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Healthcare · head to head

Doctor on Demand vs OpenMRS

Doctor on Demand logo

Doctor on Demand

Healthcare

Telehealth platform for urgent and primary care

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenMRS logo

OpenMRS

Healthcare

Open source electronic medical record platform for low-resource settings, with no vendor and paid implementers instead

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenMRS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Doctor on Demand out-of-pocket costs without insurance: urgent care $99, therapy $134, psychiatry $299 per visit; no subscription model disclosed; OpenMRS there is no vendor and no support contract from OpenMRS itself, so a procurement that requires a named supplier with a service level must instead contract an implementer, and the quality of that implementer determines the outcome more than the software does
  • They diverge on capability: Doctor on Demand covers Video Consultations, OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Doctor on Demand and OpenMRS differ
AttributeDoctor on DemandOpenMRS
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-based (mobile app and web)Linux, Web, Windows
Founded2012Unknown

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 Doctor on Demand

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

Only in OpenMRS

  • Concept dictionary
  • Modular architecture
  • Modern front end
  • FHIR support
  • Offline tolerance
  • Patient matching and registration
  • Distributions

What people use each for

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

Doctor on Demand

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

OpenMRS

  • A ministry of health standardising HIV treatment records across hundreds of facilities where per-patient licensing would be unaffordablenot Doctor on Demand
  • A hospital network in a country where no commercial vendor supports the local language, clinical forms or reporting requirementsnot Doctor on Demand
  • An NGO running a tuberculosis programme that must report into DHIS2 and needs the clinical record beneath it to be modifiablenot Doctor on Demand
  • A health system that wants to own its clinical data model outright rather than depend on a vendor to extend itnot Doctor on Demand

Where each one falls short

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

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

OpenMRS

  • There is no vendor and no support contract from OpenMRS itself, so a procurement that requires a named supplier with a service level must instead contract an implementer, and the quality of that implementer determines the outcome more than the software does
  • It is a framework rather than a ready product, so a deployment requires clinical content, form design, concept dictionary work and integration before a single patient is registered, and that work is months of skilled effort
  • Funding comes largely from donor programmes, which makes the pace of core development dependent on grant cycles rather than on a commercial roadmap, and priorities can shift when a funder does
  • Distribution choice, core OpenMRS against Bahmni against Ozone, locks in a different set of components and a different implementer pool, and migrating between distributions later is close to a fresh implementation
  • The people cost never goes away: a national deployment needs permanent internal informatics capacity or a permanent support contract, and organisations that budget only the zero licence fee run out of money at the point the system becomes clinically critical

Pricing, plan by plan

Doctor on Demand

On request

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

OpenMRS

Free
  • OpenMRSFree
    • Openly licensed, no licence fee and no seat limits
    • Community support through forums and the OpenMRS Talk platform
    • No support contract available from OpenMRS itself

Which should you pick?

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

Choose OpenMRS if

  • You need concept dictionary.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Windows.
  • You also want modular architecture.
OpenMRS review

Questions people ask

Is Doctor on Demand or OpenMRS better?
Neither clearly leads. Doctor on Demand starts at On request and OpenMRS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Doctor on Demand or OpenMRS?
OpenMRS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Doctor on Demand and Free for OpenMRS.
Does Doctor on Demand or OpenMRS run on more platforms?
Doctor on Demand runs on Cloud-based (mobile app and web). OpenMRS runs on Linux, Web, Windows.
Can I use OpenMRS for free?
Yes. OpenMRS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Doctor on Demand starts at On request.
What is Doctor on Demand best used for?
Doctor on Demand is most often used for patients seeking urgent care for acute conditions (cold, flu, uti, strep throat) available 24/7, individuals needing mental health services (therapy, psychiatry) with same-day availability. Of those, patients seeking urgent care for acute conditions (cold, flu, uti, strep throat) available 24/7 and individuals needing mental health services (therapy, psychiatry) with same-day availability are not what OpenMRS is typically brought in for.
What can Doctor on Demand do that OpenMRS cannot?
Doctor on Demand covers Video Consultations, Phone Consultations, Mental Health, Urgent Care. OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Modular architecture, Modern front end, FHIR support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
OpenMRS: Who supports OpenMRS if it breaks?

Not OpenMRS itself. Support is bought from implementers such as Mekom Solutions, which offers long-term production service level agreements for OpenMRS, Bahmni and Ozone deployments, or from regional partners.

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
OpenMRS: Is it really free?

The software has no licence fee. Hosting, configuration, clinical content, integration and support are the real cost, and they are ongoing.

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
OpenMRS: What is the difference between OpenMRS, Bahmni and Ozone?

OpenMRS is the core platform. Bahmni and Ozone are distributions that package it with billing, laboratory and inventory components. Choosing a distribution constrains your implementer options.

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
OpenMRS: Does it support FHIR?

Yes. FHIR support is the standard route for integrating laboratory, pharmacy and national reporting systems.

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