Birdeye vs Swell
Verdict. Birdeye leads on the overall Data Index (7.3 vs 6.6). On the 6 axes where both have evidence, Birdeye wins 2, Swell wins 2 and 2 are tied. Clearest gaps: vendor stability (Birdeye 9.0 vs 6.0), features (Birdeye 8.6 vs 6.4), and support (Swell 6.0 vs 4.0). Users rate Birdeye higher (4.7 vs 4.5).
Table view
| Axis | Birdeye | Swell |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 8.6 | 6.4 |
| Integrations | 8.4 | 9.1 |
| Pricing clarity | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Support | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| Vendor stability | 9.0 | 6.0 |
| User rating | 9.4 | 9.1 |
Axis by axis
- Features 8.6 vs 6.4 Birdeye
- Integrations 8.4 vs 9.1 Swell
- Pricing clarity 2.0 vs 2.0 tie
- Support 4.0 vs 6.0 Swell
- Vendor stability 9.0 vs 6.0 Birdeye
- User rating 9.4 vs 9.1 tie
Birdeye or Swell: which should you choose?
Both target multi-location healthcare groups and both are quote-only, though Swell publishes a $199 per location partner offer for dental.
Birdeye is the bigger platform: 4.7 across Capterra (707 reviews) and G2 (4,160), a company of 1,000 to 5,000 people and a wider feature list. It confirms digital forms, missed-call text-back and recall automation, which Swell does not in our data. The cost is price (reviewers often call it expensive) and setup time, and some report integrations that need monitoring.
Swell is smaller (4.5 on 730 reviews) but documents nine integrations to Birdeye's seven, including Denticon, NexHealth, Dental Intelligence, Sikka, Ortho2 Edge and Cloud 9 Ortho. It has a multi-location dashboard and our support score for it is higher.
Choose Birdeye when reviews should feed a broader patient-messaging platform; choose Swell when your system is on its list and you want a published starting point to negotiate from. See our Birdeye review.
Reviewed under the standards of our Editorial Board
What our reviews say
Birdeye
A large review-management and messaging platform with deep dental integrations and very high ratings. Priced by quote and aimed at practices, and especially groups, that want reviews to drive new patients.
Strengths- Rated 4.7 out of 5 on both Capterra (707 reviews) and G2 (4,160 reviews)
- Documented integrations with Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Curve Dental and SoftDent
- Review requests, listings, messaging, surveys, referrals and social media in one platform
- No published pricing; frequently described as expensive
- Takes time to set up and to learn fully
- Some reviewers report integrations that break and need monitoring
Side by side
| Birdeye | Swell | |
|---|---|---|
| Data Index | 7.3 | 6.6 |
| Category rank | #1 of 7 · Reputation management | #2 of 7 · Reputation management |
| User rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Review count | 4,867 | 730 |
| Starting price | — | $199/mo |
| Pricing transparency | Quote only | Quote only |
| License | Quote only | Subscription |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile app | Cloud |
| Verified integrations | 7 | 9 |
| Open API | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA claim | Yes | Yes |
| Company size | 1001-5000 | 51-200 |
| Markets | US | US |
| Data completeness | 100% | 100% |
Features
3 of 12 tracked capabilities differ. Only Birdeye: digital forms, missed-call text-back, and recall automation.
| Capability | Birdeye | Swell |
|---|---|---|
| Two-way texting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated reminders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online booking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Digital forms | ✓ | ? |
| Review requests | ✓ | ✓ |
| Missed-call text-back | ✓ | ? |
| Text-to-pay | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email marketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recall automation | ✓ | ? |
| Unified inbox | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-location dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
Integrations
Only Birdeye · 4
Both · 3
Choose Birdeye if…
- Multi-location practices and DSOs managing reviews and listings for many offices
- Practices that want review requests sent automatically after each appointment from their practice software
- Marketing teams that also want social media, surveys and referral campaigns in one place
- you need digital forms
- you need missed-call text-back
- user satisfaction is your priority
FAQ
Is Birdeye better than Swell?
Birdeye leads on the overall Data Index (7.3 vs 6.6). On the 6 axes where both have evidence, Birdeye wins 2, Swell wins 2 and 2 are tied. Clearest gaps: vendor stability (Birdeye 9.0 vs 6.0), features (Birdeye 8.6 vs 6.4), and support (Swell 6.0 vs 4.0). Users rate Birdeye higher (4.7 vs 4.5).
Do Birdeye and Swell integrate with the same systems?
They share 3 verified integrations (Dentrix, Open Dental, and Curve Dental). Only Birdeye lists 4; only Swell lists 6.