Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

Fullscript vs Open Dental

Fullscript logo

Fullscript

Healthcare

Supplement dispensing for practitioners, free to use because it earns on the products

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Open Dental logo

Open Dental

Healthcare

Powerful, Affordable Practice Management

From
$169/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fullscript has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fullscript the practitioner sets their own margin on products they clinically recommend, which is a conflict of interest that some professional bodies and patients view badly, and the platform makes the arrangement easy rather than making it visible.; Open Dental uS support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • They diverge on capability: Fullscript covers Protocol dispensing, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fullscript and Open Dental actually diverge.

Attributes where Fullscript and Open Dental differ
AttributeFullscriptOpen Dental
Starting priceFree$169/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, Api
FoundedUnknown2003

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 Fullscript

  • Protocol dispensing
  • Profit dispensary
  • Auto refill
  • Lab ordering
  • Patient app
  • EHR integration
  • Enterprise catalogue control

Only in Open Dental

  • Patient scheduling
  • Clinical charting
  • Insurance claim processing
  • Treatment planning
  • Digital imaging integration
  • Patient communication
  • Reporting and analytics
  • eServices integration

What people use each for

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

Fullscript

  • A functional medicine practice that wants to stop holding supplement stock, cash and expiry risk in the clinicnot Open Dental
  • A dietitian or naturopath adding a dispensary revenue stream without buying inventory upfrontnot Open Dental
  • A clinic that needs patients to actually keep taking a protocol, where auto refills and dose reminders address the adherence problem directlynot Open Dental
  • A multi site integrative health group that wants a single approved catalogue rather than each clinician choosing their own brandsnot Open Dental

Open Dental

  • Practice management, charting and scheduling for dental officesnot Fullscript
  • Dental insurance claims, billing and treatment planningnot Fullscript
  • Running an open source dental system with direct database accessnot Fullscript

Where each one falls short

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

Fullscript

  • The practitioner sets their own margin on products they clinically recommend, which is a conflict of interest that some professional bodies and patients view badly, and the platform makes the arrangement easy rather than making it visible.
  • The account is free but the practice does not control pricing, catalogue, shipping cost or the patient discount, so the entire economics of the dispensary can be changed by the vendor without the practice having any lever.
  • Converting to a profit account requires personal identity verification, tax details and a bank account, and makes dispensary earnings the practitioner personal taxable income to report, which is administrative work no one warns about at signup.
  • Product availability and shipping are geographically limited, so practices outside the supported countries cannot use it at all and cross border patients will find items unavailable at checkout.
  • Patient refill schedules, plan history and a slice of practice revenue accumulate inside a platform the practice cannot export in a form another dispensary would accept, so switching later means asking every patient to re-enrol somewhere else.

Open Dental

  • US support is $199 per month per location on an initial 12 month contract, dropping to $149 per month only after that year
  • The monthly fee covers up to 3 providers per location; each additional provider is $20 per month
  • Fees are charged per location, so a multi site practice pays for every office
  • eServices are charged separately per location, including eClipboard at $45 a month, ODMobile at $35 a month and eConfirmations at $25 a month
  • Electronic prescribing through DoseSpot costs $57 per month per prescribing provider
  • Conversion and implementation fees are not published and require consultation

Pricing, plan by plan

Fullscript

Free
  • PractitionerFree
    • Full catalogue and dispensing at no account fee
    • Lab ordering and results
    • Standard EHR integrations
  • PatientFree
    • No account fee
    • Mobile app with dose reminders
    • Auto refills, cancellable at any time
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Quoted for health systems and multi site groups
    • Centrally managed catalogue with quality standards
    • API level EHR integration

Open Dental

$169/month
  • Standard$169/month
    • Full software access
    • Unlimited workstations
    • Technical support
  • Cloud$249/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Cloud hosting
    • Automatic backups

Which should you pick?

Choose Fullscript if

  • You need protocol dispensing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want profit dispensary.
Fullscript review

Choose Open Dental if

  • You need patient scheduling.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want clinical charting.
Open Dental review

Questions people ask

Is Fullscript or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Fullscript starts at Free and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fullscript or Open Dental?
Fullscript has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fullscript and $169/month for Open Dental.
Does Fullscript or Open Dental run on more platforms?
Fullscript runs on Web, iOS, Android. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
Can I use Fullscript for free?
Yes. Fullscript has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Open Dental starts at $169/month.
What is Fullscript best used for?
Fullscript is most often used for a functional medicine practice that wants to stop holding supplement stock, cash and expiry risk in the clinic, a dietitian or naturopath adding a dispensary revenue stream without buying inventory upfront, a clinic that needs patients to actually keep taking a protocol, where auto refills and dose reminders address the adherence problem directly, a multi site integrative health group that wants a single approved catalogue rather than each clinician choosing their own brands. Of those, a functional medicine practice that wants to stop holding supplement stock, cash and expiry risk in the clinic and a dietitian or naturopath adding a dispensary revenue stream without buying inventory upfront are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Fullscript do that Open Dental cannot?
Fullscript covers Protocol dispensing, Profit dispensary, Auto refill, Lab ordering. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fullscript: Is Fullscript really free for practitioners?

Yes, the account has no fee. Fullscript earns on the supplements sold through it, and a practitioner on a profit account also earns a margin on those sales.

Open Dental: How much does Open Dental cost?

Open Dental costs $199/month per location or office with a 12-month contract minimum. After the initial 12-month term, pricing continues on a month-to-month basis at a reduced rate.

Source
Fullscript: How do practitioners make money on it?

By converting to a profit dispensary and setting a margin. That requires tax information and a bank account, and the earnings are taxable income.

Open Dental: What does the $199/month fee include?

The monthly fee includes software access, full telephone support, all software releases, imaging and video capture, patient portal and web forms, and automated reminder features for up to 3 dentists per location.

Source
Fullscript: What do patients pay?

No account fee, and a ten per cent discount on orders if the practitioner runs a no profit dispensary rather than taking a margin.

Open Dental: Does Open Dental offer a money-back guarantee?

Open Dental includes a 90-day money-back guarantee on subscription fees.

Source
Fullscript: Is there an enterprise option?

Yes, quoted for health systems, adding central catalogue control, API EHR integration and cross site reporting.

Open Dental: What additional costs are there?

Data conversions from other dental software systems incur additional fees. Customized training with an Open Dental trainer is also available at extra cost.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Fullscript

More on Open Dental

Keep looking

Other head to heads