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Healthcare · head to head

Ambra Health vs Sectra

Ambra Health logo

Ambra Health

Healthcare

Cloud medical image exchange and vendor neutral archive, now part of Intelerad

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sectra logo

Sectra

Healthcare

Enterprise imaging and PACS from a Swedish vendor that also sells the pathology and cardiology modules on one platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ambra Health intelerad now owns Ambra and ambrahealth.com redirects to Intelerad client support, so a buyer is committing to the Intelerad portfolio roadmap and should get written positioning on Ambra versus Intelerad own cloud PACS before signing.; Sectra sectra does not make scanners, so it cannot cross-subsidise software against modality hardware the way an integrated manufacturer can, and it often loses on headline price in a bundled tender.
  • They diverge on capability: Ambra Health covers Image exchange, Sectra covers Sectra IDS7.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ambra Health and Sectra actually diverge.

Attributes where Ambra Health and Sectra differ
AttributeAmbra HealthSectra
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, Cloud, On-premise

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ambra Health

  • Image exchange
  • Cloud VNA
  • Zero footprint viewer
  • Patient upload portal
  • Identity reconciliation
  • Clinical trials workflow
  • API and HL7 integration

Only in Sectra

  • Sectra IDS7
  • Digital pathology module
  • Sectra VNA
  • Sectra UniView
  • Image Exchange Portal
  • Sectra Amplifier
  • Breast imaging workflow
  • Sectra One Cloud

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ambra Health

  • A trauma centre that receives transfers from regional hospitals and needs outside CT studies readable before the patient arrives, not after a disc is walked innot Sectra
  • An oncology programme collecting outside imaging for multidisciplinary tumour board review from dozens of referring practicesnot Sectra
  • A clinical research organisation routing de identified trial imaging from many sites to one central reading facilitynot Sectra
  • A health system trying to eliminate the CD import desk by giving patients and referring practices a direct upload portalnot Sectra

Sectra

  • A hospital group digitising histopathology that does not want a second image archive and a second integration project alongside radiologynot Ambra Health
  • A regional health service replacing several departmental PACS with one archive and one clinician viewernot Ambra Health
  • An imaging provider moving off a capital refresh cycle to a cloud subscription with predictable annual costnot Ambra Health
  • A trust that needs to send and receive studies with neighbouring organisations routinely, where the Image Exchange Portal is already the regional normnot Ambra Health

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ambra Health

  • Intelerad now owns Ambra and ambrahealth.com redirects to Intelerad client support, so a buyer is committing to the Intelerad portfolio roadmap and should get written positioning on Ambra versus Intelerad own cloud PACS before signing.
  • Ambra is built for cross organisation exchange, not for high volume in department diagnostic reading, so a radiology group that expects it to replace a departmental PACS finds the reading ergonomics and hanging protocols thinner than a dedicated PACS client.
  • Pricing scales with study volume and stored capacity, so a health system that turns on patient upload broadly sees storage grow from low value outside studies it never intended to retain, and the renewal reflects that.
  • Identity reconciliation of studies arriving with foreign patient identifiers still needs human review at volume, and sites that budget for zero touch matching end up staffing an imaging records queue.
  • Adoption depends on referring practices actually using the portal, and the vendor cannot make that happen, so image exchange projects frequently stall at the outreach and change management step rather than at the technology.

Sectra

  • Sectra does not make scanners, so it cannot cross-subsidise software against modality hardware the way an integrated manufacturer can, and it often loses on headline price in a bundled tender.
  • Diagnostic AI is not built in house; Amplifier orchestrates third party algorithms, so the algorithms themselves need separate licences, separate clinical validation and separate information governance sign off.
  • Sectra One Cloud is priced against a committed annual study volume, and organisations whose imaging activity grows faster than forecast meet overage charges partway through the term.
  • The pathology module assumes you have already solved slide scanning and laboratory workflow, which is the larger and more expensive part of digitising histopathology and is not in Sectra scope.
  • Depth of Epic and Oracle Health integration varies by region and by which modules you buy, so a reference site in Sweden is a weak predictor of what integration will cost a United States buyer.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ambra Health

On request
  • Ambra Health$undefined/year
    • Priced by annual study volume and stored capacity
    • Exchange partner connections and upload portals scoped per deployment
    • Zero footprint viewer licensed with the platform

Sectra

On request
  • Sectra Enterprise Imaging$undefined/year
    • Perpetual licence plus annual maintenance, or Sectra One Cloud subscription
    • Priced on committed annual study volume and modules selected
    • Pathology, cardiology and ophthalmology licensed as separate modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Ambra Health if

  • You need image exchange.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want cloud vna.
Ambra Health review

Choose Sectra if

  • You need sectra ids7.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want digital pathology module.
Sectra review

Questions people ask

Is Ambra Health or Sectra better?
Neither clearly leads. Ambra Health starts at On request and Sectra at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ambra Health or Sectra?
Ambra Health starts at On request and Sectra at On request.
Does Ambra Health or Sectra run on more platforms?
Ambra Health runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sectra runs on Windows, Web, Cloud, On-premise.
What is Ambra Health best used for?
Ambra Health is most often used for a trauma centre that receives transfers from regional hospitals and needs outside ct studies readable before the patient arrives, not after a disc is walked in, an oncology programme collecting outside imaging for multidisciplinary tumour board review from dozens of referring practices, a clinical research organisation routing de identified trial imaging from many sites to one central reading facility, a health system trying to eliminate the cd import desk by giving patients and referring practices a direct upload portal. Of those, a trauma centre that receives transfers from regional hospitals and needs outside ct studies readable before the patient arrives, not after a disc is walked in and an oncology programme collecting outside imaging for multidisciplinary tumour board review from dozens of referring practices are not what Sectra is typically brought in for.
What can Ambra Health do that Sectra cannot?
Ambra Health covers Image exchange, Cloud VNA, Zero footprint viewer, Patient upload portal. Sectra covers Sectra IDS7, Digital pathology module, Sectra VNA, Sectra UniView.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ambra Health: Is Ambra Health still sold under its own name?

Yes. Intelerad still markets Ambra Health as a named product line, but the standalone website redirects to Intelerad, and support and contracting run through Intelerad.

Sectra: Does Sectra include diagnostic AI?

No. Sectra Amplifier is a marketplace and orchestration layer for third party algorithms, each licensed and validated separately.

Ambra Health: Can Ambra replace our PACS?

For image exchange, archiving and clinical viewing, yes. For high volume diagnostic radiology reading it is generally deployed alongside a departmental PACS rather than instead of one.

Sectra: Is pathology really on the same platform as radiology?

Yes, the pathology module uses the same archive and workflow engine, which is the main reason buyers digitising histopathology shortlist Sectra.

Ambra Health: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by annual study volume, stored capacity and the scope of exchange connections.

Sectra: How is Sectra One Cloud priced?

On committed annual study volume plus the modules selected, as a subscription rather than a capital purchase. The vendor does not publish rates.

Ambra Health: Does the viewer require software on referring physician machines?

No. The viewer is zero footprint HTML5, which is the main reason referring practices adopt it at all.

Sectra: Is Sectra CE marked and FDA cleared?

The diagnostic viewing software carries CE marking under the medical device regulation and FDA 510(k) clearance for diagnostic interpretation, but the exact cleared indications differ per module and per market, so confirm for pathology specifically.

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