• Written by Michael Noah

People search for IDEXX alternatives for more specific reasons than the phrase suggests. Almost always it is Cornerstone they want to replace, not their analysers, and almost always the reason is that Cornerstone runs on a server in the building and they want something they can open in a browser.

It is worth being clear at the outset that Cornerstone, ezyVet and Neo are all IDEXX products aimed at different sized practices. If your reason for looking is that you would rather your software supplier and your diagnostics supplier were different companies, moving between those three does not solve it.

You can almost certainly keep your analysers

This is the question that stops most practices before they start, and the answer is usually reassuring. Diagnostic equipment and practice management software are separate purchases. The major cloud platforms integrate with IDEXX analysers, and switching software does not mean replacing hardware you have already bought.

Do confirm the specific models you own with any vendor on your shortlist, because integration depth varies between platforms and between analyser generations. Ask to see results flowing into a patient record during the demonstration rather than taking it on trust.

1. VETport

A cloud system since 2002, used in more than 37 countries, built around the SOAP record. It suits practices running more than one site and practices that want the medical record rather than the invoice to drive the workflow. Coggo handles documentation inside the same system.

2. Covetrus AVImark

The other large installed base in North America, and the most likely system for an experienced practice manager to already know. It is server based, so if your reason for leaving Cornerstone is that you want browser access, AVImark does not change that.

3. Covetrus Impromed

Aimed at larger hospitals, and the usual choice where inventory is genuinely complicated: multiple storage locations, controlled drugs and a wide product range. Also server based.

4. Digitail

Cloud, and built with AI throughout rather than added afterwards, covering scheduling, charge capture, communication and records. A strong candidate if the problem you are trying to solve is administrative time rather than clinical capability.

5. Shepherd

One of the simpler cloud systems to learn, with useful AI tools and high user satisfaction among practices its size. Worth checking its online pharmacy integrations against your own if that revenue matters to you.

6. Provet Cloud

Part of Nordhealth and widely used across Europe, with the multi site handling and reporting that groups need. The obvious first look for a practice outside North America where local support matters.

7. Hippo Manager

A cloud platform for single site practices, mobile veterinarians and shelters, deliberately simpler than the enterprise systems, with published per user pricing.

8. Daysmart Vet

Cloud, straightforward, and aimed at smaller general practices that want records, scheduling, invoicing and reminders without a long implementation.

9. Vetter

A long standing cloud option for smaller practices, focused on the everyday work of a general practice rather than referral or emergency workflows.

How do I compare them without wasting a month?

Shortlist three, not nine. Write down your three most repeated workflows first, then drive each demonstration yourself against those workflows instead of watching a scripted tour.

Then ask the six questions that actually separate systems: does it match those workflows, does it integrate with the labs and analysers you own, can you export your own data on demand including attachments, is support reachable during your consulting hours, has it shipped meaningful updates in the last year, and is the total first year cost written down. Our 2026 software comparison goes through the same ten systems in more detail.

When you have chosen, plan the move properly. Switching veterinary software covers the parts practices usually underestimate, and data migration is top of that list.