The sticker price is the smallest line on the bill
Most clinics compare systems on one number: the advertised monthly subscription. That is precisely the number engineered to look small. The real cost shows up a year later, when you add a doctor, a branch, or a module that was not in the first quote.
Ask a clinic software vendor what it costs and you will usually get one small, comfortable number: a price per user per month. That number is technically true, and it does not answer the question you actually asked — what will your clinic pay over the next three years as it grows?
The gap between those two figures is not an accounting detail. A three-doctor clinic paying a reasonable amount today can find itself paying three times as much two years later with no change to the system and no new features — simply because it hired clinicians and opened a second branch. This guide breaks the cost into its real components, then gives you a method that works on any quote you receive.
The four pricing models you will be quoted
Every quote you receive belongs to one of four models. Knowing the model matters more than knowing the number, because the model is what decides how the cost behaves as your clinic grows.
| Pricing model | How it is charged | When it hurts |
|---|---|---|
| Per user | A monthly amount for each user account | When you hire clinicians or receptionists — the bill scales with your team |
| Per module | A base price plus an add-on per feature | When you need insurance, billing, or messaging — usually core, rarely included |
| Per branch or facility | A separate subscription for each location | When you expand — branch two doubles the bill before it earns anything |
| Flat all-inclusive plan | One amount covering everything | Rarely — but verify that 'all-inclusive' really means every feature |
The first two models are the most common, and also the hardest to forecast. A low per-user quote looks cheapest in a comparison table and frequently becomes the most expensive option by year two. A flat all-inclusive plan is easier to plan around because the bill does not move when your clinic does.
The line items that never appear in the quote
After the advertised price come the items that tend to surface in a later meeting. Ask about each of them in writing before you sign, because every one of them is negotiable beforehand and none of them is negotiable afterwards.
- Setup and configuration fees: a one-off charge before first use, sometimes equal to several months of subscription.
- Data migration fees: moving patient files from your old system, often priced by record count.
- Training fees: onboarding sessions for your team, occasionally re-charged for each staff member you hire later.
- Messaging costs: SMS and WhatsApp messages are usually metered separately from the subscription.
- Storage fees: X-rays and documents can pass a free allowance within months in a busy dental practice.
- Data export fees: the most dangerous item on the list — a system that charges to extract your own data makes leaving it expensive by design.
- Premium support fees: faster response times or Arabic-language support may sit in a separate tier.
Ask this exact question
"What is the total first-year cost including setup, migration, training, messaging and storage — and what is the second-year cost?" The difference between those two numbers exposes the whole structure of the offer, and a vendor unwilling to put both in writing has answered you anyway.
Model three years, not one month
The only fair comparison is total cost of ownership over three years, calculated against your expected growth rather than your position today. The steps below take about half an hour and usually save many times that.
1. Write your growth plan as numbers
How many doctors, staff, and branches after one, two, and three years? You do not need precision, you need a realistic direction to calculate against.
2. Calculate each year's bill separately
Apply each vendor's pricing model to each year's numbers. A per-user model reveals itself immediately at this step.
3. Add the one-off items
Setup, migration, and training go into year one in full — do not spread them across three years and flatter the total.
4. Add metered consumption
Estimate monthly message volume and storage, then multiply by twelve. This is the line that surprises busy clinics specifically.
5. Total the three years and compare
Only now do you have two comparable numbers. The ranking will frequently differ from the ranking by advertised monthly price.
A worked comparison between two models
To make it concrete, picture a clinic starting with two doctors, four staff, and one branch, reaching five doctors, nine staff, and two branches after three years. The figures below are illustrative and relative — what matters is the shape of the curve, not the absolute value.
| Line item | Per-user system | Flat all-inclusive plan |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | Six users × monthly price × twelve | One fixed amount |
| Year two | Rises with every hire | The same amount |
| Year three | Fourteen users — more than double | The same amount |
| Second branch | Usually a full additional subscription | Included |
| Insurance module | Paid add-on | Included |
| Predictability | Low — the bill follows hiring | High — one line in the budget |
The practical conclusion: a per-user system charges you for growing, while a flat plan makes growth free in software terms. And if you are moving off an existing system, read the migration and data transfer guide before you calculate year one.
Where 3yadtk sits in all of this
We picked the fourth model deliberately: one plan at $99.99 USD per year covering every feature in the platform, with unlimited doctors, patients, and branches, and no setup, migration, or export fees. The reasoning is simple — per-user pricing turns hiring a clinician into a software decision, which is the opposite of what a clinic system should do.
You can run the whole platform for 30 days without a credit card before paying anything, and exactly what the plan includes is published in full on the pricing page. Before you compare, run your own numbers — the guide to choosing a clinic system covers the non-price criteria that decide the rest.
Find your real number before you sign
One plan, one price, every feature unlocked — no per-user or per-branch fees. Model it against your current quote across three years and the difference shows up immediately.
See the pricing