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Dental · head to head

CareStack vs Halaxy

CareStack logo

CareStack

Dental

All-in-One Cloud Dental Software

From
$829/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Halaxy logo

Halaxy

Healthcare

Practice management for allied health that charges nothing for the software and earns on payments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Halaxy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CareStack essentials plan starting price $829/month is per location, not per user; Halaxy the software being free does not mean the platform is cheap: a clinic taking most payments by card pays roughly 1.5 to 1.9 per cent plus a fixed fee on every transaction, which on a high volume practice comfortably exceeds what a flat AUD 60 per practitioner subscription would have cost.
  • They diverge on capability: CareStack covers Cloud-based platform, Halaxy covers No licence fee.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CareStack and Halaxy actually diverge.

Attributes where CareStack and Halaxy differ
AttributeCareStackHalaxy
Starting price$829/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree software, revenue taken on payments and credits
Free tierNoYes
CategoryDentalHealthcare
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 CareStack

  • Cloud-based platform
  • Patient scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Revenue cycle management
  • Patient communication
  • Insurance verification
  • Business intelligence
  • DEXIS

Only in Halaxy

  • No licence fee
  • Integrated claiming
  • Credit-based extras
  • Clinical notes and templates
  • Card payments
  • Multi-practitioner diary
  • Patient portal

Both cover

  • Online booking

What people use each for

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

CareStack

  • Dental practice management and patient schedulingnot Halaxy
  • Multi-specialty charting and digital imagingnot Halaxy
  • Insurance eligibility verification and claims managementnot Halaxy
  • AI-powered clinical notes and diagnosis assistancenot Halaxy

Halaxy

  • A solo psychologist starting out who wants Medicare and private health claiming without committing to a monthly subscription before there is any incomenot CareStack
  • A physiotherapy clinic that wants patient reminders, online booking and card payments reconciled against invoices in one systemnot CareStack
  • An NDIS provider that needs claim generation and service agreement tracking built into the same record as clinical notesnot CareStack
  • A multi-location allied health group in Australia that wants one diary across sites without paying per practitioner licencesnot CareStack

Where each one falls short

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

CareStack

  • Essentials plan starting price $829/month is per location, not per user
  • Intelligence plan adds $470/month minimum to base Essentials cost
  • Pricing based on number of locations, chairs, and providers (not per-user)
  • Core charting and imaging capabilities limited to base Essentials plan
  • AI-powered clinical features require Intelligence plan upgrade

Halaxy

  • The software being free does not mean the platform is cheap: a clinic taking most payments by card pays roughly 1.5 to 1.9 per cent plus a fixed fee on every transaction, which on a high volume practice comfortably exceeds what a flat AUD 60 per practitioner subscription would have cost.
  • Credits are prepaid and consumed by ordinary daily activity including SMS reminders and Medicare claims, so running out mid-week silently stops reminders going to patients, which shows up as no-shows rather than as an error message.
  • Features that competitors treat as standard, including two-way calendar sync, API access and a dedicated SMS number, are locked behind the credit subscription, so the headline free tier is thinner than it first appears.
  • Claiming, funding and payment integrations are deeply Australian, so practitioners in the UK, Canada or the United States get the diary and notes but very little of the automation that makes the product worth choosing.
  • Because the vendor earns on payment volume, its interests and yours diverge on card processing: switching to a cheaper acquirer breaks the automatic reconciliation that is the main operational reason to stay on the platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

CareStack

$829/month
  • Essentials$829/month
    • Scheduling, charting, imaging
    • Patient portal
    • Insurance management
  • Intelligence$1299/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • AI-powered clinical notes
    • Voice perio charting

Halaxy

Free
  • HalaxyFree
    • Unlimited practitioners with no subscription fee
    • Diary, patient records, clinical notes and invoicing
    • Online booking page
  • Premium subscription$25/month
    • Priced at 25 credits per month, so roughly AUD 4 to 6 depending on credit rate
    • Two-way calendar sync
    • White-label branding

Which should you pick?

Choose CareStack if

  • You need cloud-based platform.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want patient scheduling.
CareStack review

Choose Halaxy if

  • You need no licence fee.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want integrated claiming.
Halaxy review

Questions people ask

Is CareStack or Halaxy better?
Neither clearly leads. CareStack starts at $829/month and Halaxy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CareStack or Halaxy?
Halaxy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $829/month for CareStack and Free for Halaxy.
Does CareStack or Halaxy run on more platforms?
CareStack runs on Web, Ios, Android. Halaxy runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Halaxy for free?
Yes. Halaxy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CareStack starts at $829/month.
What is CareStack best used for?
CareStack is most often used for dental practice management and patient scheduling, multi-specialty charting and digital imaging, insurance eligibility verification and claims management, ai-powered clinical notes and diagnosis assistance. Of those, dental practice management and patient scheduling and multi-specialty charting and digital imaging are not what Halaxy is typically brought in for.
What can CareStack do that Halaxy cannot?
CareStack covers Cloud-based platform, Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Revenue cycle management. Halaxy covers No licence fee, Integrated claiming, Credit-based extras, Clinical notes and templates. Both handle Online booking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CareStack: How much does CareStack cost?

CareStack starts at $829 per month for the Essentials plan and $1,299 per month for the Intelligence plan. Pricing is customized based on the number of locations, chairs, and providers. Custom plans are available and implementation fees may apply.

Source
Halaxy: Is Halaxy genuinely free or is there a hidden subscription?

The core practice management software has no subscription fee for any number of practitioners. Halaxy earns from card processing fees, prepaid credits for SMS and claiming, and an optional premium subscription priced at 25 credits a month.

CareStack: What is included in each CareStack plan?

The Essentials plan ($829/month) includes scheduling, charting, imaging, patient portal, and insurance management. The Intelligence plan ($1,299/month) adds AI-powered clinical notes, voice perio charting, X-ray analysis, and clinical diagnosis features.

Source
Halaxy: What does it actually cost a busy clinic?

Budget for card fees of roughly 1.5 to 1.9 per cent plus 75 cents to a dollar per transaction, plus credits at about AUD 0.15 to 0.22 each for every SMS, claim and telehealth session. A clinic with heavy card volume can pay more in total than a flat-rate competitor.

CareStack: Are there additional fees for CareStack add-ons?

Yes, CareStack offers optional add-ons including VoiceStack (AI phone system), CareRevenue (RCM services), and ACE DSN (dental procurement) that can be added to either plan at additional cost. No other additional charges apply beyond the monthly subscription.

Source
Halaxy: Can I use it outside Australia?

Yes for the diary, notes, invoicing and booking. No for Medicare, DVA, NDIS and Australian health fund claiming, which is where most of the value sits.

Halaxy: Does it handle NDIS?

Yes, including NDIS claim generation, service agreements and plan management alongside clinical records.

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