Healthcare & Medical · head to head
Athenahealth vs Dentrix
Athenahealth
Healthcare & Medical
Cloud-based medical practice management
- From
- $140/month
- Rated
- -
Dentrix
Healthcare & Medical
The Most Trusted Name in Dental Practice Management
- From
- $299/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments; Dentrix the Dentrix product page publishes no price and no licence term, and directs buyers to request a demo or contact the vendor
- They diverge on capability: Athenahealth covers Electronic Health Records, Dentrix covers Patient scheduling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Athenahealth and Dentrix actually diverge.
| Attribute | Athenahealth | Dentrix |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $140/month | $299/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, Web, Api |
| Founded | 1997 | 1989 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare & Medical).
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 Athenahealth
- Electronic Health Records
- Medical Billing
- Patient Engagement
- Telehealth
- Analytics
- Labs
- Pharmacies
- Clearinghouses
Only in Dentrix
- Patient scheduling
- Electronic health records
- Treatment planning
- Insurance claim processing
- Clinical charting
- Imaging integration
- Patient communication
- Revenue cycle management
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Athenahealth
- Patient Carenot Dentrix
- Medical Recordsnot Dentrix
- Practice Managementnot Dentrix
- Telehealthnot Dentrix
Dentrix
- Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Athenahealth
- Dental insurance claims, treatment planning and patient billingnot Athenahealth
- Managing imaging alongside clinical records in one systemnot Athenahealth
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Athenahealth
- High implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
- Pricing tiers not transparently listed, requiring custom quotes
Dentrix
- The Dentrix product page publishes no price and no licence term, and directs buyers to request a demo or contact the vendor
- Automatic software updates, in product chat support and priority access to specialists come through the paid Connected Care Essentials plan rather than the base software
- Dentrix is sold as customisable packages and suites rather than one product, so what a practice gets depends on which suite it buys
- Henry Schein One sells two separate practice management systems side by side, Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend, so buyers must choose between them rather than moving between editions
Pricing, plan by plan
Athenahealth
$140/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.
Dentrix
$299/month- Dentrix G7$299/month
- Patient scheduling
- Treatment planning
- Insurance management
- Dentrix Enterprise$499/month
- Multi-location support
- Centralized management
- Advanced analytics
- Dentrix Ascend$399/month
- Cloud-based platform
- Automatic updates
- Remote access
Which should you pick?
Choose Athenahealth if
- You need electronic health records.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want medical billing.
Choose Dentrix if
- You need patient scheduling.
- You work on Windows, Web, Api.
- You also want electronic health records.
Questions people ask
- Is Athenahealth or Dentrix better?
- Neither clearly leads. Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Dentrix at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Athenahealth or Dentrix?
- Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Dentrix at $299/month.
- Does Athenahealth or Dentrix run on more platforms?
- Athenahealth runs on Web, iOS, Android. Dentrix runs on Windows, Web, Api.
- What is Athenahealth best used for?
- Athenahealth is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Dentrix is typically brought in for.
- What can Athenahealth do that Dentrix cannot?
- Athenahealth covers Electronic Health Records, Medical Billing, Patient Engagement, Telehealth. Dentrix covers Patient scheduling, Electronic health records, Treatment planning, Insurance claim processing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Athenahealth: What platforms does Athenahealth serve?
Athenahealth's athenaOne serves small to medium-sized physician practices and hospitals with integrated clinical, financial, and operational workflows.
SourceAthenahealth: What is the pricing model for athenaOne?
Athenahealth uses customized pricing with percent-based or encounter-based models. Starting price reported at $140/month with implementation costs ranging from $5,000-$20,000 for small businesses.
SourceAthenahealth: Does Athenahealth include revenue cycle management?
Yes, athenaOne includes network-driven claims scrubbing with 95%+ first-pass rates, denial management, and A/R optimization.
SourceAthenahealth: What patient engagement features does Athenahealth offer?
Athenahealth provides athenaCommunicator for patient portals, automated appointment reminders, online scheduling, telehealth integration, digital intake, and broadcast messaging.
SourceAthenahealth: How many pre-built integrations does Athenahealth have?
Athenahealth's marketplace includes over 250 pre-integrated third-party apps, allowing practices to extend functionality without custom development.
Source