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Healthcare · head to head

DHIS2 vs Doctor on Demand

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
Doctor on Demand logo

Doctor on Demand

Healthcare

Telehealth platform for urgent and primary care

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DHIS2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Doctor on Demand out-of-pocket costs without insurance: urgent care $99, therapy $134, psychiatry $299 per visit; no subscription model disclosed
  • They diverge on capability: DHIS2 covers Aggregate data reporting, Doctor on Demand covers Video Consultations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DHIS2 and Doctor on Demand actually diverge.

Attributes where DHIS2 and Doctor on Demand differ
AttributeDHIS2Doctor on Demand
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Android, Self-hosted, CloudCloud-based (mobile app and web)
FoundedUnknown2012

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 DHIS2

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

Only in Doctor on Demand

  • Video Consultations
  • Phone Consultations
  • Mental Health
  • Urgent Care
  • Prescription Services
  • Medical Records
  • Insurance
  • Pharmacies

What people use each for

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

DHIS2

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

Doctor on Demand

  • Patients seeking urgent care for acute conditions (cold, flu, UTI, strep throat) available 24/7not DHIS2
  • Individuals needing mental health services (therapy, psychiatry) with same-day availabilitynot DHIS2

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Doctor on Demand

  • Out-of-pocket costs without insurance: urgent care $99, therapy $134, psychiatry $299 per visit; no subscription model disclosed
  • Limited scope: urgent care only for non-emergency conditions; does not handle hospital-level care or complex surgeries

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Doctor on Demand

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Doctor on Demand review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Doctor on Demand if

  • You need video consultations.
  • You work on Cloud-based (mobile app and web).
  • You also want phone consultations.
Doctor on Demand review

Questions people ask

Is DHIS2 or Doctor on Demand better?
Neither clearly leads. DHIS2 starts at Free and Doctor on Demand at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DHIS2 or Doctor on Demand?
DHIS2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DHIS2 and On request for Doctor on Demand.
Does DHIS2 or Doctor on Demand run on more platforms?
DHIS2 runs on Web, Android, Self-hosted, Cloud. Doctor on Demand runs on Cloud-based (mobile app and web).
Can I use DHIS2 for free?
Yes. DHIS2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Doctor on Demand starts at On request.
What is DHIS2 best used for?
DHIS2 is most often used for a ministry of health replacing paper monthly reporting from thousands of facilities with a national routine system, a donor-funded hiv or tuberculosis programme that must report standard indicators across several districts, a disease surveillance unit needing weekly case reporting with outbreak alerting and mapping, an ngo running individual patient follow-up in a programme where facilities are frequently offline. Of those, a ministry of health replacing paper monthly reporting from thousands of facilities with a national routine system and a donor-funded hiv or tuberculosis programme that must report standard indicators across several districts are not what Doctor on Demand is typically brought in for.
What can DHIS2 do that Doctor on Demand cannot?
DHIS2 covers Aggregate data reporting, Tracker, Android capture app, Dashboards and analytics. Doctor on Demand covers Video Consultations, Phone Consultations, Mental Health, Urgent Care.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Doctor on Demand: Is there a membership fee or subscription required?

No subscription or membership is required. The platform operates on a pay-per-visit model with no ongoing fees, and no credit card is needed to create an account.

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.

Doctor on Demand: How much does an urgent care visit cost for uninsured patients?

An uninsured patient pays $99 for a 15-minute urgent care consultation. Costs are displayed before booking so you know the price upfront.

Source
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.

Doctor on Demand: What are the therapy and psychiatry session rates?

Psychology consultations are $134 for 25 minutes or $184 for 50 minutes. Initial psychiatry consultations are $299 for 45 minutes, with 15-minute follow-ups at $129.

Source
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.

Doctor on Demand: Can I use my insurance to reduce costs?

Yes, Doctor on Demand accepts 30+ major insurance plans including UnitedHealth, Humana, and Blue Cross variants. Insured visits may be $0 depending on your plan, or range from $0 to $296.64 for psychiatry depending on your coverage.

Source
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