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Healthcare · head to head

Bahmni vs TherapyNotes

Bahmni logo

Bahmni

Healthcare

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TherapyNotes logo

TherapyNotes

Healthcare

EHR and practice management for therapists

From
$39/month
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.; TherapyNotes no API access, preventing integration with external systems
  • They diverge on capability: Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, TherapyNotes covers Electronic Health Records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bahmni and TherapyNotes actually diverge.

Attributes where Bahmni and TherapyNotes differ
AttributeBahmniTherapyNotes
Starting priceFree$39/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown2010

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 TherapyNotes

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Scheduling
  • Billing
  • Patient Portal
  • Telehealth
  • Outcome Tracking
  • Clearinghouses
  • Insurance

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 TherapyNotes
  • A ministry of health standardising district hospitals on one system and required by donors to use a recognised Digital Public Goodnot TherapyNotes
  • An NGO health network wanting one clinical record across several facilities with reporting that can feed a national DHIS2 instancenot TherapyNotes
  • A hospital that needs the clinical record, laboratory, pharmacy and billing to share one patient identity rather than running four disconnected systemsnot TherapyNotes

TherapyNotes

  • Patient Carenot Bahmni
  • Medical Recordsnot Bahmni
  • Practice Managementnot Bahmni
  • Telehealthnot 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.

TherapyNotes

  • No API access, preventing integration with external systems
  • Outdated interface compared to AI-driven competitors
  • No native mobile app for iOS or Android
  • No bulk actions to update multiple sessions at once

Pricing, plan by plan

Bahmni

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

TherapyNotes

$39/month
  • Solo$39/month
    • Full EHR
    • Scheduling
    • Patient portal

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 TherapyNotes if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You also want scheduling.
TherapyNotes review

Questions people ask

Is Bahmni or TherapyNotes better?
Neither clearly leads. Bahmni starts at Free and TherapyNotes at $39/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bahmni or TherapyNotes?
Bahmni has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bahmni and $39/month for TherapyNotes.
Does Bahmni or TherapyNotes run on more platforms?
Bahmni runs on Web, Linux, Android. TherapyNotes runs on Web.
Can I use Bahmni for free?
Yes. Bahmni has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. TherapyNotes starts at $39/month.
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 TherapyNotes is typically brought in for.
What can Bahmni do that TherapyNotes cannot?
Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, Configurable clinical forms, Laboratory integration, Billing and inventory. TherapyNotes covers Electronic Health Records, Scheduling, Billing, Patient Portal.

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.

TherapyNotes: Does TherapyNotes integrate with other applications?

TherapyNotes has zero API availability and cannot connect to external systems including marketing platforms, CRMs, or data dashboards. Unlike competitors, it lacks integration capabilities.

Source
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.

TherapyNotes: What are TherapyNotes pricing plans?

TherapyNotes charges $69/month for a solo practitioner plan and $79/month for the first clinician in a group with $50/month per additional clinician. A 30-day free trial is included with every plan.

Source
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.

TherapyNotes: Does TherapyNotes include telehealth?

Yes. TherapyNotes includes Basic Telehealth at no extra cost on every plan, with standard-definition video for up to 2 participants. Premium Telehealth with full HD, screen sharing, and closed captions costs $15 per clinician per month.

Source
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.

Bahmni: Where is it used?

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

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