more of a fitness focus will love Mindbody. For example, physical therapists with workout facilities and other offerings will find robust features that suit their needs.

3. Acuity Scheduling

Founded in 2006, Acuity Scheduling is an all-in-one appointment management software for businesses of all shapes and sizes. 

From syncing appointments to your calendars, accepting payments, and sending customized appointment reminders to your clients, Acuity scheduling is about to be your clinic’s new best friend. You can even use their platforms to sell gift certificates, so clients can give the gift of wellness. 

If you’re a fan of clean and simple interfaces, like Squarespace, you’ll love Acuity. In fact, if you look carefully enough, you might just notice a resemblance in branding. 

Well, that’s because Acuity was acquired by Squarespace in 2019. With seamless integrations with Squarespace websites, you’ll be scheduling clients on your website in no time.

Pricing: Acuity Scheduling is an affordable solution, starting at $20 a month. But if you want all the bells and whistles, you’ll be looking at $61 per month. Before you commit, you can always make sure Acuity is the right fit with a free 7-day trial.

Best for: Acuity Scheduling is a no-brainer for medical clinics that already use Squarespace.

4. Powerdiary

Powerdiary is a powerful practice management software specifically designed for medical healthcare clinics. From massage therapy clinics to doctors’ offices, Powerdiary can do it all. Powerdiary is Utah-based but serves over 23 countries around the world.

With Powerdiary, clients can access a unique client portal to book their appointments. They can choose everything from the clinician, the service, and the time that works best for them.

When clients arrive for their appointment, your employees can easily pull up all the details you need, right within Powerdiary’s clinical notes. You can use pre-prepared templates to capture appointment notes and you can even annotate body carts and images to visualize the important changes.

Powerdiary is designed for medical practices, but that doesn’t mean they only support in-person, 1-on-1 appointments. You can even set up your online booking to offer group sessions, classes, and telehealth video calls. There are quite literally hundreds of features, easily making this one of the best platforms for healthcare professionals.

Healthcare integrations include Xero, Stripe, Physitrack, and more.

Pricing: Powerdiary starts from as little as $10 a month. And you’ll likely be able to score a discount on your first few months. You pay by the number of practitioners in your clinic, so Powerdiary is easy to scale as your clinic grows. Given the number of features that are geared toward medical practices, Powerdiary is an absolute bang for your buck.

Best for: Powerdiary has features that almost any service-based business can use. But we think clinics that are focused on medical services—think chiropractors, podiatrists, nutritionists, and family doctors—will benefit the most from features.

5. Appointment.com

Sometimes you just need an app that does one thing really well. And when it comes to patient booking, Appointment.com doesn’t disappoint. Founded in 1999, Appointment.com is the legacy brand—simple, and straightforward, and gives you all the tools you need to get your clinic’s appointments in order.

With Appointment.com you can easily implement a booking process across multiple locations. For busy clinics, you’ll also love the waitlist features, so you can reduce the number of empty appointment slots. Appointment.com also syncs seamlessly with your client’s calendar app, including Outlook, Google, and iCal, so they never miss an appointment.

You can accept payments for appointments in advance and in person with Appointment.com.  However, they only support Paypal, which might be a deal breaker for some clinics and clients.

Appointment.com’s API also makes it easy for you to integrate your booking calendar into any existing platform. This is a great option if you already have an app or website that you want to add appointment booking into. 

Open late? Feel confident knowing that their free tech support team is standing by to support you with emergencies 24/7.

Pricing: Appointment.com offers monthly booking plans and small business plans, starting from $29 per month. The monthly booking plans are unique in that you can choose the number of bookings that works best for you—perfect for growing businesses. Plus, you’ll get a 30-day free trial.

Best for: Appointment.com is great for medical clinics looking for a no-frills appointment booking software that means business. 

6. Calendly

Calendly is a wildly popular scheduling app. While most commonly used by teams for scheduling meetings, the features are also useful for client appointment scheduling for medical clinics. 

Calendly syncs with your calendar so clients can view up-to-date availability and easily book a time that works best for them. You can set working hours and time off, so you never have appointments when you aren’t expecting them. You’ll also be able to automate appointment follow-ups and reminders to avoid no-shows.

If you have a clinic setting where you need multiple practitioners in one appointment, Calendly’s ability to scan multiple calendars for availability can help you avoid the back and forth between clients and employees.

Because Calendly is loved by top companies, there are lots of integrations that can help improve your workflow. Connect with your favorite CRM platforms, like Hubspot and Mailchimp. Or collect payment using popular payment processing platforms like Stripe and Paypal.

Since Calendly was initially designed as a meeting scheduling tool, it’s worth noting that it lacks in client management features compared to other software on this list.

Pricing: Calendly’s free plan packs a punch. So it’s an easy choice for businesses just starting out. Even their most robust plans will only set you back $16 a month per seat, making it a great value for small clinics.

Best for: Calendly is best suited to medical clinics that need flexibility in scheduling and don’t need the additional client management features.

7. Square Appointments

If you’ve ever walked into a small business and tapped your credit card on a little square machine to pay, you might be familiar with Square. 

Square (not to be confused with Squarespace) was originally a mobile payment provider that made it easier for small businesses to collect payments—without needing to invest in merchant terminals and bulky POS systems.

Their success in helping businesses streamline their operations has led them to offer more tools for small businesses, including Square Appointments.

With Square Appointments, you’ll be able to create a booking website featuring your logo, colors, and layouts that make sense for your clinic. When you integrate with the Square POS, you can even keep credit card information on file—perfect for clinics with repeat clients.

If you happen to sell items that complement your practice, Square makes it easy for you to manage inventory and sell those products all in one place.

Pricing: Square Appointment’s basic plan is free. However, if you need features like multiple locations or automated email confirmations, you’ll be looking at $35 a month per location. If you opt to use Square’s payment processing software, you’ll also want to budget for about 2.65%-3.5% for credit card payments.

Best for: Square Appointments is great for small clinics looking for an all-in-one appointment management and POS solution. If you’re already using Square for payment processing, Square Appointments is an easy choice.

8. Booker

Founded in 2010, Booker is made for service-based settings like spas, salons, and wellness clinics. Booker’s all-in-one customer management tool is loved by healthcare businesses.

Booker was acquired by Mindbody, so you know that its wellness features are top-notch. The branded booking experiences are absolutely beautiful, so you know that your customer is going to have a branded (and easy) experience from the moment they book their appointment.

Need a receptionist but not ready to hire a full-time hourly employee? Booker’s got you covered. You can set up a 24/7 AI front desk that helps manage client questions, appointment bookings, and even calls so no client inquiries go unanswered—even when you’re booked back to back.

When customers arrive for their appointment, you can check them in at your front desk or even on an app, then check them out afterward with a POS integration. It’s a seamless customer experience from start to finish.

It’s worth noting that while Booker has tons of wellness features, they do not offer insurance billing at this time.

Pricing: Starting from $129 per month, Booker’s Starter package includes all the basics. It’s definitely not the most affordable option on the list, but included in the price are multiple staff profiles and a 1-on-1 setup. As your business scales, you can upgrade to higher tiers that unlock customer loyalty programs, 2-way texting, and more.

Best for: Booker is a great fit for massage therapists and physical therapists operating in a spa-like setting.

9. Booksy

Founded in 2014, Booksy began as a beauty services marketplace. In less than a decade, Booksy has acquired over 13 million users around the world.

Like the other software on this list, Booksy helps you optimize the appointment scheduling process. Customers can book their services online 24/7. Plus, they’ll get notifications and reminders for their upcoming appointments. 

If you offer mobile services, Booksy also helps you add travel time to your calendar. No more stressing over traffic between appointments.

Need to give your business a boost? Booksy also has small business marketing features to help you reach more clients, including higher marketplace rankings and other marketing opportunities like ads, blogs, and newsletters.

Booksy integrates with Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Yelp so you can take your booking platform straight to your customers.

Pricing: Booksy’s base plan starts at $29.99 per month. You’ll pay more as you add new employees to your team. You can also enjoy a free trial without even needing to put in a credit card.

Best for: If your medical clinic has a wellness focus, like massage therapy, Booksy is for you. 

What to look for in patient scheduling software

In a world filled with technology, there are tools and software that can help you streamline every part of your small business. But the average employee spends up to 9% of their year switching between different apps.

If you do the math, that’s over 200 hours of precious time that could be better spent serving your customers or doing higher-value tasks. 

When shopping for your next patient scheduling tool, make sure to choose one that helps your work smarter, not harder. It should streamline your process, instead of adding more work to your plate.

Common features to look for in appointment scheduling tools:

• Integrations: From employee management to POS integrations, a scheduling software that offers integrations with your other tools makes it easy for you to automate workflows and save time. 
• Payment processing: Being able to take payment directly within your scheduling software saves you time when it comes to billing your customers.
• Insurance billing: Offering direct insurance billing can be a huge plus for new clients looking for a new medical clinic.
• Collecting patient information: Say goodbye to endless stacks of paper. Instead of rifling through filing cabinets as clients come in the door, choose a platform that displays all their information in just a few clicks. Pro tip: if you’re still using paper documents for your internal team, invest in an all-in-one HR provider like Homebase to help digitize your team’s info and store it safely in the cloud.
• Appointment reminders: We’ve all forgotten appointments at some point in our lives. Make it easy for clients by sending automated appointment reminders, reducing no-shows, and helping clients stay on top of their appointments.
• Ease of use: Clunky software isn’t helpful for you or your clients. If potential clients have trouble booking their appointments, they might look elsewhere. Stick to software that’s easy to use over fancy features that may not be as valuable.
• HIPAA compliance: As a medical clinic, you collect a lot of private client health information to make the most out of your appointments. If you’re collecting it using your appointment scheduling software, make sure that it’s HIPAA compliant. HIPAA fines and penalties can be huge, so you should take extra precautions to make sure you’re meeting all the HIPAA Privacy and Security requirements.

Fill in the gaps in your medical appointment scheduling software

Once you start using a medical appointment scheduling software, you’ll never turn back. 

But client scheduling tools aren’t the only way to level up your small business and medical clinic. Don’t get us wrong, they’re amazing for managing the client side of things. But let’s not forget your employees as well.

Fill in the gaps and free up time with an all-in-one employee management solution like Homebase. Because great digital experiences shouldn’t just be for your clients.

Employee scheduling

Filling up all your appointments with your fancy new scheduling software? You’ll need employees to cover those appointments.

Find coverage in seconds and tweak your schedule to meet your clients’ needs right within the app. Plus, your team can request time off ahead of time, so you’ll know when you need to block out appointment slots.

Time tracking

With Homebase’s free time clock app, you can track everything from breaks and overtime to working hours, all within one app. 

To make sure you’re making the most of every minute, we’ll help you optimize labor costs by department, role, and even by the hour. You’ll also be able to set clinic targets by importing sales data to make sure you’re on track to meet your forecasts.

The best part? You can turn almost any iOS, Android, or POS device into a time clock. And when it comes to payday, we’ll turn those hours into timesheets for you.

Payroll

Pay your hourly employees in just a few clicks. Instead of spending time calculating hours worked, Homebase turns your hours into timesheets and wages, so payroll is a breeze.

Tax stress? Not here. Every payday we’ll help you automatically calculate your payroll taxes, so everyone is paid exactly what they’re owed. Come tax season, we’ll even automatically process your tax filings and issue 1099s and W-2s.

Homebase turns payday from painful to painless.

Hiring and onboarding

As your calendar starts filling up, you might want some extra hands on deck to help handle your growing clinic. Homebase can help.

Hire the perfect candidate with our library of customized job descriptions and post your job for free to top job boards. And once you’ve landed your new hire, we’ll help you send an automated welcome pack, so they’re ready to go for day one.

HR

From managing company policies to PTO requirements, Homebase helps you stay compliant with the latest labor laws. Have tough HR questions? Our team of HR experts are always ready to help.

One easy app to manage your medical clinic? Yes, please!

Take care of your employees with Homebase, so they can keep taking care of your patients.

Get started for free with Homebase

Medical appointment scheduling software FAQs

What’s medical appointment scheduling software?

Medical appointment scheduling software is a tool used by clinics to manage the appointment scheduling process. Most scheduling tools help clinics handle everything from new bookings to sending automated appointment reminders.

What are the benefits of online appointment scheduling software?

Online appointment scheduling software helps small businesses streamline their appointment booking processes. By automating the process, you benefit from:

• Reduced administrative costs
• Fewer cancellations and no-shows
• More client bookings
• Better client experience

What is the best patient scheduling software for medical clinics?

The best patient scheduling software for your medical clinic will depend on your clients and business. However, the best software typically includes:

• POS and other system integrations
• Payment processing and insurance plan billing
• Automated appointment reminders and follow-ups
• HIPAA compliance to ensure you don’t break any rules