Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

Epic MyChart vs OpenMRS

E

Epic MyChart

Healthcare

Patient portal for accessing health records and communicating with providers

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: Epic MyChart myChart is not a direct-to-consumer product; Epic markets it as a tool that healthcare organizations license and configure to engage their own patients, so access depends entirely on a patient's provider having deployed Epic.; 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: Epic MyChart covers View Medical Records, OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epic MyChart and OpenMRS actually diverge.

Attributes where Epic MyChart and OpenMRS differ
AttributeEpic MyChartOpenMRS
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileLinux, Web, Windows
Founded1979Unknown

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 Epic MyChart

  • View Medical Records
  • Secure Messaging
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Prescription Management
  • Bill Pay
  • Medical History
  • Epic EHR
  • Lab Systems

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.

Epic MyChart

  • Patient Carenot OpenMRS
  • Medical Recordsnot OpenMRS
  • Practice Managementnot OpenMRS
  • Telehealthnot OpenMRS

OpenMRS

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

Where each one falls short

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

Epic MyChart

  • MyChart is not a direct-to-consumer product; Epic markets it as a tool that healthcare organizations license and configure to engage their own patients, so access depends entirely on a patient's provider having deployed Epic.

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

Epic MyChart

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Epic MyChart 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 Epic MyChart if

  • You need view medical records.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want secure messaging.
Epic MyChart 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 Epic MyChart or OpenMRS better?
Neither clearly leads. Epic MyChart 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, Epic MyChart or OpenMRS?
OpenMRS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Epic MyChart and Free for OpenMRS.
Does Epic MyChart or OpenMRS run on more platforms?
Epic MyChart runs on Web, Mobile. 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. Epic MyChart starts at On request.
What is Epic MyChart best used for?
Epic MyChart is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what OpenMRS is typically brought in for.
What can Epic MyChart do that OpenMRS cannot?
Epic MyChart covers View Medical Records, Secure Messaging, Appointment Scheduling, Prescription Management. OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Modular architecture, Modern front end, FHIR support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

OpenMRS: Does it support FHIR?

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

Share

Related pages

More on Epic MyChart

More on OpenMRS

Keep looking

Other head to heads