Softwr

Healthcare · head to head

GNU Health vs RXNT

GNU Health logo

GNU Health

Healthcare

Free hospital and health information system from a small NGO, built on the Tryton framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RXNT logo

RXNT

Healthcare

Cloud practice management and EHR software with a la carte modules

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GNU Health has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GNU Health development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.; RXNT specific pricing tiers not displayed; plans reference starting at $118/month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GNU Health and RXNT actually diverge.

Attributes where GNU Health and RXNT differ
AttributeGNU HealthRXNT
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Web, Self-hostedWeb

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 GNU Health

  • Electronic medical record
  • Hospital management
  • Laboratory information system
  • Social medicine modules
  • Tryton business modules
  • Health federation
  • ICD and standards support
  • Modular installation

Only in RXNT

Nothing recorded that GNU Health does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

GNU Health

  • A public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial EMR licensing and has in-house Linux capabilitynot RXNT
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot RXNT
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot RXNT
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot RXNT

RXNT

  • Running entire medical practices from single integrated platformnot GNU Health
  • Managing electronic prescriptions including controlled Schedule II-V drugsnot GNU Health
  • Streamlining billing and claims management with unlimited claim processingnot GNU Health
  • Supporting specialty workflows for mental health and hospice providersnot GNU Health
  • Capturing appointment reminders and patient billing through patient portalnot GNU Health

Where each one falls short

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

GNU Health

  • Development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • It is built on Tryton, a framework few health IT staff know, so hiring or contracting people who can extend and maintain it is materially harder than for a mainstream stack.
  • Installation, upgrades and database administration assume Linux and Python competence, which puts the real cost on staffing rather than on licensing and defeats hospitals that lack that team.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed, and clinician acceptance is a genuine deployment risk compared with commercial systems that have invested heavily in usability.
  • Certification, regulatory conformance and interoperability testing that some jurisdictions demand of clinical systems are not provided by a vendor, so the adopting institution has to carry that work and that liability itself.

RXNT

  • Specific pricing tiers not displayed; plans reference starting at $118/month
  • E-prescribing only available with yearly subscription
  • Requires contacting sales for personalized pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

GNU Health

Free
  • GNU HealthFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No patient, bed or user limits
  • Support and training$undefined/year
    • Paid support and implementation from GNU Solidario
    • Training courses and certification
    • Quoted per institution

RXNT

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the RXNT review.

Which should you pick?

Choose GNU Health if

  • You need electronic medical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want hospital management.
GNU Health review

Choose RXNT if

Nothing in the data separates RXNT from GNU Health on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

RXNT review

Questions people ask

Is GNU Health or RXNT better?
Neither clearly leads. GNU Health starts at Free and RXNT at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GNU Health or RXNT?
GNU Health has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GNU Health and On request for RXNT.
Does GNU Health or RXNT run on more platforms?
GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted. RXNT runs on Web.
Can I use GNU Health for free?
Yes. GNU Health has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RXNT starts at On request.
What is GNU Health best used for?
GNU Health is most often used for a public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial emr licensing and has in-house linux capability, a ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirements, a university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstration, a community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical data. Of those, a public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial emr licensing and has in-house linux capability and a ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirements are not what RXNT is typically brought in for.
What can GNU Health do that RXNT cannot?
GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

GNU Solidario, a Spanish nonprofit NGO, as an official GNU package under the GPL.

RXNT: What is RXNT's pricing model?

RXNT offers a-la-carte and bundled subscription options with monthly or annual billing. Annual subscriptions receive a 10% discount. Pricing starts at $118/month, though specific tier pricing is not displayed.

Source
GNU Health: Is there commercial support?

Yes, in a limited form, from GNU Solidario itself and a small number of implementers. It is not a vendor support organisation.

RXNT: What are the additional costs for RXNT?

RXNT charges $85 per year for EPCS (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances) including ID proofing and biometric authentication. Non-prescribing staff also have license fees, and data imports and extended onboarding are available at additional cost.

Source
GNU Health: What is it built on?

Tryton, a Python business application framework, which is where its accounting, stock and HR modules come from.

RXNT: What onboarding support does RXNT provide?

RXNT includes 45 days of onboarding with the EHR Bundle and 60 days with the Practice Management and Full Suite bundles.

Source
GNU Health: Is it suitable for a large hospital?

It is deployed in hospitals, but the deciding factor is whether you have internal Linux, Python and Tryton capability rather than the size of the institution.

Share

Related pages

More on GNU Health

More on RXNT

Keep looking

Other head to heads