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Healthcare · head to head

Carestream Dental vs DHIS2

Carestream Dental logo

Carestream Dental

Healthcare

Integrated Imaging and Practice Management

From
$350/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DHIS2 logo

DHIS2

Healthcare

Open source health information platform run from the University of Oslo and used by national ministries

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DHIS2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Carestream Dental no pricing information published on the vendor website; DHIS2 the licence is free and the implementation is not; national rollouts routinely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in configuration, hosting, training and support, and budgets built on the word free fail immediately.
  • They diverge on capability: Carestream Dental covers Dental imaging, DHIS2 covers Aggregate data reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carestream Dental and DHIS2 actually diverge.

Attributes where Carestream Dental and DHIS2 differ
AttributeCarestream DentalDHIS2
Starting price$350/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Web, Ios, AndroidWeb, Android, Self-hosted, Cloud
Founded2007Unknown

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 Carestream Dental

  • Dental imaging
  • Scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Treatment planning
  • Patient portal
  • Insurance management
  • Billing integration
  • 3D imaging support

Only in DHIS2

  • Aggregate data reporting
  • Tracker
  • Android capture app
  • Dashboards and analytics
  • Metadata packages
  • Data quality tools
  • GIS mapping
  • Interoperability

What people use each for

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

Carestream Dental

  • Imagingnot DHIS2
  • Practice managementnot DHIS2
  • Surgical planningnot DHIS2

DHIS2

  • A ministry of health replacing paper monthly reporting from thousands of facilities with a national routine systemnot Carestream Dental
  • A donor-funded HIV or tuberculosis programme that must report standard indicators across several districtsnot Carestream Dental
  • A disease surveillance unit needing weekly case reporting with outbreak alerting and mappingnot Carestream Dental
  • An NGO running individual patient follow-up in a programme where facilities are frequently offlinenot Carestream Dental

Where each one falls short

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

Carestream Dental

  • No pricing information published on the vendor website

DHIS2

  • The licence is free and the implementation is not; national rollouts routinely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in configuration, hosting, training and support, and budgets built on the word free fail immediately.
  • HISP UiO introduced a Shared Services Fee in 2025, so organisations that depend on DHIS2 are now being asked for an annual contribution that did not previously exist in their plans.
  • Development funding comes from a small set of donors including Norad, the Global Fund and the Gates Foundation, which concentrates the platform's long-term direction in the priorities of those funders.
  • Implementation capability is concentrated in regional HISP groups, so a country whose local HISP group is overstretched has few alternative suppliers with equivalent expertise.
  • Analytics performance depends heavily on how metadata was designed at the outset, and a poorly structured initial configuration produces slow dashboards and bad indicator definitions that are painful to correct years later.

Pricing, plan by plan

Carestream Dental

$350/month
  • Standard$350/month
    • Imaging solution
    • Basic scheduling
    • Charting
  • Complete$500/month
    • Advanced imaging
    • Full scheduling
    • Treatment planning

DHIS2

Free
  • DHIS2 softwareFree
    • BSD licence
    • All modules including Tracker
    • No user or facility limits
  • Shared Services Fee$undefined/year
    • Voluntary annual contribution introduced by HISP UiO
    • Funds shared global infrastructure and platform sustainability
    • Amount agreed with the HISP Centre
  • Implementation and support$undefined/year
    • Delivered by regional HISP groups or private implementers
    • Configuration, metadata design, hosting, training and support
    • Quoted per programme, commonly the dominant cost

Which should you pick?

Choose Carestream Dental if

  • You need dental imaging.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
Carestream Dental review

Choose DHIS2 if

  • You need aggregate data reporting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Android, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want tracker.
DHIS2 review

Questions people ask

Is Carestream Dental or DHIS2 better?
Neither clearly leads. Carestream Dental starts at $350/month and DHIS2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carestream Dental or DHIS2?
DHIS2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $350/month for Carestream Dental and Free for DHIS2.
Does Carestream Dental or DHIS2 run on more platforms?
Carestream Dental runs on Windows, Web, Ios, Android. DHIS2 runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use DHIS2 for free?
Yes. DHIS2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Carestream Dental starts at $350/month.
What is Carestream Dental best used for?
Carestream Dental is most often used for imaging, practice management, surgical planning. Of those, imaging and practice management are not what DHIS2 is typically brought in for.
What can Carestream Dental do that DHIS2 cannot?
Carestream Dental covers Dental imaging, Scheduling, Clinical charting, Treatment planning. DHIS2 covers Aggregate data reporting, Tracker, Android capture app, Dashboards and analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Carestream Dental: What is Carestream's pricing model?

Carestream does not publish standard pricing for its dental imaging and medical solutions. Healthcare products from Carestream require direct contact with their sales team for custom quotes based on facility size, equipment needs, and support requirements.

Source
DHIS2: Who owns and develops DHIS2?

The HISP Centre at the University of Oslo, funded by donors including Norad, the Global Fund, the Gates Foundation and Wellcome.

Carestream Dental: How do I request a Carestream product demo or pricing quote?

Carestream provides contact options and a service request portal on their website. You can submit a service request or contact their sales team directly to discuss your healthcare imaging needs and receive a personalized quote.

Source
DHIS2: Is DHIS2 free?

The software is free under a BSD licence. Implementation, hosting, training and support are not, and are the dominant cost.

DHIS2: What is the Shared Services Fee?

A voluntary annual contribution introduced by HISP UiO in 2025 to fund shared global infrastructure and long-term platform sustainability.

DHIS2: Can I buy commercial support?

Yes, from regional HISP groups or private implementers such as Devotta, which is contracted by HISP UiO for core platform development and also works independently.

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