Two tools with the same monthly price can cost your clinic very different amounts in a year. The difference is in what the price includes and what gets charged on top. This answer explains the common pricing models, the costs that are easy to miss, and how to compare two quotes fairly.
How clinic software is priced
- Flat subscription: one monthly or yearly price for the clinic, whatever your patient volume.
- Per doctor or per user: the price grows with every doctor or staff login you add.
- Per patient or per record: the price grows as your patient list grows.
- Per message: WhatsApp or SMS reminders charged per message, or included only up to a set number each month.
- Add-on modules: a low base price, with billing, reports, a website or reminders sold separately.
- Per booking: some tools linked to an online marketplace charge a fee when a new patient books through it.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Messages beyond the included quota, and what each extra reminder costs.
- Setup, training or data migration fees charged once at the start.
- Contract length: whether you must pay for a full year or more up front, and how you exit.
- The price after the first year, if the first year is discounted.
- Extra doctors, staff or branches added later.
- Getting your data out: what the export includes, in what format, and whether it costs anything.
How to compare two quotes
- Write down your clinic's numbers: doctors, staff logins, patients a month and reminders a month.
- Work out the full yearly cost of each tool for those numbers, including messages and add-ons.
- Add any one-time setup or migration fees.
- Check what each price actually includes: queue, prescriptions, follow-up reminders, records, reports, a clinic website.
- Try both with your own patients before you pay. A free trial tells you more than a demo.
A worksheet to fill in for each quote
| Line | What to ask the vendor |
|---|---|
| Base price | Monthly or yearly, and for how many doctors and staff logins? |
| Messages | How many WhatsApp reminders a month are included, and what does each extra one cost? |
| Add-ons | Are billing, reports, a website and reminders included, or sold separately? |
| One-time fees | Is there a setup, training or data migration charge? |
| Contract | Is a year paid up front? How do you leave, and what does the export include? |
| Year two | Is the first year discounted? What is the price after it? |
Fill it in for your own clinic's numbers, add up a full year for each tool, and compare the totals.
For the wider checklist, read how to choose clinic management software. If you are weighing a full EMR instead, read EMR vs clinic management software.
What Vaidya OS costs
Vaidya OS publishes its price on its pricing page. There are no per-patient fees, no commission on bookings and no setup fees. You can try it free for 14 days, and no credit card is required.