Open Dental vs Practice-Web

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Quick verdict

Open Dental and Practice-Web look alike on the price list. Both run on Windows, both are usually hosted on a server in your office, and both charge $199 a month for the first 12 months and $149 a month after that, covering up to 3 dentists.

The difference is in what sits outside that fee and in how you leave. Open Dental suits a practice that wants a database it controls, a contract that goes month to month after year one, and a hosted option if it later drops the server. Practice-Web suits a general practice that values phone support, which reviewers praise, and is willing to price its add-ons one by one.

Practice-Web has the higher Capterra score, 4.9 from 115 reviews against 4.6 from 89. Both scores are third-party figures.

What each costs

Open Dental charges $199 a month per location for support during the first 12 months, then $149 a month. Each dentist beyond the first 3 costs $20 a month. The fee rose from $179 on Feb 2, 2026. Support fees carry a 90-day money-back guarantee. Source: Open Dental’s fee page, checked 2026-09-26.

Practice-Web charges $199 a month for the first office for 12 months, then $149 a month, covering up to 3 dentists. Each dentist beyond 3 is $20 a month. Each additional office is $179 a month. The fee includes installation, web-based training, upgrades, mobile forms and online patient registration, and phone and remote support. Source: Practice-Web’s pricing page, checked 2026-10-02.

Practice-Web also lists new-client promotional rates: $179 for the first 12 months, $129 after that, and $129 for each additional office. Those sit beside the regular price, and the regular price is what a practice pays without qualifying. Practice-Web publishes no end date for the offer, so confirm it is still running before you rely on it.

At a single office with up to 3 dentists, the regular recurring fees are the same. A group with several locations should price both through the cost calculator, because the per-location terms differ.

Add-ons

The base fee is not the whole bill at either company.

Open Dental sells an eServices bundle at $165 a month per location. Texting access is $5 a month for an assigned number or $20 a month for a landline, plus $0.04 per message in the US. Online scheduling and e-prescribing are recorded as add-ons, and we found no price for them.

Practice-Web publishes a price for each add-on:

• Auto and two-way texting: $180 a month, including 2,000 outgoing texts, then $0.05 per extra text. Promotional rate for new clients: $90.
• Online scheduling: $238 a month. Promotional rate for new clients: $119. The online forms add-on is $49 a month.
• iPad or Android tablet patient forms: $130 a month. Promotional rate for new clients: $65.
• E-claims through ClaimConnect (DentalXChange): $0.39 per claim, with claim attachments at $25 a month.
• Real-time eligibility and benefits through DentalXChange: $20 a month.
• E-prescribing: $118 a month per provider with a $299 setup fee. Promotional rate for new clients: $59.

Reviewers on Capterra complain that support, texting and e-prescribing carry separate charges on top of the base software. Practice-Web’s service agreement also requires enrolling in the company’s integrated payment processing within 60 days unless the order form says otherwise.

A practice that wants texting and online booking should add those lines to the base fee before comparing.

Hosted or your own server

Both products run on Windows and neither records macOS support. A Mac-based office has no clear option here.

Open Dental Cloud is a hosted option in limited release. It costs $430 a month per location for one provider, $150 a month for each additional provider, and a one-time $400 migration fee. Practice-Web has no hosted option in our data.

If you want to drop the server, Open Dental gives you a path to do it later. With Practice-Web you would change vendors.

Contracts and cancelling

Open Dental has a 12-month initial term on support fees, then goes month to month. Open Dental lists published pricing and no long-term contract after year one as a strength. We found no published notice period for ending support, so ask before you rely on month to month.

Practice-Web has a 12-month initial term. Ending early means paying the monthly fee for the months left in the term. Renewal is automatic for successive 12-month terms, and written notice must arrive at least 90 days before the end of the current term. The company can change fees with 30 days’ notice.

On contract terms alone, Open Dental is the lighter commitment after year one. At Practice-Web, missing the 90-day window commits you to another 12 months.

Getting your data out

At Open Dental, data sits in an open MySQL database the practice controls, per Open Dental’s own manual. There is no export to request, and backups are your job.

At Practice-Web, the company provides client data in a commonly used machine-readable format on termination or on request. Access lasts no more than 30 days after termination, and the data may then be deleted. Request the file early in the notice period instead of in the final month.

Switching in

Open Dental publishes its conversion fee: $1,450 per database, $900 for X-rays, $850 for documents and $400 for each additional clinic.

Practice-Web lists $1,295 for a database conversion, and $1,195 on its current promotion for new clients. A free test conversion comes first. The vendor lists conversions from Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Easy Dental, SoftDent, PracticeWorks, MOGO, Dentrix Ascend and Curve. Extra training is $75 an hour.

The two prices are close, but they cover different things. Open Dental prices X-rays and documents on top of the database. Practice-Web’s page does not say whether imaging is in its figure, so ask for the scope in writing.

Features and integrations

Open Dental records open database access, API access, perio charting, online forms, recall automation, reporting, claims, eligibility checks, treatment presentation and a mobile app as included. Texting, online scheduling and e-prescribing are add-ons. Multi-location reporting is unclear.

Practice-Web records online forms as included. Texting, eligibility, claims and online scheduling are add-ons. Our data has no record for perio charting, recall automation, reporting or treatment presentation at Practice-Web. Each is unclear, which is different from absent, so ask the vendor.

Practice-Web integrates with Dexis, Schick and Trophy/Carestream imaging, and has no native imaging. We have no imaging record for Open Dental.

On integrations, the sides publish different things. Flex Dental states it is built for Open Dental and writes eligibility results back in real time, and Open Dental publishes no partner directory. Our data has no Flex Dental record for Practice-Web.

DentalXChange is listed by both vendors. The Open Dental manual names it among its recommended clearinghouses, and Practice-Web sells its e-claims and eligibility through DentalXChange. NexHealth lists both systems, without a connection method for either.

What reviewers say

Capterra figures are third-party estimates. Open Dental holds 4.6 out of 5 from 89 reviews. Reviewers cite a learning curve, a dated interface and paying for live support.

Practice-Web holds 4.9 out of 5 from 115 reviews. Reviewers praise phone support and ease of use. They mention texting limits, occasional lag when the software is not updated, and separate charges for support, texting and e-prescribing.

Practice-Web claims more than 1,700 clients, and its home page counter shows 2,000 dentists. Open Dental’s figure of about 20,000 practices worldwide is a 2021 estimate from a third-party directory and is unverified, so we do not rely on it.

Who should pick which

Pick Open Dental if you:

• Want a month-to-month contract after the first 12 months.
• Treat pediatric or multi-specialty care as part of your mix.
• Want an open database and an API, and may want hosting later.

Pick Practice-Web if you:

• Run a general practice and want published prices for every add-on.
• Care most about phone support and ease of use, as its reviewers report.
• Can diary a 90-day notice date and live with 12-month renewals.

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