Veterinary · head to head
Shepherd vs Digitail
Shepherd
Veterinary
Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Digitail
Veterinary
All-in-one cloud PIMS for veterinary practices with a pet owner app
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates; Digitail quote-only pricing with no published rates
- They diverge on capability: Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Digitail covers Pet owner app.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Shepherd and Digitail actually diverge.
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 Shepherd
- Consultation-first records
- Charges from treatment
- Inventory
- Cloud-based
Only in Digitail
- Pet owner app
- Cloud PIMS
- Automated reminders
- Multi-location
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Shepherd
- Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot Digitail
- Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot Digitail
- Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot Digitail
Digitail
- Clinics with poor vaccination reminder compliancenot Shepherd
- Practices wanting clients to self-book rather than phonenot Shepherd
- Multi-location groups on one systemnot Shepherd
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Digitail
- Quote-only pricing with no published rates
- The owner app only helps where clients actually install it, and adoption varies sharply by demographic
- Younger vendor than the established systems, with a shorter track record
Pricing, plan by plan
Shepherd
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.
Digitail
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Digitail review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Shepherd if
- You need consultation-first records.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want charges from treatment.
Choose Digitail if
- You need pet owner app.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
- You also want cloud pims.
Questions people ask
- Is Shepherd or Digitail better?
- Neither clearly leads. Shepherd starts at On request and Digitail at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Shepherd or Digitail?
- Shepherd starts at On request and Digitail at On request.
- Does Shepherd or Digitail run on more platforms?
- Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud. Digitail runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
- What is Shepherd best used for?
- Shepherd is most often used for practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billed, clinics replacing on-premise legacy systems, independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administration. Of those, practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billed and clinics replacing on-premise legacy systems are not what Digitail is typically brought in for.
- What can Shepherd do that Digitail cannot?
- Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based. Digitail covers Pet owner app, Cloud PIMS, Automated reminders, Multi-location.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Digitail: What does Digitail cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
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.
Digitail: What does the pet owner app do?
It gives clients their pet’s records, vaccination reminders and booking, which lifts reminder compliance compared with email.
Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?
Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.
Digitail: Does it support multiple clinics?
Yes, multi-location groups run under one account.