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Healthcare · head to head

Doctolib vs Open Dental

Doctolib logo

Doctolib

Healthcare

Patient booking and practice management for European healthcare professionals

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Open Dental logo

Open Dental

Healthcare

Powerful, Affordable Practice Management

From
$169/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Doctolib availability is limited to France, Germany and Italy, so a clinic group operating outside those markets cannot use it at all and a multinational provider cannot standardise on one booking system.; 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: Doctolib covers Patient booking marketplace, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Doctolib and Open Dental actually diverge.

Attributes where Doctolib and Open Dental differ
AttributeDoctolibOpen Dental
Starting priceOn request$169/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, Api
FoundedUnknown2003

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 Doctolib

  • Patient booking marketplace
  • Practice agenda
  • Teleconsultation
  • Automated reminders
  • Electronic patient record
  • Carte Vitale and reimbursement
  • e-Prescription
  • Doctolib Team

Only in Open Dental

  • Patient scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Insurance claim processing
  • Treatment planning
  • Digital imaging integration
  • Patient communication
  • Reporting and analytics
  • eServices integration

What people use each for

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

Doctolib

  • A French general practice that wants new patients to find and book it without a phone call, and needs Carte Vitale billing in the same toolnot Open Dental
  • A German physiotherapy clinic replacing a paper diary and cutting no-shows through automated SMS remindersnot Open Dental
  • A dental group with several sites that needs one shared agenda and per-site patient routingnot Open Dental
  • A specialist starting a new practice in Paris or Berlin who has no existing patient list and needs the directory as a source of referralsnot Open Dental

Open Dental

  • Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Doctolib
  • Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot Doctolib
  • Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot Doctolib

Where each one falls short

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

Doctolib

  • Availability is limited to France, Germany and Italy, so a clinic group operating outside those markets cannot use it at all and a multinational provider cannot standardise on one booking system.
  • No pricing is published anywhere on the site; every plan routes to a sales form, so a practice cannot budget or compare against alternatives without giving up contact details and sitting through a call.
  • Contracts run on a twelve month commitment per practitioner, so a practice that hires a locum or loses a partner mid-term keeps paying for the seat.
  • The commercial value is the marketplace listing rather than the software, which means leaving Doctolib costs a practice its inbound patient discovery, not just a data export; that asymmetry weakens the practice in every renewal negotiation.
  • Clinical depth is thinner than a dedicated electronic health record, so practices with complex documentation, coding or research requirements often run Doctolib for scheduling alongside a second clinical system and reconcile the two by hand.

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

Doctolib

On request
  • Doctolib Pro$undefined/month
    • Marketplace listing and patient booking
    • Practice agenda
    • SMS and email reminders

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 Doctolib if

  • You need patient booking marketplace.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want practice agenda.
Doctolib review

Choose Open Dental if

  • You need patient scheduling.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want clinical charting.
Open Dental review

Questions people ask

Is Doctolib or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Doctolib 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, Doctolib or Open Dental?
Doctolib starts at On request and Open Dental at $169/month.
Does Doctolib or Open Dental run on more platforms?
Doctolib runs on Web, iOS, Android. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
What is Doctolib best used for?
Doctolib is most often used for a french general practice that wants new patients to find and book it without a phone call, and needs carte vitale billing in the same tool, a german physiotherapy clinic replacing a paper diary and cutting no-shows through automated sms reminders, a dental group with several sites that needs one shared agenda and per-site patient routing, a specialist starting a new practice in paris or berlin who has no existing patient list and needs the directory as a source of referrals. Of those, a french general practice that wants new patients to find and book it without a phone call, and needs carte vitale billing in the same tool and a german physiotherapy clinic replacing a paper diary and cutting no-shows through automated sms reminders are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Doctolib do that Open Dental cannot?
Doctolib covers Patient booking marketplace, Practice agenda, Teleconsultation, Automated reminders. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Doctolib: Can I use Doctolib in the UK or the US?

No. Doctolib operates in France, Germany and Italy only. There is no English-market offering.

Open Dental: How much does Open Dental cost?

Open Dental costs $199/month per location or office with a 12-month contract minimum. After the initial 12-month term, pricing continues on a month-to-month basis at a reduced rate.

Source
Doctolib: Does Doctolib publish its prices?

No. Every tier on the site routes to a contact form, and quotes are per practitioner per month with a twelve month commitment.

Open Dental: What does the $199/month fee include?

The monthly fee includes software access, full telephone support, all software releases, imaging and video capture, patient portal and web forms, and automated reminder features for up to 3 dentists per location.

Source
Doctolib: Is Doctolib a full electronic health record?

Not really. It covers consultation notes, documents and prescribing, but practices with heavy clinical documentation needs usually keep a separate EHR.

Open Dental: Does Open Dental offer a money-back guarantee?

Open Dental includes a 90-day money-back guarantee on subscription fees.

Source
Doctolib: What happens to my patient bookings if I leave?

You keep your patient data on export, but you lose the public listing, which is where a large share of new bookings originate.

Open Dental: What additional costs are there?

Data conversions from other dental software systems incur additional fees. Customized training with an Open Dental trainer is also available at extra cost.

Source
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