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Veterinary · head to head

Covetrus Pulse vs Hippo Manager

Covetrus Pulse logo

Covetrus Pulse

Veterinary

Veterinary operating system with pharmacy and client engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hippo Manager logo

Hippo Manager

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management software with flat per-user pricing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Covetrus Pulse ties clinical software to a supply and pharmacy relationship, which is a commercial dependency worth deciding on deliberately; Hippo Manager pricing is per user, so a practice with a rota of part-time technicians and relief veterinarians pays full seats for people who log in a few times a month.
  • They diverge on capability: Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management, Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Covetrus Pulse and Hippo Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where Covetrus Pulse and Hippo Manager differ
AttributeCovetrus PulseHippo Manager
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Veterinary).

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 Covetrus Pulse

  • Practice management
  • Integrated prescription management
  • Client engagement
  • Analytics

Only in Hippo Manager

  • Cloud patient records
  • Scheduling
  • Invoicing and payments
  • Inventory
  • Laboratory results
  • Reporting

What people use each for

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

Covetrus Pulse

  • Practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the systemnot Hippo Manager
  • Groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacynot Hippo Manager
  • Clinics moving off legacy on-premise systems such as AVImarknot Hippo Manager

Hippo Manager

  • A new clinic opening with no server, no IT provider and a need to be running within weeksnot Covetrus Pulse
  • A mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointmentsnot Covetrus Pulse
  • A two doctor practice replacing a legacy on-premise system and wanting predictable monthly costnot Covetrus Pulse
  • A veterinary teaching programme needing many inexpensive logins on shared recordsnot Covetrus Pulse

Where each one falls short

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

Covetrus Pulse

  • Ties clinical software to a supply and pharmacy relationship, which is a commercial dependency worth deciding on deliberately
  • Quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • Covetrus also owns older systems, and roadmap attention across a portfolio is a fair question
  • Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity

Hippo Manager

  • Pricing is per user, so a practice with a rota of part-time technicians and relief veterinarians pays full seats for people who log in a few times a month.
  • Inpatient and treatment sheet workflows are lighter than in systems built for referral and emergency hospitals, which pushes overnight care onto paper.
  • The integration catalogue is short relative to the larger cloud platforms, so a practice with an existing imaging, communications or payment preference may find no connector.
  • Multi-location reporting is basic, which limits its usefulness to a group beyond a handful of sites that wants consolidated production figures.
  • As a browser only system it stops when the internet does, and a practice without a backup connection loses records, scheduling and invoicing at the same time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Covetrus Pulse

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Covetrus Pulse review.

Hippo Manager

On request
  • Hippo Manager$undefined/month
    • Flat monthly subscription charged per user
    • Core clinical, billing and inventory functionality included
    • Data conversion and onboarding quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Covetrus Pulse if

  • You need practice management.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want integrated prescription management.
Covetrus Pulse review

Choose Hippo Manager if

  • You need cloud patient records.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
Hippo Manager review

Questions people ask

Is Covetrus Pulse or Hippo Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Covetrus Pulse starts at On request and Hippo Manager at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Covetrus Pulse or Hippo Manager?
Covetrus Pulse starts at On request and Hippo Manager at On request.
Does Covetrus Pulse or Hippo Manager run on more platforms?
Covetrus Pulse runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android. Hippo Manager runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Covetrus Pulse best used for?
Covetrus Pulse is most often used for practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the system, groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacy, clinics moving off legacy on-premise systems such as avimark. Of those, practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the system and groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacy are not what Hippo Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Covetrus Pulse do that Hippo Manager cannot?
Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management, Integrated prescription management, Client engagement, Analytics. Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, Scheduling, Invoicing and payments, Inventory.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Covetrus Pulse: What does Covetrus Pulse cost?

Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.

Hippo Manager: Is this veterinary software?

Yes. Hippo Manager is a veterinary practice management system for animal clinics, unrelated to similarly named products in other software categories.

Covetrus Pulse: What makes it different?

Covetrus is an animal-health distributor and pharmacy, so prescription fulfilment and home delivery sit inside the same company rather than behind an integration.

Hippo Manager: How is it priced?

As a flat monthly fee per user with the feature set included, rather than a base licence plus paid modules.

Covetrus Pulse: Is the supply relationship a concern?

It is worth deciding deliberately. The convenience is real, and so is tying your clinical system to a distributor you also buy from.

Hippo Manager: Does it suit an emergency or referral hospital?

Not well. Inpatient workflow depth is limited and specialist practices should look at systems built for that setting.

Hippo Manager: Is there an on-premise version?

No. It is browser only, which means no server to maintain and no offline working.

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