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Epic Systems vs Athenahealth

Epic Systems logo

Epic Systems

Software

Leading electronic health records system for healthcare organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Athenahealth logo

Athenahealth

Software

Cloud-based medical practice management

From
$140/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Epic Systems no free version or trial; enterprise pricing only with custom negotiation required; Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
  • They diverge on capability: Epic Systems covers Revenue Cycle Management, Athenahealth covers Medical Billing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Epic Systems and Athenahealth actually diverge.

Attributes where Epic Systems and Athenahealth differ
AttributeEpic SystemsAthenahealth
Starting priceOn request$140/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded19791997

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Systems

  • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Patient Portal
  • Clinical Decision Support
  • Population Health
  • Lab Systems
  • Imaging Systems
  • Pharmacy Systems
  • On-premise deployment

Only in Athenahealth

  • Medical Billing
  • Patient Engagement
  • Telehealth
  • Analytics
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies
  • Clearinghouses
  • Health Information Exchanges

Both cover

  • Electronic Health Records
  • HIPAA
  • SOC2
  • HITRUST
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

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

Epic Systems

  • Patient Care
  • Medical Records
  • Practice Management
  • Telehealth

Athenahealth

  • Patient Care
  • Medical Records
  • Practice Management
  • Telehealth

Both are used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Epic Systems

  • No free version or trial; enterprise pricing only with custom negotiation required
  • Lengthy implementation timeline: 12-24 months for single hospitals, 3-5 years for multi-system rollouts
  • Customization and workflow adaptation requires extensive consulting services
  • Very high licensing costs ranging from 100,000 to 30 million USD depending on organization size

Athenahealth

  • High implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
  • Pricing tiers not transparently listed, requiring custom quotes

Pricing, plan by plan

Epic Systems

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Epic Systems review.

Athenahealth

$140/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Epic Systems if

  • You need revenue cycle management.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want patient portal.
Epic Systems review

Choose Athenahealth if

  • You need medical billing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want patient engagement.
Athenahealth review

Questions people ask

Is Epic Systems or Athenahealth better?
Neither clearly leads. Epic Systems starts at On request and Athenahealth at $140/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epic Systems or Athenahealth?
Epic Systems starts at On request and Athenahealth at $140/month.
Does Epic Systems or Athenahealth run on more platforms?
Epic Systems runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Athenahealth runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Epic Systems best used for?
Epic Systems is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth.
What can Epic Systems do that Athenahealth cannot?
Epic Systems covers Revenue Cycle Management, Patient Portal, Clinical Decision Support, Population Health. Athenahealth covers Medical Billing, Patient Engagement, Telehealth, Analytics. Both handle Electronic Health Records, HIPAA, SOC2, HITRUST.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Epic Systems: What is Epic's market position?

Epic holds 36 percent of the U.S. EHR market and manages over 280 million patient records across 1,200+ healthcare organizations. Among hospitals with over 300 beds, Epic has 52 percent market share, and 71 percent market share in major academic medical centers as of 2026.

Source
Athenahealth: What platforms does Athenahealth serve?

Athenahealth's athenaOne serves small to medium-sized physician practices and hospitals with integrated clinical, financial, and operational workflows.

Source
Epic Systems: Is there a free trial or demo available?

Epic does not offer a free version or trial. The software is enterprise-only with custom pricing negotiated directly with organizations. Typical implementation timelines for single hospitals range from 12 to 24 months, and multi-hospital systems can take 3 to 5 years for phased rollouts.

Source
Athenahealth: What is the pricing model for athenaOne?

Athenahealth uses customized pricing with percent-based or encounter-based models. Starting price reported at $140/month with implementation costs ranging from $5,000-$20,000 for small businesses.

Source
Epic Systems: How does Epic integrate with third-party systems?

Epic provides multiple integration pathways: FHIR R4 APIs, HL7 v2 messaging, CCDA document exchange, and proprietary APIs through Epic Showroom (formerly App Orchard). Over 1,000 certified apps are available in the marketplace, enabling real-time data synchronization and interoperability.

Source
Athenahealth: Does Athenahealth include revenue cycle management?

Yes, athenaOne includes network-driven claims scrubbing with 95%+ first-pass rates, denial management, and A/R optimization.

Source
Epic Systems: What is included in Epic's unified platform?

Epic provides a truly unified system spanning inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, surgical, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, billing, and population health on a single database. It includes appointment scheduling, medical billing, clinical decision support, patient portal (MyChart), telehealth capabilities, and analytics.

Source
Athenahealth: What patient engagement features does Athenahealth offer?

Athenahealth provides athenaCommunicator for patient portals, automated appointment reminders, online scheduling, telehealth integration, digital intake, and broadcast messaging.

Source
Athenahealth: How many pre-built integrations does Athenahealth have?

Athenahealth's marketplace includes over 250 pre-integrated third-party apps, allowing practices to extend functionality without custom development.

Source
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Related pages

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