Best Dental Software 2021

Denticon vs. Open Dental: Compare Dental Practice Management Software

Is Denticon or Open Dental the better solution for you? This comparison guide will help you decide which practice management software is the best fit for your practice.

Denticon and Open Dental are both advanced practice management systems designed to optimize tasks that dental organizations perform daily. Deciding which option is the best fit for your practice is a difficult process. We compare the most important qualities of each software to help you decide which dental practice management system you should purchase.

Denticon vs. Open Dental Comparison Summary

Denticon and Open Dental are both popular practice management systems equipped with a robust set of customizable features. Your decision will likely come down to whether you want an open-source platform, your preference for a cloud or on-premise solution, and your budget.

  • Denticon is the first and largest cloud-based practice management software.
  • Open Dental is an affordable, open-source, on-premise practice management software.

For in-depth analysis of each practice management software, check out our reviews for Denticon and Open Dental.

Practice Management SoftwareWho It's Best For
Denticon
  • Practices with multiple locations who want to move to the cloud
  • Practices who want a fully-featured product with strong charting and reporting
  • Practices who want the most mature and established cloud-based offering
Open Dental
  • Single location practices
  • Dentists who desire affordable software
  • Tech-savvy dentists who want full access to the database
  • Dentists who want excellent support and frequent software updates
  • Dentists who want a system that integrates with most imaging and software systems

Table of Contents

Denticon vs. Open Dental: Pricing

Denticon
  • Denticon pricing starts at $280 per month for one user & one location. Other pricing details include:
  • Monthly subscription fee
  • No upfront licensing costs
  • Requires separate subscriptions with DoseSpot and Updox
Open Dental
  • Software support is $169 per month per location. Reduced to $119 per month after 12 consecutive months
  • Support is mandatory for six months, and optional thereafter
  • E-service bundle is $135 per month per location
  • After three users, each additional dentist is $20 per month per provider

Key Differences

Denticon and Open Dental are both powerful practice management tools that can help improve your practice. However, there are key differences that you should focus on to determine the best solution for you.

Open-source vs. Proprietary Software

Open Dental is the only open-source dental practice management software on the market today. Open-source software has a source code that is accessible, and can be modified & shared. Denticon’s source code is private, and does not offer an open API. Open-source practice management software provides several benefits.

  • Highly integrated and customizable: Because the code source is available to users, Open Dental can be modified to integrate with most software and hardware. Also, Open Dental can be tailored to your own use cases and workflow. You can add different functionality, or remove unnecessary features.
  • Full access to data: Open Dental gives you complete control of your data, which enables you to create custom reports and queries.
  • Different financial motivations: Because Open Dental generates most of their revenue from support fees, they focus on providing exceptional customer support and frequent software updates.

Pricing

As highlighted above, Open Dental is more affordable than Denticon:

  • Denticon is $280 per month for one user & one location.
  • Open Dental is $169 per month per location. After 12 consecutive months, it is reduced to $119 per month.

Since Open Dental is an open-source software company, its business model differs from other practice management vendors. With an open-source software company, the software is free, and you pay for support and software updates. As a result, Open Dental is incentivised to provide exceptional customer support.

Cloud-based vs. On-premise Systems

Denticon is a cloud-based system that is ideal for multi-location practices who want to consolidate data across their offices. Open Dental is an on-premise system that is installed locally on your own computers and servers. It is possible to connect Open Dental to the cloud through Amazon Web Service Middle Tier. However, it can be a convoluted process for the less tech savvy, and Open Dental does not offer IT support for cloud servers. Consider these benefits and disadvantages when deciding between cloud-based and on-premise systems.

Software TypesProsCons
Cloud-based
  • Best for multi-location practices
  • Sync your data across all locations
  • Scalability
  • No server purchase or maintenance
  • Automatic software updates & data back-up
  • Requires a reliable internet connection
  • In some cases, SaaS subscription may be more expensive than license+maintenance for on-premise
  • Must trust vendor with data security
On-premise
  • In the long run, the cost for licenses, servers, and IT support may be cheaper than a monthly subscription to a cloud-based service
  • Requires no internet connection
  • Full control over technology and data
  • Higher upfront costs for software, hardware, and infrastructure
  • Recurring cost for IT support
  • Data is only accessible on-site
  • Manual software updates & data back-up
  • Limited storage

Denticon and Open Dental Product Overviews

To support your evaluation process, we included detailed information on each solution below. We also link to our full reviews for each product.

Denticon

Denticon is the most popular cloud-based practice management software on the market. It offers many advanced features, and is equipped with exceptional charting and reporting capabilities. Denticon is a better option than Open Dental, if you desire scalability and data consolidation across all your offices.

Strengths
  • Cloud-based solution
  • Equipped with core features, as well as advanced features such as voice-activated perio charting and virtual business services
  • Robust charting and reporting
  • Cost-effective
Weaknesses
  • User flow requires a moderate learning curve
  • Claims can only be sent through DentalXChange. Denticon has informed us that it is working on partnering with other clearinghouses

Open Dental

Open Dental is the best on-premise practice management software for single-location practices. It is more cost-effective than Denticon. Although Denticon’s reporting is highly customizable, Open Dental is open source which gives you complete control of data when creating custom reports and queries. Additionally, because Open Dental generates most of their revenue from support fees, they provide exceptional customer service and frequent software updates.

Strengths
  • Open source
  • More affordable than Denticon
  • Customer-support centric
  • Integrates with most third-party software and hardware
Weaknesses
  • Manual data storage and encryption
  • Manual data backup
  • Not as user friendly for the less technically skilled

Bottom Line

Both Denticon and Open Dental are advanced practice management systems that are widely used by dental professionals. Denticon is cloud-based, and ideal for practices that want to scale and consolidate data across all offices. Open Dental is open source, and best for practices who want a high degree of customizability and modularity.

  • If you want the most popular, fully-featured cloud-based system, then your best option is Denticon
  • If you want an open-source, on-premise system, go with Open Dental Open Dental
Lloyd Park

Lloyd Park is a Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where he conducts in-depth analyses of software markets and products. Lloyd also has experience managing the development of software platforms and is an expert in content production & media software. You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn.

Lloyd is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Dental software
  • Email marketing software
  • Field service management software
  • Legal software
  • Property management software

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