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Healthcare · head to head

Athenahealth vs Kareo

Athenahealth logo

Athenahealth

Healthcare

Cloud-based medical practice management

From
$140/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kareo logo

Kareo

Healthcare

Cloud-based EHR and billing for small practices

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments; Kareo kareo is now part of Tebra and sold under the Tebra brand rather than as a standalone product
  • They diverge on capability: Athenahealth covers Patient Engagement, Kareo covers Scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Athenahealth and Kareo actually diverge.

Attributes where Athenahealth and Kareo differ
AttributeAthenahealthKareo
Starting price$140/month$99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile
Founded19972010

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Athenahealth

  • Patient Engagement
  • Telehealth
  • Analytics
  • Health Information Exchanges
  • HITRUST

Only in Kareo

  • Scheduling
  • Patient Portal
  • Payment Processing

Both cover

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Medical Billing
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies
  • Clearinghouses
  • HIPAA
  • SOC2
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

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

Athenahealth

  • Patient Carenot Kareo
  • Medical Recordsnot Kareo
  • Practice Managementnot Kareo
  • Telehealthnot Kareo

Kareo

  • Practice management, scheduling and billing for independent medical practicesnot Athenahealth
  • Electronic health records and e-prescribing for small clinicsnot Athenahealth
  • Insurance claim submission and patient payment collectionnot Athenahealth

Where each one falls short

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

Athenahealth

  • High implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
  • Pricing tiers not transparently listed, requiring custom quotes

Kareo

  • Kareo is now part of Tebra and sold under the Tebra brand rather than as a standalone product
  • Tebra publishes no rate: pricing varies with provider count, features and implementation requirements and is quoted during a demo
  • Billing counts clinical providers such as MDs, DOs, NPs and PAs, so adding a prescriber raises the bill even though non clinical staff are free
  • Electronic prescribing of controlled substances setup costs about $75 per provider as a one time fee
  • PDMP integration costs $500 one time per facility plus about $50 per user per year

Pricing, plan by plan

Athenahealth

$140/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.

Kareo

$99/month
  • Starter$99/month
    • EHR
    • Scheduling
    • Patient Portal
  • Professional$199/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Billing
    • Reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Athenahealth if

  • You need patient engagement.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want telehealth.
Athenahealth review

Choose Kareo if

  • You need scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want patient portal.
Kareo review

Questions people ask

Is Athenahealth or Kareo better?
Neither clearly leads. Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Kareo at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Athenahealth or Kareo?
Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Kareo at $99/month.
Does Athenahealth or Kareo run on more platforms?
Athenahealth runs on Web, iOS, Android. Kareo runs on Web, Mobile.
What is Athenahealth best used for?
Athenahealth is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Kareo is typically brought in for.
What can Athenahealth do that Kareo cannot?
Athenahealth covers Patient Engagement, Telehealth, Analytics, Health Information Exchanges. Kareo covers Scheduling, Patient Portal, Payment Processing. Both handle Electronic Health Records, Medical Billing, Labs, Pharmacies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Athenahealth: What platforms does Athenahealth serve?

Athenahealth's athenaOne serves small to medium-sized physician practices and hospitals with integrated clinical, financial, and operational workflows.

Source
Kareo: Does Kareo publish its pricing?

No. Kareo (now rebranded as Tebra) uses custom per-practice pricing that varies based on the number of providers, features needed, and implementation requirements. Pricing is determined during a demo with the sales team.

Source
Athenahealth: What is the pricing model for athenaOne?

Athenahealth uses customized pricing with percent-based or encounter-based models. Starting price reported at $140/month with implementation costs ranging from $5,000-$20,000 for small businesses.

Source
Kareo: Are there discounts for adding multiple modules?

Yes. Tebra states that many practices qualify for bundled pricing or volume incentives when adopting multiple modules like EHR, billing, and patient experience tools together.

Source
Athenahealth: Does Athenahealth include revenue cycle management?

Yes, athenaOne includes network-driven claims scrubbing with 95%+ first-pass rates, denial management, and A/R optimization.

Source
Kareo: What are the additional costs for controlled substance prescribing?

For providers who prescribe controlled substances, EPCS setup costs approximately $75 per provider as a one-time fee, and PDMP integration costs $500 one-time per facility plus around $50 per user per year.

Source
Athenahealth: What patient engagement features does Athenahealth offer?

Athenahealth provides athenaCommunicator for patient portals, automated appointment reminders, online scheduling, telehealth integration, digital intake, and broadcast messaging.

Source
Kareo: Does Kareo offer a free trial?

Kareo's website does not mention a free trial option. Access to pricing and trial arrangements requires contacting the sales team to request a demo.

Source
Athenahealth: How many pre-built integrations does Athenahealth have?

Athenahealth's marketplace includes over 250 pre-integrated third-party apps, allowing practices to extend functionality without custom development.

Source
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