CareStack vs Dentrix

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 15, 2026

Quick verdict

CareStack and Dentrix are different kinds of product. CareStack is a browser-based suite with published starting prices. Dentrix is Windows software on an office server with no public price list.

Pick CareStack if you want a published starting price, a bundled imaging and claims stack, and no server to maintain. Pick Dentrix if you already run Dentrix, own the server, and want to buy only the services you use.

A general practice with a working Dentrix install can only price a move once Henry Schein One gives a written quote, because no Dentrix price is published.

Cloud suite or office server

CareStack runs in a browser on any device with web access. Its listed specialties are general, pediatric, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics and multi-specialty, and its practice sizes run from startup to DSO.

Dentrix, from Henry Schein One (part of Henry Schein, Inc.), runs on a Windows server in your office. It lists only general practice, and solo, small group and multi-location sizes. Workstations need Windows 10 or 11, and servers need Windows Server 2016 to 2025. Henry Schein One stopped supporting new installs on Windows 10 after June 30, 2026, and no macOS support is listed.

A Mac office can run CareStack. It cannot run Dentrix.

What each costs

CareStack publishes two starting prices, per its pricing page, checked 2026-09-26. Essentials starts at $829 a month and includes imaging cleared by the FDA, eligibility checks, claims, texting, email, online appointments and a patient portal.

Intelligence starts at $1,299 a month. It adds clinical notes, voice perio charting, X-ray analysis and clinical diagnosis, all done by AI.

Those are starting prices. The final figure depends on locations, chairs and providers. Licenses are set by locations and providers, so adding staff users does not add licenses. CareStack also says it does not charge for integrated third-party apps. An implementation fee applies “in certain cases”, depending on data migration and extra training, and no amount is published.

Henry Schein One publishes no Dentrix price. The figures below are third-party estimates, and neither source says where its numbers come from:

• A software license of $5,000 to $10,000, one time.
• A support plan of $100 to $300 a month.
• A separate listing with a starting price of $500 a month, and support without a plan at $179.95 per incident.

These two sets of Dentrix numbers conflict, so do not add them together. The one confirmed Dentrix charge is eClaims: a minimum of $15 a month starting after 60 days from signing, with the per-claim rate set on the order form.

Support, updates and Dentrix Imaging come through the Connected Care Essentials plan, an annual plan billed monthly. The plan price is not published.

Our cost calculator takes real quotes. Use it once both vendors have given you a written figure.

What is included

CareStack records included texting, eligibility, claims, online scheduling, perio charting and imaging bridge. E-prescribing is an add-on. Online forms and the mobile app are unclear, meaning CareStack’s pages do not settle it either way.

Dentrix records included perio charting, reporting and multi-location reporting. Claims are an add-on, billed through eServices. Texting, eligibility, online forms, online scheduling and the mobile app are unclear in the Henry Schein One terms we checked. Unclear does not mean absent. Ask for each in writing.

Imaging is native in both. Dentrix Imaging handles 2D, 3D CAD/CAM and 3D CBCT in one application, works with 150+ devices, and has no extra fees. CareStack lists native FDA-cleared imaging in the Essentials tier.

Integrations

CareStack names RingCentral among its phone integrations, with call pop and outbound calling, per CareStack’s own page. NexHealth lists CareStack among the systems it supports. NexHealth does not publish the connection method.

NexHealth also lists Dentrix by Henry Schein. We found no join row for RingCentral on the Dentrix side, so the claim runs one way: CareStack lists RingCentral, and Henry Schein One does not.

Contracts and cancelling

CareStack’s initial term is set on each Order Form and renews automatically for successive one-year periods. Notice of non-renewal is 30 days before the term ends. The standard terms also let either party terminate at any time, with or without cause, on 30 days’ notice. Check how your Order Form treats that clause before you rely on it.

Dentrix eServices, such as eClaims, eligibility and online booking, start with a 12-month term and renew for 12-month terms at the then-current fees. Henry Schein One can change fees on notice. 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 fees are non-refundable.

The Connected Care Essentials plan is annual and billed monthly. We found no published notice period for it.

Getting your data out

CareStack will help export a file of your data during the term and for up to 90 days after it ends. The format is CareStack’s choice. You request it 10 days ahead, pay the then-current hourly rates, and the delivery target is 15 days. No flat fee is published.

Henry Schein One publishes no export policy for Dentrix. The database sits on your own server, so you hold the files. Moving them elsewhere still needs a conversion that Henry Schein One does not price.

A Dentrix license also cannot be sold on its own. Transferring it needs a full practice sale, a transfer fee and written permission from Henry Schein One.

Switching from Dentrix to CareStack

CareStack says it has converted data from more than 60 practice management systems, using a sandbox test before the final migration. It publishes no conversion price, and an implementation fee may apply.

Before you sign, get these in writing:

• Whether Dentrix is among the converted systems, and which records carry over.
• The implementation fee and what it covers.
• When your Dentrix eServices terms end, so you are not paying for both systems.
• How images are handled, since the CareStack page does not say.

Reviews

On Capterra, CareStack holds 4.8 out of 5 from 219 reviews and Dentrix holds 4.3 out of 5 from 378 reviews. These are third-party ratings, collected by Capterra, not figures either vendor published.

CareStack reviewers cite detailed reporting and KPI tracking, one system for scheduling, billing, charting and patient messages, and responsive chat support. They complain about 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.

Dentrix reviewers cite easy navigation and broad office management tools. They complain about slow, inconsistent support, frequent bugs, and updates that introduce new glitches.

CareStack claims more than 3,000 practices. Henry Schein One claims 35,000+ practices. Both are vendor claims.

Who should pick which

Pick CareStack if you:

• Want a published starting price of $829 a month.
• Run a Mac or mixed-device office, or do not want to own a server.
• Need orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics or several locations in one system.

Pick Dentrix if you:

• Already run Dentrix on a server you own and want to keep your data in-house.
• Prefer buying claims and other services one at a time on 12-month terms.
• Work in general practice and want the Henry Schein One relationship.

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