1v1 Pricing Showdown
Hippo Manager vs Shepherd Veterinary Software
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Veterinary Practice Management Software decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Hippo Manager and Shepherd Veterinary Software for your veterinary practice management software stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Hippo Manager starts at $119/mo; Shepherd Veterinary Software starts at $299/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| budget conscious positioning | Historical positioning as budget-friendly alternative to ezyVet + Cornerstone | — |
| cloud based | Cloud-native practice management | — |
| medical records appointments invoicing | Core veterinary practice management | — |
| smb practice focus | Target market: single-location SMB clinics | — |
| site connectivity issue audit | ECONNREFUSED in our 2026-04-20 audit — verify active support | — |
| less enterprise features | Positioned for budget + simplicity vs comprehensive enterprise capability | — |
| independent vendor | Independent of IDEXX + Covetrus diagnostic companies | Independent vs IDEXX + Covetrus diagnostic-company-owned competitors |
| modern cloud native ux | — | Modern UX design vs Cornerstone legacy server |
| pricing page blocked audit | — | shepherd.vet/pricing returned 403 in our audit |
| medical records | — | SOAP notes + treatment history + patient imaging |
| appointments scheduling | — | Core capability |
| invoicing payments | — | Core capability |
| reporting | — | Capability varies by tier |
| multi staff scheduling | — | Mid-Market+ |
| multi location management | — | Large Practice+ |
| idexx antech integrations | — | Both diagnostic ecosystems supported (vendor-neutral) |
| growing mid market alternative | — | Alternative to ezyVet + Cornerstone for independent cloud-native positioning |
| startup positioning vs incumbents | — | Challenger positioning with modern UX + cloud-first architecture |
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Dive Deeper
Hippo Manager
Shepherd Veterinary Software
About the veterinary practice management software category
Veterinary Practice Management Software in 2026 is dominated by diagnostic-company-owned platforms (IDEXX owns ezyVet + Cornerstone + NEO; Covetrus owns Avimark + eVetPractice) with transparent pricing challengers (Provet Cloud, Shepherd, Hippo Manager) disrupting category. Published rates: Provet Cloud Core $99/vet/month + $249/month platform fee (includes 1 vet) for single-site practices, Pro $129/vet/month + $299/month platform fee for multi-site, Enterprise custom. Provet add-ons: Unlimited AI Scribe $40/vet/month (30 minutes free on base plans), Provet Pay $0/month (revenue share). ezyVet starting $260.50/month (6-month initial term + 3-month rolling contract, IDEXX-owned). Custom-quote or partial transparency: Shepherd Veterinary Software (pricing page blocked in audit — industry estimates $299-499/month per clinic), Hippo Manager (site ECONNREFUSED in audit — industry estimates $119-229/month per user), IDEXX Cornerstone (server-based enterprise vet software, all custom-quote). Major category M&A + consolidation: IDEXX consolidated veterinary software via acquisitions — acquired ezyVet 2021, owns Cornerstone (legacy enterprise server) + NEO (cloud) + ezyVet (cloud modern UX) as tiered portfolio targeting different clinic sizes. Covetrus (formerly Henry Schein Animal Health spinoff) owns Avimark (established server-based) + eVetPractice (cloud) + Impromed. Provet Cloud remains independent with Nordic + global expansion + transparent per-vet pricing model. Shepherd Veterinary Software independent with modern UX positioning. Hippo Manager independent budget-friendly positioning. Category reflects unique veterinary requirements: medical records (SOAP notes + treatment history + patient imaging), client + pet records (multi-pet households + pet genealogy + breed-specific protocols), prescription + pharmacy management (controlled substance tracking + DEA compliance), appointment scheduling + boarding + grooming, invoicing + insurance + payment plans, diagnostic integration (IDEXX/Antech lab results + imaging), referral management (to specialists), inventory management (medications + surgical supplies). AI integration is 2024-2025 development: ezyVet IDEXX integrations + AI discharge, Provet Cloud Unlimited AI Scribe (voice transcription of exam notes) + AI discharge instructions, Shepherd AI features, Cornerstone + modern vet platforms adding AI capabilities. Target users: solo small animal practices (1-2 vets), mid-size general practices (3-10 vets), specialty + emergency hospitals (10-30 vets), large animal + equine practices, mobile veterinary services, corporate veterinary groups (VCA, Banfield, Blue Pearl, etc.).
How to choose between veterinary practice management software options
First: clinic size + vet count? Solo practices (1 vet): Provet Cloud Core $99/vet + $249 platform = $348/month OR ezyVet starting $260/month OR Hippo Manager (industry estimates $119-229/user). Small practices (2-5 vets): Provet Cloud Core $249 platform + 2-5 vets × $99 = $447-744/month (5 vets), OR ezyVet (scales with clinic size). Mid-size (5-15 vets): Provet Cloud Pro $129/vet + $299 platform = $944-2,234/month (5-15 vets), OR ezyVet tier, OR Shepherd. Large + multi-site (15+ vets): Provet Cloud Pro + multi-site management OR Enterprise custom OR IDEXX Cornerstone enterprise. Second: diagnostic integration priority? IDEXX-diagnostic-committed clinics (using IDEXX VetLab + SNAP + Catalyst): ezyVet (owned by IDEXX, native integration) or Cornerstone (IDEXX native). For IDEXX ecosystem consolidation: IDEXX products advantage. Antech-diagnostic-committed: Covetrus products (Avimark, eVetPractice) or Provet Cloud + integrations. Third: deployment model? Cloud-native modern UX: Provet Cloud, Shepherd, ezyVet, eVetPractice. Server-based legacy: Cornerstone, Avimark. For remote work + multi-location + automatic updates: cloud. For data sovereignty + offline capability + traditional IT: server. Fourth: AI capability priority? Provet Cloud Unlimited AI Scribe $40/vet/month + AI discharge instructions — transparent AI pricing. ezyVet AI features via IDEXX ecosystem. Shepherd AI growing. Cornerstone AI limited (legacy platform). For transparent AI pricing: Provet Cloud. For IDEXX AI integration: ezyVet. Fifth: transparent vs custom pricing? Provet Cloud is ONLY major vendor with fully transparent tier pricing. ezyVet has starting price disclosed ($260.50/month) but specific tiers custom. Shepherd + Hippo Manager + Cornerstone + Covetrus products all custom-quote. For procurement simplicity: Provet Cloud. For IDEXX ecosystem: ezyVet with starting price reference. Sixth: contract flexibility? Provet Cloud no specific contract term disclosed (typical 12-month). ezyVet 6-month initial + 3-month rolling contract (relatively flexible). Cornerstone + Avimark historical 36-60 month contracts with equipment. For shortest contract lock-in: ezyVet 3-month rolling. For legacy on-prem with equipment financing: Cornerstone/Avimark. Seventh: specialty + emergency + equine? Cornerstone specialty/emergency hospital features mature (legacy incumbent). ezyVet hospital + specialty capabilities strong. Provet Cloud multi-location + triage board on Pro tier. Shepherd growing specialty capabilities. Hippo Manager general practice focus. For specialty + emergency: Cornerstone or ezyVet mature. For equine + large animal: Cornerstone + ImproMed specialty.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Hippo Manager cheaper than Shepherd Veterinary Software?
- Hippo Manager is cheaper starting at $119/mo. Hippo Manager starts at $119/mo and Shepherd Veterinary Software at $299/mo.
- Which is better, Hippo Manager or Shepherd Veterinary Software?
- Shepherd Veterinary Software scores 8.4/10 compared to Hippo Manager's 7.9/10 in our analysis. Shepherd Veterinary Software ranks higher on features and value, but Hippo Manager may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Hippo Manager cheaper than Shepherd Veterinary Software for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Hippo Manager costs $119/mo (flat rate) and Shepherd Veterinary Software costs $299/mo (flat rate). Hippo Manager is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other veterinary practice management software alternatives besides Hippo Manager and Shepherd Veterinary Software?
- Yes. Our [Veterinary Practice Management Software pricing comparison](/pricing/veterinary-practice-management/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest veterinary practice management software](/pricing/veterinary-practice-management/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.