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Healthcare · head to head

GNU Health vs Teladoc Health

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
Teladoc Health logo

Teladoc Health

Healthcare

Virtual healthcare platform for telehealth and telemedicine

From
$89/visit
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.; Teladoc Health does not accept traditional Medicare or Medicaid, only Medicare Advantage and managed care plans
  • They diverge on capability: GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Teladoc Health covers Video Consultations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where GNU Health and Teladoc Health differ
AttributeGNU HealthTeladoc Health
Starting priceFree$89/visit
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Web, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2002

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 Teladoc Health

  • Video Consultations
  • Phone Consultations
  • Messaging
  • Prescription Services
  • Mental Health
  • Chronic Care
  • EHR Systems
  • Health Plans

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 Teladoc Health
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot Teladoc Health
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot Teladoc Health
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot Teladoc Health

Teladoc Health

  • Patient Carenot GNU Health
  • Medical Recordsnot GNU Health
  • Practice Managementnot GNU Health
  • Telehealthnot 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.

Teladoc Health

  • Does not accept traditional Medicare or Medicaid, only Medicare Advantage and managed care plans
  • Providers cannot prescribe DEA-controlled substances or certain medications including erectile dysfunction drugs
  • Cannot handle medical emergencies; users must call 911 for emergency care

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

Teladoc Health

$89/visit

No published plan breakdown. See the Teladoc Health 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 Teladoc Health if

  • You need video consultations.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want phone consultations.
Teladoc Health review

Questions people ask

Is GNU Health or Teladoc Health better?
Neither clearly leads. GNU Health starts at Free and Teladoc Health at $89/visit, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GNU Health or Teladoc Health?
GNU Health has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GNU Health and $89/visit for Teladoc Health.
Does GNU Health or Teladoc Health run on more platforms?
GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted. Teladoc Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use GNU Health for free?
Yes. GNU Health has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Teladoc Health starts at $89/visit.
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 Teladoc Health is typically brought in for.
What can GNU Health do that Teladoc Health cannot?
GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules. Teladoc Health covers Video Consultations, Phone Consultations, Messaging, Prescription Services.

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.

Teladoc Health: Does Teladoc work with traditional Medicare or Medicaid?

No. Teladoc only works with Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans, not traditional fee-for-service Medicare or Medicaid programs.

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.

Teladoc Health: How quickly can I get an appointment with Teladoc?

For ASAP visits, wait times are typically just a few minutes. For General Medical, most issues are resolved in 15 minutes or less.

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.

Teladoc Health: What medications can Teladoc providers prescribe?

Providers do not prescribe DEA-controlled substances, erectile dysfunction medications, or certain other drugs. GLP-1 medications are only available through Primary Care or Condition Management programs.

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.

Teladoc Health: What is the cost of Teladoc visits without insurance?

General Medical visits cost 89 USD per visit without insurance. Other services like dermatology and mental health vary by service type.

Source
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