Editor Sebastiaan Smits ·
Published November 5, 2026 · Updated November 5, 2026
Offices look past Dentrix when they want hosted software, a price they can read before a sales call, or a bill that does not depend on which packages and suites they add. Most go to Dentrix Ascend for the shortest move, to Open Dental or tab32 for a low published fee, or to Archy and Oryx for flat per-location plans.
Short answer: The closest replacements for Dentrix in our dental practice management software ranking are Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental and tab32. Choose Dentrix Ascend if you want to stay with Henry Schein One but drop local servers and backups. We took the other 10 from the Best Dental Practice Management Software in 2026 ranking too, and each is compared with Dentrix alone, noting where staying put is the better call.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The first three alternatives go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.
Henry Schein One describes Dentrix as installed locally on office computers, with data on practice-managed servers, and says it is not accessible remotely out of the box. Backups, updates and remote access setups stay with the office or its IT provider.
The Dentrix site lists packages, suites and a Connected Care Essentials enrollment, but shows no figures. Annual support is described as one fixed fee paid monthly, yet what an office pays depends on which suites it buys, so a comparison starts with a sales conversation.
Henry Schein One sells on-premises Dentrix and cloud-based Ascend side by side. Its comparison page lists multi-location support as limited on Dentrix and designed for growth on Ascend, so a group that outgrows one office is steered toward the other product.
Rows follow how closely each product can stand in for Dentrix; the closing column is its rank inside our 12-product ranking.
| # | Alternative | Headquarters | Switch if | Our rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dentrix Ascend | United States | you want to stay with Henry Schein One but drop local servers and backups | #12 |
| 2 |  Open Dental | United States | you want a published monthly fee and are willing to learn a configurable system | #4 |
| 3 |  tab32 | United States | you run a small office and want metered costs and a trial before committing | #1 |
| 4 |  Archy | United States | you have several providers and want one flat bill instead of per-feature charges | #2 |
| 5 |  Curve Dental | United States | you pay for separate imaging, messaging and analytics tools and want them in one record | #3 |
| 6 |  CareStack | United States | you run a group or specialty practice and need case management in a cloud platform | #7 |
| 7 |  Oryx | United States | you want per-location pricing with two providers included and migration done for you | #8 |
| 8 |  Eaglesoft | United States | you want to keep a server-based system but move to a supplier that also sells your equipment | #6 |
| 9 |  Denticon | United States | you manage several locations and expect a staged, group-wide conversion | #9 |
| 10 |  Dentally | United Kingdom | you are a UK practice and want per-surgery pricing with NHS integration | #10 |
| 11 |  EXACT (Software of Excellence) | United Kingdom | you are a UK practice that wants a long-running system with NHS and private workflows | #11 |
Sold by the same company as Dentrix, and Henry Schein One says it offers guided migration of patient data, images and history from Dentrix to Ascend. Ascend runs in a browser with no local servers, lists SOC 2 Type II compliance and bundles texting, email and online scheduling that Dentrix sells as add-ons.
Switch from Dentrix if you want to stay with Henry Schein One but drop local servers and backups.
Lists $199 a month per location for up to three dentists on a 12-month term, then renews month to month at a lower published rate. Software, phone support and releases are included, and a 90-day money-back guarantee applies. Data conversion fees vary by previous software, and customized training costs extra.
Switch from Dentrix if you want a published monthly fee and are willing to learn a configurable system.
Alpine costs $125 a month in year one for up to 3 providers and $225 afterward for up to 5, with claims at $0.20, attachments at $0.50 and eligibility checks at $1.25. The homepage names Dentrix among the systems it migrates from, offers a 14-day trial and says you can cancel anytime.
Switch from Dentrix if you run a small office and want metered costs and a trial before committing.
One platform price of $899 a month per location, with unlimited users, providers, claim submissions, eligibility checks and texting. Archy publishes a Dentrix comparison page and a four-step conversion process. Clinical, front office and marketing suites are optional extras with separate pricing, and the page offers a demo rather than a trial.
Switch from Dentrix if you have several providers and want one flat bill instead of per-feature charges.
Cloud-based, with unlimited e-claims, remittances and eligibility, built-in imaging, analytics and Curve GRO patient messaging listed as part of one platform. Curve names Lighthouse 360, Solutionreach and Apteryx as tools it replaces. It publishes a Curve vs. Dentrix page and gives no price without a personalized quote.
Switch from Dentrix if you pay for separate imaging, messaging and analytics tools and want them in one record.
Two published bundles, Essentials from $829 a month and Intelligence from $1,299, with custom plans on request. AI notes, voice perio charting and X-ray analysis start at Intelligence. Ortho, perio and oral surgery case management are in both. Sectors served include startups, groups, DSOs, mobile dentistry and specialists.
Switch from Dentrix if you run a group or specialty practice and need case management in a cloud platform.
Oryx Pro at $650 a month and Automate at $899, each with two providers and $100 for each extra one, plus an Oryx AI tier at $1,399. A startup offer is $0 a month until 200 patients or 12 months. The company says it handles full data migration with a test account review before go-live.
Switch from Dentrix if you want per-location pricing with two providers included and migration done for you.
Patterson's page calls Eaglesoft server-based, so it does not remove the local server the way a cloud product does. Patterson also sells Fuse, which it describes as a cloud-based system. No price appears on the software page, and card payments are listed as a Patterson service.
Switch from Dentrix if you want to keep a server-based system but move to a supplier that also sells your equipment.
Planet DDS describes Denticon as cloud-based and built to help DSOs scale. Its FAQ cites conversions from over 60 systems, about 8 weeks per location for DSOs and about 60 days for solo practices. No price is shown, and Apteryx imaging is listed as a separate product.
Switch from Dentrix if you manage several locations and expect a staged, group-wide conversion.
Priced in pounds excluding VAT by number of surgeries, in Starter, Essentials and Pro tiers with unlimited users and storage. NHS integration, Dentally Vision imaging and a customer success manager (Pro only) are listed. Built for UK practices, so U.S. insurance billing is not what it is sold for.
Switch from Dentrix if you are a UK practice and want per-surgery pricing with NHS integration.
Software of Excellence runs separate EXACT pages for NHS, private, mixed and multi-site practices, with Examine Pro imaging, Dentist Portal and MyPractice Cloud analytics as modules. Its switching page promises a stress free move but gives no steps, timeline or price. It is aimed at UK practices.
Switch from Dentrix if you are a UK practice that wants a long-running system with NHS and private workflows.
Company website → · Where EXACT (Software of Excellence) ranks and why
Dentrix remains a sound choice when the office already runs it well, prefers local installation and control of its own data, and has staff who know it. Henry Schein One states that Dentrix offers on-site, online and self-paced training, built-in imaging with AI detection and an API exchange, and a Connected Care Essentials enrollment gives priority support and automatic updates for one fixed annual fee.
Conversions are done by the receiving vendor. Open Dental charges conversion fees that vary by previous software. tab32, Oryx and Denticon each describe migrating from other systems, and Denticon cites roughly 8 weeks per location for DSOs. Ask each vendor what is moved, images included.
Dentrix Imaging is built into Dentrix and tied to Connected Care Essentials. Texting, reminders and analytics you buy as Dentrix suites or from third parties will need replacing or reconnecting. Check imaging sensor compatibility with the new vendor first, since Curve publishes an imaging compatibility page.
Henry Schein One says a Dentrix license can be transferred only when the entire practice is sold, with a signed agreement, written permission and any transfer fees paid. A practice cannot sell the license separately to recoup cost when leaving.
Yes, other vendors state they convert from Dentrix. tab32 names Dentrix among the systems it migrates from, and Oryx says it handles full migration with a test account review. Ask each for the scope, including images and ledgers.
Only with the whole practice. Henry Schein One says Dentrix cannot be sold or transferred alone, and requires a transfer agreement, written permission and payment of transfer fees. Otherwise the license cannot be assigned.
The Dentrix pages do not state notice terms, so ask Henry Schein One in writing. The enrollment is described as covering a year for one monthly fee, with priority support, automatic updates, in-product chat and Dentrix Imaging.
Henry Schein One says it offers guided migration services for moving patient data, images and history from Dentrix to Ascend. Ascend is cloud-based, so local servers are no longer needed, but its price is quoted through sales.
Each receiving vendor does. Henry Schein One's own onboarding page describes a project manager, a trial environment with your data and a day of hands-on training, but that applies to moving to Dentrix, not away from it.
Dentrix chat and phone support run Monday to Thursday 6am to 6pm MST and Friday 6am to 5pm MST. Keep that window in mind when scheduling a final export or a cutover weekend.
Each number and claim about Dentrix and its competitors was taken from the vendors' own websites on November 5, 2026; expect them to drift as those sites are edited.
Sebastiaan Smits, Founder, wrote, edited and fact-checked this page.
Founder of The Interregnum and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page here; research and drafting are AI-assisted. Last reviewed November 5, 2026.
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