The head-to-head, with sources
Most vendors make you book a sales call to learn the price. We publish ours — and theirs. Every figure below is either published by the vendor or reported by third parties, sourced and dated; nothing here is a guess we won't show our work for.
| System | Pricing model | Public pricing? | Monthly (3 DVMs) | Setup & migration | Contract | Leaving with your data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairn | Per location — unlimited DVMs & staff | Yes — this page | $149 | $0 setup, free CSV migration | Month-to-month | One-click full export, free, standard formats |
| Shepherd 1 | Per DVM ($299 first, +$99 each) | Yes | $497 | $0 — migration & training included | Not stated publicly | Not published |
| Provet Cloud 2 | Per vet ($249 first, +$99 each; reported) | Partially | $447 | Migration quoted in tiers | Not stated publicly | Not published |
| Digitail 3 | Per full-time DVM (~$300; reported) | Tiers, no dollar amounts | $900 | Quoted | 20% off annual billing | Not published |
| ezyVet (IDEXX) 4 | Starting $260.50/mo; model not disclosed | Base price only | $400–600+ (est., loaded) | Implementation $1k–5k (reported) | 6-month initial, then rolling | Not published |
| Hippo Manager 5 | Per DVM ($119); acquired by Shepherd 2025 | Yes | $357 | $0 | Not stated publicly | Not published |
| Covetrus Pulse 6 | Quote-only | No | ~$100–169 base (unverified est.) | Quoted | Reports of lock-in & price increases | Not published |
| IDEXX Neo 7 | Per user (base incl. 3) | No | ~$450–600 (est.) | Quoted | Quote-based | Not published |
| Cornerstone (IDEXX) 8 | On-premise, quote-only | No | ~$199–549 (reported range) | Implementation + your own server & backups | Quote-based, long | Not published |
| AVImark (Covetrus) 9 | Perpetual license + annual support | No | Quote | Quoted | Perpetual + annual fees | Not published |
"Monthly" models one location. Per-DVM rows are computed from each vendor's published or reported per-doctor rate as you move the slider; they exclude add-ons. AI scribe: Cairn's is an optional $69/DVM/mo add-on (unlimited encounters); standalone veterinary scribes with unlimited use typically run ~$99–200/DVM/mo (budget tiers with usage caps exist below that). Figures are not offers — verify current pricing with each vendor.
Sources (accessed 2026-07-08)
- Shepherd: shepherd.vet, costbench.com
- Provet Cloud: provet.com/pricing, vetsoftwarehub.com
- Digitail: digitail.com/plans, capterra.com
- ezyVet: ezyvet.com/pricing/us, itqlick.com
- Hippo Manager: capterra.com, vetsoftwarehub.com (Shepherd acquisition)
- Covetrus Pulse: capterra.com, trustradius.com
- IDEXX Neo: software.idexx.com, itqlick.com
- Cornerstone: capterra.com, trustradius.com
- AVImark: capterra.com, covetrus.com
Why per-location?
Per-DVM pricing means your software vendor profits from your hiring. Per-location pricing (the model Open Dental proved in dentistry) means the price is the price — and the gap widens as you grow.
Why publish pricing?
Because you shouldn't need three sales calls to learn what software costs. The vendors that hide pricing do it so they can quote each clinic differently.
What about the AI?
Most incumbents bolt AI on as a separately-quoted add-on. Cairn is AI-native: the scribe add-on is $69/DVM/mo with unlimited encounters — under the mainstream standalone veterinary scribes — and it's part of the same record, audit trail, and sign-off flow.