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Healthcare · head to head

OpenMRS vs Philips IntelliSpace PACS

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
Philips IntelliSpace PACS logo

Philips IntelliSpace PACS

Healthcare

Enterprise radiology PACS and diagnostic image viewing from Philips

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenMRS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Philips IntelliSpace PACS philips has consolidated its imaging marketing under Philips Enterprise Imaging and several IntelliSpace PACS regional pages now redirect to a generic medical imaging page, so a buyer signing a long PACS term should demand a written product lifecycle and version support statement before committing.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Philips IntelliSpace PACS covers Diagnostic reading client.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenMRS and Philips IntelliSpace PACS actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenMRS and Philips IntelliSpace PACS differ
AttributeOpenMRSPhilips IntelliSpace PACS
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Web, WindowsWeb, 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 OpenMRS

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

Only in Philips IntelliSpace PACS

  • Diagnostic reading client
  • Zero footprint web viewer
  • Enterprise archive
  • Advanced visualisation
  • IntelliSpace Radiology on AWS
  • Worklist and workflow
  • AI results integration

What people use each for

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

OpenMRS

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

Philips IntelliSpace PACS

  • A hospital replacing an end of life PACS that already runs a large Philips CT and MR estate and wants modality and reading integration in one support contractnot OpenMRS
  • A radiology group consolidating several departmental archives into one enterprise archive with a single radiologist worklistnot OpenMRS
  • A health system that wants to move diagnostic reading off local workstations into a cloud hosted environment via the AWS listingnot OpenMRS
  • Sites that need server side advanced visualisation so radiologists can do 3D and vessel work without dedicated 3D workstationsnot OpenMRS

Where each one falls short

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

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

Philips IntelliSpace PACS

  • Philips has consolidated its imaging marketing under Philips Enterprise Imaging and several IntelliSpace PACS regional pages now redirect to a generic medical imaging page, so a buyer signing a long PACS term should demand a written product lifecycle and version support statement before committing.
  • Advanced visualisation is licensed by concurrent user separately from the base PACS, so a department that sizes concurrency from average use finds radiologists blocked at the morning peak and buys more licences after go live.
  • The deepest integration is with Philips modalities, so sites running mixed GE and Siemens scanner fleets get less of the workflow benefit than the demonstration environment implies.
  • Third party AI findings arrive through a results interface rather than natively in the hanging protocol, so radiologists context switch to see algorithm output and adoption of purchased AI is lower than expected.
  • Data migration from a legacy PACS is a separate, large and often underquoted professional services line, and migrations of a decade of priors routinely run longer than the go live plan allows.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Philips IntelliSpace PACS

On request
  • IntelliSpace PACS$undefined/year
    • Priced by annual study volume and concurrent diagnostic users
    • Advanced visualisation licensed separately by concurrent user
    • Storage and archive tiering priced by capacity

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Philips IntelliSpace PACS if

  • You need diagnostic reading client.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want zero footprint web viewer.
Philips IntelliSpace PACS review

Questions people ask

Is OpenMRS or Philips IntelliSpace PACS better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenMRS starts at Free and Philips IntelliSpace PACS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenMRS or Philips IntelliSpace PACS?
OpenMRS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenMRS and On request for Philips IntelliSpace PACS.
Does OpenMRS or Philips IntelliSpace PACS run on more platforms?
OpenMRS runs on Linux, Web, Windows. Philips IntelliSpace PACS runs on Web, Windows.
Can I use OpenMRS for free?
Yes. OpenMRS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Philips IntelliSpace PACS starts at On request.
What is OpenMRS best used for?
OpenMRS is most often used for a ministry of health standardising hiv treatment records across hundreds of facilities where per-patient licensing would be unaffordable, a hospital network in a country where no commercial vendor supports the local language, clinical forms or reporting requirements, an ngo running a tuberculosis programme that must report into dhis2 and needs the clinical record beneath it to be modifiable, a health system that wants to own its clinical data model outright rather than depend on a vendor to extend it. Of those, a ministry of health standardising hiv treatment records across hundreds of facilities where per-patient licensing would be unaffordable and a hospital network in a country where no commercial vendor supports the local language, clinical forms or reporting requirements are not what Philips IntelliSpace PACS is typically brought in for.
What can OpenMRS do that Philips IntelliSpace PACS cannot?
OpenMRS covers Concept dictionary, Modular architecture, Modern front end, FHIR support. Philips IntelliSpace PACS covers Diagnostic reading client, Zero footprint web viewer, Enterprise archive, Advanced visualisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Philips IntelliSpace PACS: Is IntelliSpace PACS being discontinued?

It is still sold and supported, but Philips has moved its marketing to Philips Enterprise Imaging and some regional IntelliSpace product pages now redirect. Ask Philips for the written lifecycle statement before signing a multi year term.

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.

Philips IntelliSpace PACS: Can I run it in the cloud?

Yes. Philips lists IntelliSpace Radiology on AWS Marketplace, and Philips also offers a managed hosted deployment. Both are quoted rather than self service.

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.

Philips IntelliSpace PACS: Does Philips publish pricing?

No. Pricing is by study volume, concurrent diagnostic users and storage, and is usually negotiated alongside modality capital.

OpenMRS: Does it support FHIR?

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

Philips IntelliSpace PACS: Will it read images from non Philips scanners?

Yes, it is a standard DICOM archive and viewer. The gap is in advanced visualisation and modality workflow integration, which is deeper on Philips equipment.

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