Healthcare & Medical · head to head
Calm vs Open Dental

Open Dental
Healthcare & Medical
Powerful, Affordable Practice Management
- From
- $169/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Calm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Calm free tier is severely limited, with almost all content requiring payment; 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: Calm covers Sleep Stories, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Calm and Open Dental actually diverge.
| Attribute | Calm | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $169/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | Windows, Web, Api |
| Founded | 2012 | 2003 |
Identical on both: 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 Calm
- Sleep Stories
- Guided meditations
- Daily Calm
- Breathing exercises
- Calm Body stretching
- Apple Health
- Apple Watch
- Samsung Health
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.
Calm
- Workout trackingnot Open Dental
- Nutrition managementnot Open Dental
- Health monitoringnot Open Dental
- Fitness coachingnot Open Dental
- Wellness improvementnot Open Dental
Open Dental
- Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Calm
- Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot Calm
- Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot Calm
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Calm
- Free tier is severely limited, with almost all content requiring payment
- Only one meditation per day included in free tier (Daily Calm)
- Annual pricing is among the highest in the meditation app category
- Less extensive free content library compared to Insight Timer (which has 100,000+ free meditations)
- Limited customization of meditation sessions; mostly follows Calm's curated content
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
Calm
Free- FreeFree
- Daily Calm
- Select Sleep Stories
- 1 breathing exercise
- Premium Monthly$12.99/month
- All content unlocked
- Sleep Stories
- Masterclasses
- Premium Annual$69.99/year
- All content unlocked
- Sleep Stories
- Masterclasses
- Family Plan$99.99/year
- Up to 6 accounts
- All Premium content
- Separate customization per member
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 Calm if
- You need sleep stories.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want guided meditations.
Choose Open Dental if
- You need patient scheduling.
- You work on Windows, Web, Api.
- You also want clinical charting.
Questions people ask
- Is Calm or Open Dental better?
- Neither clearly leads. Calm starts at Free and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Calm or Open Dental?
- Calm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Calm and $169/month for Open Dental.
- Does Calm or Open Dental run on more platforms?
- Calm runs on iOS, Android, Web. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
- Can I use Calm for free?
- Yes. Calm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Open Dental starts at $169/month.
- What is Calm best used for?
- Calm is most often used for workout tracking, nutrition management, health monitoring, fitness coaching. Of those, workout tracking and nutrition management are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
- What can Calm do that Open Dental cannot?
- Calm covers Sleep Stories, Guided meditations, Daily Calm, Breathing exercises. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Calm: What does Calm's free tier include?
The free plan includes 1 breathing exercise, Day 1 of programs, select Sleep Stories, and Scenes, plus the famous Daily Calm feature and bedtime stories. Most content is locked behind the paid tier.
SourceCalm: What is included in Calm Premium?
Calm Premium (all paid tiers are identical) includes The Daily Calm, Sleep Stories narrated by celebrities, exclusive music playlists, masterclasses taught by experts, Daily Move video lessons for stretching and mindful movement, and the entire content library.
SourceCalm: How much does Calm Premium cost?
Monthly subscription is $12.99/month, annual is $69.99-$79.99/year, Family Plan is $99.99/year (includes 1 Admin + 5 Members), and lifetime membership is available as a one-time payment.
SourceCalm: Does Calm offer pricing for organizations or teams?
Yes. Calm offers organizational plans for groups of 5-300 people with per-seat pricing based on total 'covered lives.' Larger groups receive deeper discounts. Pricing is significantly reduced compared to individual subscriptions.
SourceCalm: Does Calm work offline?
Calm's app functions offline for already-downloaded content. Downloaded Sleep Stories, meditations, and Music programs can be accessed without an internet connection.
SourceRelated pages
More on Open Dental
Other head to heads
- Calm vs Epic Systems
- Calm vs Amwell
- Calm vs Athenahealth
- Calm vs Cerner
- Calm vs BetterHelp
- Calm vs Doctor on Demand
- Calm vs Doxy.me
- Calm vs DrChrono
- Calm vs WebPT
- Calm vs Allscripts
- Calm vs Dentrix
- Calm vs Epic MyChart
- Calm vs Headspace
- Calm vs Jane App
- Calm vs Kareo
- Calm vs NextGen Enterprise EHR
- Calm vs SimplePractice
- Calm vs Teladoc Health
- Open Dental vs Epic Systems
- Open Dental vs Amwell
- Open Dental vs Athenahealth
- Open Dental vs Cerner
- Open Dental vs BetterHelp
- Open Dental vs Doctor on Demand
- Open Dental vs Doxy.me
- Open Dental vs DrChrono
- Open Dental vs WebPT
- Open Dental vs Allscripts
- Open Dental vs Dentrix
- Open Dental vs Epic MyChart
- Open Dental vs Headspace
- Open Dental vs Jane App
- Open Dental vs Kareo
- Open Dental vs NextGen Enterprise EHR
- Open Dental vs SimplePractice
- Open Dental vs Teladoc Health

