Healthcare & Medical · head to head
Cerner vs Open Dental
C
Cerner
Healthcare & Medical
Health information technology solutions for healthcare organizations
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -

Open Dental
Healthcare & Medical
Powerful, Affordable Practice Management
- From
- $169/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Cerner pricing is not publicly available; custom quotes required from sales; 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: Cerner covers Electronic Health Records, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cerner and Open Dental actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cerner | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $169/month |
| Pricing model | quote | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, Web, Api |
| Founded | 1979 | 2003 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Cerner
- Electronic Health Records
- Revenue Cycle
- Population Health
- Patient Engagement
- HL7
- FHIR
- Lab Systems
- HIPAA
Only in Open Dental
- Patient scheduling
- Clinical charting
- Insurance claim processing
- Treatment planning
- Digital imaging integration
- Patient communication
- Reporting and analytics
- eServices integration
Both cover
- On-premise deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cerner
- Hospital and acute care EHR for chart review and clinical documentationnot Open Dental
- Mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devicesnot Open Dental
Open Dental
- Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Cerner
- Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot Cerner
- Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot Cerner
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cerner
- Pricing is not publicly available; custom quotes required from sales
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
Cerner
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Cerner review.
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 Cerner if
- You need electronic health records.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want revenue cycle.
Choose Open Dental if
- You need patient scheduling.
- You work on Windows, Web, Api.
- You also want clinical charting.
Questions people ask
- Is Cerner or Open Dental better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cerner starts at On request and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cerner or Open Dental?
- Cerner starts at On request and Open Dental at $169/month.
- Does Cerner or Open Dental run on more platforms?
- Cerner runs on Web, iOS, Android. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
- What is Cerner best used for?
- Cerner is most often used for hospital and acute care ehr for chart review and clinical documentation, mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devices. Of those, hospital and acute care ehr for chart review and clinical documentation and mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devices are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
- What can Cerner do that Open Dental cannot?
- Cerner covers Electronic Health Records, Revenue Cycle, Population Health, Patient Engagement. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning. Both handle On-premise deployment.
Related pages
More on Open Dental
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