Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

Fullscript vs OpenMRS

Fullscript logo

Fullscript

Healthcare

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

From
Free
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

  • 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.; 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: Fullscript covers Protocol dispensing, OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fullscript and OpenMRS actually diverge.

Attributes where Fullscript and OpenMRS differ
AttributeFullscriptOpenMRS
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Web, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 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.

Fullscript

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

OpenMRS

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

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

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

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 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 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 Fullscript or OpenMRS better?
Neither clearly leads. Fullscript starts at Free and OpenMRS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fullscript or OpenMRS?
Fullscript starts at Free and OpenMRS at Free.
Does Fullscript or OpenMRS run on more platforms?
Fullscript runs on Web, iOS, Android. OpenMRS runs on Linux, Web, Windows.
Can I use Fullscript for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 OpenMRS is typically brought in for.
What can Fullscript do that OpenMRS cannot?
Fullscript covers Protocol dispensing, Profit dispensary, Auto refill, Lab ordering. OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Modular architecture, Modern front end, FHIR support.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fullscript: Is there an enterprise option?

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

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 Fullscript

More on OpenMRS

Keep looking

Other head to heads