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Veterinary · head to head

Hippo Manager vs ImproMed

Hippo Manager logo

Hippo Manager

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management software with flat per-user pricing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
I

ImproMed

Veterinary

On-premise Windows practice management with deep inventory and financial reporting, now inside Covetrus

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; ImproMed it is a server-based Windows product, so the practice owns the hardware, the SQL database, the patching and the backup regime, and those costs never appear in the software quotation.
  • They diverge on capability: Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, ImproMed covers Multi-location inventory.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hippo Manager and ImproMed actually diverge.

Attributes where Hippo Manager and ImproMed differ
AttributeHippo ManagerImproMed
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows

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 Hippo Manager

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

Only in ImproMed

  • Multi-location inventory
  • Production reporting
  • Wellness plans
  • Laboratory and imaging integration
  • On-premise deployment
  • Covetrus prescription management

What people use each for

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

Hippo Manager

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

ImproMed

  • A multi-doctor hospital carrying significant inventory value that needs reorder points and vendor price comparisonnot Hippo Manager
  • A practice manager who has to analyse production by veterinary surgeon and reconcile it against the general ledgernot Hippo Manager
  • A hospital in an area with unreliable internet that will not put the appointment book and records on a cloud connectionnot Hippo Manager
  • A small group running wellness plans that need recurring billing and compliance tracking against patientsnot Hippo Manager

Where each one falls short

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

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.

ImproMed

  • It is a server-based Windows product, so the practice owns the hardware, the SQL database, the patching and the backup regime, and those costs never appear in the software quotation.
  • Covetrus markets Pulse as its strategic cloud platform while holding three legacy practice management systems, so ask directly what development ImproMed still receives and get the support commitment and end-of-life notice period in writing.
  • Remote and mobile access is weak compared with cloud systems, which matters for on-call work, home record review and multi-site groups sharing patients.
  • The interface is dense and dated, and training a new receptionist or technician on it takes materially longer than on a modern cloud system.
  • If Covetrus does steer customers to Pulse, the migration is a full data conversion with retraining, so the cost of the eventual move should be priced into the decision now rather than later.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

ImproMed

On request
  • ImproMed Infinity$undefined/year
    • Quoted per practice with a licence and an annual support agreement
    • Server hardware and database licensing are the responsibility of the practice
    • Data conversion and training charged separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Hippo Manager if

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

Choose ImproMed if

  • You need multi-location inventory.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want production reporting.
ImproMed review

Questions people ask

Is Hippo Manager or ImproMed better?
Neither clearly leads. Hippo Manager starts at On request and ImproMed at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hippo Manager or ImproMed?
Hippo Manager starts at On request and ImproMed at On request.
Does Hippo Manager or ImproMed run on more platforms?
Hippo Manager runs on Web, iOS, Android. ImproMed runs on Windows.
What is Hippo Manager best used for?
Hippo Manager is most often used for a new clinic opening with no server, no it provider and a need to be running within weeks, a mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointments, a two doctor practice replacing a legacy on-premise system and wanting predictable monthly cost, a veterinary teaching programme needing many inexpensive logins on shared records. Of those, a new clinic opening with no server, no it provider and a need to be running within weeks and a mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointments are not what ImproMed is typically brought in for.
What can Hippo Manager do that ImproMed cannot?
Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, Scheduling, Invoicing and payments, Inventory. ImproMed covers Multi-location inventory, Production reporting, Wellness plans, Laboratory and imaging integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

ImproMed: Is ImproMed still being developed?

Ask Covetrus for a release history and a written support commitment. Pulse is the stated strategic cloud product, and ImproMed, AVImark and RxWorks are all legacy systems in the same portfolio.

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.

ImproMed: Can it run in the cloud?

It is designed for an on-premise server. Hosting it on a remote desktop service is possible but it is not a native cloud application and does not behave like one.

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.

ImproMed: What is it better at than cloud alternatives?

Inventory control and financial and production reporting. Practices with high stock value and several veterinary surgeons are the ones that notice the difference.

Hippo Manager: Is there an on-premise version?

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

ImproMed: What happens to my data if we move to Pulse?

A conversion project. Establish before signing what Covetrus will convert, what it will not, and who pays for it.

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