athenahealth vs DrChrono

Founded in 1997 in San Diego and now headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, athenahealth provides a cloud-based platform that integrates electronic health records, revenue cycle management, practice operations, and patient engagement tools. Their athenaOne suite combines AI-powered features like ambient documentation, predictive analytics, and automated billing workflows to help providers reduce administrative burden and improve clinical efficiency. The platform also supports telehealth, mobile access, open API integrations, and participation in a national provider network, making it highly adaptable for practices of various sizes and specialties. Athenahealth’s percentage-based pricing model aligns with practice revenue, and their Success Community gives users input into product evolution. While users value its automation and flexibility, some report challenges with implementation, usability, and contract clarity. Still, athenahealth’s broad capabilities and ongoing innovation make it a strong contender for modern, data-driven healthcare delivery.

DrChrono is a cloud-based medical software provider founded in 2009 in New York City and now headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. As part of EverHealth, they specialize in helping independent and specialty practices streamline clinical, operational, and financial workflows through one unified system. Their all-in-one platform includes electronic health records (EHR), medical billing, scheduling, telehealth, and patient engagement tools optimized for Apple devices like iPads, iPhones, and Macs. They were the first to launch a native iPad EHR and remain the only official Apple Mobility Partner in healthcare. They offer a mobile-first experience with advanced features like customizable templates, real-time eligibility checks, speech-to-text documentation, and integrated e-prescribing. DrChrono provides flexible plans for solo providers to growing multi-site groups and the option to outsource revenue cycle management (RCM) fully. Customer reviews are mixed: users praise the system’s configurability and mobile access, while others report concerns with support response and billing complexity. Still, their platform earns higher scores on app stores and software review sites, particularly for usability and front-office efficiency. With deep integration, regulatory support, and scalability, DrChrono may appeal to practices seeking a modern, Apple-centric EHR solution tailored to their specific workflows and needs.