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Healthcare · head to head

Bahmni vs Rx30

Bahmni logo

Bahmni

Healthcare

Open source hospital information system and EMR for low-resource hospitals, built on OpenMRS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rx30 logo

Rx30

Healthcare

Long-established pharmacy management system for independents and small chains

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bahmni has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bahmni the licence is free and the implementation is not; configuration, data migration, training and multi-year support from a partner routinely cost far more than a small commercial system would have, and hospitals that budget only for hardware stall.; Rx30 shares ownership with PioneerRx, so the two are not the independent alternatives a shortlist implies, and roadmap priorities are set centrally
  • They diverge on capability: Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, Rx30 covers Prescription processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bahmni and Rx30 actually diverge.

Attributes where Bahmni and Rx30 differ
AttributeBahmniRx30
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, AndroidWindows, Web

Identical on both: 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 Bahmni

  • OpenMRS clinical record
  • Configurable clinical forms
  • Laboratory integration
  • Billing and inventory
  • Imaging
  • Inpatient management
  • Offline-capable clinical app
  • Reporting

Only in Rx30

  • Prescription processing
  • Claims adjudication
  • Inventory and purchasing
  • Point of sale
  • Delivery management
  • Clinical documentation

What people use each for

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

Bahmni

  • A mission or charitable hospital in India or East Africa that cannot fund a commercial hospital information system licence but needs a real EMR rather than papernot Rx30
  • A ministry of health standardising district hospitals on one system and required by donors to use a recognised Digital Public Goodnot Rx30
  • An NGO health network wanting one clinical record across several facilities with reporting that can feed a national DHIS2 instancenot Rx30
  • A hospital that needs the clinical record, laboratory, pharmacy and billing to share one patient identity rather than running four disconnected systemsnot Rx30

Rx30

  • Independent pharmacies and small chains wanting a mature, widely-supported systemnot Bahmni
  • Operations relying on a broad set of wholesaler and PBM interfacesnot Bahmni
  • Pharmacies with significant front-end retail alongside dispensingnot Bahmni
  • Multi-store independents needing consistency across locationsnot Bahmni

Where each one falls short

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

Bahmni

  • The licence is free and the implementation is not; configuration, data migration, training and multi-year support from a partner routinely cost far more than a small commercial system would have, and hospitals that budget only for hardware stall.
  • There is no single vendor with an obligation to you unless you contract one, so upgrade timing, security patching and defect resolution depend on whichever partner you hired and how long they stay engaged.
  • It integrates four substantial open source systems, which means an upgrade touches OpenMRS, OpenELIS, Odoo and the imaging stack together, and hospitals with heavy customisation often freeze on an old version rather than risk it.
  • Skilled Bahmni implementers are concentrated in a small number of firms in India and a few African countries, so a hospital outside those markets may find nobody local who can support it.
  • Funding for the coalition and its shared engineering comes from donors and member contributions rather than licence revenue, which makes the pace of core development dependent on grant cycles rather than on customer demand.

Rx30

  • Shares ownership with PioneerRx, so the two are not the independent alternatives a shortlist implies, and roadmap priorities are set centrally
  • The interface shows its age against newer entrants, and this is the most common objection in demonstrations
  • Pricing is not published, and total cost including hardware and interfaces needs to be requested explicitly
  • Windows-centric, with a cloud story less developed than newer competitors
  • US-only, tied to US insurance and regulatory requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Bahmni

Free
  • BahmniFree
    • AGPL open source, no licence fee
    • All modules included
    • Community support via forum and documentation

Rx30

On request
  • Rx30$undefined/month
    • Prescription processing
    • Claims adjudication
    • Inventory

Which should you pick?

Choose Bahmni if

  • You need openmrs clinical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Android.
  • You also want configurable clinical forms.
Bahmni review

Choose Rx30 if

  • You need prescription processing.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want claims adjudication.
Rx30 review

Questions people ask

Is Bahmni or Rx30 better?
Neither clearly leads. Bahmni starts at Free and Rx30 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bahmni or Rx30?
Bahmni has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bahmni and On request for Rx30.
Does Bahmni or Rx30 run on more platforms?
Bahmni runs on Web, Linux, Android. Rx30 runs on Windows, Web.
Can I use Bahmni for free?
Yes. Bahmni has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rx30 starts at On request.
What is Bahmni best used for?
Bahmni is most often used for a mission or charitable hospital in india or east africa that cannot fund a commercial hospital information system licence but needs a real emr rather than paper, a ministry of health standardising district hospitals on one system and required by donors to use a recognised digital public good, an ngo health network wanting one clinical record across several facilities with reporting that can feed a national dhis2 instance, a hospital that needs the clinical record, laboratory, pharmacy and billing to share one patient identity rather than running four disconnected systems. Of those, a mission or charitable hospital in india or east africa that cannot fund a commercial hospital information system licence but needs a real emr rather than paper and a ministry of health standardising district hospitals on one system and required by donors to use a recognised digital public good are not what Rx30 is typically brought in for.
What can Bahmni do that Rx30 cannot?
Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, Configurable clinical forms, Laboratory integration, Billing and inventory. Rx30 covers Prescription processing, Claims adjudication, Inventory and purchasing, Point of sale.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bahmni: Is Bahmni free?

The software is, under an open source licence. Implementation, hosting, configuration, training and support are charged by whichever partner you engage.

Rx30: Is Rx30 the same company as PioneerRx?

Both are owned by RedSail Technologies. They are sold as separate products to overlapping markets, but roadmap decisions sit with one company, which is worth knowing before treating them as independent options.

Bahmni: Who owns and governs Bahmni?

Thoughtworks transferred ownership in October 2017 to the Bahmni Coalition, under the fiscal sponsorship of the non-profit OpenMRS Inc. Thoughtworks remains on the governing committee.

Rx30: What does it cost?

Not published. Request the total including hardware, interfaces and training rather than the monthly software fee.

Bahmni: What does an implementation actually cost?

It varies by hospital size and country, but expect the dominant costs to be partner services, training and multi-year support rather than software or hardware. Get a fixed-scope quote covering upgrades, not just go-live.

Rx30: Why do pharmacies stay on it?

Installed base maturity. The interfaces to wholesalers, PBMs and hardware are long established, and those are the things that quietly stop a pharmacy working when they break.

Bahmni: Is it a recognised Digital Public Good?

Yes, Bahmni is on the Digital Public Goods Alliance register, which is increasingly a condition of donor funding for health information systems.

Rx30: How does it compare to PioneerRx?

PioneerRx is more aggressively developed around clinical services. Rx30 has the larger legacy base and broader front-end retail heritage. Same owner, different emphasis.

Bahmni: Where is it used?

More than 500 implementations across roughly 50 countries, concentrated in South Asia and Africa.

Rx30: Is it suitable for a small chain?

Yes, and that is one of its stronger cases. Multi-store consistency is better handled here than by the systems aimed purely at single independents.

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