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Healthcare · head to head

GNU Health vs SilverCloud by Amwell

GNU Health logo

GNU Health

Healthcare

Free hospital and health information system from a small NGO, built on the Tryton framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SilverCloud by Amwell logo

SilverCloud by Amwell

Healthcare

Guided digital cognitive behavioural therapy with a published randomised trial evidence base

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GNU Health has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GNU Health development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.; SilverCloud by Amwell the evidence base is for the guided model, and organisations that deploy SilverCloud as unstaffed self service get the completion rates of unguided self help, which is not what the trials measured.
  • They diverge on capability: GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, SilverCloud by Amwell covers Guided programmes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GNU Health and SilverCloud by Amwell actually diverge.

Attributes where GNU Health and SilverCloud by Amwell differ
AttributeGNU HealthSilverCloud by Amwell
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Web, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android

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 GNU Health

  • Electronic medical record
  • Hospital management
  • Laboratory information system
  • Social medicine modules
  • Tryton business modules
  • Health federation
  • ICD and standards support
  • Modular installation

Only in SilverCloud by Amwell

  • Guided programmes
  • Supporter review
  • Symptom measurement
  • Clinician dashboard
  • Risk detection
  • NHS talking therapies alignment
  • Multiple deployment models

What people use each for

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

GNU Health

  • A public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial EMR licensing and has in-house Linux capabilitynot SilverCloud by Amwell
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot SilverCloud by Amwell
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot SilverCloud by Amwell
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot SilverCloud by Amwell

SilverCloud by Amwell

  • An NHS talking therapies service needing a digital option that fits national reporting requirements and reduces waiting list pressure for step two interventionsnot GNU Health
  • A health plan wanting a digital mental health offering it can defend to a clinical governance committee with peer reviewed trial evidencenot GNU Health
  • A university counselling service facing demand it cannot staff, using guided digital cognitive behavioural therapy as a first stepnot GNU Health
  • An employer that wants an evidence based clinical intervention rather than a wellbeing content librarynot GNU Health

Where each one falls short

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

GNU Health

  • Development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • It is built on Tryton, a framework few health IT staff know, so hiring or contracting people who can extend and maintain it is materially harder than for a mainstream stack.
  • Installation, upgrades and database administration assume Linux and Python competence, which puts the real cost on staffing rather than on licensing and defeats hospitals that lack that team.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed, and clinician acceptance is a genuine deployment risk compared with commercial systems that have invested heavily in usability.
  • Certification, regulatory conformance and interoperability testing that some jurisdictions demand of clinical systems are not provided by a vendor, so the adopting institution has to carry that work and that liability itself.

SilverCloud by Amwell

  • The evidence base is for the guided model, and organisations that deploy SilverCloud as unstaffed self service get the completion rates of unguided self help, which is not what the trials measured.
  • Supporter capacity is normally the buyer responsibility rather than part of the licence, so the real cost includes trained staff time that does not appear on the software quote.
  • Digital cognitive behavioural therapy has substantial dropout across all vendors, so a service planning capacity from enrolment numbers rather than completion numbers will overstate the throughput gained.
  • It is now sold as part of the Amwell portfolio, and Amwell has restructured its product lines since acquiring SilverCloud, so buyers should ask how SilverCloud is positioned within the Amwell Converge platform and whether it can still be bought standalone.
  • Guided digital cognitive behavioural therapy is a step two intervention and does not serve moderate to severe presentations, so a service that buys it without a funded escalation pathway simply relocates the queue.

Pricing, plan by plan

GNU Health

Free
  • GNU HealthFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No patient, bed or user limits
  • Support and training$undefined/year
    • Paid support and implementation from GNU Solidario
    • Training courses and certification
    • Quoted per institution

SilverCloud by Amwell

On request
  • SilverCloud by Amwell$undefined/year
    • Priced per member per month or per completed course depending on the buyer type
    • Supporter capacity is usually provided by the buyer, not included in the licence
    • Programme library scope affects the rate

Which should you pick?

Choose GNU Health if

  • You need electronic medical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want hospital management.
GNU Health review

Choose SilverCloud by Amwell if

  • You need guided programmes.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want supporter review.
SilverCloud by Amwell review

Questions people ask

Is GNU Health or SilverCloud by Amwell better?
Neither clearly leads. GNU Health starts at Free and SilverCloud by Amwell at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GNU Health or SilverCloud by Amwell?
GNU Health has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GNU Health and On request for SilverCloud by Amwell.
Does GNU Health or SilverCloud by Amwell run on more platforms?
GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted. SilverCloud by Amwell runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use GNU Health for free?
Yes. GNU Health has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SilverCloud by Amwell starts at On request.
What is GNU Health best used for?
GNU Health is most often used for a public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial emr licensing and has in-house linux capability, a ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirements, a university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstration, a community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical data. Of those, a public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial emr licensing and has in-house linux capability and a ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirements are not what SilverCloud by Amwell is typically brought in for.
What can GNU Health do that SilverCloud by Amwell cannot?
GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules. SilverCloud by Amwell covers Guided programmes, Supporter review, Symptom measurement, Clinician dashboard.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

GNU Solidario, a Spanish nonprofit NGO, as an official GNU package under the GPL.

SilverCloud by Amwell: Is SilverCloud still available under its own name?

Yes. It is marketed as SilverCloud by Amwell and has its own product pages and NHS partnership, though contracting runs through Amwell.

GNU Health: Is there commercial support?

Yes, in a limited form, from GNU Solidario itself and a small number of implementers. It is not a vendor support organisation.

SilverCloud by Amwell: What evidence supports it?

It has been evaluated in independently led randomised controlled trials, including a National Institute of Mental Health funded study published in Nature Human Behaviour in 2026 examining prevalence of mental disorders over two years at scale.

GNU Health: What is it built on?

Tryton, a Python business application framework, which is where its accounting, stock and HR modules come from.

SilverCloud by Amwell: Do we need to provide the supporters?

In most deployments, yes. The guided model requires trained supporter time, and that staffing is usually the buyer responsibility rather than included in the licence.

GNU Health: Is it suitable for a large hospital?

It is deployed in hospitals, but the deciding factor is whether you have internal Linux, Python and Tryton capability rather than the size of the institution.

SilverCloud by Amwell: Is it suitable for severe presentations?

No. It is a step two style intervention for mild to moderate presentations, and it needs a funded escalation pathway for anything more severe.

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