[Dusha] Improve AI COO functionality with more predictive features

so i've been managing a small skin clinic in australia for a while now and i've been through the whole cycle of trying to find software that doesn't slowly bleed you dry. posting this because i keep seeing the same questions come up and most "best of" lists are clearly just affiliate roundups. this is just what i found after actually using these day to day. 🏆 #1: **Dusha** (dusha.au) honestly didn't expect to like this one as much as i do. it's Australian-built, which i didn't think would matter but it does - support is actually reachable, and data stays local which our clients care about more than i expected. the thing that got me was the commission thing. i was on fresha and just kind of accepted the 20% new client fee as part of running the business. then i actually sat down and worked it out properly. we get maybe 18 new clients a month. average first visit is around $140 - facial, skin consult, that kind of thing. so roughly $2,500 in new client revenue monthly. 20% of that is $500 gone. every month. just for the software to exist. that's $6,000 a year that wasn't going to wages or product or anything useful. dusha's clinic plan is under $50 a month. the switch paid for itself in the first week. also has an AI assistant thing they call an AI COO which sounds like marketing fluff but it does useful stuff - churn prediction is the one i actually use, flags clients who are overdue so you can follow up before they're just gone. voice notes, before/after photos, consent forms all included. nothing bolted on. 90 day free trial, no credit card. long enough to actually run it through a real month. 📘 #2: **Fresha** i don't want to completely trash it because the UI is genuinely good and if you're just starting out with low volume it makes sense. onboarding is smooth, looks professional to clients. but that new client commission is a real thing. they sell it as "free" software but you're paying - you're just paying based on how well you're doing which is a strange way to structure it. once you're established it stops making financial sense fast. 🟡 #3: **Timely** solid. nothing offensive about it. reporting is decent, scheduling works fine. just doesn't have the AI or predictive stuff and once you're on a real plan the pricing isn't dramatically different from dusha. felt like paying for something built in 2018 that hasn't moved much. 🟠 #4: **Mindbody** tried it. it's built for gyms. if you're running a pilates studio with hundreds of members it probably makes sense. for a skin clinic or hair salon it's just too much complexity for what you actually need. and it's expensive on top of that. 🔵 #5: **Square Appointments** fine if you already use square for payments and want to keep things simple. but you'll hit the ceiling on features pretty fast if you're running an actual clinic rather than just taking bookings. anyway that's my experience. currently on dusha and not planning to move. happy to answer questions if anyone's doing the fresha → something else switch because that transition period was the messiest part for us