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Software · head to head

Kareo vs Open Dental

Kareo logo

Kareo

Software

Cloud-based EHR and billing for small practices

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Open Dental logo

Open Dental

Software

Powerful, Affordable Practice Management

From
$169/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kareo kareo is now part of Tebra and sold under the Tebra brand rather than as a standalone product; 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: Kareo covers Electronic Health Records, Open Dental covers Patient scheduling.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kareo and Open Dental differ
AttributeKareoOpen Dental
Starting price$99/month$169/month
PlatformsWeb, MobileWindows, Web, Api
Founded20102003

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Kareo

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Scheduling
  • Patient Portal
  • Medical Billing
  • Payment Processing
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies
  • Clearinghouses

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.

Kareo

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

Open Dental

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Kareo

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

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 Kareo if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want scheduling.
Kareo 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 Kareo or Open Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Kareo starts at $99/month and Open Dental at $169/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kareo or Open Dental?
Kareo starts at $99/month and Open Dental at $169/month.
Does Kareo or Open Dental run on more platforms?
Kareo runs on Web, Mobile. Open Dental runs on Windows, Web, Api.
What is Kareo best used for?
Kareo is most often used for practice management, scheduling and billing for independent medical practices, electronic health records and e-prescribing for small clinics, insurance claim submission and patient payment collection. Of those, practice management, scheduling and billing for independent medical practices and electronic health records and e-prescribing for small clinics are not what Open Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Kareo do that Open Dental cannot?
Kareo covers Electronic Health Records, Scheduling, Patient Portal, Medical Billing. Open Dental covers Patient scheduling, Clinical charting, Insurance claim processing, Treatment planning.
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