Veterinary · head to head
Digitail vs Shepherd
Digitail
Veterinary
All-in-one cloud PIMS for veterinary practices with a pet owner app
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Shepherd
Veterinary
Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Digitail quote-only pricing with no published rates; Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates
- They diverge on capability: Digitail covers Pet owner app, Shepherd covers Consultation-first records.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Digitail and Shepherd actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Veterinary).
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 Digitail
- Pet owner app
- Cloud PIMS
- Automated reminders
- Multi-location
Only in Shepherd
- Consultation-first records
- Charges from treatment
- Inventory
- Cloud-based
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Digitail
- Clinics with poor vaccination reminder compliancenot Shepherd
- Practices wanting clients to self-book rather than phonenot Shepherd
- Multi-location groups on one systemnot Shepherd
Shepherd
- Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot Digitail
- Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot Digitail
- Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot Digitail
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Digitail
- Quote-only pricing with no published rates
- The owner app only helps where clients actually install it, and adoption varies sharply by demographic
- Younger vendor than the established systems, with a shorter track record
Shepherd
- Quote-only pricing with no published rates
- A smaller vendor than the established systems, with a correspondingly shorter track record
- Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity
Pricing, plan by plan
Digitail
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Digitail review.
Shepherd
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Digitail if
- You need pet owner app.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
- You also want cloud pims.
Choose Shepherd if
- You need consultation-first records.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want charges from treatment.
Questions people ask
- Is Digitail or Shepherd better?
- Neither clearly leads. Digitail starts at On request and Shepherd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Digitail or Shepherd?
- Digitail starts at On request and Shepherd at On request.
- Does Digitail or Shepherd run on more platforms?
- Digitail runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud.
- What is Digitail best used for?
- Digitail is most often used for clinics with poor vaccination reminder compliance, practices wanting clients to self-book rather than phone, multi-location groups on one system. Of those, clinics with poor vaccination reminder compliance and practices wanting clients to self-book rather than phone are not what Shepherd is typically brought in for.
- What can Digitail do that Shepherd cannot?
- Digitail covers Pet owner app, Cloud PIMS, Automated reminders, Multi-location. Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Digitail: What does Digitail cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Digitail: What does the pet owner app do?
It gives clients their pet’s records, vaccination reminders and booking, which lifts reminder compliance compared with email.
Shepherd: What makes it different from other veterinary systems?
It was designed by a practising vet around the consultation workflow, so charges accrue from recorded treatment rather than being entered as a separate billing step.
Digitail: Does it support multiple clinics?
Yes, multi-location groups run under one account.
Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?
Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.