Suma vs Cliniko
Use Cliniko if you need practice management software for clinical work: treatment notes, an appointment calendar and practitioner schedules. Suma does not replace that. Consider Suma for the business side of a clinic: a custom app built around how it runs, with the books kept current and our partner CPA firm reviewing and filing them.
Disclosure: Suma wrote this page and is one of the two options it compares. Facts about Cliniko come only from Cliniko's own public pages, linked below. Checked on .
At a glance
| Topic | Suma | Cliniko |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A custom app built around your business's own workflows, with the books kept inside it. | Practice management software for healthcare practices, with an appointment calendar, treatment notes and financial tools.[1] |
| Clinical notes and treatment records | Suma does not keep clinical notes or treatment records, and does not replace a clinical system. | Treatment notes are customisable and stored in the cloud.[1] |
| Practitioner scheduling | Suma does not replace your appointment book or practitioner calendars. | An appointment calendar for managing a practice's schedule.[1] |
| Invoices, payments and the books | Where a bank account is connected, a payment is matched against your rules and posted as a balanced double-entry line. Anything uncertain is asked once, as a yes or no. Our partner CPA firm, W. M. Sum & Company, provides professional review, licensed CPA sign-off and statutory filing. | Financial tools for invoices, payments, expenses and taxes.[1] |
What Hong Kong law asks, either way
- Section 51C of the Inland Revenue Ordinance requires every person carrying on a business in Hong Kong to keep sufficient records, in English or Chinese, of income and expenditure, and to retain them for not less than 7 years. That applies whichever software keeps them.[3]
The guides go further: Bookkeeping requirements for Hong Kong companies.
When Cliniko is the better choice
- You need clinical notes and treatment records for each patient. Suma does not keep these.
- You need practitioner scheduling and an appointment calendar for your practice. Suma does not replace these.
- You want ready-made practice software you can start on a trial today, without a scoping call first.
Where Suma fits
Suma fits clinics, tutoring centres and F&B businesses on the business side: a custom app built around how they already work, with the books kept current and our partner CPA firm reviewing and filing them. It sits alongside a clinical system rather than replacing one.
Suma's price depends on your records, workflows and custom requirements, so it is set in a proposal after a call.
Book a callPricing
- Suma: Depends on your records, workflows and custom requirements, and is set in a proposal after a call. Suma publishes no figure before then.
- Cliniko: Prices published in USD on Cliniko's pricing page, per month, by number of practitioners, excluding the free trial and the annual billing offer: 1 practitioner US$45, 2 to 5 US$95, 6 to 8 US$145, 9 to 12 US$195, 13 to 25 US$295, 26 to 200 US$395. SMS messages are charged separately.[2]
Sources
- Cliniko: Features Checked on
- Cliniko: Pricing Checked on
- Inland Revenue Department: Record keeping Checked on
General information, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Confirm the current requirements with the IRD, the Companies Registry or a licensed practitioner.