CareStack vs Denticon

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 12, 2026

Quick verdict

CareStack suits a practice that wants imaging, eligibility checks, claims and texting in the base price, and that works on any operating system through a browser. CareStack’s Essentials plan starts at $829 a month, per its pricing page, checked 2026-09-26.

Denticon suits a Windows practice or DSO that wants a lower starting price at $795 a month, multi-location reporting and API access that Planet DDS records as included. The exit terms are the thing to read first, because Denticon charges $995 to export imaging data and holds you to the rest of the term if you cancel early.

Both are cloud systems for multi-location groups. Their contracts and exit costs differ more than their headline prices do.

Where each one runs

CareStack runs in a browser and CareStack hosts it. Its listed platform is web, with no operating system restriction recorded in our data. Its specialties list is the longer one: general, pediatric, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics and multi-specialty.

Denticon is also cloud software, from Planet DDS, and runs in a browser on Windows only. Planet DDS says it is not compatible with macOS. A practice with Mac workstations at the front desk or in the operatories cannot use it as described. Denticon’s listed specialties are general, multi-specialty and DSO.

CareStack lists startup and solo practices among its sizes. Denticon lists solo through DSO and does not list startup.

What each costs

CareStack publishes two tiers. Essentials starts at $829 a month and includes native FDA-cleared imaging, eligibility verification, claims, texting and email, online appointments and a patient portal. Intelligence starts at $1,299 a month and adds clinical notes, voice perio charting, X-ray analysis and clinical diagnosis, all done by AI. The final price depends on locations, chairs and providers. CareStack does not charge for staff users, since licenses are set by locations and providers.

An implementation fee may apply “in certain cases”, depending on how complex the data migration is and how much extra training you need. No amount is published.

Denticon’s starting price is $795 a month, per Planet DDS. Capterra lists a $750 flat-rate starting price. That is a third-party figure, and it differs from the vendor’s own, so we use $795.

Denticon’s texting has its own meter. Its Patient Communication package includes 6,000 text segments per office, and two-way texting includes 3,000. Segments above the package cost $0.0087 each, and there is a $20 monthly text messaging compliance fee per account. These are add-on charges, not part of the starting price.

Run both through the cost calculator with your own location and provider counts. A starting price is not a quote, so ask both vendors for one.

Contracts and cancelling

CareStack sets the initial term on each Order Form. Either party can end the agreement at any time, with or without cause, on 30 days’ notice. After the initial term it renews automatically for successive one-year periods, and you give 30 days’ notice of non-renewal to stop that.

Denticon’s initial term ends on the first anniversary of the billing start date, then renews for one-year terms. Non-renewal needs at least 30 days’ notice before the term ends. Cancelling for convenience needs 60 days’ notice, and the fees for the rest of the current term become due immediately. Planet DDS may also adjust prices for each renewal term with written notice.

On paper CareStack’s termination right is the more flexible one. Denticon lets you leave early but bills you for the remaining term.

Getting your data out

CareStack helps export a file of your data during the term and for up to 90 days after it ends, in a format CareStack chooses. You request it 10 days ahead and pay CareStack’s then-current hourly rates. The delivery target is 15 days. No flat export fee is published, so ask for an estimate before you need one.

Under the Planet DDS agreement, the practice owns its data but must extract a copy itself before termination. It can ask Planet DDS, up to 10 business days after termination, to post the data to a secure site that stays available for 30 days. XVWeb imaging exports cost $995 per extract. Imaging data converted during the first term cannot be exported before that term ends.

CareStack picks the export format, and Denticon charges per extract for imaging. If imaging history matters to you, get the format and price in writing from either one.

Switching between the two

CareStack says it has converted data from more than 60 practice management systems and runs a sandbox test before the final migration. It publishes no conversion price.

Denticon converts data per location from supported legacy systems, with a trial conversion and audits before go-live. Imaging conversions are included per location, per database. Fees are set in the order and are not published.

Neither side publishes a price, so a move in either direction starts with a quote. Ask both vendors whether they support your current system before you compare the rest.

Features and integrations

CareStack records texting, eligibility checks, claims and online scheduling as included. Perio charting is included, and an imaging bridge is included alongside native imaging. E-prescribing is an add-on. Online forms and the mobile app are unclear: we could not confirm either.

Denticon records perio charting, treatment presentation, texting, recall automation, online scheduling, online forms, eligibility checks, claims, reporting, multi-location reporting and API access as included. Planet DDS lists API integrations with more than 50 third-party products. Denticon’s imaging is not recorded as native. Planet DDS lists Apteryx XVWeb as its imaging integration. DentalOS, launched Jul 17, 2026, links Denticon, Cloud 9 and Apteryx imaging on one data layer at no added cost to Planet DDS customers.

CareStack names RingCentral among its phone integrations, giving call pop and outbound calling. The same page names no open API for third parties. Denticon has no RingCentral record in our data, so that is unclear for Denticon.

For NexHealth, the listing comes from NexHealth’s side. NexHealth lists CareStack and Denticon by Planet DDS, and publishes no connection method for either.

What reviewers say

These are Capterra figures and are third-party estimates.

CareStack holds 4.8 out of 5 from 219 reviews. Reviewers cite detailed reporting and KPI tracking, one system for scheduling, billing, charting and patient messages, and responsive chat support. Complaints cover 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.

Denticon holds 4.5 out of 5 from 118 reviews. Reviewers like logging in from anywhere and running several locations from one system. Complaints cover slow or unresolved support tickets, too many clicks, bugs shipped in updates and a dated interface.

On the customer service subscore, CareStack has 4.8 and Denticon has 4.3.

CareStack claims more than 3,000 practices. Planet DDS claims 14,500 practices and 175,000 users across all its products, and does not publish a Denticon-only figure. Both numbers are vendor claims.

Who should pick which

Pick CareStack if you:

• Use Macs, or want no operating system restriction.
• Want imaging, eligibility, claims and texting in the starting price.
• Run a specialty practice outside general dentistry.

Pick Denticon if you:

• Run Windows only and want the lower starting price of $795.
• Need multi-location reporting and API access recorded as included.
• Can accept a 60-day cancellation notice with the remaining fees due.

If neither description fits, the Find my PMS quiz scores both products and others against your specialty, size and budget.