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Healthcare · head to head

DrChrono vs GNU Health

DrChrono logo

DrChrono

Healthcare

All-in-one medical practice management and EHR platform

From
On request
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

  • Only GNU Health has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DrChrono iOS-only mobile app with no Android support, limiting accessibility for non-Apple users; 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: DrChrono covers Electronic Health Records, 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 DrChrono and GNU Health actually diverge.

Attributes where DrChrono and GNU Health differ
AttributeDrChronoGNU Health
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, iPad, WebLinux, Web, Self-hosted
Founded2009Unknown

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 DrChrono

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Medical Billing
  • ePrescribing
  • Patient Portal
  • Telehealth
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies

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.

DrChrono

  • 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 DrChrono
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot DrChrono
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot DrChrono
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot DrChrono

Where each one falls short

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

DrChrono

  • iOS-only mobile app with no Android support, limiting accessibility for non-Apple users
  • Multi-provider scheduling lacks flexibility, forcing practices to use manual workarounds
  • Medical billing is unreliable and complex, with claims processing cited as difficult and error-prone
  • Billing features only available in higher-tier plans
  • Support quality declined post-acquisition by EverHealth, with slower response times
  • Auto-renewal contracts with unclear disclosure and restricted data portability when switching
  • No published pricing, requires sales contact for quotes

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

DrChrono

On request
  • Prometheus$undefined/mo
    • Core EHR
    • Limited users
  • Hippocrates$undefined/mo
    • EHR + Practice Management
    • Multiple providers
  • Apollo$undefined/mo
    • Full features
    • Advanced analytics
  • Apollo Plus$undefined/mo
    • Apollo features
    • Premium support
    • Add-on integrations

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 DrChrono if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on iOS, iPad, Web.
  • You also want appointment scheduling.
DrChrono 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 DrChrono or GNU Health better?
Neither clearly leads. DrChrono starts at On request and GNU Health at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DrChrono or GNU Health?
GNU Health has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DrChrono and Free for GNU Health.
Does DrChrono or GNU Health run on more platforms?
DrChrono runs on iOS, iPad, Web. GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use GNU Health for free?
Yes. GNU Health has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DrChrono starts at On request.
What is DrChrono best used for?
DrChrono 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 DrChrono do that GNU Health cannot?
DrChrono covers Electronic Health Records, Appointment Scheduling, Medical Billing, ePrescribing. GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DrChrono: What platforms does DrChrono support?

DrChrono is built primarily for Apple devices, with a native iPad app and iOS mobile app. Android users are limited to web browser access without full mobile functionality.

Source
GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

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

DrChrono: Does DrChrono include practice management and medical billing?

Yes. DrChrono combines EHR, practice management, and medical billing into one platform. However, billing features are only available in higher-tier plans, and users report unreliable claims processing.

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.

DrChrono: How much does DrChrono cost?

DrChrono uses four pricing tiers (Prometheus, Hippocrates, Apollo, and Apollo Plus) but does not publish pricing. Costs vary by provider count and add-ons. Interested users must contact sales for custom quotes.

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.

DrChrono: Can I do patient messaging in DrChrono?

Patient messaging is available but only as an add-on feature with additional costs beyond the base subscription.

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.

DrChrono: Does DrChrono include ePrescribing?

Yes. DrChrono includes integrated ePrescribing capabilities built into the platform for prescription management.

Source
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