Dentrix vs CareStack

by Gralio Apr 17, 2025

Dentrix and CareStack both offer comprehensive solutions for dental practice management. Dentrix stands out with its extensive integrations and robust reporting, while CareStack excels in cloud-based accessibility, user-friendly design, and responsive customer support. The best choice depends on the specific needs and priorities of the dental practice.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 612 reviews and 60 websites, saving 3 hours, 54 minutes of reading.

About

Dentrix is a widely used dental practice management software that combines various tools to streamline operations in dental offices. It offers features covering clinical, business, and administrative tasks, helping dentists manage patient records, appointments, billing, and imaging. With a focus on improving efficiency and profitability, Dentrix aims to help dental practices grow by providing insights from data and automating workflows. It integrates with other products and services, and boasts a large user base of over 35,000 dental teams.
CareStack is a cloud-based dental practice management software designed for practices of all sizes. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including scheduling, billing, patient engagement, and reporting features. CareStack aims to simplify practice operations and boost efficiency through automation and centralized data management. Its features include online scheduling, integrated payments, treatment planning, electronic signatures, and automated reminders, all designed to improve patient care and streamline administrative tasks. CareStack is committed to providing excellent customer support and ongoing updates to meet evolving industry needs.

Summary

Main difference
Dentrix is a better choice for established dental practices who value a wide user base and extensive integrations with existing dental software. CareStack is a superior option for practices prioritizing modern cloud-based functionality, ongoing customer support, and a user-friendly interface, despite a steeper initial learning curve.

Relative strengths of Dentrix (compared to CareStack)

  • Wider user base and established market presence, offering more resources and community support.

  • Extensive integrations with other dental software and hardware, creating a more connected ecosystem.

  • Comprehensive reporting capabilities, providing in-depth insights into practice performance.

Relative weaknesses of Dentrix (compared to CareStack)

  • Difficult to learn and navigate, potentially impacting staff training and efficiency.

  • Higher monthly fees and add-on costs, increasing the overall cost of ownership.

  • Reports of poor customer and technical support, hindering issue resolution and user satisfaction.

Who should use Dentrix VS. CareStack

Dentrix is a comprehensive dental practice management software streamlining various tasks for dental offices of all sizes. Users praise its user-friendly interface for basic tasks, comprehensive features, and integration capabilities. However, some find it difficult to learn and experience occasional glitches. It's ideal for practices seeking improved efficiency and integrated workflows but should be carefully considered by those with limited budgets due to its cost.

CareStack is a cloud-based dental practice management solution designed to streamline operations and boost efficiency for practices of all sizes. Users praise its comprehensive features and excellent customer support. While some users note a steep initial learning curve and occasional glitches, many appreciate the continuous improvements and cloud-based accessibility. CareStack is a valuable tool for practices seeking to improve patient care and administrative efficiency.

  • Ideal for dental practices of all sizes, from small clinics to large enterprises.

  • Specifically designed for the healthcare, wellness, and pharmaceutical industries.

  • Ideal for dental practices of all sizes, from small startups to large DSOs.

  • Best fit for healthcare providers seeking comprehensive practice management.

Dentrix and CareStack features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • All-in-one platform
    Supported

    Dentrix offers a comprehensive platform covering various functionalities.

    Supported

    CareStack offers a comprehensive all-in-one platform for dental practices.

  • Practice Management
    Supported

    Dentrix streamlines workflows with client and case management, billing, accounting, and scheduling.

    Supported

    CareStack supports client and case management, billing, accounting, and scheduling, which indirectly supports time management.

  • Integrated Clinical and Business Tools
    Supported

    Dentrix integrates clinical and business tools, including patient records, scheduling, billing, and reporting.

    Supported

    CareStack integrates clinical features like patient records and charting with business tools such as scheduling, billing, and reporting.

  • Clinical notes
    Supported

    Dentrix allows recording and viewing clinical notes, with features like templates and automated note generation.

    Supported

    CareStack allows recording and viewing clinical notes, integrated with treatment plans and charting.

  • Ledger readability
    Supported

    Patient ledger is easy to read with customizable columns, sorting, and running balance display.

    Supported

    CareStack offers customizable ledger printing and streamlined management features for improved readability.

  • Financial reports
    Supported

    Dentrix supports generating financial reports to view practice financials.

    Supported

    CareStack allows generating financial reports, including aging and credit balances reports.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    No data
    +0.5
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Customer Service
    No data
    +0.81
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.61
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    No data
    +0.78
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    No data
    +0.5
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Scalability
    No data
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment

Dentrix and CareStack Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly negative
-1
We couldn't find a pricing page for Dentrix.
No data

User sentiment

Rather positive
+0.5

See full Pricing page

Dentrix and CareStack review insights

612 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • User-friendly for basic tasks
  • Comprehensive features for dental practice management
  • Integrates with other dental software (e.g., Dexis, YAPI)
  • Good charting and treatment planning features
  • Extensive reporting capabilities (though some find them complicated)
  • Excellent and responsive customer support, readily available via various channels.
  • Comprehensive features, minimizing the need for third-party integrations.
  • Cloud-based accessibility, enabling remote work and multi-location management.
  • User-friendly interface, facilitating easy navigation and task completion after the initial learning curve.
  • Continuous improvements and updates based on user feedback.

Users dislike

  • Difficult to learn
  • Occasional glitches and slowdowns
  • Non-intuitive interface and navigation
  • Expensive monthly fees and add-on costs
  • Poor customer and tech support experiences
  • Difficult ledger adjustments and corrections.
  • Insurance billing complexities, especially with primary and secondary claims.
  • Limited mobile functionality and no mobile app.
  • Occasional software glitches and slowdowns, especially after updates.
  • Steep initial learning curve due to the software's robust nature.

Dentrix and CareStack Ratings

  • G2
    4.0/5
    (114)
  • Capterra
    4.3/5
    (339)
  • Glassdoor
    4.1/5
    (1719)
  • G2
    4.6/5
    (89)
  • Capterra
    4.7/5
    (70)
  • Glassdoor
    3.4/5
    (225)

Company health

Employee growth

2% increase in the last year
20% increase in the last year

Web traffic

7% decrease in the last quarter
44% increase in the last quarter

Financing

September 2024 - $1B
January 2022 - $74M

How do Dentrix and CareStack compare in ease of learning for new staff?

Dentrix is noted by users as being user-friendly for basic tasks but difficult to learn overall. CareStack users report a steep initial learning curve due to the software's complexity but find it easy to use once learned. Therefore, for brand new staff, Dentrix might be slightly easier to pick up initially for basic tasks, but CareStack's superior customer support could potentially make the overall learning process smoother.

Which product, Dentrix or CareStack, offers more reliable insurance claim processing?

CareStack users report difficulties with insurance billing, particularly with primary and secondary claims, impacting reliable claim processing. While Dentrix users also report some software glitches, their complaints do not specifically mention insurance claim processing as a significant pain point. Therefore, based on user reviews, Dentrix appears to offer more reliable insurance claim processing than CareStack.

What are the advantages of Dentrix?

Dentrix enjoys wide usage in the dental industry, evidenced by its large user base, giving it established credibility and a wealth of resources and integrations. Users praise its comprehensive features specifically designed for dental practice management, including charting, treatment planning, and reporting capabilities. While it has a steeper learning curve, its user-friendly design for basic tasks makes it accessible for a range of staff members.

What are the disadvantages of Dentrix?

Dentrix users often cite difficulties with learning the software, experiencing occasional glitches and slowdowns, navigating a non-intuitive interface, and dealing with expensive fees and add-on costs. Poor customer and technical support experiences are also frequently mentioned.

Alternatives to Dentrix and CareStack

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Logo of Curve Dental
Curve Dental
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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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