Dentrix and Open Dental are both full dental practice management systems, and either one can run a general practice. The sharpest difference between them is not features. It is disclosure and hosting. Open Dental publishes every price on its website. Dentrix publishes none, and routes you to a demo request instead.
That single difference changes how you have to evaluate them. With Open Dental you can build a five year cost model in an afternoon from public pages. With Dentrix you cannot model anything until a rep sends you a quote, which means the comparison is never apples to apples unless you force it to be.
Everything below comes from the two companies' own public pages, checked on 29 September 2026, plus Henry Schein One's published API material. Where a number is not published, this article says so rather than guessing.
Dentrix vs Open Dental at a glance
| Open Dental | Dentrix | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Open Dental Software | Henry Schein One |
| Price published on the website | Yes, in full | No |
| Published US rate | $199 per month per location for the first 12 months, then a published reduced rate of $149 | Not published |
| Providers included | Up to 3 per location, hygienists not counted, then $20 per month per additional provider | Not published |
| Contract | 12 months initially, then month to month | Not published |
| Hosting | Self hosted by default, or Open Dental Cloud as a separate priced option | On premises. Dentrix Ascend is the separate cloud product |
| Free trial | Yes, does not expire, capped at 30 patients | Not published. Demo request instead |
| Money back | 90 day money back guarantee | Not published |
| Add on prices | Published line by line | Not published |
| Third party access | Hundreds of bridges, over 20 clearinghouses, an API | Henry Schein One API Exchange, open to all vendors |
Sources: Open Dental ordering, Open Dental fees for support and services, Open Dental trial version, Dentrix packages and suites, Henry Schein One API Exchange.
How much does Open Dental cost?
Open Dental charges $199 per month per location for the first 12 months in the United States, then drops to a currently published reduced rate of $149 per month per location on a month to month basis. The fee covers the software, all releases, phone support, and every computer at that location for up to 3 providers. There is no upfront licence purchase.
The detail underneath that headline matters more than the headline.
Additional providers beyond 3 per location cost $20 per month per provider, and Open Dental states hygienists are not counted toward that limit. Canada runs at $164 initially and $137 reduced. Other countries are $89 per month per location. Dental schools are free. Data conversion from your previous software is not included and is quoted separately.
Add on services are published individually, which is unusual in this market:
| Open Dental add on | Published US price |
|---|---|
| eServices Bundle | $165 per month per location |
| eClipboard | $45 per month per location |
| eConfirmations | $25 per month per location |
| Secure Email | $30 per month per location |
| ODMobile | $35 per month per location |
| Web Sched Recall | $75 per month per location |
| Web Sched New Patient and Existing Patient | $75 per month per location |
| Web Sched ASAP | $20 per month per location, free with Web Sched Recall |
| Integrated Texting, assigned number | $5 per month per location plus $0.04 per outgoing message in the US |
| Mass Email access fee | $8 per month per location |
Work the arithmetic on published US rates and a single location with three dentists on the eServices Bundle pays $364 per month in year one ($199 plus $165), then $314 per month from month 13 ($149 plus $165). That excludes data conversion, training, e-prescribing, and tax. Web Forms, Patient Portal, Payment Portal, eReminders, and Message to Pay are listed as free for customers on support.
How much does Dentrix cost?
Dentrix does not publish pricing. Its packages and suites page describes the suites and then offers a demo request and a contact link, with no figures attached. The same is true across the Dentrix solutions pages.
That is a legitimate way to sell software. It just means the burden shifts to you. If you are quoting Dentrix against Open Dental, insist that the quote answers all of the following in writing, because each one is public on the Open Dental side and invisible on the Dentrix side until you ask:
- The recurring fee, stated per location and per provider, and what it includes.
- What is in the package you are being quoted and what is an add on with its own line item.
- The data conversion fee, who performs it, and how long the practice is running on two systems.
- Training hours included, and the hourly rate after those are used.
- Server and hardware requirements, and who buys and maintains them.
- Contract length, auto renewal terms, and any annual price escalator.
- The price in month 13 and in year three, not just the first year promotion.
- What happens to your data, and in what format, if you leave.
Put the Open Dental published numbers next to those answers. If the Dentrix quote cannot be reduced to the same shape, that is information too.
Is Dentrix cloud or on premises?
Dentrix is the on premises product and Dentrix Ascend is the cloud product, both from Henry Schein One. Dentrix's own site frames the choice between them as on premises control or cloud flexibility. Open Dental runs self hosted by default, meaning your practice hosts the program and database locally or arranges remote hosting, with Open Dental Cloud available as a separately priced option and the ability to move back to self hosted at any time without penalty.
For a front office this is not an abstract architecture question. It decides four practical things: who owns and patches the server, what happens to the schedule when the internet drops, whether a doctor can open the day's chart from home, and how easily an outside tool can reach your appointment book. A self hosted system puts all four in your control and makes all four your responsibility. A cloud system does the reverse.
Open Dental's server install includes MySQL or MariaDB and the workstations connect back to it. If nobody in your practice or your IT vendor is comfortable owning a database server, weigh that honestly before the price comparison, because it is the single most common reason a self hosted system becomes a burden.
Dentrix vs Eaglesoft vs Open Dental: where Eaglesoft fits
Eaglesoft is the third name practices usually shortlist alongside these two. It is Patterson Dental's practice management software, which makes the shortlist a choice between three different parent companies rather than three products from the same stable. Like Dentrix, Eaglesoft does not publish a price list, so the same eight questions above apply to it unchanged.
If your shortlist already includes a phone or scheduling tool, check the integration side for each candidate before you get attached to one. We cover that per system in our notes on Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Eaglesoft, and Open Dental.
What does switching practice management systems actually cost?
The licence fee is rarely the expensive part of a switch. The conversion is. Open Dental publishes that it converts data from over 200 dental practice management systems, that conversion fees vary by the software you are leaving, and that you should plan the conversion before you start using the new system. Dentrix describes onboarding as a process it works through with you, without a published fee.
Whichever direction you are moving, budget for four things the quote usually understates. Staff time spent verifying converted ledgers and appointment histories. The weeks your team is slower because muscle memory is gone. Images, which frequently convert separately from the database. And the parallel period where both systems are live and someone has to keep them consistent.
A practical rule: ask for a named reference practice that converted from your exact current system, not a general reference. Conversion quality varies by source system far more than it varies by destination.
How do outside tools connect to Dentrix and Open Dental?
Both systems support third party integration, but through different front doors.
Henry Schein One runs the API Exchange, which it describes as open to all and simple to join, with an authorized integrator directory covering both Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend. Henry Schein One publishes that the Exchange processes 6 billion data requests annually across 700 endpoints for 100,000 practices, and that it uses SOC 2 Type II compliance and OAuth 2.0.
Open Dental's site lists hundreds of bridges to other programs, over 20 clearinghouses, native integrations, and an API. Worth noting if you are evaluating with the free trial: Open Dental states that the trial version does not work with the API or with eServices, so an integration you plan to depend on cannot be tested in the trial.
For a dental front office the useful question is narrower than "does it integrate". It is whether an outside tool can write a real appointment back into the schedule with the right appointment type, the right chair time, and the procedure code attached, or whether it can only read availability and leave a message for someone to action. Those are very different products with similar marketing. We unpack the distinction in how an AI receptionist works with your dental software.
A scorecard for choosing between them
Feature checklists tend to end in a tie, because both systems do charting, scheduling, imaging, insurance, and recall. What actually separates them for a specific practice is weighted differently by practice. Score each system 1 to 5 on the six factors below, multiply by the weight, and add the results.
| Factor | Weight | Dentrix score (1 to 5) | Open Dental score (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five year cost predictability | 25% | ||
| Hosting fit for how your practice actually works | 20% | ||
| Conversion cost and downtime from your current system | 20% | ||
| Integration coverage for the tools you already run | 15% | ||
| Team familiarity and local hiring pool | 10% | ||
| Support model you can live with on a bad Monday | 10% |
Two notes on using it. If the totals land within 0.3 of each other, the software is not really the decision and you should choose on conversion cost and staff familiarity, which are the two factors you will feel every day for the first six months. And if you cannot score the cost row for one candidate because no numbers exist yet, do not guess. Go back and get the quote first.
This is a planning heuristic we use to force the conversation into the open, not a validated industry benchmark. Change the weights to match your practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dentrix or Open Dental cheaper?
Open Dental's published US rate is $199 per month per location for the first 12 months, then $149. Dentrix does not publish a price, so no honest direct comparison is possible until you have a written quote. Compare total five year cost including conversion, add ons, training, and hardware, not the monthly headline.
Are Dentrix and Open Dental the same?
No. They are competing practice management systems from different companies, Henry Schein One and Open Dental Software, with separate databases and separate pricing models. A practice runs one of them, not both. Moving between them is a data conversion, not a sync.
Can I try Open Dental before buying?
Yes. Open Dental publishes a free trial version that does not expire and includes a demo database. It is limited to 30 patients, does not include copyrighted CDT content, and does not work with the API or eServices, so treat it as a workflow evaluation rather than a full integration test.
Does Open Dental integrate with Dentrix?
Not as a live connection. They are competing systems, so data moves between them through a one time conversion when you switch. Open Dental publishes that it converts from over 200 dental practice management systems and quotes conversion fees by source software.
What is the difference between Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend?
Both are Henry Schein One practice management systems. Dentrix's own site presents the choice as on premises control with Dentrix, or cloud flexibility with Dentrix Ascend. Both are covered by the Henry Schein One API Exchange.
Does an AI phone system work with both?
Telvana integrates with every major dental practice management system, including Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Curve, Denticon, Dolphin, WinOMS, OrthoTrac, and DSN, and books the visit straight into the practice's system with the ADA procedure code attached. The system you choose does not decide whether your phones can be automated.
The other half of the decision
Whichever system you land on, it only manages the schedule. It does not answer the phone at 7pm when a new patient with a cracked molar is calling three practices in a row, and it does not stop the front desk from choosing between the patient at the counter and the one on hold.
Telvana answers every call, screens by your rules on insurance, emergencies, and new patients, and books the right visit type and chair time straight into your practice management system with the procedure code attached. One published price, $399 per practice per month with 2,000 minutes included, no contracts.
Book a demo and hear it handle a real call before you decide.
