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Healthcare · head to head

Meditech vs OpenClinica

Meditech logo

Meditech

Healthcare

Healthcare information system for hospitals and health systems

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: Meditech on-premise deployment model requires significant infrastructure investment and ongoing IT maintenance; 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: Meditech covers Electronic Health Records, OpenClinica covers Open source community edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meditech and OpenClinica actually diverge.

Attributes where Meditech and OpenClinica differ
AttributeMeditechOpenClinica
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android
Founded1969Unknown

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 Meditech

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Revenue Cycle
  • Clinical Documentation
  • Patient Portal
  • Analytics
  • HL7
  • FHIR
  • Lab Systems

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.

Meditech

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

OpenClinica

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

Where each one falls short

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

Meditech

  • On-premise deployment model requires significant infrastructure investment and ongoing IT maintenance
  • Complex implementation and customization process that can take months and require extensive staff training
  • User interface noted as outdated compared to modern cloud-native EHR competitors

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

Meditech

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Meditech review.

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 Meditech if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want revenue cycle.
Meditech 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 Meditech or OpenClinica better?
Neither clearly leads. Meditech 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, Meditech or OpenClinica?
Meditech starts at On request and OpenClinica at On request.
Does Meditech or OpenClinica run on more platforms?
Meditech runs on Web, Desktop. OpenClinica runs on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
What is Meditech best used for?
Meditech is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what OpenClinica is typically brought in for.
What can Meditech do that OpenClinica cannot?
Meditech covers Electronic Health Records, Revenue Cycle, Clinical Documentation, Patient Portal. OpenClinica covers Open source community edition, Electronic data capture, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Meditech: What are the main clinical features included in Meditech EHR?

Meditech provides comprehensive clinical charting, access to patient vitals, medication history, lab results, diagnostic imaging, virtual care capabilities, and e-prescribing for healthcare professionals.

Source
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.

Meditech: Does Meditech support telehealth and virtual appointments?

Yes, Meditech offers Virtual Care and Virtual On Demand Care solutions allowing physicians to conduct video visits and deliver remote health services.

Source
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.

Meditech: Is Meditech HIPAA compliant?

Yes, Meditech EHR is HIPAA compliant, and both inpatient and ambulatory products are ONC-certified with FHIR-based interoperability standards.

Source
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.

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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