Dental software facts · Side by side
Dentally vs Open Dental
Dentally (Dentally (Henry Schein One)) and Open Dental (Open Dental Software, Inc.), side by side on the 9 facts their vendors publish: hosting, access, operating systems, imaging, e-claims, public API, data export, source-code licence and price. Both publish pricing on their own sites. Neither is open source today: Open Dental's licence changed from open-source GPL to proprietary at version 24.4. Every cell below is quoted from the vendor’s own page with a source link and the date it was read. Neither product is rated or ranked here.
Dentally vs Open Dental, on the vendors’ own published facts
| Fact | Dentally | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Cloud-hosted — 'cloud enabled' dental practice management software. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 | Self-hosted / on-premise by default; a vendor-managed hosted option, Open Dental Cloud, is also offered. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Access | Browser-based; work 'from anywhere.' Specific browser requirements not detailed on the homepage. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 | Installed client (client–server): a server runs the MySQL database; workstations install the app. Open Dental Cloud is accessed remotely and 'looks and feels just like our local version.' Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Operating systems | No specific OS/device list stated on the homepage. Not stated · source · read 2026-07-22 | Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016. Vendor notes the server can alternatively run Linux or macOS. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Imaging integration | Built-in — 'Dentally Vision,' integrated digital imaging with AI-powered detection. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 | Built-in. Vendor states practices 'should not need any separate imaging software'; radiographs can be taken directly in Open Dental. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| E-claims / clearinghouse | UK-headquartered product: the API documents NHS claims resources, but US-style clearinghouse workflows are not stated. Confirm for the US. Not stated · source · read 2026-07-22 | Yes. 'A number of Clearinghouses [are] integrated with Open Dental to send Claims electronically.' Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Public API / developer program | Yes — a public REST API ('organized around REST') with a developer hub and partner marketplace; supports read and write across patients, appointments, invoices, treatment plans and NHS claims. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 | Yes — formal developer program with a Developer Portal and dual-key auth (Developer API Key + Customer API Key). Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Data export path | No explicit 'export your database' statement, but the documented REST API provides programmatic read/write access to your records. Not stated · source · read 2026-07-22 | Strongest of the group: customers hold their own MySQL/MariaDB database and get direct SQL read access; the vendor documents running your own SELECT queries (writes are cautioned against, reads are supported). Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
| Source-code license | No public source-code licence page identified as of the read date; this is a commercially licensed product whose terms sit in the customer agreement rather than a published licence. Not open source. Not published · source · read 2026-07-26 | Proprietary since v24.4. The vendor states: “In version 24.4, the Open Dental license changed from open source GPL to proprietary.” Releases before 24.4 were GPL. The vendor adds that the change did not alter customer pricing, support, or database access — it affects developers who compiled the source. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-26 |
| Pricing (as published) | Publicly listed (indicative, GBP, ex-VAT) via an on-page slider by number of surgeries — e.g. at 3 surgeries roughly £125/mo (Starter), £220/mo (Essentials), £320/mo (Pro), scaling higher with more surgeries; 9+ surgeries is 'contact us.' UK pricing. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 | Publicly listed (unusual for the industry): e.g. software + support around $199/month/location for the first 12-month term, then ~$149/month/location, with additional per-provider fees and a published eServices rate card. Open Dental Cloud starts around $430/month/location. Vendor states · source · read 2026-07-22 |
Facts are restated from each vendor's public materials as of the read-date shown and can change without notice. Naming a system is not endorsing or rating it. Dentally is a UK-headquartered product (prices in GBP); US workflows such as clearinghouses may differ. 'Dentrix' and 'Dentrix Ascend' are two different Henry Schein One products — Dentrix is the on-premise classic product at dentrix.com, Ascend is the cloud product — and they are listed separately here because their published facts differ. Confirm anything that will inform a purchase directly with the vendor.
Which one is cloud-based?
Dentally: Cloud-hosted — 'cloud enabled' dental practice management software.
Open Dental: Self-hosted / on-premise by default; a vendor-managed hosted option, Open Dental Cloud, is also offered.
Where the software runs and data lives, as the vendor describes it. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
How does day-to-day access differ?
Dentally: Browser-based; work 'from anywhere.' Specific browser requirements not detailed on the homepage.
Open Dental: Installed client (client–server): a server runs the MySQL database; workstations install the app. Open Dental Cloud is accessed remotely and 'looks and feels just like our local version.'
How staff reach it day to day (browser vs installed client). Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Do they run on the same operating systems?
Dentally: No specific OS/device list stated on the homepage.
Open Dental: Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016. Vendor notes the server can alternatively run Linux or macOS.
OS support the vendor documents. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Which one includes imaging?
Dentally: Built-in — 'Dentally Vision,' integrated digital imaging with AI-powered detection.
Open Dental: Built-in. Vendor states practices 'should not need any separate imaging software'; radiographs can be taken directly in Open Dental.
Whether the vendor states built-in or integrated imaging. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Do both submit e-claims?
Dentally: UK-headquartered product: the API documents NHS claims resources, but US-style clearinghouse workflows are not stated. Confirm for the US.
Open Dental: Yes. 'A number of Clearinghouses [are] integrated with Open Dental to send Claims electronically.'
Insurance claim submission the vendor documents. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Which one has a public API?
Dentally: Yes — a public REST API ('organized around REST') with a developer hub and partner marketplace; supports read and write across patients, appointments, invoices, treatment plans and NHS claims.
Open Dental: Yes — formal developer program with a Developer Portal and dual-key auth (Developer API Key + Customer API Key).
Whether the vendor publishes an API or partner/developer program. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Which one documents a way to get your data out?
Dentally: No explicit 'export your database' statement, but the documented REST API provides programmatic read/write access to your records.
Open Dental: Strongest of the group: customers hold their own MySQL/MariaDB database and get direct SQL read access; the vendor documents running your own SELECT queries (writes are cautioned against, reads are supported).
What the vendor states about getting YOUR data out — the interoperability question that matters most on a switch. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Is either one open source?
Dentally: No public source-code licence page identified as of the read date; this is a commercially licensed product whose terms sit in the customer agreement rather than a published licence. Not open source.
Open Dental: Proprietary since v24.4. The vendor states: “In version 24.4, the Open Dental license changed from open source GPL to proprietary.” Releases before 24.4 were GPL. The vendor adds that the change did not alter customer pricing, support, or database access — it affects developers who compiled the source.
Whether the vendor publishes a software licence for the source code — the 'is it open source?' question, answered from the vendor's own licence page. Dentally read 2026-07-26 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-26 (source).
Which one publishes pricing?
Dentally: Publicly listed (indicative, GBP, ex-VAT) via an on-page slider by number of surgeries — e.g. at 3 surgeries roughly £125/mo (Starter), £220/mo (Essentials), £320/mo (Pro), scaling higher with more surgeries; 9+ surgeries is 'contact us.' UK pricing.
Open Dental: Publicly listed (unusual for the industry): e.g. software + support around $199/month/location for the first 12-month term, then ~$149/month/location, with additional per-provider fees and a published eServices rate card. Open Dental Cloud starts around $430/month/location.
What the vendor PUBLICLY lists on its own site, if anything. Unlisted pricing is covered by the community layer. Dentally read 2026-07-22 (source); Open Dental read 2026-07-22 (source).
Turning this into a decision
A feature table cannot tell you which system fits your practice — your requirements do. Build those first with the PMS Evaluation Pack, then use this page to check which vendor’s published facts actually satisfy them. If migration is the real question, start at migration planning; if you run more than one site, multi-location changes the answer.
Full profiles: Dentally · Open Dental · all five systems in one grid in the Dental Software Comparison.
Related in this network
Related properties may share common ownership. A cross-property link is not an endorsement — see our ownership disclosures.