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Healthcare · head to head

Cerner PowerChart vs GNU Health

Cerner PowerChart logo

Cerner PowerChart

Healthcare

Advanced clinical charting and documentation system within Cerner EHR

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GNU Health logo

GNU Health

Healthcare

Free hospital and health information system from a small NGO, built on the Tryton framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GNU Health has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cerner PowerChart no publicly published pricing rates available; GNU Health development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • They diverge on capability: Cerner PowerChart covers Clinical Documentation, GNU Health covers Electronic medical record.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cerner PowerChart and GNU Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Cerner PowerChart and GNU Health differ
AttributeCerner PowerChartGNU Health
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, DesktopLinux, Web, Self-hosted
Founded1979Unknown

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 Cerner PowerChart

  • Clinical Documentation
  • Intelligent Templates
  • Evidence-Based Content
  • Clinical Decision Support
  • Workflow Automation
  • Real-time Alerts
  • HL7
  • FHIR

Only in GNU Health

  • Electronic medical record
  • Hospital management
  • Laboratory information system
  • Social medicine modules
  • Tryton business modules
  • Health federation
  • ICD and standards support
  • Modular installation

What people use each for

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

Cerner PowerChart

  • Patient Carenot GNU Health
  • Medical Recordsnot GNU Health
  • Practice Managementnot GNU Health
  • Telehealthnot GNU Health

GNU Health

  • A public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial EMR licensing and has in-house Linux capabilitynot Cerner PowerChart
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot Cerner PowerChart
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot Cerner PowerChart
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot Cerner PowerChart

Where each one falls short

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

Cerner PowerChart

  • No publicly published pricing rates available

GNU Health

  • Development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • It is built on Tryton, a framework few health IT staff know, so hiring or contracting people who can extend and maintain it is materially harder than for a mainstream stack.
  • Installation, upgrades and database administration assume Linux and Python competence, which puts the real cost on staffing rather than on licensing and defeats hospitals that lack that team.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed, and clinician acceptance is a genuine deployment risk compared with commercial systems that have invested heavily in usability.
  • Certification, regulatory conformance and interoperability testing that some jurisdictions demand of clinical systems are not provided by a vendor, so the adopting institution has to carry that work and that liability itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cerner PowerChart

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cerner PowerChart review.

GNU Health

Free
  • GNU HealthFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No patient, bed or user limits
  • Support and training$undefined/year
    • Paid support and implementation from GNU Solidario
    • Training courses and certification
    • Quoted per institution

Which should you pick?

Choose Cerner PowerChart if

  • You need clinical documentation.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want intelligent templates.
Cerner PowerChart review

Choose GNU Health if

  • You need electronic medical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want hospital management.
GNU Health review

Questions people ask

Is Cerner PowerChart or GNU Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Cerner PowerChart starts at On request and GNU Health at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cerner PowerChart or GNU Health?
GNU Health has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cerner PowerChart and Free for GNU Health.
Does Cerner PowerChart or GNU Health run on more platforms?
Cerner PowerChart runs on Web, Desktop. GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use GNU Health for free?
Yes. GNU Health has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cerner PowerChart starts at On request.
What is Cerner PowerChart best used for?
Cerner PowerChart is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what GNU Health is typically brought in for.
What can Cerner PowerChart do that GNU Health cannot?
Cerner PowerChart covers Clinical Documentation, Intelligent Templates, Evidence-Based Content, Clinical Decision Support. GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cerner PowerChart: What is Cerner PowerChart pricing?

Cerner PowerChart, now part of Oracle Health, does not publish standard pricing. Enterprise healthcare EHR solutions require custom pricing based on hospital size, bed count, and module selection. Contact Oracle Health sales for quotes.

Source
GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

GNU Solidario, a Spanish nonprofit NGO, as an official GNU package under the GPL.

Cerner PowerChart: How do I get a demo or pricing information for Oracle Health?

Oracle Health provides a contact form and demo request option on its website. You can request a demo or contact the sales team to discuss your healthcare organization's needs and receive pricing information.

Source
GNU Health: Is there commercial support?

Yes, in a limited form, from GNU Solidario itself and a small number of implementers. It is not a vendor support organisation.

GNU Health: What is it built on?

Tryton, a Python business application framework, which is where its accounting, stock and HR modules come from.

GNU Health: Is it suitable for a large hospital?

It is deployed in hospitals, but the deciding factor is whether you have internal Linux, Python and Tryton capability rather than the size of the institution.

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