Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

Doxy.me vs GNU Health

Doxy.me logo

Doxy.me

Healthcare

Simple and free telemedicine for healthcare providers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GNU Health logo

GNU Health

Healthcare

Free hospital and health information system from a small NGO, built on the Tryton framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Doxy.me free plan restricted to one-on-one sessions, limiting utility for group therapy or multi-specialist consultations; GNU Health development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • They diverge on capability: Doxy.me covers Video Visits, GNU Health covers Electronic medical record.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Doxy.me and GNU Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Doxy.me and GNU Health differ
AttributeDoxy.meGNU Health
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Web, Self-hosted
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Doxy.me

  • Video Visits
  • Waiting Room
  • Screen Sharing
  • File Sharing
  • HIPAA Compliant
  • EHR Systems
  • HIPAA
  • BAA

Only in GNU Health

  • Electronic medical record
  • Hospital management
  • Laboratory information system
  • Social medicine modules
  • Tryton business modules
  • Health federation
  • ICD and standards support
  • Modular installation

What people use each for

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

Doxy.me

  • Patient Carenot GNU Health
  • Medical Recordsnot GNU Health
  • Practice Managementnot GNU Health
  • Telehealthnot GNU Health

GNU Health

  • A public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial EMR licensing and has in-house Linux capabilitynot Doxy.me
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot Doxy.me
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot Doxy.me
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot Doxy.me

Where each one falls short

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

Doxy.me

  • Free plan restricted to one-on-one sessions, limiting utility for group therapy or multi-specialist consultations
  • Occasional connection glitches and dropped sessions reported by some users
  • Poor video quality and lag in rural or low-bandwidth areas

GNU Health

  • Development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • It is built on Tryton, a framework few health IT staff know, so hiring or contracting people who can extend and maintain it is materially harder than for a mainstream stack.
  • Installation, upgrades and database administration assume Linux and Python competence, which puts the real cost on staffing rather than on licensing and defeats hospitals that lack that team.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed, and clinician acceptance is a genuine deployment risk compared with commercial systems that have invested heavily in usability.
  • Certification, regulatory conformance and interoperability testing that some jurisdictions demand of clinical systems are not provided by a vendor, so the adopting institution has to carry that work and that liability itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Doxy.me

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited call minutes
    • HIPAA compliance
    • One-on-one sessions only
  • Professional$35/month
    • HD video
    • Screen sharing
    • Group calls
  • Clinic$50/month
    • HD video
    • Screen sharing
    • Group calls

GNU Health

Free
  • GNU HealthFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No patient, bed or user limits
  • Support and training$undefined/year
    • Paid support and implementation from GNU Solidario
    • Training courses and certification
    • Quoted per institution

Which should you pick?

Choose Doxy.me if

  • You need video visits.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want waiting room.
Doxy.me review

Choose GNU Health if

  • You need electronic medical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want hospital management.
GNU Health review

Questions people ask

Is Doxy.me or GNU Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Doxy.me starts at Free and GNU Health at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Doxy.me or GNU Health?
Doxy.me starts at Free and GNU Health at Free.
Does Doxy.me or GNU Health run on more platforms?
Doxy.me runs on Web, iOS, Android. GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Doxy.me for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Doxy.me best used for?
Doxy.me is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what GNU Health is typically brought in for.
What can Doxy.me do that GNU Health cannot?
Doxy.me covers Video Visits, Waiting Room, Screen Sharing, File Sharing. GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Doxy.me: How much does Doxy.me cost?

Doxy.me offers a free plan with HIPAA compliance, Professional plan at $35 per provider per month, and Clinic plan at $50 per provider per month. Enterprise pricing available on request.

Source
GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

GNU Solidario, a Spanish nonprofit NGO, as an official GNU package under the GPL.

Doxy.me: Does the free plan include all features?

The free Doxy.me plan includes unlimited call minutes and HIPAA compliance. Advanced features like group calls, HD video, and screen sharing require paid plans.

Source
GNU Health: Is there commercial support?

Yes, in a limited form, from GNU Solidario itself and a small number of implementers. It is not a vendor support organisation.

Doxy.me: Do patients need to create an account to join a session?

No, Doxy.me allows you to offer secure sessions without requiring clients to create accounts, with a customizable waiting room experience.

Source
GNU Health: What is it built on?

Tryton, a Python business application framework, which is where its accounting, stock and HR modules come from.

Doxy.me: Is Doxy.me HIPAA compliant?

Yes, Doxy.me is HIPAA compliant with a signed Business Associate Agreement, available on both free and paid plans.

Source
GNU Health: Is it suitable for a large hospital?

It is deployed in hospitals, but the deciding factor is whether you have internal Linux, Python and Tryton capability rather than the size of the institution.

Share

Related pages

More on Doxy.me

More on GNU Health

Keep looking

Other head to heads