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Healthcare · head to head

Koa Health vs OpenClinica

Koa Health logo

Koa Health

Healthcare

Employer and health plan digital mental health, acquired by PsychPlus in June 2026

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenClinica logo

OpenClinica

Healthcare

Clinical trial EDC with a genuinely open source community edition alongside a quoted commercial platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Koa Health psychPlus acquired Koa Health in June 2026, so buyers are now contracting with the technology arm of an American psychiatry provider group rather than a European digital health company, and roadmap, data residency and European product investment should all be re-examined before renewal.; OpenClinica the free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • They diverge on capability: Koa Health covers Stepped care triage, OpenClinica covers Open source community edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Koa Health and OpenClinica actually diverge.

Attributes where Koa Health and OpenClinica differ
AttributeKoa HealthOpenClinica
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Koa Health

  • Stepped care triage
  • Self guided digital modules
  • Coaching tier
  • Licensed clinical care
  • Employer and plan reporting
  • Multi country delivery
  • Clinical governance

Only in OpenClinica

  • Open source community edition
  • Electronic data capture
  • eConsent
  • eCOA and ePRO
  • Randomisation
  • EHR-to-EDC
  • Audit trail
  • Reporting and analytics

What people use each for

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

Koa Health

  • An employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a cliniciannot OpenClinica
  • A European health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language deliverynot OpenClinica
  • A health system wanting to absorb low acuity behavioural health demand before it reaches scarce psychiatry appointmentsnot OpenClinica
  • A multinational standardising a stepped care pathway across several European markets under one contractnot OpenClinica

OpenClinica

  • An academic coordinating centre running investigator-initiated trials that needs Part 11 compliant capture without an enterprise eClinical budgetnot Koa Health
  • A registry or observational cohort study collecting structured data across many sites over yearsnot Koa Health
  • A small device sponsor that needs eConsent and ePRO in the same system as its case report formsnot Koa Health
  • An informatics group that wants to self-host the open source edition for a non-regulated internal studynot Koa Health

Where each one falls short

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

Koa Health

  • PsychPlus acquired Koa Health in June 2026, so buyers are now contracting with the technology arm of an American psychiatry provider group rather than a European digital health company, and roadmap, data residency and European product investment should all be re-examined before renewal.
  • Stepped care only produces savings when triage is accurate, and members routed to a self guided module when they believe they need a therapist commonly disengage entirely, which a utilisation report records as low engagement rather than as a triage failure.
  • Pricing is per employee or per member per month across the eligible population, so an employer with modest engagement pays for everyone in order to serve a minority.
  • Clinician availability and language coverage differ substantially by country, so a multinational contract that reads as one global standard delivers a materially different experience in secondary markets.
  • Koa competes against much larger and better funded benefits vendors in the United States, and the acquisition does not change the fact that its brand recognition with American benefits consultants is low, which affects broker driven shortlists.

OpenClinica

  • The free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • The vendor provides no support or services at all for the community edition, which means outages, patching, database upgrades and validation documentation are entirely your problem.
  • Commercial pricing is not published, so you cannot benchmark it against alternatives without entering a sales process, and third-party figures around USD 1,000 a month are indicative rather than contractual.
  • Study build is skilled work: complex edit checks, randomisation schemes and integrations usually mean paying for vendor or consultant configuration services on top of the licence, which is a frequently underestimated line in the budget.
  • As a smaller vendor than the large eClinical suites it has a thinner partner and consultant ecosystem, so finding experienced build staff or a CRO already fluent in the platform is harder than with the market incumbents.

Pricing, plan by plan

Koa Health

On request
  • Koa Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month or per member per month, quoted not published
    • Rate depends on which steps of the care ladder are included
    • Clinical tier access priced separately from digital content access

OpenClinica

On request
  • Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Free and open source under the LGPL
    • Self-hosted, on the older 3.x line
    • No vendor support or services of any kind
  • OpenClinica Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Pricing only through a sales process
    • Hosted and validated instance
    • EDC, eConsent, eCOA, randomisation and analytics modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Koa Health if

  • You need stepped care triage.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want self guided digital modules.
Koa Health review

Choose OpenClinica if

  • You need open source community edition.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
  • You also want electronic data capture.
OpenClinica review

Questions people ask

Is Koa Health or OpenClinica better?
Neither clearly leads. Koa Health starts at On request and OpenClinica at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Koa Health or OpenClinica?
Koa Health starts at On request and OpenClinica at On request.
Does Koa Health or OpenClinica run on more platforms?
Koa Health runs on Web, iOS, Android. OpenClinica runs on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
What is Koa Health best used for?
Koa Health is most often used for an employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a clinician, a european health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language delivery, a health system wanting to absorb low acuity behavioural health demand before it reaches scarce psychiatry appointments, a multinational standardising a stepped care pathway across several european markets under one contract. Of those, an employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a clinician and a european health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language delivery are not what OpenClinica is typically brought in for.
What can Koa Health do that OpenClinica cannot?
Koa Health covers Stepped care triage, Self guided digital modules, Coaching tier, Licensed clinical care. OpenClinica covers Open source community edition, Electronic data capture, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Koa Health: Is Koa Health still operating?

Yes. PsychPlus acquired it in June 2026 and the brand and platform continue. It is not a shutdown, but the ownership and clinical direction have changed.

OpenClinica: Is OpenClinica free?

There is a genuinely free, LGPL licensed community edition you host yourself with no vendor support. The commercial platform with eConsent, eCOA and a validated hosted instance is quoted and paid.

Koa Health: Who buys Koa Health?

Employers, health plans and health systems. It is not sold direct to individuals.

OpenClinica: Is the open source version still maintained?

Yes, releases on the 3.x line continued through 2025, but it is a separate and older architecture from the commercial product.

Koa Health: How is it priced?

Per employee or per member per month, quoted rather than published, with the rate depending on which steps of the care ladder are in scope.

OpenClinica: Does it meet 21 CFR Part 11?

The commercial hosted platform is built for Part 11 and GCP compliance. If you self-host the community edition, compliance and validation are entirely your responsibility.

Koa Health: Does it provide access to psychiatrists?

Clinical access is included in the higher tiers, and the PsychPlus acquisition adds psychiatry provider capacity in the United States. Confirm what your specific contract covers.

OpenClinica: What does the commercial version cost?

Not published. Third-party listings suggest enterprise arrangements from around USD 1,000 per month, but real cost depends on study count, subjects, modules and build services.

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