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Healthcare · head to head

Epic Systems vs OpenClinica

Epic Systems logo

Epic Systems

Healthcare

Leading electronic health records system for healthcare organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenClinica logo

OpenClinica

Healthcare

Clinical trial EDC with a genuinely open source community edition alongside a quoted commercial platform

From
On request
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; OpenClinica the free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • They diverge on capability: Epic Systems covers Electronic Health Records, OpenClinica covers Open source community edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Epic Systems and OpenClinica differ
AttributeEpic SystemsOpenClinica
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
Founded1979Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Systems

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Patient Portal
  • Clinical Decision Support
  • Population Health
  • Lab Systems
  • Imaging Systems
  • Pharmacy Systems

Only in OpenClinica

  • Open source community edition
  • Electronic data capture
  • eConsent
  • eCOA and ePRO
  • Randomisation
  • EHR-to-EDC
  • Audit trail
  • Reporting and analytics

What people use each for

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

Epic Systems

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

OpenClinica

  • An academic coordinating centre running investigator-initiated trials that needs Part 11 compliant capture without an enterprise eClinical budgetnot Epic Systems
  • A registry or observational cohort study collecting structured data across many sites over yearsnot Epic Systems
  • A small device sponsor that needs eConsent and ePRO in the same system as its case report formsnot Epic Systems
  • An informatics group that wants to self-host the open source edition for a non-regulated internal studynot Epic Systems

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

OpenClinica

  • The free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • The vendor provides no support or services at all for the community edition, which means outages, patching, database upgrades and validation documentation are entirely your problem.
  • Commercial pricing is not published, so you cannot benchmark it against alternatives without entering a sales process, and third-party figures around USD 1,000 a month are indicative rather than contractual.
  • Study build is skilled work: complex edit checks, randomisation schemes and integrations usually mean paying for vendor or consultant configuration services on top of the licence, which is a frequently underestimated line in the budget.
  • As a smaller vendor than the large eClinical suites it has a thinner partner and consultant ecosystem, so finding experienced build staff or a CRO already fluent in the platform is harder than with the market incumbents.

Pricing, plan by plan

Epic Systems

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Epic Systems review.

OpenClinica

On request
  • Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Free and open source under the LGPL
    • Self-hosted, on the older 3.x line
    • No vendor support or services of any kind
  • OpenClinica Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Pricing only through a sales process
    • Hosted and validated instance
    • EDC, eConsent, eCOA, randomisation and analytics modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Epic Systems if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want revenue cycle management.
Epic Systems review

Choose OpenClinica if

  • You need open source community edition.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
  • You also want electronic data capture.
OpenClinica review

Questions people ask

Is Epic Systems or OpenClinica better?
Neither clearly leads. Epic Systems starts at On request and OpenClinica at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Epic Systems or OpenClinica?
Epic Systems starts at On request and OpenClinica at On request.
Does Epic Systems or OpenClinica run on more platforms?
Epic Systems runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. OpenClinica runs on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
What is Epic Systems best used for?
Epic Systems is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what OpenClinica is typically brought in for.
What can Epic Systems do that OpenClinica cannot?
Epic Systems covers Electronic Health Records, Revenue Cycle Management, Patient Portal, Clinical Decision Support. OpenClinica covers Open source community edition, Electronic data capture, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO.

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
OpenClinica: Is OpenClinica free?

There is a genuinely free, LGPL licensed community edition you host yourself with no vendor support. The commercial platform with eConsent, eCOA and a validated hosted instance is quoted and paid.

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
OpenClinica: Is the open source version still maintained?

Yes, releases on the 3.x line continued through 2025, but it is a separate and older architecture from the commercial product.

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
OpenClinica: Does it meet 21 CFR Part 11?

The commercial hosted platform is built for Part 11 and GCP compliance. If you self-host the community edition, compliance and validation are entirely your responsibility.

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
OpenClinica: What does the commercial version cost?

Not published. Third-party listings suggest enterprise arrangements from around USD 1,000 per month, but real cost depends on study count, subjects, modules and build services.

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