Qleven or Pabau: which one for your clinic?
WhatsApp AI, equipment anti-fraud, native ES/FR VAT and transparent pricing.
In short
Serious medical-aesthetic software (UK/global), strong on clinical records.
Pabau is a serious medical-aesthetic software, recognized for its clinical records, consents and before/after photos. On that turf, it is excellent.
A recent public review (Feb 2026) illustrates this expectation: it notes “it would be ideal if WhatsApp was integrated.” Its accounting runs through a Xero/QuickBooks integration rather than native ES/FR VAT.
You run a medical-aesthetic clinic and you are weighing up Pabau. Serious medical-aesthetic software (UK/global), strong on clinical records. The problem: day to day, missed appointments, an overloaded front desk and patched-together tax handling cost you time and revenue, month after month. With Qleven, the math changes: WhatsApp AI, equipment anti-fraud, native ES/FR VAT and transparent pricing.
Head to head, point by point
| On this point | Pabau | Qleven |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp AI receptionist | No WhatsApp AI agent; “Pabau Scribe” is a note-taking assistant, not a receptionist. WhatsApp requested in review (Feb 2026). | An AI agent answers and books on WhatsApp 24/7, with human handoff. |
| Equipment anti-fraud | To our knowledge (June 2026), no equipment-consumption control. | Measures each device’s real consumption and cuts off if no validated appointment. |
| Accounting / VAT | Via Xero/QuickBooks integration (UK-leaning). | Native double-entry accounting and VAT (ES/FR), prepaid packages included. |
| Pricing | Recurring public reviews about add-ons and a real total cost above the advertised one. | Modular, transparent pricing, no lock-in. |
Included or not: Pabau vs Qleven, at a glance
The full catalog, capability by capability. Green: included. Amber: partial, paid or via add-on. Gray: absent or no public data.
| Capability | Pabau | Qleven |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-resource agenda (room + practitioner + device) | Partial / paid / add-on | Included |
| Per-minute durations | No public data | Included |
| On-brand 24/7 online booking | Included | Included |
| Integrated official WhatsApp (reminders and conversations) | Absent | Included |
| AI receptionist that answers and books on WhatsApp | Absent | Included |
| Segmented WhatsApp campaigns and win-backs | Absent | Included |
| Clinical patient records | Included | Included |
| Signed, versioned consents | Included | Included |
| Per-treatment protocols | Included | Included |
| Before/after photos | Included | Included |
| Anti-fraud equipment control (Smart Control) | Absent | Included |
| Stock and per-service consumption | Included | Included |
| Native ES/FR accounting and VAT | Partial / paid / add-on | Included |
| Cash reconciliation | Included | Included |
| Prepaid packages and bundles | Included | Included |
| Staff clock-in (WhatsApp, QR, geofence) | No public data | Included |
| Leave and absences with approval | Included | Included |
| Multi-center | Included | Included |
| Real-time analytics | Partial / paid / add-on | Included |
| No lock-in | Partial / paid / add-on | Included |
| 0% commission on your clients | Included | Included |
| Own consumer marketplace | Absent | Absent |
Verdicts drawn from official websites and public reviews, as of July 2026. Capabilities evolve — verify critical points in a demo.
The deep dive: Pabau vs Qleven
Beyond the table: the points that truly weigh on your bill and your day-to-day, one by one. Expand what matters to you.
Messaging runs on paid SMS creditsSMS creditsnative WhatsApp
How it works at Pabau
Client communication relies on SMS credits you have to buy — a per-message channel that adds up fast for a small clinic. WhatsApp integration is, in fact, among the requests its own users have voiced publicly (“it would be ideal if WhatsApp was integrated”, Feb 2026).
Model documented in public reviews, 2025 – Feb 2026
What you gain with Qleven
Native official Meta WhatsApp: reminders, follow-ups and campaigns go out on the channel your clients actually read — no SMS credit meter.
The Pabau 2 migration, in practice
How it works at Pabau
The forced move from Pabau 1 to Pabau 2 (2024-2025) documented migrations far longer than announced (7 weeks instead of 7 days), missing clinical documents and integrations broken for weeks.
Cases documented in public reviews, 2024 – 2025
What you gain with Qleven
Migration included, done by our team and validated on real data before the switch — record by record, consent by consent.
Stability and slowness at peak hours
How it works at Pabau
Recurring slowdowns and glitches remain documented into 2026 (calendar inaccessible due to technical faults, screens that fail to save), despite the vendor’s announced investment to stabilise v2.
Documented in public reviews, 2025 – 2026
What you gain with Qleven
A real-time platform built for clinic pace: the agenda responds by the second, on every station at once.
The final cost: marketing add-ons, AI and credits
How it works at Pabau
Marketing Plus, Care Plus, credits for AI features: several pieces are billed on top of the subscription, and the real total exceeds the advertised entry price.
Pricing structure documented in public reviews, 2025 – 2026
What you gain with Qleven
Modules with public pricing, activated one by one — the total is calculated before you sign, not after.
Based on vendors’ official documentation and public reviews (Capterra, G2, Trustpilot…) as of the dates shown. Every vendor evolves its product — verify the points critical to your case in a demo.
Beyond Pabau
Keep what Pabau does well in mind — but a medical-aesthetic center needs a WhatsApp AI receptionist, equipment anti-fraud and native ES/FR VAT. That is exactly Qleven’s turf.
Qleven: 0% commission, no lock-in. Your clients and your data stay yours.
Let’s be fair
Pabau is strong on clinical records, consents and before/after photos — we don’t attack it there, it’s their legitimate strength.
What changes in a center like yours
Qleven product capabilities, not guaranteed results nor a real client’s data. Your results depend on your volume and pricing.
What Qleven brings that Pabau lacks
Frequently asked questions
What clinics ask us most before switching from Pabau to Qleven.
Does Qleven use paid SMS like Pabau?
No. Communication runs on official Meta WhatsApp, integrated as standard — reminders, follow-ups and campaigns without buying SMS credits.
Is Qleven’s clinical record up to Pabau’s?
It covers what an aesthetic clinic needs: records, versioned consents, per-treatment protocols and before/after photos. Pabau’s is excellent — ours lives in the same system as your agenda, your WhatsApp and your till.
How does Qleven avoid a painful migration like Pabau 2?
Migration is executed by our team and you only go live after validating it on real data: records, consents and appointments checked before the switch.
Is Qleven a good alternative to Pabau?
Yes, especially for medical-aesthetic clinics. Pabau is strong on clinical records, consents and before/after photos — we don’t attack it there, it’s their legitimate strength. Where Qleven stands out: WhatsApp AI, equipment anti-fraud, native ES/FR VAT and transparent pricing. In practice, you gain whatsapp ai receptionist 24/7, anti-fraud equipment control, native es/fr accounting and vat.
What does migrating from Pabau look like?
Migration is guided: we import your clients, history and agenda, and we train you. Qleven has no lock-in, so you test at your own pace and stay in control of your data.
Ready to see Qleven in action?
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See Qleven in your center · 15-min demo