Australia · head to head · updated 2026-08-01
CareStack vs Core Practice
American all-in-one against Australian cloud. Both are cloud, so the hosting decision is not what separates them.
CareStack
CareStack
Cloud all-in-one aimed at growing groups, with published tier pricing.
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Entry price
- Not published
- Built for
- 2–4 locations, Group, DSO / enterprise
Core Practice
Core Practice
Newer Australian cloud platform aimed at growing practices and groups.
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Entry price
- Not published
- Built for
- Solo, 2–4 locations, Group
The short answer
Neither CareStack nor Core Practice publishes a price, so any cost comparison between them depends entirely on the quotes you negotiate.
Choose CareStack if…
Multi-location groups that want one vendor for practice management, RCM and engagement.
It is ahead on perio charting, native imaging, eprescribing, teledentistry, ai features and 1 more.
Choose Core Practice if…
Growing Australian practices and small groups that want cloud and modern patient-facing tools.
It is ahead on open api .
Where they actually differ
Of 19 modules we track, these 7 differ. The rest match, so they are not what should decide it.
| Module | CareStack | Core Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Perio charting | Built in | Not stated |
| Native imaging | Built in | Via integration |
| ePrescribing | Built in | Not stated |
| Teledentistry | Built in | Not stated |
| AI features | Built in | Not stated |
| Open API | Not stated | Via integration |
| Orthodontics | Built in | Not stated |
Show all 19 modules, including where they match
| Module | CareStack | Core Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Built in | Built in |
| Clinical charting | Built in | Built in |
| Perio charting | Built in | Not stated |
| Native imaging | Built in | Via integration |
| Billing | Built in | Built in |
| Claims | Built in | Built in |
| Insurance eligibility | Built in | Built in |
| Payments | Built in | Built in |
| Patient messaging | Built in | Built in |
| Online booking | Built in | Built in |
| Digital forms | Built in | Built in |
| Recall / reactivation | Built in | Built in |
| Analytics & KPIs | Built in | Built in |
| ePrescribing | Built in | Not stated |
| Teledentistry | Built in | Not stated |
| AI features | Built in | Not stated |
| Open API | Not stated | Via integration |
| Multi-location | Built in | Built in |
| Orthodontics | Built in | Not stated |
Pricing, side by side
CareStack
CareStack does not publish a price. You have to request a quote, which means you cannot budget or compare before speaking to a salesperson. No figure published on the Australian site, although CareStack publishes tier pricing in its US home market.
We do not repeat third-party price estimates for quote-only vendors. Several widely republished figures in this category turned out to belong to a different product — see how we compare.
Core Practice
Core Practice does not publish a price. You have to request a quote, which means you cannot budget or compare before speaking to a salesperson. No figure published.
We do not repeat third-party price estimates for quote-only vendors. Several widely republished figures in this category turned out to belong to a different product — see how we compare.
Strengths and trade-offs
CareStack
Strengths
- Publishes tier pricing, which almost no other group-focused cloud vendor does.
- Very broad native feature set — RCM, engagement, analytics and imaging in one contract.
- Built for multi-location reporting from the start rather than retrofitted.
Trade-offs
- "Starting at" means the real quote is negotiated; budget above the published figure.
- Substantially more expensive than the on-premise options for a single small practice.
- Breadth comes with depth trade-offs — specialist modules are less mature than dedicated tools.
Core Practice
Strengths
- Cloud-native with the patient-facing layer — booking, forms, messaging — built in rather than bolted on.
- Built for multi-site reporting from the start, which suits a practice planning to grow.
- Modern interface, which matters more than buyers expect for front-desk training time.
Trade-offs
- No published pricing.
- Smallest installed base of the Australian systems here, so the peer network is thin.
- Imaging relies on integration rather than a native module.
Other comparisons
- Praktika vs Core Practice — Two Australian clouds, neither publishing a price
- Dental4Windows vs Core Practice — Desktop heritage against cloud-native
- Principle vs Core Practice — AI-forward against cloud-native, both Australian-built