CareStack vs Curve Dental (Curve Hero)

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 13, 2026

Quick verdict

CareStack fits a practice or group that wants a published starting price and a broad specialty list. Essentials starts at $829 a month and covers native imaging, eligibility checks, claims, texting and online scheduling. CareStack lists general, pediatric, orthodontic, oral surgery, periodontic and endodontic specialties.

Curve Dental fits a general practice that will request a quote and wants a browser system with a long track record and a named list of imaging sensor brands. Curve lists general as its only specialty.

On reviews, CareStack scores higher on Capterra, and Curve has more of them.

Price

CareStack lists two tiers on its pricing page, checked 2026-09-26. Essentials starts at $829 a month. Intelligence starts at $1,299 a month and adds clinical notes, voice perio charting, X-ray analysis and clinical diagnosis, all done by machine. These are starting prices. The final figure depends on locations, chairs and providers.

CareStack licenses by location and provider, so adding staff users does not need new licenses. It also does not charge for using integrated third-party apps. An implementation fee applies “in certain cases,” depending on data migration complexity and extra training, and no amount is published.

Curve Dental publishes no price. The one number on record is $99 per user per month from SelectHub, which gives no source or method, and other aggregators show conflicting figures. That is a third-party estimate. Ask Curve for a written quote.

The cost calculator can compare CareStack’s starting price with your Curve quote once you have it.

What each includes

CareStack’s Essentials tier includes native FDA-cleared imaging, eligibility verification, claims, texting and email, online appointments and a patient portal. Perio charting is included. E-prescribing is an add-on. Online forms and mobile app availability are unclear in our record.

Curve records texting and online scheduling as included. Eligibility, claims, online forms and e-prescribing are unclear on the pages we checked. We could not confirm them either way.

Curve’s own page says texting, reminders and patient self-scheduling carry no add-on fee. Capterra reviewers say some mobile features need a separate GRO subscription. We could not resolve that conflict, so ask Curve which applies to you.

Contracts and cancelling

CareStack sets the initial term on the Order Form. Renewal is automatic for successive one-year periods, and 30 days’ notice of non-renewal is due before the term ends. The standard terms also let either party terminate at any time, with or without cause, on 30 days’ notice. Confirm with CareStack how that interacts with your Order Form before you rely on it.

Curve’s term is 12 months from its receipt of your first subscription payment. Cancelling before the end means paying the remaining balance of that term. It renews automatically for one-year terms at Curve’s then-current fees, and variable usage fees can change on 30 days’ written notice. Notice of non-renewal is 90 days in writing. Curve updated its terms on June 1, 2026.

CareStack’s notice window is 30 days and Curve’s is 90, so Curve’s is the one to calendar.

Getting your data out

Curve says you can download your data at any time from inside the application, in a format compatible with Microsoft Excel. The data policy does not cover images, documents or access after cancellation.

CareStack will help export a file of your data during the term and for up to 90 days after expiration. It chooses the format. You must request it 10 days ahead and pay CareStack’s then-current hourly rates, and the delivery target is 15 days.

Curve’s export is self-serve and CareStack’s is by request and billed by the hour. Curve’s policy leaves images unaddressed, so ask about them before you sign.

Switching in

CareStack says it has converted data from more than 60 practice management systems, using a sandbox test before the final migration. No conversion price is published.

Curve publishes no conversion price or process in our record. Get both in writing from either vendor, along with how X-ray history moves.

Imaging and integrations

Both list native imaging. Curve names integrations with Dexis, Schick, Carestream, Planmeca, Vatech, Apteryx, Sidexis, Romexis and DTX Studio. If you already own a sensor from one of those brands, that list is useful.

CareStack records an imaging bridge as included and names no third-party imaging integrations in its imaging record.

On phones, CareStack names RingCentral among its phone integrations, giving call pop and outbound calling. Its page names no open API for third parties. NexHealth lists both CareStack and Curve Dental among the systems it supports. That claim comes from NexHealth’s side, and NexHealth does not publish the connection method.

Reviews and scale

CareStack has a 4.8 rating on Capterra from 219 reviews. Reviewers cite detailed reporting and KPI tracking, one system for scheduling, billing, charting and patient messages, and responsive chat support. They cite too many steps to post insurance payments, a learning curve for navigation and report setup, limited dashboard customization and slow replies on non-urgent tickets.

Curve has 4.4 from 285 reviews. Reviewers say new staff learn it quickly and 24/7 support responds fast. They cite confusing billing and adjustment workflows, weak X-ray viewing, occasional crashes and slow loading.

CareStack claims more than 3,000 practices. Curve claims 100,000+ active users and 6,000+ practice locations in the US and Canada. The two claims count different things, so they do not compare directly.

Usability scores

Capterra publishes sub-scores for both products. CareStack scores 4.5 for ease of use, 4.8 for customer service, 4.7 for features and 4.7 for value, from 219 reviews. Curve Dental scores 4.3 for ease of use, 4.5 for customer service, 4.1 for features and 4.3 for value, from 285 reviews.

CareStack is ahead on every sub-score. Both are third-party figures from Capterra, and a rating site’s average is not a measure of your own practice’s fit, so treat the gap as one input.

Platforms and specialties

Both run in a web browser, and we record web as the only platform for each. Both are listed for startup, solo, small group, multi-location and DSO practices.

The specialty lists differ. CareStack lists general, pediatric, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics and multi-specialty. Curve lists general only. A specialty practice should confirm Curve’s fit with the vendor, because an unlisted specialty means unclear, not unsupported.

Questions to ask before you sign

For CareStack, ask what your final price is for your number of locations, chairs and providers, since $829 is only the starting figure for Essentials. Ask whether an implementation fee applies to your migration and what the hourly rate for an export is.

For Curve, ask for a written quote with every fee itemized, and ask whether eligibility, claims, online forms and e-prescribing are in the subscription. Ask which mobile features need GRO, and put the 90-day notice date in your calendar when you sign.

For both, ask for a test data export before you commit.

Who should pick which

Pick CareStack if you:

• Want a published starting price before you talk to sales.
• Need pediatric, orthodontic, oral surgery or periodontic workflows.
• Prefer a 30-day non-renewal window.

Pick Curve Dental if you:

• Run a general practice and are fine requesting a quote.
• Own imaging hardware from one of Curve’s named sensor brands.
• Want to download your own data on demand.

If neither fits, the Find my PMS quiz scores both against your specialty, size and budget. For another hosted pairing, see Archy vs CareStack.