United Kingdom · head to head · updated 2026-08-01
Systems for Dentists vs Aerona
Independent on-premise against independent cloud. Systems for Dentists is cloud or on-premise and Aerona is cloud — usually the single biggest difference between them.
Systems for Dentists
Systems for Dentists (SfD)
Independent British vendor, sold on flexibility and direct support.
- Deployment
- Cloud or on-premise
- Entry price
- Not published
- Built for
- Solo, 2–4 locations, Group
Aerona
Aerona Software
Cloud-native practice management built in Northern Ireland, sold across the UK and Ireland.
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Entry price
- Not published
- Built for
- Solo, 2–4 locations, Group
The short answer
Neither Systems for Dentists nor Aerona publishes a price, so any cost comparison between them depends entirely on the quotes you negotiate.
Choose Systems for Dentists if…
Practices that want an independent UK vendor rather than a multinational.
Choose Aerona if…
UK and Irish practices wanting cloud from a smaller, independent vendor.
It is ahead on payments, patient messaging, online booking, digital forms, open api .
Where they actually differ
Of 19 modules we track, these 5 differ. The rest match, so they are not what should decide it.
| Module | Systems for Dentists | Aerona |
|---|---|---|
| Payments | Not stated | Built in |
| Patient messaging | Paid add-on | Built in |
| Online booking | Paid add-on | Built in |
| Digital forms | Not stated | Built in |
| Open API | Not stated | Via integration |
Show all 19 modules, including where they match
| Module | Systems for Dentists | Aerona |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Built in | Built in |
| Clinical charting | Built in | Built in |
| Perio charting | Built in | Built in |
| Native imaging | Via integration | Via integration |
| Billing | Built in | Built in |
| Claims | Built in | Built in |
| Insurance eligibility | Not stated | Not stated |
| Payments | Not stated | Built in |
| Patient messaging | Paid add-on | Built in |
| Online booking | Paid add-on | Built in |
| Digital forms | Not stated | Built in |
| Recall / reactivation | Built in | Built in |
| Analytics & KPIs | Built in | Built in |
| ePrescribing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Teledentistry | Not stated | Not stated |
| AI features | Not stated | Not stated |
| Open API | Not stated | Via integration |
| Multi-location | Built in | Built in |
| Orthodontics | Not stated | Not stated |
Pricing, side by side
Systems for Dentists
Systems for Dentists 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.
Aerona
Aerona 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
Systems for Dentists
Strengths
- Independent and British-owned, so support is not routed through a multinational.
- NHS-certified with a long track record in UK practices.
- Offered cloud or on-premise.
Trade-offs
- No published pricing.
- Smaller ecosystem than EXACT or R4, so fewer third-party integrations.
- Limited public documentation of the newer patient-facing features.
Aerona
Strengths
- Genuinely cloud-native rather than a desktop product moved to a server.
- Sold across the UK and Ireland, so it handles more than one national claiming regime.
- Patient-facing features — booking, forms, messaging — are part of the platform.
Trade-offs
- No published pricing.
- Smaller installed base than EXACT, R4 or Dentally, so fewer peers to ask.
- Imaging depends on integration rather than a native module.
Other comparisons
- Dentally vs Aerona — Two UK clouds — one publishes a price, one does not
- EXACT vs Systems for Dentists — Multinational against independent British vendor
- Aerona vs Cloud 4 Dentists — Two smaller UK cloud systems