Archy vs Dentrix Ascend

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 13, 2026

Quick verdict

Archy suits a general practice that wants a published price. At $899 a month per location it covers unlimited users and providers, claims, eligibility checks, texting, imaging, online forms and online scheduling. New practices pay $400 a month until 400 patients or one year.

Dentrix Ascend suits a practice or group that wants orthodontic workflows, Mac or iPad access, or the Henry Schein One name, and that will accept a quote process. It is sold in three packages, Essentials, Pro and Accelerate, with no published prices.

If price certainty matters, that settles most of it. The contract and data-export terms below are where the two differ next.

Price

Archy lists $899 a month per location on its pricing page, checked 2026-09-26. That is one flat figure regardless of how many users or providers work at the location. Clinical, Front Office and Marketing suites are add-ons with no published price, and so is e-prescribing.

Dentrix Ascend publishes nothing. The figures in circulation come from third parties, and we label them estimates:

• A pricing site lists $9,588 a year for 10 users and $19,188 a year for 100 users. It lists one user at $4,788 a year.
• A separate article gives a monthly range of $500 to $1,200 and cites no source for it.

The two estimates do not agree with each other, and neither came from Henry Schein One. Use them for rough scale and get a quote before you budget. The cost calculator can run Archy’s published rate against whatever quote you get.

What each includes

Archy records texting, eligibility, claims, online forms, online scheduling and perio charting as included, per its pricing page and home page. Imaging is native.

Dentrix Ascend records texting, claims, online scheduling, e-prescribing and perio charting as included. Eligibility and online forms are unclear in our record. Henry Schein One’s package page says Essentials includes payments, claims processing, patient booking, and text and email messaging. Pro adds Eligibility Pro checks and multi-location management, and Accelerate adds enterprise reporting.

So the package you buy decides what you get on Ascend. On Archy the platform price is the same for everyone.

Imaging for 2D, 3D CBCT and CAD/CAM is built into Ascend. Orthodontic workflows, Voice Perio and expanded Eligibility Pro were added in June 2026.

Contracts and cancelling

Dentrix Ascend has a 12-month initial term. It renews for 12-month terms at the then-current fees, and Henry Schein One can change fees on notice by email or in-product announcement. Written notice of non-renewal is due at least 60 days before the term ends. Leaving early can mean paying the rest of the term, and prepaid fees are not refunded.

Archy sets the term on the Order Form, and you agree to pay fees for the entire term. You can end it early only for cause. After the initial term it renews for successive one-month periods, and 30 days’ written notice stops a renewal. Archy can change fees at the end of the initial term or any renewal term. The agreement was last updated March 18, 2025.

The practical gap is after year one. Archy renews monthly, Ascend renews for another 12 months, and a missed 60-day window locks in a year.

Getting your data out

Archy gives one export of your data in a structured, common format at no cost, if you request it in writing on or before the termination date. Continued access after that costs $200 a month. If you neither request the export nor pay, Archy deletes the data.

Dentrix Ascend lets you request read-only access and a copy of your data in SQL database format once the agreement ends. Data not requested within 90 days can be deleted. Extending read-only access costs extra, and the amount is not published.

Archy’s deadline is the termination date. Ascend gives 90 days. Our record does not say how either vendor packages images and X-rays in the export, so ask before you sign.

Reviews

Dentrix Ascend has a 4.1 rating on Capterra from 235 reviews. Reviewers cite multi-location management, remote access without a server and an easy interface. They also cite confusing, unreliable reporting, long waits to reach support, and slow insurance setup and data conversion.

Archy has 4.7 from 6 reviews. Reviewers say staff without dental backgrounds learn it easily and that auto-verification, forms and reminders save front-desk time. They report trouble moving X-rays during conversion, a ledger that works differently from other systems, charting display issues and limited report customization.

These are third-party figures. Six reviews is a thin base for Archy.

Scale and age

Henry Schein One says 80,000+ clinicians, office managers and office staff use Ascend. That is a vendor claim with no practice count.

Archy was founded in 2021 and claims about 1,000 practices in 45 states, per its September 2026 announcement of a $50M Series C. A newer company has a shorter record, and you should weigh that.

Integrations

NexHealth lists Dentrix Ascend by Henry Schein among the systems it supports, so the claim comes from the partner’s side. NexHealth does not publish the connection method. We have no NexHealth record for Archy.

Archy states that x-rays are captured with Pearl AI reading them live, and lists a Pearl imaging integration. Dentrix Ascend has no Pearl record in our data, so its status is unclear.

Usability scores

Capterra publishes sub-scores for both. Dentrix Ascend scores 3.9 for ease of use, 4.3 for customer service, 3.9 for features and 4 for value, from 235 reviews. Archy scores 4.5 for ease of use, 4.2 for customer service, 4.3 for features and 4.5 for value, from 6 reviews.

Ascend’s customer service score is higher than its ease-of-use score by 0.4 points, which fits the review themes: reviewers like the people and struggle with reporting. With 6 reviews behind Archy’s scores, one unhappy practice would move them a lot.

Platforms

Archy runs in a web browser. Dentrix Ascend is also browser based, and Henry Schein One lists support for Windows, macOS and iOS, including use on an iPad.

Both are cloud systems, so neither needs an office server. Both are sold to solo practices, small groups, multi-location groups and DSOs, per our records.

Questions to ask before you sign

For Archy, ask for the Order Form term length in writing before you agree, because the whole term is owed and you can leave early only for cause. Ask what the Clinical, Front Office and Marketing suites cost, and whether your e-prescribing needs fall under the add-on.

For Dentrix Ascend, ask which package you are quoted, Essentials, Pro or Accelerate, and which of eligibility checks, online forms and multi-location tools it includes. Ask what extended read-only access costs, and put the 60-day notice date in your calendar the day you sign.

For both, ask how your current system’s X-rays and documents will be converted, and what the conversion costs. Neither vendor publishes a conversion price in our records, and reviewers of each report conversion trouble.

Who should pick which

Pick Archy if you:

• Want a published price per location and nothing to quote.
• Are opening a general practice and can use the $400 new-practice rate.
• Prefer month-to-month renewal after the first term.

Pick Dentrix Ascend if you:

• Run an orthodontic practice or a group that needs multi-location management.
• Need Mac or iPad access.
• Are fine requesting a quote and giving 60 days’ notice before each renewal.

If neither fits, the Find my PMS quiz scores both against your specialty, size and budget. For other pairings, see Archy vs CareStack and Dentrix vs Dentrix Ascend.