Veterinary · head to head
Hippo Manager vs VisionVPM
Hippo Manager
Veterinary
Cloud veterinary practice management software with flat per-user pricing
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
VisionVPM
Veterinary
On-premise practice management for veterinary groups in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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.; 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: Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, VisionVPM covers Local database.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hippo Manager and VisionVPM actually diverge.
| Attribute | Hippo Manager | VisionVPM |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Windows |
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 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.
Hippo Manager
- A new clinic opening with no server, no IT provider and a need to be running within weeksnot VisionVPM
- A mobile or house call veterinarian working from a tablet between appointmentsnot VisionVPM
- A two doctor practice replacing a legacy on-premise system and wanting predictable monthly costnot VisionVPM
- A veterinary teaching programme needing many inexpensive logins on shared recordsnot VisionVPM
VisionVPM
- A rural mixed practice where internet connectivity is too unreliable to depend on a browser-only systemnot Hippo Manager
- A corporate group that requires clinical and financial data to remain on infrastructure it controlsnot Hippo Manager
- A farm-heavy practice needing herd recording and monthly account billing that companion-animal cloud systems handle poorlynot Hippo Manager
- An established VisionVPM site weighing an upgrade against the cost and disruption of migrating to a cloud systemnot 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.
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
Hippo Manager
On request- Hippo Manager$undefined/month
- Flat monthly subscription charged per user
- Core clinical, billing and inventory functionality included
- Data conversion and onboarding quoted separately
VisionVPM
On request- VisionVPM$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 Hippo Manager if
- You need cloud patient records.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want scheduling.
Choose VisionVPM if
- You need local database.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want large and mixed animal modules.
Questions people ask
- Is Hippo Manager or VisionVPM better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hippo Manager 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, Hippo Manager or VisionVPM?
- Hippo Manager starts at On request and VisionVPM at On request.
- Does Hippo Manager or VisionVPM run on more platforms?
- Hippo Manager runs on Web, iOS, Android. VisionVPM 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 VisionVPM is typically brought in for.
- What can Hippo Manager do that VisionVPM cannot?
- Hippo Manager covers Cloud patient records, Scheduling, Invoicing and payments, Inventory. VisionVPM covers Local database, Large and mixed animal modules, Stock and wholesale ordering, Debtor and account management.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hippo Manager: Is there an on-premise version?
No. It is browser only, which means no server to maintain and no offline working.
Related pages
More on Hippo Manager
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