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Healthcare · head to head

Lyra Health vs OpenMRS

Lyra Health logo

Lyra Health

Healthcare

Employer purchased mental health benefit with a curated provider network and measurement based care

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenMRS logo

OpenMRS

Healthcare

Open source electronic medical record platform for low-resource settings, with no vendor and paid implementers instead

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenMRS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lyra Health covered sessions per member per year are set in the employer contract and vary widely between clients, so employees at two companies both using Lyra can receive very different benefits and the number is never published.; OpenMRS there is no vendor and no support contract from OpenMRS itself, so a procurement that requires a named supplier with a service level must instead contract an implementer, and the quality of that implementer determines the outcome more than the software does
  • They diverge on capability: Lyra Health covers Curated provider network, OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lyra Health and OpenMRS actually diverge.

Attributes where Lyra Health and OpenMRS differ
AttributeLyra HealthOpenMRS
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Web, Windows

Identical on both: 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 Lyra Health

  • Curated provider network
  • Measurement based care
  • Self guided digital programmes
  • Coaching tier
  • Dependant and household coverage
  • Higher acuity pathways
  • Employer reporting
  • Global delivery

Only in OpenMRS

  • Concept dictionary
  • Modular architecture
  • Modern front end
  • FHIR support
  • Offline tolerance
  • Patient matching and registration
  • Distributions

What people use each for

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

Lyra Health

  • An employer whose legacy employee assistance programme has utilisation in the low single digits and cannot demonstrate any clinical outcomenot OpenMRS
  • A company with a distributed workforce needing therapist availability outside major metropolitan areas where the health plan network is thinnot OpenMRS
  • An employer wanting behavioural health outcomes measured with validated instruments so the benefit can be evaluated rather than merely offerednot OpenMRS
  • A multinational standardising mental health support across several countries under one contract and one reporting viewnot OpenMRS

OpenMRS

  • A ministry of health standardising HIV treatment records across hundreds of facilities where per-patient licensing would be unaffordablenot Lyra Health
  • A hospital network in a country where no commercial vendor supports the local language, clinical forms or reporting requirementsnot Lyra Health
  • An NGO running a tuberculosis programme that must report into DHIS2 and needs the clinical record beneath it to be modifiablenot Lyra Health
  • A health system that wants to own its clinical data model outright rather than depend on a vendor to extend itnot Lyra Health

Where each one falls short

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

Lyra Health

  • Covered sessions per member per year are set in the employer contract and vary widely between clients, so employees at two companies both using Lyra can receive very different benefits and the number is never published.
  • When a member exhausts the employer funded session allowance, care transitions to the health plan network with its deductibles and copayments, or ends, and this handover is the most common source of employee dissatisfaction with the benefit.
  • The per employee per month fee is charged across the whole eligible population regardless of use, so an employer with low utilisation pays for the entire workforce to serve a small fraction of it.
  • Lyra costs materially more than a traditional employee assistance programme, and the business case depends on utilisation rising enough to justify the difference, which is not guaranteed by the contract.
  • International coverage is real but uneven, and a multinational will find provider depth and language availability in secondary markets well below what is available in the United States, which undermines the single global standard the contract implies.

OpenMRS

  • There is no vendor and no support contract from OpenMRS itself, so a procurement that requires a named supplier with a service level must instead contract an implementer, and the quality of that implementer determines the outcome more than the software does
  • It is a framework rather than a ready product, so a deployment requires clinical content, form design, concept dictionary work and integration before a single patient is registered, and that work is months of skilled effort
  • Funding comes largely from donor programmes, which makes the pace of core development dependent on grant cycles rather than on a commercial roadmap, and priorities can shift when a funder does
  • Distribution choice, core OpenMRS against Bahmni against Ozone, locks in a different set of components and a different implementer pool, and migrating between distributions later is close to a fresh implementation
  • The people cost never goes away: a national deployment needs permanent internal informatics capacity or a permanent support contract, and organisations that budget only the zero licence fee run out of money at the point the system becomes clinically critical

Pricing, plan by plan

Lyra Health

On request
  • Lyra Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month fee across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Covered sessions per member per year negotiated separately and varying widely by client
    • Dependant and household eligibility affects the rate

OpenMRS

Free
  • OpenMRSFree
    • Openly licensed, no licence fee and no seat limits
    • Community support through forums and the OpenMRS Talk platform
    • No support contract available from OpenMRS itself

Which should you pick?

Choose Lyra Health if

  • You need curated provider network.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want measurement based care.
Lyra Health review

Choose OpenMRS if

  • You need concept dictionary.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Windows.
  • You also want modular architecture.
OpenMRS review

Questions people ask

Is Lyra Health or OpenMRS better?
Neither clearly leads. Lyra Health starts at On request and OpenMRS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lyra Health or OpenMRS?
OpenMRS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Lyra Health and Free for OpenMRS.
Does Lyra Health or OpenMRS run on more platforms?
Lyra Health runs on Web, iOS, Android. OpenMRS runs on Linux, Web, Windows.
Can I use OpenMRS for free?
Yes. OpenMRS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lyra Health starts at On request.
What is Lyra Health best used for?
Lyra Health is most often used for an employer whose legacy employee assistance programme has utilisation in the low single digits and cannot demonstrate any clinical outcome, a company with a distributed workforce needing therapist availability outside major metropolitan areas where the health plan network is thin, an employer wanting behavioural health outcomes measured with validated instruments so the benefit can be evaluated rather than merely offered, a multinational standardising mental health support across several countries under one contract and one reporting view. Of those, an employer whose legacy employee assistance programme has utilisation in the low single digits and cannot demonstrate any clinical outcome and a company with a distributed workforce needing therapist availability outside major metropolitan areas where the health plan network is thin are not what OpenMRS is typically brought in for.
What can Lyra Health do that OpenMRS cannot?
Lyra Health covers Curated provider network, Measurement based care, Self guided digital programmes, Coaching tier. OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Modular architecture, Modern front end, FHIR support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lyra Health: How is Lyra priced?

Per employee per month across the eligible population, billed to the employer. The rate is quoted, never published, and depends on headcount, dependant eligibility and the contracted session allowance.

OpenMRS: Who supports OpenMRS if it breaks?

Not OpenMRS itself. Support is bought from implementers such as Mekom Solutions, which offers long-term production service level agreements for OpenMRS, Bahmni and Ozone deployments, or from regional partners.

Lyra Health: How many therapy sessions do employees get?

It depends entirely on what the employer bought. Session allowances vary widely between clients, so ask your benefits team for the contracted number rather than assuming a standard.

OpenMRS: Is it really free?

The software has no licence fee. Hosting, configuration, clinical content, integration and support are the real cost, and they are ongoing.

Lyra Health: Who pays, the employer or the health plan?

The employer pays the per employee per month fee and funds the covered sessions. After the allowance is exhausted, cost typically shifts to the health plan and the member.

OpenMRS: What is the difference between OpenMRS, Bahmni and Ozone?

OpenMRS is the core platform. Bahmni and Ozone are distributions that package it with billing, laboratory and inventory components. Choosing a distribution constrains your implementer options.

Lyra Health: Is there a minimum headcount?

Lyra does not publish one, but it sells primarily to mid sized and large employers and the commercial model does not suit small companies.

OpenMRS: Does it support FHIR?

Yes. FHIR support is the standard route for integrating laboratory, pharmacy and national reporting systems.

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