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Healthcare · head to head

Healthgrades vs Open Dental

Healthgrades logo

Healthgrades

Healthcare

Provider search and ratings platform for patients

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 Healthgrades has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Healthgrades healthgrades is free for consumers and monetizes through a separate B2B arm (b2b.healthgrades.com) selling 'Claim your profile' provider listings, health-system quality solutions, and life-sciences advertiser placements, none of which publish public pricing, per the vendor's own site structure.; 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: Healthgrades covers Provider Search, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Healthgrades and Open Dental differ
AttributeHealthgradesOpen Dental
Starting priceFree$169/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobileWindows, Web, Api
Founded19982003

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 Healthgrades

  • Provider Search
  • Reviews and Ratings
  • Appointment Booking
  • Provider Profiles
  • Insurance Verification
  • Practice management systems
  • HIPAA
  • Cloud deployment

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.

Healthgrades

  • Patient Carenot Open Dental
  • Medical Recordsnot Open Dental
  • Practice Managementnot Open Dental
  • Telehealthnot Open Dental

Open Dental

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

Where each one falls short

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

Healthgrades

  • Healthgrades is free for consumers and monetizes through a separate B2B arm (b2b.healthgrades.com) selling 'Claim your profile' provider listings, health-system quality solutions, and life-sciences advertiser placements, none of which publish public pricing, per the vendor's own site structure.

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

Healthgrades

Free
  • PatientFree
    • Find doctors
    • Read reviews
    • Book appointments

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 Healthgrades if

  • You need provider search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want reviews and ratings.
Healthgrades 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 Healthgrades or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Healthgrades 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, Healthgrades or Open Dental?
Healthgrades has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Healthgrades and $169/month for Open Dental.
Does Healthgrades or Open Dental run on more platforms?
Healthgrades runs on Web, Mobile. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
Can I use Healthgrades for free?
Yes. Healthgrades has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Open Dental starts at $169/month.
What is Healthgrades best used for?
Healthgrades is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Healthgrades do that Open Dental cannot?
Healthgrades covers Provider Search, Reviews and Ratings, Appointment Booking, Provider Profiles. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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

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

Source
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
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