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Healthcare · head to head

Bahmni vs Visage Imaging

Bahmni logo

Bahmni

Healthcare

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Visage Imaging logo

Visage Imaging

Healthcare

Server-side streaming PACS built for radiologists reading very large studies over thin connections

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.; Visage Imaging pricing is per exam against a minimum annual volume, so an organisation whose imaging activity is flat pays a floor while a growing one sees the software line rise every year rather than amortise.
  • They diverge on capability: Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, Visage Imaging covers Server-side rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bahmni and Visage Imaging actually diverge.

Attributes where Bahmni and Visage Imaging differ
AttributeBahmniVisage Imaging
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, AndroidWindows, macOS, Web, iOS, Cloud

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 Visage Imaging

  • Server-side rendering
  • One Viewer
  • Native multi-dimensional tools
  • Digital breast tomosynthesis reading
  • Open archive
  • Cloud PACS operations
  • AI accelerator
  • On the fly patient jacket

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

Visage Imaging

  • An academic health system whose radiologists read from home and cannot tolerate a thousand slice CT taking minutes to opennot Bahmni
  • A breast imaging service moving to tomosynthesis where study sizes have made the existing PACS unusable at volumenot Bahmni
  • A teleradiology group covering many client sites that needs one viewer rather than a client-specific workstation per contractnot Bahmni
  • A health system mid migration that needs priors from three legacy archives assembled into one patient jacket before the data move finishesnot 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.

Visage Imaging

  • Pricing is per exam against a minimum annual volume, so an organisation whose imaging activity is flat pays a floor while a growing one sees the software line rise every year rather than amortise.
  • Module breadth outside radiology is narrower than at Sectra or the large modality vendors, so a group planning to digitise pathology on the same platform will not find it here.
  • Server-side rendering shifts the cost to central infrastructure, so the saving on radiologist workstations is partly offset by what you spend on servers or cloud compute.
  • Pro Medicus concentrates on very large contracts, and smaller imaging groups report long sales cycles and little appetite from the vendor for deals below a certain volume.
  • Diagnostic AI is third party, surfaced through the accelerator framework rather than developed in house, so algorithm licensing, validation and monitoring remain the buyer problem.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bahmni

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

Visage Imaging

On request
  • Visage 7 enterprise contract$undefined/year
    • Transaction pricing per exam with a minimum annual volume commitment
    • Seven to ten year terms typical for health system contracts
    • Contract totals for major deals are disclosed by Pro Medicus to the ASX

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 Visage Imaging if

  • You need server-side rendering.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Cloud.
  • You also want one viewer.
Visage Imaging review

Questions people ask

Is Bahmni or Visage Imaging better?
Neither clearly leads. Bahmni starts at Free and Visage Imaging at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bahmni or Visage Imaging?
Bahmni has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bahmni and On request for Visage Imaging.
Does Bahmni or Visage Imaging run on more platforms?
Bahmni runs on Web, Linux, Android. Visage Imaging runs on Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Cloud.
Can I use Bahmni for free?
Yes. Bahmni has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Visage Imaging 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 Visage Imaging is typically brought in for.
What can Bahmni do that Visage Imaging cannot?
Bahmni covers OpenMRS clinical record, Configurable clinical forms, Laboratory integration, Billing and inventory. Visage Imaging covers Server-side rendering, One Viewer, Native multi-dimensional tools, Digital breast tomosynthesis reading.

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.

Visage Imaging: Who owns Visage Imaging?

Pro Medicus Limited, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. That listing means major contract values and terms are publicly announced.

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.

Visage Imaging: How is Visage priced?

Per exam, against a minimum annual volume, on multi-year terms. Because Pro Medicus discloses large contract totals and durations to the market, buyers can estimate a per exam rate before entering negotiation.

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.

Visage Imaging: Is Visage 7 FDA cleared for diagnostic interpretation?

Yes, Visage 7 holds 510(k) clearance for diagnostic viewing including mammography and tomosynthesis on validated displays. Confirm the exact cleared modality list for your intended use.

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.

Visage Imaging: Does it work as a full cloud PACS?

Yes, Visage 7 runs complete PACS operations in the cloud rather than cloud viewing over an on-premise archive.

Bahmni: Where is it used?

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

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