The best clinic software in Pakistan, compared honestly

Does it work without internet? Most clinic software in Pakistan runs in the browser and stops when the connection does. If your area has load-shedding or patchy internet, test this first by switching off the Wi-Fi.

Where do the records live? Most clinic software here keeps your records on the company's servers and shows them in a browser or in a phone app. Nothing to install and any computer works, but every screen depends on the internet. Having a phone app doesn't settle it either: many clinic apps are the same website inside an app shell (built with tools like Cordova or a plain WebView), and they need the connection just as much. An app that keeps the records on the device opens a file straight away and doesn't care if the Wi-Fi drops. Switch the Wi-Fi off during a trial and you'll see the difference in a minute.

Price in rupees, and how you pay. Look for a monthly price in PKR, a trial, and a payment method you can use (bank transfer, JazzCash, EasyPaisa).

Reminders. SMS or WhatsApp reminders cut no-shows, but check who pays for the messages and whether they come from your number or theirs.

Prescriptions. Print or send one during the trial and look at it the way a pharmacist would.

Specialty tools. Dentists should check the tooth chart and whether there is a periodontal chart; other specialists should check the visit form fits their notes.

Getting your data out. Ask how you would leave. Many products, including ours today, offer printouts rather than a full export.

These are products marketed to clinics in Pakistan that publish enough on their sites to compare. "Not stated" means we couldn't find it on their site, not that the feature is missing. We left out customer counts, since they are the vendors' own claims.

The biggest difference isn't on the feature lists. Most of these products keep your records on their own servers. Whether you open them in a browser or through their phone app, a patient's file, a search or a saved visit usually has to travel to that server and back, so they lean heavily on the internet and slow down when the connection does. FindClinica is a native Android app that keeps the clinic's records on the phone itself and syncs them to our server in the background. Opening a file, searching or saving a visit happens on the device, so it is fast even on a weak connection, and it keeps working with none.

You want new patients to find you online. A directory such as Oladoc or Marham does something none of the clinic apps do: it puts you in front of patients who are searching. Many doctors use a directory for bookings and a separate app for records.

Your internet is unreliable. Check offline use first. Of the products above, FindClinica and SehatPro's ProCare plan are the two whose sites clearly say they work without internet.

You need X-ray viewing today. odontoX lists DICOM X-rays. FindClinica's CBCT viewer is still in development, so for now X-rays are kept as images.

You use an iPhone. jDent, InstaCare, Healthwire and the directories list iOS apps. FindClinica is Android and Windows only for now, with iPhone in early access.

You run several branches. Look at the products that sell branch plans, such as DentalPro Premium, jDent and SehatPro.

You are a dentist or GP who mostly works from your phone. If you want perio charting, prescriptions on WhatsApp, SMS reminders and the healthcare commission registers in one app that works offline, starting free and then PKR 2,000 a month, that is the clinic FindClinica was built for.

In fairness to everyone above, here is our side: no iPhone app yet, screens only in English, no lab orders or treatment plans, no one-click export of your data, and the Windows app has to be connected to an account that lives on an Android phone. The CBCT viewer is coming but not here yet.

Pick two or three, and put the same ten real patients into each. Book an appointment, take a part payment, write and send a prescription, and look at what the patient receives. Switch the Wi-Fi off and see what still works. Ask each company how you would get your data out if you left, and how quickly they answer on WhatsApp. A week of that tells you more than any list, including this one.