Head to head · updated 2026-08-01
tab32 vs Open Dental
Cheapest cloud against cheapest on-premise. tab32 is cloud and Open Dental is on-premise — usually the single biggest difference between them.
tab32
tab32
Cloud all-in-one with a published entry price aimed at start-up practices.
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Entry price
- $125/month per practice, up to 3 providers
- Built for
- Solo, 2–4 locations
Open Dental
Open Dental Software, Inc.
Source-available practice management with the most transparent pricing in the category.
- Deployment
- On-premise
- Entry price
- $199/month per location, up to 3 providers
- Built for
- Solo, 2–4 locations, Group, DSO / enterprise
The short answer
tab32 is the cheaper published entry at $125/month against $199/month — roughly 1.2× the difference before add-ons.
Choose tab32 if…
New and single-location practices that want cloud without a five-figure annual commitment.
It is ahead on insurance eligibility, payments, patient messaging, online booking, digital forms .
Choose Open Dental if…
Practices that want maximum control and the lowest predictable running cost, and either have IT support or are willing to buy it.
It is ahead on teledentistry, ai features, open api, orthodontics .
Where they actually differ
Of 19 modules we track, these 9 differ. The rest match, so they are not what should decide it.
| Module | tab32 | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance eligibility | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Payments | Built in | Via integration |
| Patient messaging | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Online booking | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Digital forms | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Teledentistry | Not stated | Via integration |
| AI features | Not stated | Via integration |
| Open API | Not stated | Built in |
| Orthodontics | Not stated | Built in |
Show all 19 modules, including where they match
| Module | tab32 | Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Built in | Built in |
| Clinical charting | Built in | Built in |
| Perio charting | Built in | Built in |
| Native imaging | Built in | Built in |
| Billing | Built in | Built in |
| Claims | Built in | Built in |
| Insurance eligibility | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Payments | Built in | Via integration |
| Patient messaging | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Online booking | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Digital forms | Built in | Paid add-on |
| Recall / reactivation | Built in | Built in |
| Analytics & KPIs | Built in | Built in |
| ePrescribing | Via integration | Via integration |
| Teledentistry | Not stated | Via integration |
| AI features | Not stated | Via integration |
| Open API | Not stated | Built in |
| Multi-location | Built in | Built in |
| Orthodontics | Not stated | Built in |
Pricing, side by side
tab32
| Plan | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine — year 1 (start-up) | $125/month | per practice, up to 3 providers |
| Established practice — year 2+ | $225/month | per practice, up to 5 providers |
Add-ons you will probably also buy
The base price above is not the bill. These are priced separately.
| Add-on | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Claims processing | $0.20 | per claim |
| Claim attachments | $0.50 | per claim |
| Eligibility verification | $1.25 | per check |
The only cloud product in this set with a published price below $200/month. Transaction fees are itemised rather than bundled.
Source: tab32.com, read 2026-08-01.
Open Dental
| Plan | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Support — first 12 months 12-month contract | $199/month | per location, up to 3 providers |
| Support — after 12 months | $149/month | per location, up to 3 providers |
| Additional providers | $20/month | per provider beyond 3 |
| Volume — 4 to 9 offices $149/office after 12 months | $169/month | per office |
Add-ons you will probably also buy
The base price above is not the bill. These are priced separately.
| Add-on | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| eClipboard | $45/month | per location |
| eConfirmations $40 with landline texting | $25/month | per location |
| Integrated texting | $5/month + $0.04/message | per location |
| ODMobile | $35/month | per location |
| Web Sched (new/existing patient) | $75/month | per location |
Priced per location rather than per provider, so adding associates barely moves the bill. You supply and maintain the server.
Source: opendental.com, read 2026-08-01.
Strengths and trade-offs
tab32
Strengths
- Cloud, all-in-one, and priced publicly — a combination almost nobody else offers.
- Start-up tier is genuinely cheap for a new practice’s first year.
- Native imaging included rather than sold as a separate module.
Trade-offs
- Per-claim and per-eligibility-check fees mean a busy practice’s real bill is well above the sticker price.
- Provider caps (3 then 5) make the headline price misleading for larger teams.
- Smaller installed base than the incumbents, so fewer integrations and less peer support.
Open Dental
Strengths
- Publishes a complete fee schedule, including every add-on — almost unique in this category.
- Per-location pricing means a three-dentist practice pays the same base rate as a solo one.
- A genuinely open API and direct database access, so third-party tools integrate without vendor permission.
- Source-available code and an unusually large independent developer ecosystem.
Trade-offs
- Not natively cloud. Remote access means self-hosting, a third-party host, or a remote-desktop setup — an extra cost and an extra thing to secure.
- You own the server, the backups and the HIPAA exposure that comes with them.
- The interface is dense and dated; onboarding a new front-desk hire takes longer than on a modern cloud product.
Other comparisons
- Open Dental vs Dentrix — The cost-control choice against the incumbent
- Open Dental vs Eaglesoft — Open pricing against Patterson’s ecosystem
- Open Dental vs Practice-Web — Shared lineage, near-identical pricing — what differs
- tab32 vs Curve Dental — Cheapest published cloud vs the established cloud
- Open Dental vs Curve Dental — Own the server, or let someone else run it