OpenVPMS 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

Value. We've used this for years and the product continues to improve. We've contributed to the project and so have many other veterinary clinics. This contribution leads to a sharing economy which we highly appreciate.

There are certain pieces of functionality that just aren't there. Join the community and help contribute to whatever thing is most critical for your your clinic (although it's probably already there).

The ability to run in our fully Linux-powered practice and to customize to our needs were absolutely essential elements in our selection of practice management software. The owner/vets had nearly 40 years experience with standard commercially-available products and had been singularly unimpressed. As IT/Bookkeeper, I was tasked with finding something else. OpenVPMS has proven to be an excellent choice in that it has allowed us to develop a system that is not only easy for new staff to learn but has allowed development of a system that serves us perfectly. The vets are pleased, the staff are pleased and so I am too! Standard reporting and documents are comprehensive in their scope. Online help for any screen is available through Alt-F1. From an IT perspective, the open-source nature of the code and the use of free software such as MySQL for database handling, OpenOffice and JasperSoft Studio for document and report customization, makes for a very flexible package. As a server-based webapp, OpenVPMS was relatively easy to deploy on the practice's server (see CONS) and requires no special software on the workstations other than a standard web browser. Support for both use and implementation has been nothing short of absolutely outstanding. The community and core personnel have been incredibly helpful in answering any questions and providing guidance where necessary. This is truly an excellent project, well worth consideration. Highly recommended.

Getting OpenVPMS up and running is not a not a simple matter of installing a single package and firing it up. It requires at least a good working knowledge of server set up, deployment, basic networking, etc. Tricky in places, but not outside the realm for a committed enthusiast. While we don't find that new staff have any difficulty learning the application itself, any more than basic customization is beyond the capabilities of most users. That said, there has been considerable progress in the latest versions for simple customization of the wide variety of standard reports and documents provided. This can now all be done within OpenVPMS itself at the initial practice configuration stage (adding practice logos, contact info, etc.) without the need to fire up any outside software. This has greatly simplified the setup process for new adopters. But for anything beyond that, the learning curve is very steep. OpenVPMS uses an entity-relationship style MySQL database. While the power and flexibility of such a database really requires this to be a PRO and not a CON, I find the syntax for addressing the data base directly to be mind-numbingly cryptic. Prior experience with a relational database and/or a shelf full of MySQL textbooks is of limited help. Any attempts on my part to customize the standard reports' SQL queries have generally left me admitting defeat and asking for help from the community. Such help has always been provided, however. Thanks!

Open VPMS is generally Cost effective and user friendly. It is also always continuing to add new features.

Each upgrade tends to create more keystrokes and more time to perform basic tasks. It can become costly if you require additional help or support to set things up. Lack of written training materials/"How to" manuals/lists of features and functions

Having been exposed to most of the programs out there, having been an accredited hospitals inspector for many years, I can honestly say that from a clinicians point of view OPENVPMS is the best. I like the presentation of the clinical record; the ease with which one can attach Lab results, photos, photomicrographs, etc in a chronological order. It is easy to follow the progression of a case. With the alerts and notes it is easy to see what previous major issues the patient has had. I like the open sourced nature of the program. There are no exorbitant program fees. Vertical Connect were fantastic at setting us up initially and the program is very stable. There are no license fees like other programs available out there. New staff have had no problems adapting to this PMS - within a few days

I am a veterinarian and do not even try to understand the IT in the background that makes this program work so well. It is not a program one can download and start using with out having a reasonable amount of knowledge about the various opensource programs that makes this work. There are some aspects that are annoying - like most programs. in particular sometimes the number of mouse clicks required, or not being able to load several images at once. One needs to repeat the process for each image.

The software is actively developed with major new features every few months. Yet the cost is low. Good hardware is a pre-requisite. That being said once installed it runs seamlessly - we don't have outages or downtime.

The upgrade process is not automated. The user interface is probably a little dated...but it is highly customizable. There are slated changes to fix both of these factors in the developer's milestone plans.

It's very customisable - we've had a lot of reports made to our specific requirements and features that we've requested have been developed and built into new releases of the software.

It requires quite a lot of IT knowledge to do upgrades and develop new reports. The user interface isn't very attractive or intuitive and has a steep learning curve for new staff.

When we originally changed over, we had a crippling licencing bill from our previous software provider. We had previously not been using all the functions of our old software and found the customisable nature of OpenVPMS great in terms of doing what we wanted.

Customisable nature means that you do need to have time to think about what you want it to do but Vertical Connect have been great over the years in guiding us and also now they are very proactive with optimising our system whilst we have spent the last few years neglecting it (as it was doing what we needed and we weren't over complicating things, rather concentrating on other projects)

Must declare that as an original supporter and community user, we have a vested interest in OpenVPMS. However, what we like is that as OpenVPMS matures, we have the option to control it's direction.

We would love to see a thriving community of IT professionals with support solutions in Australia. Whilst our clinic has EXCELLENT OpenVPMS support, the same can not be said for all users. The user forums are essential in the absence of a population of expert IT professionals.

The price. Other options on the market are significantly more expensive. The market competitors boast a massive range of bells and whistles but how many of these are actually used in the real world? We have been able to adapt Open VPMS to our practice and have added reports and functionalities with no problem.

It is perhaps less "intuitive" to use than other systems. However once learnt, it is no more difficult to use.