Dentrix vs Open Dental
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 ★ marks the dimensions most comparison sites do not publish.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, Open Dental leads (8.7 vs 7.1 out of 10).
- On real 3-year cost for each product's stated assumption, Dentrix is $23,010 lower ($13,504 vs $36,514).
- If getting your own data out is the priority, Open Dental scores higher on export freedom (5/5 vs 2/5).
- If you may switch again soon, Open Dental carries less contract lock-in (1/5 vs 5/5).
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 | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted score | 7.1/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Starting price | $500 per location / month | $199 per location / month |
| Billing unit | per location / month | per location / 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. | $13,504 Scenario: one location, 3 providers, self-hosted (own server), with the paid eServices bundle, including server hardware and excluding cloud hosting. This scenario was chosen because most practices genuinely need online self-scheduling and texting. If the same 3 providers moved to the vendor's cloud hosting, the three-year total would be about $31,000 ((Medium hosting package $520, plus the support fee at $199 in year one and $149 thereafter) x 36 = $24,684, plus $5,940 for eServices and $400 for migration) — roughly 2.3x the self-hosted scenario, and that comparison is itself the story. Note that the cloud fee does not replace the support fee, it stacks on top of it. If online scheduling and texting are not needed, the eServices line drops to $0 (reminders, the portal and payment links are free anyway). |
| Data export freedom ★ | 2/5 — Limited — partial export, vendor-dependent (full record export: partial) | 5/5 — Full autonomy — open structure, self-serve export (full record export: yes) |
| 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 | 1/5 — No lock-in — cancel anytime 12-month agreement for the first year, month-to-month thereafter · notice: Can be cancelled at any time after that, but the practice must call support to do so (the official documentation states "Users must call to Cancel") · termination: None · auto-renew: no |
| Reported claim approval rate ★ | insufficient sample (n=0) | insufficient sample (n=0) |
| Deployment | on-premise, cloud | on-premise, cloud, hybrid |
| API | limited-api | public-api |
| Implementation / training fees | $3,500 | $0 |
| Founded | 1989 | 2001 |
| Headquarters | American Fork, Utah, USA | Oregon, USA |
| Target practice size | single, multi, dso | single, multi, dso |
| Scheduling | 5/5 — Mature scheduling with multi-location and multi-chair views; the industry benchmark | 4/5 — Full-featured and covers routine practice scheduling; online self-scheduling (Web Sched) costs extra and is not part of the base subscription covering 3 providers |
| Charting / EHR | 5/5 — Deep integration of tooth charting, periodontal probing-depth tracking, treatment planning and patient cost estimates | 4/5 — Thorough coverage of general dentistry clinical workflows; weaker for specialties (oral surgery, orthodontics) |
| 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 — Supports electronic claims with configurable ERA automation; runs through DentalXChange at about $0.25 per claim. Denial handling is less structured than Dentrix |
| 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) | 3/5 — Bridges to multiple imaging systems (Acteon, CEREC, Carestream, Dexis, Planmeca and others), but the vendor explicitly warns that some third-party integration methods can corrupt patient records, so each method must be confirmed individually |
| Patient portal | 4/5 — Patient communication exists but is mostly sold as separate paid modules; the Ascend Pro/Accelerate tiers bundle it | 3/5 — The patient portal and Web Forms are included with the subscription at no extra cost; online self-scheduling, texting and eClipboard are paid add-ons |
| User rating | 4/5 (507 reviews, Capterra 3.9 (376) / G2 4.1 (131), cross-platform composite 4.0 (RevUp 2026-08 aggregate)) | 4.5/5 (156 reviews, G2 / Capterra third-party aggregate (92% satisfaction, 156 reviews); GetApp / SoftwareAdvice 4.6 (RevUp 2026-08)) |
★ = 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 Open Dental better?
On the published weighted score, <strong>Open Dental</strong> leads (8.7 vs 7.1 out of 10). On real 3-year cost for each product's stated assumption, <strong>Dentrix</strong> is $23,010 lower ($13,504 vs $36,514). If getting your own data out is the priority, <strong>Open Dental</strong> scores higher on export freedom (5/5 vs 2/5). If you may switch again soon, <strong>Open Dental</strong> carries less contract lock-in (1/5 vs 5/5). 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 Open Dental?
Dentrix publishes $500 per location / month; Open Dental publishes $199 per location / 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 $13,504).
Which makes it easier to leave, Dentrix or Open Dental?
Dentrix scores 2/5 on data export freedom (full record export: partial) and 5/5 on lock-in. Open Dental scores 5/5 on export freedom (full record export: yes) and 1/5 on lock-in. Details and sources are on each product page.
Full breakdowns with sources: Dentrix · Open Dental · pricing methodology on the pricing data page.