Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the
shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in dental practice management software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 12 tools, reviewed
#1 tab32
Cloud dental software with low published monthly pricing · United States · tab32.com
Cloud-native Published pricing Small practices
tab32 earns first place by being the one platform on this list that tells a small buyer the full cost shape before a sales call. Year one is $125 a month, year two is $225, and the metered items (claims at $0.20, attachments at $0.50, eligibility at $1.25) are printed beside them.
- Pricing: Flat monthly + usage. $125 a month in year one (Start-Up, up to 3 providers), $225 from year two (up to 5 providers). Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Solo and small practices leaving servers
- Strengths: Online booking and scheduling; Clinical charting and treatment planning; Imaging with AI radiology.
Where it falls short
The headline price is an entry tier, and patient texting, reminders and online booking tools are sold as add-ons, so the real monthly bill climbs with use.
Wrong for
Groups with a dozen locations who want one negotiated contract and a dedicated rollout team, or practices that need the broadest third-party marketplace.
Visit tab32 →
#2 Archy
Single-price cloud platform for the whole dental team · United States · archy.com
Flat per-location price AI add-on suites Cloud
Archy sells the platform as a single line item, $899 per location, and states that seats, providers, claims, eligibility checks and texting are all included. That removes the usual per-provider arithmetic, which is why it ranks second: a six-provider office pays the same as a two-provider one.
- Pricing: Per location / month. $899 a month per location with unlimited users, providers, claim submissions, eligibility checks and texting. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Multi-provider offices wanting one flat bill
- Strengths: Scheduling with ASAP list; Clinical charting and treatment planning; Integrated imaging.
Where it falls short
The entry price is higher than tab32 and Open Dental, so a single-dentist office does not benefit from the unlimited-provider design.
Wrong for
A one-chair practice watching every dollar, or a clinic that wants a long self-serve trial before talking to anyone.
Visit Archy →
#3 Curve Dental
Cloud dental suite with imaging and engagement bundled in · United States · curvedental.com
Cloud since 2004 All-in-one Quote pricing
Curve has been cloud-based since 2004, and it says it serves more than 6,000 practice locations in the United States and Canada. Its pitch is consolidation: imaging, patient messaging, analytics, e-claims and payments sit in the same record, so the office stops paying separate vendors for each.
- Pricing: Quote only. Quote only, personalized; startup practices are offered special implementation and license pricing, and the bundle replaces separately billed analytics, messaging and imaging tools. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Practices consolidating many separate tools
- Strengths: Charting and perio charting; Treatment planning; Scheduling and smart forms.
Where it falls short
No price is published; every figure comes through a personalized quote, which makes side-by-side comparison slow.
Wrong for
A buyer who wants a price on the website before talking to sales, or an office committed to a specialist imaging or messaging product.
Visit Curve Dental →
#4 Open Dental
Customizable dental software at a low monthly fee · United States · opendental.com
Low price Customizable Large bridge catalog
Open Dental is the practical choice for an office that wants control and a small bill. The $199 monthly fee per location includes the software, telephone support and every release, and the 90-day money-back guarantee lowers the risk.
- Pricing: Per location / month. $199 a month per location on a 12-month contract covering up to 3 dentists, then a lower published rate. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Cost-conscious offices wanting deep customization
- Strengths: Graphical tooth chart; Custom and user queries; Digital forms and web sched.
Where it falls short
Add-ons such as secure email at $30 a month per location, integrated texting and training are priced on top of the base fee.
Wrong for
A practice with no one willing to learn the settings, or an owner who wants a polished all-inclusive subscription with training included.
Visit Open Dental →
#5 Dentrix
Henry Schein One's long-established practice management platform · United States · dentrix.com
Incumbent Packages and suites Henry Schein One
Dentrix is on this list because Henry Schein One has sold it for a long time and it has the widest support material. Henry Schein One lists billing and collections, built-in imaging, AI detection, hands-free documentation, analytics and a partner community on the Dentrix site, and sells them as packages and suites. Managed IT, backup and hardware-as-a-service are offered alongside.
- Pricing: Quote only. Priced through packages and suites quoted by sales; a Connected Care Essentials enrollment adds priority support, automatic updates and built-in imaging. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Offices wanting a large support ecosystem
- Strengths: Insurance, billing and collections; Built-in Dentrix Imaging; AI detection and hands-free notes.
Where it falls short
The site gives no price, and the feature list is spread across packages, suites and a Connected Care Essentials plan, so working out what you actually buy takes a sales conversation.
Wrong for
A new practice that wants a single price and a short contract on the website, and any buyer who wants everything in one subscription.
Visit Dentrix →
#6 Eaglesoft
Patterson Dental's practice management software · United States · pattersondental.com
Patterson Incumbent Partner ecosystem
Eaglesoft belongs here because Patterson sells it alongside supplies and equipment to dental offices. The software page lists practice management under Eaglesoft and Fuse, then a set of partner products for analytics, messaging, revenue cycle, payments, clinical AI and prescribing. If your chairs, sensors and supplies already come from Patterson, one vendor relationship has real convenience.
- Pricing: Quote only. No price on the Patterson pages we read; sold through Patterson sales channels alongside equipment, with partner services priced separately. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Practices already buying from Patterson
- Strengths: Eaglesoft practice management; Fuse cloud option; Dental Intelligence analytics.
Where it falls short
The software pages show no pricing and little detail on what the core product includes versus what the partners provide, so a buyer must request a quote to compare.
Wrong for
An independent office that wants a transparent price or does not want its software tied to an equipment supplier.
Visit Eaglesoft →
#7 CareStack
All-in-one cloud platform for groups and specialists · United States · carestack.com
Groups and DSOs Specialists Published tiers
CareStack publishes two tiers, which already beats several rivals, and its feature comparison table is long: multi-specialty scheduling, ortho, perio and oral surgery case management, claim tracking, referral portals and goal setting by location and by provider. It targets startups, groups, DSOs, mobile dentistry and specialists, and the company says more than 3,000 practices use it.
- Pricing: Per month, tiered. Essentials starts at $829 a month and Intelligence at $1,299 a month. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Groups, DSOs and specialty practices
- Strengths: Multi-specialty scheduling; Treatment and perio charting; Ortho and oral surgery case management.
Where it falls short
The entry price is among the highest on the list, and the AI features (voice perio charting, X-ray analysis, clinical diagnosis) are not in Essentials.
Wrong for
A solo dentist with one operatory who will use a fraction of the module list. tab32 or Open Dental cost far less.
Visit CareStack →
#8 Oryx
Dentist-founded cloud platform with AI charting · United States · oryxdental.com
AI charting Startup offer US and Canada
Oryx publishes unusually specific plans: Pro at $650 a month, Automate at $899, each covering two providers, with extra providers at $100. A startup offer charges $0 a month until the practice reaches 200 patients or 12 months, plus a $1 setup fee.
- Pricing: Per location / month. Oryx Pro $650 a month and Automate $899 a month per location, each including 2 providers, with extra providers at $100 each. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Startups and growing practices wanting AI notes
- Strengths: Voice-powered perio charting; Native imaging; Two-way texting and reminders.
Where it falls short
Payments start after three months and some features, such as integrated payments and automated ERA posting, apply only to U.S. offices.
Wrong for
A mature multi-site group that needs the broadest integration catalog and local installers, or a practice that does not want to be billed per provider beyond two.
Visit Oryx →
#9 Denticon
Cloud practice management built for dental groups · United States · denticon.com
Dental groups DSOs Cloud
Denticon is the Planet DDS flagship, and the company organizes its solutions around dental groups, DSOs and emerging groups, with mobile dentists and institutions as further segments. The company page lists imaging (Apteryx), Cloud 9, Payments+, Patient+ and DentalOS with AI beside it.
- Pricing: Quote only. No price published on the pages reviewed. Free plan: none.
- Best for: DSOs and growing multi-site groups
- Strengths: Cloud practice management; Apteryx imaging; Cloud 9 integration.
Where it falls short
The site renders much of its content client-side and publishes no price, so a small office cannot learn the cost without a call.
Wrong for
A solo dentist wanting a price on the page and a self-serve trial. tab32 or Open Dental will be faster to evaluate.
Visit Denticon →
#10 Dentally
Cloud dental software for UK and Commonwealth practices · United Kingdom · dentally.co
UK and Ireland NHS integration Published pricing
Dentally is the only product here with a pricing slider that maps directly to the number of surgeries, which suits UK practices that count chairs that way. All three tiers allow unlimited users and unlimited storage, NHS integration is covered for all four UK nations, and a partner marketplace connects payments and feedback tools.
- Pricing: Per surgery tier / month. Three tiers in pounds excluding VAT, priced by number of surgeries: Starter from £134, Essentials from £238 and Pro from £346 a month at the smallest size. Free plan: none.
- Best for: UK practices, NHS and private mix
- Strengths: Digital imaging with Dentally Vision; Dentally Portal forms and booking; NHS integration.
Where it falls short
The product is built around UK workflows, so a U.S. office with insurance claims will find it a poor match.
Wrong for
A practice billing U.S. dental insurance or needing the American claim formats.
Visit Dentally →
#11 EXACT (Software of Excellence)
Henry Schein One's UK practice management system · United Kingdom · softwareofexcellence.com
UK NHS and private Modules
EXACT is Software of Excellence's practice management system, described by the company as the UK's number one dental practice software. That is a vendor statement we could not check. The site has separate pages for NHS, private, mixed and multi-site practices, and sells Examine Pro imaging, Dentist Portal and MyPractice Cloud performance analytics as extras.
- Pricing: Quote only. No price published on the pages reviewed; contact Software of Excellence for a quote, with imaging, portal and analytics modules sold as enhanced solutions. Free plan: none.
- Best for: UK NHS and mixed practices
- Strengths: EXACT practice management; Examine Pro imaging; Dentist Portal.
Where it falls short
Pricing is not public, and the company positions its cloud analytics as a separate module rather than the core product.
Wrong for
A U.S. or Canadian office, or a new UK startup that wants a published monthly price.
Visit EXACT (Software of Excellence) →
#12 Dentrix Ascend
Henry Schein One's cloud version of Dentrix · United States · dentrix.com
Henry Schein One Cloud Quote pricing
Dentrix Ascend is Henry Schein One's cloud option next to on-premises Dentrix, and the company's own comparison page calls them two proven systems used by thousands of practices. It fits a team that already knows the Dentrix vocabulary and wants hosted software without switching vendors.
- Pricing: Quote only. No price on the pages reviewed; Henry Schein One describes Dentrix Ascend alongside Dentrix as cloud flexibility versus on-premises control, quoted through sales. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Dentrix users moving to a hosted system
- Strengths: Cloud-based practice management; Henry Schein One support; Dentrix comparison tools.
Where it falls short
Public detail is thin: the Dentrix site we read frames Ascend mostly through a comparison and no price.
Wrong for
An office that wants a fully self-serve evaluation and clear published pricing. tab32 and Archy provide both more directly.
Visit Dentrix Ascend →
Questions and answers
What is the best dental practice management software in 2026?
tab32 ranks first of 12, best for solo and small practices leaving servers. Archy is second (multi-provider offices wanting one flat bill) and Curve Dental third (practices consolidating many separate tools). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
How much does dental practice management software cost per month?
Published entry prices on this list run from $125 a month (tab32, year one) to $199 per location (Open Dental), $829 (CareStack Essentials) and $899 (Archy). Oryx lists $650 and $899 plans. Dentally uses pounds excluding VAT, from £134.
Is cloud-based or server-based dental software better?
For most small offices, cloud software removes the server, the backup routine and the IT visit, which is why tab32, Archy, Curve and CareStack all sell on it.
Can I switch dental software without losing patient records?
Yes, but the conversion is a project, not a button. Open Dental lists conversions from over 200 dental systems and says fees vary by source; tab32 says it migrates data from Dentrix, Eaglesoft and Open Dental.
Which dental software works with my X-ray sensors?
There is no general answer, so ask each vendor for a written list of supported sensor brands and test one. Curve publishes an imaging compatibility page, Dentrix includes built-in imaging, and Archy, tab32 and Oryx build imaging into the platform.
What is a good choice for a brand-new dental startup?
Archy offers $400 a month for new practices until 400 patients or one year. Oryx offers a startup plan at $0 a month until 200 patients or 12 months, plus a $1 setup fee.
What software should a UK dental practice use?
UK buyers need NHS contract handling, so look at Dentally and EXACT from Software of Excellence first. Dentally publishes tiers by number of surgeries, from £134 a month excluding VAT, and states NHS integration in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Is Open Dental really that cheap?
The base fee is $199 per location per month on a 12-month contract, covering up to three dentists, and then it falls to a lower published rate.
Do these products include AI charting and note drafting?
Several do, usually as a higher tier or add-on. Archy sells an AI scribe, voice perio charting and imaging AI in a Clinical Suite. Oryx offers voice-powered perio charting and AI notes.
How do per-provider and per-location pricing differ?
Per-provider pricing rises with every dentist or hygienist you add, so a growing office sees the bill climb.
How do I compare quote-only vendors with those that publish prices?
Ask the quote-only vendors to give you a line-by-line proposal for your actual volume, and write the published-price vendors' totals the same way, including metered fees.
