Top 10 Cerner Competitors

Cerner, now part of Oracle Health, is one of the leading electronic healthcare software providers, with 22% – the second largest – EHR market share in the US. However, despite its massive usage, some users frequently face challenges, such as poor usability and workflows, slow integrations, inconsistent implementation processes, slow support response, and more. These issues have resulted in healthcare professionals looking for alternative Cerner platforms.

We have compiled this extensive list of the top 10 Cerner competitors to help you make an informed decision for your medical practice. This list is based on several factors and will cover:

• How and why is the software a good alternative solution to Cerner
• Benefits and drawbacks
• Pricing details

TL;DR: What’s the best alternative to Cerner? Epic is a standout choice because of its usability, smooth navigation, and strong clinical communication, improving productivity across healthcare organizations.

Our Top 10 Cerner Alternatives Recommendations

1. Epic

• Best For: Acute Care, Large Hospitals (400+ beds)
• Overall Rating: 4.4
• Free Trial: Not available

Epic holds the largest US market share with 41.3% of US hospital installations. The software resolves several workflow and usability frustrations shared by Cerner users. Reviewers have consistently praised Epic as faster and less click-intensive when it comes to charting and discharging patients. Unlike Cerner, which has everything given in different drop-down menus, Epic's shortcut keys help navigate smoothly between charting columns, resulting in enhanced productivity and workflows.

Additionally, the Epic platform has a huge in-house messaging system that enables practitioners to search for a patient’s name and get all the information, including patients’ primary documentation and consultation notes, at once, or view all patients at once. Meanwhile, Cerner shows a checklist for each patient that does not flow as well as the Epic software. Practitioners can also send and manage messages securely within the Epic system.

Overall, we recommend Epic as a strong alternative to Cerner due to its superior usability and smooth clinical communication.

 What Are The Pros And Cons Of Epic?

How Much Does Epic Cost?

Epic’s pricing is generally estimated to range from $1,200 to $3,500 per provider per month, depending on scope and deployment complexity. The cost is typically influenced by the number of users, practice size, module required, and deployment model.

Disclaimer: Pricing references are based on publicly available third-party information and industry benchmarks. Actual costs may vary.

2. MEDITECH

• Best For: Smaller Hospitals (1-150 beds)
• Overall Rating: 2.9
• Free Trial: Not Available

MEDITECH offers its Expanse EHR, an AI-powered platform designed to support the diverse needs of healthcare specialties, with a strong focus on acute care. Unlike Cerner, which is designed to handle the needs of large hospital systems, reviewers suggest MEDITECH is a better option for smaller hospitals due to the vendor’s direct collaboration with the users to resolve any ongoing issues. The platform assists its customers in investing in health IT resources to improve solutions while also budgeting for implementation and training.

Additionally, after the release of the Expanse system, MEDITECH has been recognized for providing updated technology and instituting a more perspective approach to implementation and guidelines. In contrast, Cerner’s implementation process can vary by organization, with workflows and structures often tailored to individual user needs.

Overall, we recommend MEDITECH for small acute care hospitals seeking faster customer support response times and smoother implementation processes, enabling them to focus on delivering quality patient care.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of MEDITECH?

How Much Does MEDITECH Cost?

MEDITECH Expanse pricing typically ranges from $200 to $800 per user per month for smaller facilities (1–150 beds). Larger or multi-hospital systems can expect significantly higher costs due to expanded modules and enterprise-level support.

Disclaimer: Pricing references are based on publicly available third-party information and industry benchmarks. Actual costs may vary.

3. eClinicalWorks

• Best For: Ambulatory Care Settings, Small Practices (1-10 Physicians)
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Free Trial: Not Available

eClinicalWorks is an AI-powered EHR platform designed to cater to multiple healthcare specialties, including ambulatory care. When comparing the two, eClinicalWorks stands out due to its high usability, providing an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate.

The platform is also considered a top Cerner competitor due to its transparent pricing plans, which are specifically beneficial for smaller practices, helping them plan budgets well in advance before investing in a medical system.

We recommend eClinicalWorks for small practices due to its ease of use, transparent subscription plans, and features that streamline clinical workflows.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of eClinicalWorks?

How Much Does eClinicalWorks Cost?

The vendor offers the following three pricing packages:

• EHR Only – $449/month/provider
• EHR With Practice Management – $599/month/provider
• RCM As A Service – 2.9% of practice collections

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

4. athenaOne

• Best For: Ambulatory Care Settings, Small Practices (1-10 Physicians)
• Overall Rating: 3.8
• Free Trial: Not Available

athenaOne is an EHR platform that is suitable for multiple healthcare specialties, enhancing their clinical, financial, and administrative workflows. In comparison to Cerner, the platform has strong usability with a simple, easy-to-use interface. Meanwhile, Cerner users have described its interface as a series of drop-down menus with boxes within boxes.

Both platforms support interoperability with a variety of systems, including enterprise platforms, EBSCO nursing resources, and more. However, reviewers have noted that Cerner's integrations for monitoring and syncing can sometimes slow down. In contrast, athenaOne offers pre-built integrations for diagnostic testing, applications, and external health systems.

We recommend athenaOne as a top alternative to Cerner because of its intuitive interface, enhancing clinical and operational efficiency for small, ambulatory practices.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of athenaOne?

How Much Does athenaOne Cost?

The cost for athenaOne is generally tied to an organization’s collections. Additionally, the software has minimal upfront costs with no long-term contracts.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

5. NextGen

• Best For: Behavioral Health, Cardiology
• Overall Rating: 3.8
• Free Trial: Not Available

NextGen is an all-in-one EHR software designed for multiple specialties to improve performance and drive efficiency with its AI and automation-enhanced solutions. Despite not having as massive a market share as Cerner, the platform's focus on a user-friendly and intuitive interface and practice efficiency has earned it a place among small to mid-sized practices. NextGen’s customization options align with the evolving requirements of healthcare practices.

Overall, we recommend NextGen as a standout option for practices looking for customizable EHR platforms that can be tailored to their specific requirements.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of NextGen?

How Much Does NextGen Cost?

The software offers personalized pricing plans that may depend on your medical practice’s size, required features, and number of users.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

6. Veradigm (Allscripts)

• Best For: Ambulatory Care Settings
• Overall Rating: 3.2
• Free Trial: Not Available

Veradigm, formerly known as Allscripts, is a cloud-based EHR platform that primarily supports ambulatory and outpatient care specialties. The platform's AI-driven ‘Predictive Scheduler’ offers automation and superior efficiency in comparison to Cerner’s workflow-centric model, making it a standout option. Additionally, Veradigm has considerably better usability than Cerner in terms of ease of use, setup, and support options.

We recommend Veradigm (Allscripts) as a reliable Cerner alternative due to its strong scheduling capabilities and ease of use.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Veradigm?

How Much Does Veradigm Cost?

Veradigm offers flexible pricing packages that vary based on the solutions a healthcare organization requires:

• Veradigm e-Prescribe – $59/month/prescriber
• Practice Fusion EHR – Starting at $199/month

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

7. Tebra

• Best For: Ambulatory, Small Practices (1-10 Physicians)
• Overall Rating: 3.6
• Free Trial: Not Available

Tebra (formerly Kareo + PatientPop) is an EHR platform that improves patient care and billing by optimizing the revenue cycle process and simplifying workflows. Reviewers find Tebra to be a modern and user-friendly software as compared to Cerner that has been noted as a clunky and click-heavy solution.

Unlike Cerner, which has a variable implementation process, Tebra offers strong implementation support to its users to ease their onboarding process with minimal training required to get users to adapt to the software.

We recommend Tebra as a top Cerner alternative for its modern, intuitive interface and efficient implementation, enabling small practices to onboard quickly and focus on delivering quality patient care.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Tebra?

How Much Does Tebra Cost?

The platform offers custom pricing packages based on your medical clinic’s size, preferences, and required modules.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

8. WebPT

• Best For: Outpatient Therapy/Rehab
• Overall Rating: 3.9
• Free Trial: Not Available

WebPT is a cloud-based EMR solution specifically designed to simplify therapy-specific workflows, focusing on outpatient and rehab clinical requirements. The platform stands out due to its occupational, physical, and speech therapy documentation capabilities that provide practitioners with templates and pre-populated forms to complete notes faster. Meanwhile, Cerner reviewers have expressed slight disappointment over its slow note-taking due to excessive clicking.

Additionally, in comparison to Cerner, WebPT has a better usability rating for learning curve and quality of support, enabling practitioners to easily adapt to the software.

Overall, we recommend WebPT due to its extensive yet quick document management features, enabling practitioners to take notes accurately and quickly.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of WebPT?

How Much Does WebPT Cost?

The starting price of the software is $99/user/month. The vendor offers the following three packages with custom pricing, depending on your healthcare organization’s size and needs:

• Starter
• Enhanced
• Ultimate

Disclaimer: Pricing references are based on publicly available third-party information and industry benchmarks. Actual costs may vary.

9. Practice Fusion

• Best For: Small Practices (1-10 Physicians)
• Overall Rating: 3.8
• Free Trial: Available (14-days)

Practice Fusion is a cloud-based EHR, ideal for independent and small practices seeking quick setup and ease of use. While users of Cerner have expressed a high learning curve and complex implementation procedures that are inconsistent for every healthcare practice, Practice Fusion is praised for its easy adaptability and user-friendly interface.

Additionally, Practice Fusion offers transparent and predictable pricing plans along with an annual commitment, helping organizations plan financial budgets while providing a clear picture of the entire cost structure. Meanwhile, Cerner does not openly provide predictable pricing plans, making it complex and challenging for small practices to manage finances accordingly.

In short, we recommend Practice Fusion for small practices that want an easy and quick implementation procedure and predictable pricing packages to plan efficiently.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Practice Fusion?

How Much Does Practice Fusion Cost?

The platform's starting price is $199/provider/month and includes several features, such as 3 signing staff licenses and unlimited non-signing staff licenses.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

10. AdvancedMD

• Best For: Ambulatory, Small Practice (1-10 Physicians)
• Overall Rating: 3.7
• Free Trial: Available (30-days)

AdvancedMD is an all-in-one healthcare software that combines EHR, practice management, and billing capabilities in a unified platform. In comparison to Cerner, AdvancedMD users suggest that the software is more accessible for smaller teams, providing a fully cloud-based solution. Additionally, AdvancedMD excels in providing a user-friendly interface and strong billing capabilities, making it more appealing to small practices.

Overall, we recommend AdvancedMD due to its intuitive interface and cloud-based solutions, making it easily accessible for smaller teams.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of AdvancedMD?

How Much Does AdvancedMD Cost?

The vendor offers the following customizable pricing options:

• Build A Bundle
• Software Pricing
• RCM Billing
• Billing Service Pricing

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

How We Chose Our Cerner Alternatives?

We at Software Finder conducted an in-depth evaluation of various EHR platforms to identify the most effective alternatives to Cerner. Our review process included the following key steps:

• User Insights: We analyzed hundreds of reviews and first-hand experiences from healthcare professionals, focusing on common pain points like workflow complexity, slow integrations, and usability challenges
• Feature And Workflow Assessment: Each software was tested for its ability to streamline clinical documentation, improve patient management, enhance billing processes, and reduce administrative burden
• Interoperability And Integration: We examined how well each platform connects with other health IT systems, diagnostic tools, and external applications, addressing Cerner’s reported integration limitations
• Support And Implementation Evaluation: Platforms were evaluated for implementation consistency, training resources, onboarding ease, and the quality of customer support
• Cost And Scalability Analysis: Pricing models, subscription plans, and scalability for different practice sizes were considered to ensure affordability without compromising functionality

Selecting The Best Cerner Alternative

Choosing the right alternative to Cerner requires balancing usability, workflow efficiency, integration capabilities, and cost. Practices should take into account their size, specialty needs, and operational complexity when evaluating EHR platforms.

We recommend prioritizing solutions that reduce administrative burden, streamline patient care workflows, and provide responsive support. Comparing features, testing demos, and gathering peer feedback are essential steps to ensure the chosen platform meets both current and future practice needs.

Taking this comprehensive approach will help healthcare organizations confidently select the best Cerner alternative for their unique requirements.