Apexo vs Open Dental

Apexo is an open-source dental practice manager for scheduling, patient records, and clinic reporting. Its calendar is designed for high-traffic clinics, and it tracks medical and dental records. Automated financial reports and clinic health statistics provide practice information. The app works offline with local-first data and syncs across endpoints.

Apexo is free under GNU GPLv3, but requires users to host a PocketBase server themselves. It supports Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, and lists English, Arabic, Spanish, Polish, and Kurdish. The manual describes scheduled and manual backups, with optional S3 storage, plus AI voice transcription and receipt scanning; its privacy notice says data is not used for training. On Windows, it can monitor folders for DICOM X-ray files from RVG sensors and sync imported images through PocketBase. The manual also documents SMTP email and S3-compatible storage for backups and uploaded photos. The current version cannot migrate data from the earlier Apexo application because it is a rewrite.

Open Dental is dental practice software sold with a software license and support plan. Its listed eServices include a patient portal, web forms, automated messaging, texting, eClipboard, mobile access, and online scheduling. Practice features include patient self-booking, provider calendars, appointment reminders, online intake forms, and support for multiple locations. A free trial does not expire, but it is limited to 30 patients and does not include API or eServices access. The trial provides a blank database and a demo database with fictional patients, but not copyrighted CDT content. The client program cannot run on Linux or Mac workstations, though Linux or macOS can be used as a server alternative. Monthly support includes updates and phone, chat, and email technical assistance, with up to two specific issues per call. The listed Other Countries plan is $89/month/location or office under a 12-month contract; US pricing is $199/month/location or office for the initial 12 months, then a reduced rate of $149/month/location after 12 consecutive months. Fees vary by location, provider count, and added functionality; data conversion is extra.