This MERIDIQ vs Pabau guide is for UK aesthetic clinics choosing new software. Both platforms run booking, patient records, consent and payments from one place, but they are built and priced in different ways. Here is how they compare on structure, price, set-up, features and fit, using each vendor's published facts.
- Both cover the daily core of an aesthetic clinic: online booking, patient records, forms, payments and reporting.
- MERIDIQ is sold as four modules with published prices. You activate what you need and add the rest later.
- Pabau is an all-in-one suite for many practice types, priced per user and per location by team size, with four optional add-ons.
- The right choice depends on your team size, the features you will actually use and the written total at your size.
MERIDIQ vs Pabau: what is the difference?
Both platforms cover the daily core of an aesthetic clinic. The difference is how they are built and bought. MERIDIQ is a modular platform for aesthetic clinics with every price published. Pabau is an all-in-one suite for many practice types, priced per user; Pabau's UK blog lists plans from £49 per user a month.
"All-in-one" is now the standard promise in clinic software, and both platforms keep it. So the useful question is not which one does more. It is which one fits a clinic like yours, how quickly your team can start, and what the written total is at your size.
MERIDIQ figures: meridiq.com/en/pricing. Pabau figures: Pabau's homepage, pricing page and UK blog, checked 10 November 2026. Set-up times are each vendor's own statement. Card processing fees come from the payment provider.
How are MERIDIQ and Pabau built differently?
Both cover the core clinic features. The difference is how you buy them. MERIDIQ splits them into four modules, so you activate what you need and add the rest as the clinic grows. Pabau describes one platform priced by team size, with full access on every plan and four optional add-ons on top.
MERIDIQ: the core, module by module
Activate one module or all four. They share the same client file, so nothing is typed twice. Read more about patient records and the booking system.
Pabau: one platform by team size + add-ons
- Advanced patient engagement
- Enhanced clinical workflows
- Before & after slider, high-quality photos
- Deeper analytics
- WhatsApp, cloud phone & AI agents
- Priced per location
Add-on descriptions in Pabau's own words, from its pricing page and Care Plus blog post (checked 7 November 2026).
How do MERIDIQ and Pabau fit clinics of different sizes?
What you need changes with team size, and the two platforms are packaged differently. MERIDIQ is priced per module: booking and records per user, payments and management at a flat price. Pabau groups plans by team size (Solo, Team, Medium, Group, Enterprise), with the full platform on every plan and optional add-ons. Pick your clinic size to see what that means in practice; list prices are compared in the next section.
MERIDIQ: start with one module, for example patient records and consent, and add booking, payments or management when you need them. Pabau: the Solo plan covers one user, with the full platform on every plan and optional add-ons.
For list prices, see the price calculator below. Pabau plans and user ranges from Pabau's pricing page, checked 10 November 2026.
How much do MERIDIQ and Pabau cost?
On the list prices each vendor publishes, MERIDIQ's booking and records cost about half as much per user as Pabau Essential. MERIDIQ booking and records are £26 per user a month; Pabau's UK blog lists Essential at £49 and Plus at £74 per user a month. A five-person clinic pays £130 a month on MERIDIQ (£154 with all four modules), against £245 on Pabau Essential and £370 on Plus.
MERIDIQ lists every price on its pricing page: booking £4 per user, patient records £22 per user, payments £16 flat and the management system £8 flat, all per month. There is no setup fee and no lock-in contract.
Pabau's UK blog (updated 22 September 2026) lists Essential at £49 per user a month (calendar, online booking, client records, basic reporting), Plus at £74 per user a month (adds marketing automation, inventory, advanced forms and multi-location support) and Enterprise on custom pricing. Pabau's pricing page shows plans by team size (Solo, Team, Medium, Group, Enterprise), confirms prices in a demo and prices per location, except on Enterprise. Add-on prices are not published, so ask Pabau for a written quote for your setup. Both platforms offer savings of up to 20% with annual billing.
Price your own setup
List prices excl. VAT. MERIDIQ from meridiq.com/en/pricing; Pabau from Pabau's UK blog (updated 22 Sep 2026), checked 10 Nov 2026. Pabau's pricing page confirms prices in a demo, and add-ons, extra locations and onboarding costs are not included. Essential covers calendar, booking, records and basic reporting; Plus adds marketing automation, inventory and multi-location. Annual billing saves up to 20% on both. Card processing fees apply on both platforms.
Build as you grow: what a new clinic pays on MERIDIQ
Most new clinics do not need every module on day one. Here is a typical path for a single injector opening a clinic, then hiring a second practitioner. The price only moves when the clinic does.
MERIDIQ list prices excl. VAT. A second practitioner adds £4 (booking) + £22 (records) a month.
How long does it take to get started?
MERIDIQ can be live the same day; Pabau states that most practices are up and running within 7 to 14 working days. Both figures are each vendor's own statement. Real time depends on how much data you import and how many staff you train.
Set-up time is only half of the story. The other half is how quickly your team uses the system every day. Whichever platform you test, book, record, take consent and check out a test client with your own treatments before you decide.
From sign-up to up and running (working days, as stated by each vendor)
Pabau timing from Pabau's homepage FAQ ("up and running within 7-14 working days"). MERIDIQ timing: account active at sign-up with pre-built aesthetic templates; free onboarding and data import.
Modern and easy to use! The support is excellent, I can really recommend it.
What "easy to start" means on MERIDIQ
- ✔ Web, iPhone and Android: works on the devices you already have
- ✔ Pre-built aesthetic templates, so no forms to build from scratch
- ✔ Free import of your patient list: send us an export file from your current system and we load it for you
- ✔ Free onboarding and support included
- ✔ 14-day free trial with all modules, no lock-in afterwards
Do MERIDIQ and Pabau have the same features?
For the daily core, largely yes. Both cover online booking, client records, forms, before-and-after photos, video consultations, payments, SMS communication and reporting. Pabau also lists memberships, loyalty campaigns, AI tools and WhatsApp messaging. MERIDIQ includes a separate management module and aesthetic templates.
| Capability | MERIDIQ | Pabau |
|---|---|---|
| Daily operations | ||
| Online booking & reminders | ✓Email & SMS reminders, website bookingFrom £4/user | ✓Included on every plan |
| Client / patient records | ✓Records, history & treatment templates | ✓Clinical records |
| Digital consent forms | ✓Signed by the client before treatment | ✓Forms & documents |
| Before & after photos | ✓Comparison slider in the patient record | ✓Photo compare in coreCare Plus adds slider & high-quality storage |
| Payments, till, gift cards, inventory | ✓Via integrated payment providers£16/month flat | ✓Payments, POS & invoicing, vouchers, inventory |
| Policies, documents & incidents | ✓Management module£8/month flat | ✓Compliance toolsIncident & complaint logging via Care Plus |
| Video consultations | ✓Built into records and booking | ✓Included |
| Reporting | ✓Booking, records & sales reports | ✓Reporting includedDeeper analytics via Insights Plus add-on |
| Team roles, permissions & 2FA | ✓Role-based access, two-factor login | ✓Roles & permissions |
| Data import from your old system | ✓Free import of your patient list from an export file | ✓Onboarding discussed in demo |
| Growth | ||
| SMS & email marketing | ✓SMS campaigns & automations, SMS and email templatesWith marketing-consent management | ✓Marketing tools includedMarketing Plus adds advanced engagement |
| Memberships, loyalty & packages | ~Gift cards | ✓Packages, memberships & loyalty campaigns |
| AI tools (notes, agents) | –Not offered today | ✓Pabau Scribe AI notesAI agents via Engage Plus |
| WhatsApp & cloud phone | –Not offered today | +Engage Plus add-on, priced per location |
| Buying & commitment | ||
| Published UK prices | ✓Every module on the pricing page | ~List prices on Pabau's UK blog |
| Trial & getting started | ✓14-day free trial, no setup fee | ✓Demo with no obligationFree trials on some add-ons |
| Billing | ✓Monthly, no lock-in; up to 20% off annually | ✓Monthly, or up to 20% off annually |
Pabau features as listed on Pabau's pricing page and Care Plus blog post, checked 7 November 2026. Which Pabau features sit in the core plan and which in add-ons can change; confirm in a demo.
Why does a specialist system matter for aesthetic clinics?
Because aesthetic treatments are clinical work with very specific records. Toxin and filler treatments need treatment-specific consent, photos, product batch numbers and notes that stand up to scrutiny. A system built around those workflows gives you templates for them from day one.
Pabau serves aesthetics alongside GP and primary care, med spas, cosmetic surgery, mental health, physiotherapy, wellness and more. MERIDIQ is built for aesthetic clinics, so the templates, consent forms and language are aesthetic from the start.
Ready on day one
Pre-defined templates for treatment notes, consent forms and procedures. You adapt them; you do not build them.
Results you can show
Before-and-after photos sit in the client file next to the consent and notes for the same treatment.
Data in the EU
Patient data stored in the EU on AWS, with a data processing agreement available, plus a management module for your policies and incidents.
When is Pabau worth a closer look?
When your clinic needs features beyond the daily core that MERIDIQ does not offer today. Pabau lists several of these on its own website. If they matter to you, include them in your demo and in the written quote.
Pabau describes itself as trusted by 4,000+ practices in 40+ countries. Two areas stand out on its feature pages.
Several locations under one account
Pabau says you can manage multiple locations, calendars and teams from one account. Below the Enterprise plan, pricing applies per location.
Memberships, loyalty and AI tools
Pabau lists packages and memberships, loyalty campaigns, its Pabau Scribe AI note tool, and through Engage Plus, WhatsApp, a cloud phone and AI agents.
What do clinics say about MERIDIQ?
MERIDIQ has a TrustScore of 4.5 out of 5 from 16 reviews on Trustpilot (checked 7 November 2026). Three reviews selected by MERIDIQ, translated from Swedish:
I use all of MERIDIQ's services and it feels convenient to have everything in one place. Good support and clear systems. It simply helps me and my business day to day.
A very good record system with many options and features, and friendly customer service that helped me a lot, both with general instructions and when a minor problem with the payment system came up.
This covers everything I need to do my job as an injector. Clients are happy because they can fill in their details calmly at home.
Read all 16 MERIDIQ reviews on Trustpilot, including critical ones.
Summary
Both platforms cover the core of running an aesthetic clinic. MERIDIQ is modular, publishes every price and can be live the same day, which may suit a solo injector or a small to mid-sized aesthetic clinic that wants to start small and add modules as it grows.
Pabau is a broader suite for many practice types, priced by team size, with memberships, loyalty, AI tools and multi-location management. It may suit a practice that needs those features. Whichever you consider, compare written totals for your own team size. For a wider view of the market, see our guide to the best aesthetic clinic software in the UK.
See if MERIDIQ fits your clinic
Try every module free for 14 days. No setup fee, no lock-in. Or book a short demo and we will walk you through it with your own treatments.
Frequently asked questions
Is MERIDIQ cheaper than Pabau?
On list prices, usually yes. MERIDIQ booking and records cost £26 per user a month, while Pabau's UK blog lists Essential at £49 and Plus at £74 per user a month. Five users pay £130 on MERIDIQ, or £154 with all modules, against £245 on Essential. Pabau confirms prices in a demo, so ask for a written quote.
What is the main difference between MERIDIQ and Pabau?
MERIDIQ is a modular platform for aesthetic clinics: you pay per module and add more as the clinic grows. Pabau is an all-in-one practice management suite for many practice types, priced per user and per location by team size, with four optional add-ons for marketing, clinical workflows, analytics and messaging.
Can a small aesthetic clinic use MERIDIQ instead of Pabau?
Yes, if your core needs are booking, patient records, consent forms, before-and-after photos and payments. MERIDIQ covers these in four modules you can activate one at a time. If you need memberships, loyalty schemes, AI note-taking or several locations under one account, check those needs against Pabau's plans.
How long does it take to get started with MERIDIQ or Pabau?
MERIDIQ can be live the same day, with pre-built aesthetic templates and free onboarding. Pabau states that most practices are up and running within 7 to 14 working days. In both cases the real time depends on how much data you import and how many staff you train.
Can I move my patient data to MERIDIQ from another system?
Yes. Export your patient list from your current system and send the file to MERIDIQ, which imports it free of charge. Onboarding is also free, there is no setup fee and no lock-in, and you can test every module during a 14-day free trial before you switch.
How we put this comparison together
We compared both platforms on the same fields, using MERIDIQ's own pricing and product facts and, for Pabau, only information published on Pabau's website. We did not score or rank the platforms. Pabau is a trademark of its owner. Information can change; tell us if you spot an error and we will correct it.
Sources
- Pabau, homepage: practice types, set-up time, practice count, checked 7 November 2026.
- Pabau, Pricing: plans, per-user and per-location pricing, add-ons, trials, page updated 14 October 2026, checked 7 November 2026.
- Pabau, Care Plus features: photo tools and incident logging, checked 7 November 2026.
- Pabau, Best Salon Software UK: plan list prices (Essential, Plus, Enterprise), updated 22 September 2026, checked 10 November 2026.
- MERIDIQ, Pricing, checked 7 November 2026.
- Trustpilot, MERIDIQ reviews, checked 7 November 2026.
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