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Veterinary · head to head

Hippo Manager vs RxWorks

Hippo Manager logo

Hippo Manager

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management software with flat per-user pricing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
R

RxWorks

Veterinary

Server-based practice management with a corporate group heritage in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hippo Manager pricing is per user, so a practice with a rota of part-time technicians and relief veterinarians pays full seats for people who log in a few times a month.; RxWorks it is a legacy line inside Covetrus, which promotes Pulse as its strategic cloud product, so the practical question is not capability but how long the system will be supported and on what notice.
  • They diverge on capability: Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, RxWorks covers Multi-site group operation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hippo Manager and RxWorks actually diverge.

Attributes where Hippo Manager and RxWorks differ
AttributeHippo ManagerRxWorks
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Veterinary).

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 Hippo Manager

  • Cloud patient records
  • Scheduling
  • Invoicing and payments
  • Inventory
  • Laboratory results
  • Reporting

Only in RxWorks

  • Multi-site group operation
  • Dispensing and stock control
  • Client accounts
  • On-premise database
  • Regional configuration
  • Laboratory integration

What people use each for

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

Hippo Manager

  • A new clinic opening with no server, no IT provider and a need to be running within weeksnot RxWorks
  • A mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointmentsnot RxWorks
  • A two doctor practice replacing a legacy on-premise system and wanting predictable monthly costnot RxWorks
  • A veterinary teaching programme needing many inexpensive logins on shared recordsnot RxWorks

RxWorks

  • A practice joining an Australian, New Zealand or United Kingdom group that already standardises on RxWorksnot Hippo Manager
  • A group that needs consolidated reporting and centrally controlled price lists across many sitesnot Hippo Manager
  • A mixed or large animal practice that runs account customers on credit terms rather than payment at the time of servicenot Hippo Manager
  • A site that cannot rely on its internet connection and needs the clinical record held locallynot Hippo Manager

Where each one falls short

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

Hippo Manager

  • Pricing is per user, so a practice with a rota of part-time technicians and relief veterinarians pays full seats for people who log in a few times a month.
  • Inpatient and treatment sheet workflows are lighter than in systems built for referral and emergency hospitals, which pushes overnight care onto paper.
  • The integration catalogue is short relative to the larger cloud platforms, so a practice with an existing imaging, communications or payment preference may find no connector.
  • Multi-location reporting is basic, which limits its usefulness to a group beyond a handful of sites that wants consolidated production figures.
  • As a browser only system it stops when the internet does, and a practice without a backup connection loses records, scheduling and invoicing at the same time.

RxWorks

  • It is a legacy line inside Covetrus, which promotes Pulse as its strategic cloud product, so the practical question is not capability but how long the system will be supported and on what notice.
  • It is a Windows server product, so the group carries hardware, database, patching and backup costs that never appear in the software quotation.
  • Its relevance is regional: outside Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom the installed base and the support and consultant network are thin, which matters for a group expanding into new markets.
  • Remote and mobile working is poor compared with cloud systems, which is a growing problem as groups centralise administration and clinicians expect record access away from the practice.
  • The eventual migration off it will be a full data conversion with retraining across every site, and at group scale that project cost should be modelled now rather than treated as a future problem.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hippo Manager

On request
  • Hippo Manager$undefined/month
    • Flat monthly subscription charged per user
    • Core clinical, billing and inventory functionality included
    • Data conversion and onboarding quoted separately

RxWorks

On request
  • RxWorks$undefined/year
    • Quoted per site, normally under a group agreement
    • Annual support and maintenance charged separately
    • Server infrastructure is the responsibility of the practice or group

Which should you pick?

Choose Hippo Manager if

  • You need cloud patient records.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
Hippo Manager review

Choose RxWorks if

  • You need multi-site group operation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want dispensing and stock control.
RxWorks review

Questions people ask

Is Hippo Manager or RxWorks better?
Neither clearly leads. Hippo Manager starts at On request and RxWorks at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hippo Manager or RxWorks?
Hippo Manager starts at On request and RxWorks at On request.
Does Hippo Manager or RxWorks run on more platforms?
Hippo Manager runs on Web, iOS, Android. RxWorks runs on Windows.
What is Hippo Manager best used for?
Hippo Manager is most often used for a new clinic opening with no server, no it provider and a need to be running within weeks, a mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointments, a two doctor practice replacing a legacy on-premise system and wanting predictable monthly cost, a veterinary teaching programme needing many inexpensive logins on shared records. Of those, a new clinic opening with no server, no it provider and a need to be running within weeks and a mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointments are not what RxWorks is typically brought in for.
What can Hippo Manager do that RxWorks cannot?
Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, Scheduling, Invoicing and payments, Inventory. RxWorks covers Multi-site group operation, Dispensing and stock control, Client accounts, On-premise database.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hippo Manager: Is this veterinary software?

Yes. Hippo Manager is a veterinary practice management system for animal clinics, unrelated to similarly named products in other software categories.

RxWorks: Should a new practice adopt RxWorks today?

Generally no, unless you are joining a group that already runs it. A new independent practice should be evaluating cloud systems instead.

Hippo Manager: How is it priced?

As a flat monthly fee per user with the feature set included, rather than a base licence plus paid modules.

RxWorks: Is it still supported?

Covetrus supports it, but Pulse is the stated strategic product. Ask for the support commitment and the end-of-life notice period as written contract terms.

Hippo Manager: Does it suit an emergency or referral hospital?

Not well. Inpatient workflow depth is limited and specialist practices should look at systems built for that setting.

RxWorks: Where is it actually used?

Mostly Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, heavily within corporate practice groups. It has very little presence in the United States.

Hippo Manager: Is there an on-premise version?

No. It is browser only, which means no server to maintain and no offline working.

RxWorks: What does migration off it involve?

A full clinical and financial data conversion per site plus retraining. At group scale that is a programme of work, not a weekend.

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