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Veterinary · head to head

Shepherd vs VisionVPM

Shepherd logo

Shepherd

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
VisionVPM logo

VisionVPM

Veterinary

On-premise practice management for veterinary groups in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates; VisionVPM it needs a Windows server, a backup regime and someone responsible for both, so the true cost includes IT support that cloud competitors absorb into their subscription.
  • They diverge on capability: Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, VisionVPM covers Local database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shepherd and VisionVPM actually diverge.

Attributes where Shepherd and VisionVPM differ
AttributeShepherdVisionVPM
PlatformsWeb, CloudWindows

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 VisionVPM

  • Local database
  • Large and mixed animal modules
  • Stock and wholesale ordering
  • Debtor and account management
  • Multi-site consolidation
  • Clinical reminders

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 VisionVPM
  • Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot VisionVPM
  • Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot VisionVPM

VisionVPM

  • A rural mixed practice where internet connectivity is too unreliable to depend on a browser-only systemnot Shepherd
  • A corporate group that requires clinical and financial data to remain on infrastructure it controlsnot Shepherd
  • A farm-heavy practice needing herd recording and monthly account billing that companion-animal cloud systems handle poorlynot Shepherd
  • An established VisionVPM site weighing an upgrade against the cost and disruption of migrating to a cloud 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

VisionVPM

  • It needs a Windows server, a backup regime and someone responsible for both, so the true cost includes IT support that cloud competitors absorb into their subscription.
  • Upgrades are scheduled events with downtime rather than transparent releases, which means version drift across a multi-site group and a coordination burden at each release.
  • Covetrus is steering customers towards its cloud product, so development effort is unlikely to favour VisionVPM long term and buyers should assume a migration eventually.
  • Remote and out-of-hours access requires a remote desktop or Citrix layer, which adds licensing, latency and another system to secure.
  • Ordering and prescription workflows are built around Covetrus as the supplier, so a practice buying from other wholesalers loses the automated parts and reverts to manual entry.

Pricing, plan by plan

Shepherd

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.

VisionVPM

On request
  • VisionVPM$undefined/year
    • Licence and annual support quoted per practice
    • Server hardware and Windows licences bought separately
    • Data migration quoted per site

Which should you pick?

Choose Shepherd if

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

Choose VisionVPM if

  • You need local database.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want large and mixed animal modules.
VisionVPM review

Questions people ask

Is Shepherd or VisionVPM better?
Neither clearly leads. Shepherd starts at On request and VisionVPM at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shepherd or VisionVPM?
Shepherd starts at On request and VisionVPM at On request.
Does Shepherd or VisionVPM run on more platforms?
Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud. VisionVPM runs on Windows.
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 VisionVPM is typically brought in for.
What can Shepherd do that VisionVPM cannot?
Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based. VisionVPM covers Local database, Large and mixed animal modules, Stock and wholesale ordering, Debtor and account management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?

Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.

VisionVPM: Can VisionVPM run in the cloud?

Only by hosting the Windows server yourself or through a partner and connecting over remote desktop. It is not a browser application and hosting it does not make it one.

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.

VisionVPM: Is VisionVPM still being developed?

It receives maintenance and compliance updates, but its owner sells a separate cloud product and directs new development there. Plan on a migration within the life of your next server.

Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?

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

VisionVPM: Does it work outside Australasia and the UK?

It is sold and supported in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. Tax handling and supplier integrations are built for those markets.

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