Clinit vs Excel & paper records
Spreadsheets, WhatsApp and a paper appointment book. How Clinit and Excel & paper records compare for clinics in Egypt and the wider MENA region.
The short version
A spreadsheet plus a paper book costs nothing to start and every clinic understands it. It works until two people need the same file, a chart goes missing, or the owner wants to know last month’s no-show rate. There is no audit trail, no reminders, and no way for a patient to book or pay themselves.
Excel & paper records is a strong choice when
- You are a single practitioner seeing a handful of patients a day
- Zero software budget and no plan to grow headcount
- You do not need reminders, online payment, or reporting
Clinit fits better when
- Two or more people touch the schedule or the patient list
- No-shows, missing charts, or slow billing are costing real money
- You want to know your numbers without rebuilding a spreadsheet each month
- Compliance or accreditation needs an audit trail
Feature-by-feature
| Capability | Clinit | Excel & paper records |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty-specific clinical modules | Yes10 specialties + polyclinic mode, each with its own session tabs and depth tools | No |
| Full Arabic RTL staff dashboard | YesNot just the patient side — the whole clinical dashboard, per-user locale | VariesWhatever language you type in |
| Built-in clinical calculators | Yes47-tool registry (SCORE2, PASI, PHQ-9, IOL, growth Z-scores…) documented in the note | No |
| Public no-login self-booking | Yes | No |
| WhatsApp + SMS reminder automation | YesSelf-hosted WAHA or Twilio, 48/24/2h sequence, 23 event triggers, bilingual | PartialManual WhatsApp, one patient at a time |
| MENA payment methods | YesPaymob, Fawry, ValU, InstaPay + Stripe, Tap, PayTabs, Geidea, Kashier | PartialCash, or a personal transfer link |
| Insurance claims & reconciliation | YesInsurer/TPA rules, co-pay split, OCR payment-proof reconcile | No |
| HR, payroll & finance hub | YesAttendance, Egyptian NOSI payroll, expenses, petty cash, doctor commissions | PartialA second spreadsheet |
| Inventory with GRN & costing | Yes | PartialA third spreadsheet |
| KPI dashboard + LTV / funnel analytics | Yes50+ KPI widgets, patient LTV/RFM, revenue funnel, procedure profitability | No |
| Clinical AI co-pilot | Yes20+ routes: summaries, Rx review, referral letters, specialty interpreters | No |
| Native patient app + portal | YesiOS/Android, phone+PIN, online pay, Health Passport, family linking | No |
| HL7 v2.5.x / HIE interoperability | YesOptional Interop Hub with NABIDH, Malaffi, NPHIES partner packs | No |
| Data residency & branded subdomain | YesSelf-hosted infrastructure, {slug}.clinit.app staff login, Enterprise custom domain | VariesWherever the file lives |
| Open API & webhooks | Yes | No |
| 30-day free trial, no card | YesPlus Pay-As-You-Go option (per patient + per appointment) | YesFree forever, with all the limitations above |
This comparison reflects our understanding on the review date above and is written to be fair, not flattering. Vendor products and pricing change — verify current details directly with each provider before you decide.
Questions clinics ask
Can we import our existing spreadsheet into Clinit?
Yes. Clinit has a patient CSV import with column mapping, duplicate detection, and an error preview before anything is saved. Appointments can be bulk-imported too. Most clinics move their core data in a day or two.
What does it cost compared to a free spreadsheet?
Clinit starts with a 30-day free trial and a Pay-As-You-Go option billed per registered patient and per completed appointment, so a small clinic pays a small amount. The comparison that matters is against the cost of no-shows, slow collections, and lost charts.
Compare Clinit with other options
See Clinit on your own clinic’s data
30-day free trial. No credit card. Bilingual EN/AR. Live in about 15 minutes.