Routiq vs Heron.
What Heron says it does: Answers patient inquiries 24/7 and books appointments, with structured summaries of every conversation. Routiq pairs Robyn, who answers every channel and re-engages lapsed patients, with Abby, who checks the wording against published AHPRA advertising guidance first. Here is the honest comparison.
| Routiq | Heron | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Australia | International |
| Practice systems | Cliniko, Nookal, PracSuite | Cliniko |
| Channels | Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Web chat | Phone |
| Patient re-engagement | Yes. Robyn works the rebooking report and writes follow-ups | Not their focus |
| AHPRA-aware checking | Yes. Abby checks messaging against published AHPRA advertising guidance | No public equivalent |
| Pricing | AUD $199 per location per month, or $159 billed annually. No setup fees. 7-day free trial. | Pricing on enquiry (last checked August 2026). |
What Heron does well
- ✓ Structured conversation summaries for the front desk
- ✓ 24/7 inquiry handling
Choose Heron if
- Clean call summaries into your workflow are the feature you care about most.
Choose Routiq if
- You want re-engagement, not just reception. Robyn works the rebooking report and writes the follow-ups, so the diary fills from patients you already have..
- Your messaging touches AHPRA territory. Abby checks each follow-up and your marketing against published AHPRA advertising guidance before it goes out. No other tool on this list does that..
- You want one bill for reception, re-engagement and checking. $199 per location per month, no setup fees, live in a day..
The verdict
Heron's structured summaries are a genuinely useful touch: the front desk knows what happened on every call.
Routiq covers that ground and adds the other half of the job: multi-channel reception, automatic re-engagement and AHPRA-aware checking in one subscription.
This comparison uses public information: Heron's own website and the Cliniko Connected Apps directory, last checked 8 August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email daniel.welsh@routiq.ai and we will fix it. Their site: heron.health
See Robyn work your rebooking report.
7-day free trial. No setup fees. Live in a day on Cliniko, Nookal or PracSuite.
Also compared: Aeva AI Receptionist · Able AI Receptionist (Lyngo) · HealthVoice · AI Jane · all comparisons