Open Dental vs Practice-Web
Verdict. Open Dental leads on the overall Data Index (8.1 vs 7.8). On the 6 axes where both have evidence, Open Dental wins 2, Practice-Web wins 3 and 1 is tied. Clearest gaps: integrations (Open Dental 10.0 vs 5.3), vendor stability (Practice-Web 10.0 vs 7.0), and features (Practice-Web 7.9 vs 7.1). On list price, Practice-Web starts $20/mo cheaper. Users rate Practice-Web higher (4.9 vs 4.5).
Table view
| Axis | Open Dental | Practice-Web |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 7.1 | 7.9 |
| Integrations | 10.0 | 5.3 |
| Pricing clarity | 8.5 | 8.0 |
| Support | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Vendor stability | 7.0 | 10.0 |
| User rating | 9.0 | 9.7 |
Axis by axis
- Features 7.1 vs 7.9 Practice-Web
- Integrations 10.0 vs 5.3 Open Dental
- Pricing clarity 8.5 vs 8.0 Open Dental
- Support 6.0 vs 6.0 tie
- Vendor stability 7.0 vs 10.0 Practice-Web
- User rating 9.0 vs 9.7 Practice-Web
Open Dental or Practice-Web: which should you choose?
A server-based system against a cloud system, both with published prices. Open Dental costs $199 per location a month in year one and $149 after, leads our database on integrations, offers a documented API and is rated 4.5 on 136 reviews. You host and secure the server yourself, and patient communication, online scheduling and eRx are paid add-ons.
Practice-Web is cloud-based at $179 a month, a long-established system (listed since 1988) rated 4.9 on 120 reviews, with posted support hours of Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific and Saturday mornings. It confirms perio charting; Open Dental confirms ERA auto-posting and an imaging bridge in our data.
Choose Open Dental if third-party tools and direct access to your data matter and you have IT support. Choose Practice-Web if you want a hosted system without a server and a small vendor with strong user ratings; ask how your imaging software and third-party tools connect, since its documented integration list is shorter. See our Open Dental review.
Reviewed under the standards of our Editorial Board
What our reviews say
Open Dental
The most transparent and most widely integrated dental PMS: $199/mo then $149, every fee public. You run the server yourself.
Strengths- Complete public price list: $199 per location per month in year one, $149 after
- Largest integration ecosystem in our database
- Documented API with a free read-only tier, plus custom queries on your own database
- Self-hosted by default: server, backups and security are your responsibility
- Patient communication, online scheduling and eRx are paid add-ons
- Interface is functional rather than polished
Side by side
| Open Dental | Practice-Web | |
|---|---|---|
| Data Index | 8.1 | 7.8 |
| Category rank | #1 of 16 · Server-based PMS | #2 of 16 · Server-based PMS |
| User rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Review count | 136 | 120 |
| Starting price | $199/mo | $179/mo |
| Pricing transparency | Full public pricing | Full public pricing |
| License | Subscription | Subscription |
| Deployment | On-premise server | Cloud |
| Open API | Yes | — |
| HIPAA claim | Yes | Yes |
| In market since | — | 1988 |
| Company size | 201–500 | — |
| Markets | US, CA | US |
| Data completeness | 88% | 84% |
Features
3 of 12 tracked capabilities differ. Only Open Dental: imaging bridge. Only Practice-Web: perio charting and custom reporting.
| Capability | Open Dental | Practice-Web |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical charting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Perio charting | ? | ✓ |
| Voice perio | ✓ | ✓ |
| Treatment planning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time eligibility | ✓ | ✓ |
| E-claims | ✓ | ✓ |
| ERA auto-posting | ✓ | ✓ |
| e-Prescribing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Imaging bridge | ✓ | ? |
| Custom reporting | ? | ✓ |
| Multi-location | ✓ | ✓ |
| CDT codes | ✓ | ✓ |
3-year cost
3-year cost for your practice
Compare with others →Recurring list prices × your inputs. Excludes taxes, negotiated discounts and add-ons not published by the vendor.
3-year cost for your practice
Compare with others →Recurring list prices × your inputs. Excludes taxes, negotiated discounts and add-ons not published by the vendor.
Choose Open Dental if…
- Cost-conscious practices that want every fee in writing before they buy
- Offices that want the widest choice of third-party tools and direct access to their data
- Practices with an IT provider, or an owner comfortable managing a server and backups
- you need imaging bridge
Choose Practice-Web if…
- you need perio charting
- you need custom reporting
- user satisfaction is your priority
- the lower entry price matters most
FAQ
Is Open Dental better than Practice-Web?
Open Dental leads on the overall Data Index (8.1 vs 7.8). On the 6 axes where both have evidence, Open Dental wins 2, Practice-Web wins 3 and 1 is tied. Clearest gaps: integrations (Open Dental 10.0 vs 5.3), vendor stability (Practice-Web 10.0 vs 7.0), and features (Practice-Web 7.9 vs 7.1). On list price, Practice-Web starts $20/mo cheaper. Users rate Practice-Web higher (4.9 vs 4.5).
Which is cheaper, Open Dental or Practice-Web?
Practice-Web has the lower published entry price ($179/mo vs $199/mo). Per-location and per-provider units, setup fees and add-ons change the 3-year total — use the calculator on this page.