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Healthcare · head to head

Dentrix vs OpenClinica

Dentrix logo

Dentrix

Healthcare

The Most Trusted Name in Dental Practice Management

From
$299/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenClinica logo

OpenClinica

Healthcare

Clinical trial EDC with a genuinely open source community edition alongside a quoted commercial platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dentrix the Dentrix product page publishes no price and no licence term, and directs buyers to request a demo or contact the vendor; OpenClinica the free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • They diverge on capability: Dentrix covers Patient scheduling, OpenClinica covers Open source community edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dentrix and OpenClinica actually diverge.

Attributes where Dentrix and OpenClinica differ
AttributeDentrixOpenClinica
Starting price$299/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWindows, Web, ApiWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
Founded1989Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Dentrix

  • Patient scheduling
  • Electronic health records
  • Treatment planning
  • Insurance claim processing
  • Clinical charting
  • Imaging integration
  • Patient communication
  • Revenue cycle management

Only in OpenClinica

  • Open source community edition
  • Electronic data capture
  • eConsent
  • eCOA and ePRO
  • Randomisation
  • EHR-to-EDC
  • Audit trail
  • Reporting and analytics

What people use each for

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

Dentrix

  • Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot OpenClinica
  • Dental insurance claims, treatment planning and patient billingnot OpenClinica
  • Managing imaging alongside clinical records in one systemnot OpenClinica

OpenClinica

  • An academic coordinating centre running investigator-initiated trials that needs Part 11 compliant capture without an enterprise eClinical budgetnot Dentrix
  • A registry or observational cohort study collecting structured data across many sites over yearsnot Dentrix
  • A small device sponsor that needs eConsent and ePRO in the same system as its case report formsnot Dentrix
  • An informatics group that wants to self-host the open source edition for a non-regulated internal studynot Dentrix

Where each one falls short

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

Dentrix

  • The Dentrix product page publishes no price and no licence term, and directs buyers to request a demo or contact the vendor
  • Automatic software updates, in product chat support and priority access to specialists come through the paid Connected Care Essentials plan rather than the base software
  • Dentrix is sold as customisable packages and suites rather than one product, so what a practice gets depends on which suite it buys
  • Henry Schein One sells two separate practice management systems side by side, Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend, so buyers must choose between them rather than moving between editions

OpenClinica

  • The free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • The vendor provides no support or services at all for the community edition, which means outages, patching, database upgrades and validation documentation are entirely your problem.
  • Commercial pricing is not published, so you cannot benchmark it against alternatives without entering a sales process, and third-party figures around USD 1,000 a month are indicative rather than contractual.
  • Study build is skilled work: complex edit checks, randomisation schemes and integrations usually mean paying for vendor or consultant configuration services on top of the licence, which is a frequently underestimated line in the budget.
  • As a smaller vendor than the large eClinical suites it has a thinner partner and consultant ecosystem, so finding experienced build staff or a CRO already fluent in the platform is harder than with the market incumbents.

Pricing, plan by plan

Dentrix

$299/month
  • Dentrix G7$299/month
    • Patient scheduling
    • Treatment planning
    • Insurance management
  • Dentrix Enterprise$499/month
    • Multi-location support
    • Centralized management
    • Advanced analytics
  • Dentrix Ascend$399/month
    • Cloud-based platform
    • Automatic updates
    • Remote access

OpenClinica

On request
  • Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Free and open source under the LGPL
    • Self-hosted, on the older 3.x line
    • No vendor support or services of any kind
  • OpenClinica Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Pricing only through a sales process
    • Hosted and validated instance
    • EDC, eConsent, eCOA, randomisation and analytics modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Dentrix if

  • You need patient scheduling.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want electronic health records.
Dentrix review

Choose OpenClinica if

  • You need open source community edition.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
  • You also want electronic data capture.
OpenClinica review

Questions people ask

Is Dentrix or OpenClinica better?
Neither clearly leads. Dentrix starts at $299/month and OpenClinica at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dentrix or OpenClinica?
Dentrix starts at $299/month and OpenClinica at On request.
Does Dentrix or OpenClinica run on more platforms?
Dentrix runs on Windows, Web, Api. OpenClinica runs on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
What is Dentrix best used for?
Dentrix is most often used for practice management, charting and scheduling for dental offices, dental insurance claims, treatment planning and patient billing, managing imaging alongside clinical records in one system. Of those, practice management, charting and scheduling for dental offices and dental insurance claims, treatment planning and patient billing are not what OpenClinica is typically brought in for.
What can Dentrix do that OpenClinica cannot?
Dentrix covers Patient scheduling, Electronic health records, Treatment planning, Insurance claim processing. OpenClinica covers Open source community edition, Electronic data capture, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dentrix: Does Dentrix publish pricing online?

No, Dentrix does not disclose specific pricing, subscription tiers, costs, or licensing fees on their website.

Source
OpenClinica: Is OpenClinica free?

There is a genuinely free, LGPL licensed community edition you host yourself with no vendor support. The commercial platform with eConsent, eCOA and a validated hosted instance is quoted and paid.

Dentrix: How can I get a Dentrix pricing quote?

Contact Dentrix's sales team via the 'Request a Demo' or 'Request Info' options on their website, call 800-336-8749, or visit their support contact page.

Source
OpenClinica: Is the open source version still maintained?

Yes, releases on the 3.x line continued through 2025, but it is a separate and older architecture from the commercial product.

Dentrix: Does Dentrix offer customizable packages?

Yes, Dentrix mentions 'Dentrix Packages & Suites' as customizable options, but specific details and pricing for each package are not provided online.

Source
OpenClinica: Does it meet 21 CFR Part 11?

The commercial hosted platform is built for Part 11 and GCP compliance. If you self-host the community edition, compliance and validation are entirely your responsibility.

OpenClinica: What does the commercial version cost?

Not published. Third-party listings suggest enterprise arrangements from around USD 1,000 per month, but real cost depends on study count, subjects, modules and build services.

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