Australia · head to head · updated 2026-08-01

Principle vs Core Practice

AI-forward against cloud-native, both Australian-built. Both are cloud, so the hosting decision is not what separates them.

Principle

Principle Dental

Sydney-built cloud system, and the most AI-forward product in Australian dentistry.

Deployment
Cloud
Entry price
Not published
Built for
Solo, 2–4 locations, Group
Visit Principle(opens in a new tab)

Read the full Principle review

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
Visit Core Practice(opens in a new tab)

Read the full Core Practice review

The short answer

Neither Principle nor Core Practice publishes a price, so any cost comparison between them depends entirely on the quotes you negotiate.

Choose Principle if…

Practices that want AI in the workflow now, from a local vendor, and will negotiate a quote.

It is ahead on native imaging, ai features .

Choose Core Practice if…

Growing Australian practices and small groups that want cloud and modern patient-facing tools.

It is ahead on insurance eligibility, payments, digital forms, analytics & kpis, 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.

ModulePrincipleCore Practice
Native imaging Built in Via integration
Insurance eligibility Not stated Built in
Payments Not stated Built in
Digital forms Not stated Built in
Analytics & KPIs Not stated Built in
AI features Built in Not stated
Open API Not stated Via integration
Show all 19 modules, including where they match
ModulePrincipleCore Practice
Scheduling Built in Built in
Clinical charting Built in Built in
Perio charting Not stated Not stated
Native imaging Built in Via integration
Billing Built in Built in
Claims Built in Built in
Insurance eligibility Not stated Built in
Payments Not stated Built in
Patient messaging Built in Built in
Online booking Built in Built in
Digital forms Not stated Built in
Recall / reactivation Built in Built in
Analytics & KPIs Not stated Built in
ePrescribing Not stated Not stated
Teledentistry Not stated Not stated
AI features Built in Not stated
Open API Not stated Via integration
Multi-location Built in Built in
Orthodontics Not stated Not stated

Pricing, side by side

Principle

No published pricingchecked2026-08-01

Principle 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; there is an info pack behind a form.

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

No published pricingchecked2026-08-01

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

Principle

Strengths

  • The AI is shipped, not promised: an AI receptionist, a clinical scribe that writes notes in real time, and imaging analysis tied into charting and treatment planning.
  • Data is held in Australian data centres on ISO/IEC 27001 infrastructure, encrypted at rest and in transit — a straight answer to the Privacy Act question.
  • Australian-built and cloud-native, with gap-filling and automations aimed squarely at the diary problems local practices actually have.

Trade-offs

  • No published pricing — the info pack sits behind a form.
  • The vendor’s claim to be the only Australian system with a built-in AI receptionist is its own; we have not independently verified it.
  • AI clinical features deserve the scrutiny you would give any diagnostic tool. Ask precisely what Clinical Assist does, what it does not, and what regulatory status it holds in Australia.

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