Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

athenaOne vs Open Dental

athenaOne logo

athenaOne

Healthcare

Unified cloud platform combining EHR, practice management, and patient engagement

From
$250/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Open Dental logo

Open Dental

Healthcare

Powerful, Affordable Practice Management

From
$169/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: athenaOne no published pricing on homepage, pricing available through request for demo only; Open Dental uS support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • They diverge on capability: athenaOne covers Electronic Health Records, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which athenaOne and Open Dental actually diverge.

Attributes where athenaOne and Open Dental differ
AttributeathenaOneOpen Dental
Starting price$250/month$169/month
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiWindows, Web, Api
Founded19972003

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 athenaOne

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Practice Management
  • Patient Engagement
  • Care Coordination
  • Analytics
  • Mobile App
  • Telehealth
  • Labs

Only in Open Dental

  • Patient scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Insurance claim processing
  • Treatment planning
  • Digital imaging integration
  • Patient communication
  • Reporting and analytics
  • eServices integration

What people use each for

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

athenaOne

  • Patient Carenot Open Dental
  • Medical Recordsnot Open Dental
  • Practice Managementnot Open Dental
  • Telehealthnot Open Dental

Open Dental

  • Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot athenaOne
  • Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot athenaOne
  • Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot athenaOne

Where each one falls short

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

athenaOne

  • No published pricing on homepage, pricing available through request for demo only
  • Healthcare EHR systems typically require enterprise-level contracts

Open Dental

  • US support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • The monthly fee covers up to 3 providers per location; each additional provider is $20 per month
  • Fees are charged per location, so a multi site practice pays for every office
  • eServices are charged separately per location, including eClipboard at $45 a month, ODMobile at $35 a month and eConfirmations at $25 a month
  • Electronic prescribing through DoseSpot costs $57 per month per prescribing provider
  • Conversion and implementation fees are not published and require consultation

Pricing, plan by plan

athenaOne

$250/month

No published plan breakdown. See the athenaOne review.

Open Dental

$169/month
  • Standard$169/month
    • Full software access
    • Unlimited workstations
    • Technical support
  • Cloud$249/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Cloud hosting
    • Automatic backups

Which should you pick?

Choose athenaOne if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want practice management.
athenaOne review

Choose Open Dental if

  • You need patient scheduling.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want clinical charting.
Open Dental review

Questions people ask

Is athenaOne or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. athenaOne starts at $250/month and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, athenaOne or Open Dental?
athenaOne starts at $250/month and Open Dental at $169/month.
Does athenaOne or Open Dental run on more platforms?
athenaOne runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
What is athenaOne best used for?
athenaOne is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can athenaOne do that Open Dental cannot?
athenaOne covers Electronic Health Records, Practice Management, Patient Engagement, Care Coordination. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

athenaOne: What does athenaOne cost?

athenaOne does not publish pricing on their website. Organizations must contact their sales team or schedule a demo to receive a customized quote based on practice size, specialty, and required features.

Source
Open Dental: How much does Open Dental cost?

Open Dental costs $199/month per location or office with a 12-month contract minimum. After the initial 12-month term, pricing continues on a month-to-month basis at a reduced rate.

Source
Open Dental: What does the $199/month fee include?

The monthly fee includes software access, full telephone support, all software releases, imaging and video capture, patient portal and web forms, and automated reminder features for up to 3 dentists per location.

Source
Open Dental: Does Open Dental offer a money-back guarantee?

Open Dental includes a 90-day money-back guarantee on subscription fees.

Source
Open Dental: What additional costs are there?

Data conversions from other dental software systems incur additional fees. Customized training with an Open Dental trainer is also available at extra cost.

Source
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