Dentrix vs Eaglesoft
Side by side on the same 15 dimensions, from the same sources. ★ marks the dimensions most comparison sites do not publish.
- On the published weighted score, Dentrix leads (7.1 vs 6.4 out of 10).
- On real 3-year cost for each product's stated assumption, Dentrix is $2,410 lower ($34,104 vs $36,514).
Every line above is derived from the published data — the weights are features 40% / sentiment 30% / value 20% / transparency 10%, and anyone can recompute them.
| Dimension | Dentrix | Eaglesoft |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted score | 7.1/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Starting price | $500 per location / month | $200 per user / month |
| Billing unit | per location / month | per user / month |
| Real 3-year cost ★ | $36,514 Scenario: one location, 2 providers, 3 chairs, server-based Dentrix G, including the base license, the mandatory annual support plan, per-claim electronic claims fees (estimated at 400 claims a month), the patient communication module, implementation and training. Imaging hardware and servers are excluded. | $34,104 Scenario: one location, 2 providers, 3 chairs, 3 named users, server-based deployment (perpetual license + annual support), including the software license, implementation, on-site training, data conversion, and server and workstation hardware (amortized over 3 years). Imaging hardware is excluded. **Methodology note**: the payment-processing markup is not counted in the total and is shown separately (see the breakdown below), because it is charged on transaction volume rather than software usage; including it would make this dimension incomparable with other products. This estimate is highly sensitive to the "user count" basis: if 5–10 users are actually needed, the software license line alone rises from about $17,600 to $30,000–54,000, and the total roughly doubles. The definition of "user" (named dentist / workstation login / concurrent / whether front desk counts) must be confirmed before signing. |
| Data export freedom ★ | 2/5 — Limited — partial export, vendor-dependent (full record export: partial) | 2/5 — Limited — partial export, vendor-dependent (full record export: partial) |
| Contract lock-in ★ | 5/5 — Very heavy — long term, high total exit cost Commonly 12 months minimum; multi-location and DSO scenarios can involve multi-year contracts · notice: Not published; must be confirmed in writing with sales before signing (non-disclosure of contract terms is the main risk point) · termination: Not published; typically calculated on the remaining contract term · auto-renew: yes | 5/5 — Very heavy — long term, high total exit cost Historical contracts commonly ran 36–60 months and were often bundled with Patterson equipment financing. Since 2024 new customers are offered subscriptions only, and perpetual licenses have been discontinued. · notice: Under a subscription, stopping payment may suspend access to the software; the specific notice period is not published · termination: Mid-term cancellation typically requires paying the balance for the remaining term (specific terms are not published) · auto-renew: yes |
| Reported claim approval rate ★ | insufficient sample (n=0) | insufficient sample (n=0) |
| Deployment | on-premise, cloud | on-premise, hybrid |
| API | limited-api | limited-api |
| Implementation / training fees | $3,500 | $6,500 |
| Founded | 1989 | 1988 |
| Headquarters | American Fork, Utah, USA | St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (Patterson headquarters) |
| Target practice size | single, multi, dso | single, multi |
| Scheduling | 5/5 — Mature scheduling with multi-location and multi-chair views; the industry benchmark | 4/5 — Complete and stable, but user feedback generally considers the interface and interactions behind cloud competitors |
| Charting / EHR | 5/5 — Deep integration of tooth charting, periodontal probing-depth tracking, treatment planning and patient cost estimates | 4/5 — Mature clinical records and charting |
| Insurance eClaims | 5/5 — Claims, attachments and one-click ERA auto-posting all happen in a single workflow, with more structured denial handling than Open Dental | 4/5 — Electronic claims work, but ecosystem maturity is slightly below Dentrix; third-party integrations (such as NexHealth) fill some of the gap |
| Imaging integration | 5/5 — Integrates with mainstream imaging hardware from Dexis, Schick, Carestream, Vatech and others, with Detect AI providing AI-assisted diagnosis (billed separately) | 5/5 — Seamless integration with Patterson Imaging, so X-rays and intraoral images are viewed directly in the patient record — a key selling point |
| Patient portal | 4/5 — Patient communication exists but is mostly sold as separate paid modules; the Ascend Pro/Accelerate tiers bundle it | 3/5 — Built-in patient communication and recall reminders, but patient portal capability is weak and often needs a third party |
| User rating | 4/5 (507 reviews, Capterra 3.9 (376) / G2 4.1 (131), cross-platform composite 4.0 (RevUp 2026-08 aggregate)) | 4.1/5 (266 reviews, Capterra 4.0 (157) / G2 4.2 (109), cross-platform composite 4.1 (RevUp 2026-08 aggregate)) |
★ = exclusive dimensions. 3-year cost uses each product's stated assumption (assumption text shown in the cell) — read both assumptions before quoting the numbers. "Not published" is itself a finding: it means the figure only appears after a sales conversation.
Frequently asked
Is Dentrix or Eaglesoft better?
On the published weighted score, <strong>Dentrix</strong> leads (7.1 vs 6.4 out of 10). On real 3-year cost for each product's stated assumption, <strong>Dentrix</strong> is $2,410 lower ($34,104 vs $36,514). Neither verdict changes based on advertising — Our rankings are determined entirely by data: feature fit 40% + user sentiment 30% + value for money 20% + transparency 10%. Paid listings and sponsor placements are excluded from every calculation and will never change the order.
Which is cheaper, Dentrix or Eaglesoft?
Dentrix publishes $500 per location / month; Eaglesoft publishes $200 per user / month. These are not directly comparable unless the billing units match — see our billing-unit guide. On real 3-year cost for each product's stated assumption, Dentrix is lower ($36,514 vs $34,104).
Which makes it easier to leave, Dentrix or Eaglesoft?
Dentrix scores 2/5 on data export freedom (full record export: partial) and 5/5 on lock-in. Eaglesoft scores 2/5 on export freedom (full record export: partial) and 5/5 on lock-in. Details and sources are on each product page.
Full breakdowns with sources: Dentrix · Eaglesoft · pricing methodology on the pricing data page.