Softwr

Veterinary · head to head

RxWorks vs Shepherd

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
Shepherd logo

Shepherd

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • They diverge on capability: RxWorks covers Multi-site group operation, Shepherd covers Consultation-first records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RxWorks and Shepherd actually diverge.

Attributes where RxWorks and Shepherd differ
AttributeRxWorksShepherd
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Cloud

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 RxWorks

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

Only in Shepherd

  • Consultation-first records
  • Charges from treatment
  • Inventory
  • Cloud-based

What people use each for

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

RxWorks

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

Shepherd

  • Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot RxWorks
  • Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot RxWorks
  • Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot RxWorks

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Shepherd

  • Quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • A smaller vendor than the established systems, with a correspondingly shorter track record
  • Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Shepherd

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.

Which should you pick?

Choose RxWorks if

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

Choose Shepherd if

  • You need consultation-first records.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want charges from treatment.
Shepherd review

Questions people ask

Is RxWorks or Shepherd better?
Neither clearly leads. RxWorks starts at On request and Shepherd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RxWorks or Shepherd?
RxWorks starts at On request and Shepherd at On request.
Does RxWorks or Shepherd run on more platforms?
RxWorks runs on Windows. Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud.
What is RxWorks best used for?
RxWorks is most often used for a practice joining an australian, new zealand or united kingdom group that already standardises on rxworks, a group that needs consolidated reporting and centrally controlled price lists across many sites, a mixed or large animal practice that runs account customers on credit terms rather than payment at the time of service, a site that cannot rely on its internet connection and needs the clinical record held locally. Of those, a practice joining an australian, new zealand or united kingdom group that already standardises on rxworks and a group that needs consolidated reporting and centrally controlled price lists across many sites are not what Shepherd is typically brought in for.
What can RxWorks do that Shepherd cannot?
RxWorks covers Multi-site group operation, Dispensing and stock control, Client accounts, On-premise database. Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?

Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.

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.

Shepherd: What makes it different from other veterinary systems?

It was designed by a practising vet around the consultation workflow, so charges accrue from recorded treatment rather than being entered as a separate billing step.

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.

Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?

Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.

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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