Look for software for your veterinary clinic and you will find two main kinds: desktop software installed on a computer in the clinic, often bought with a one-time licence, and cloud software that runs in the browser for a monthly or yearly subscription. Each has real advantages, and the right choice depends on how your clinic works. Here is a straight comparison to help you decide.
The difference, simply
Desktop software is installed on a computer in the clinic, or on one main computer that the other machines on the local network connect to. The records live on that computer.
Cloud software runs in the browser on any device with an internet connection: the reception computer, a tablet in the consult room, the owner's phone at home. The records live on the provider's servers.
What desktop software does well
- It works without the internet. If the connection drops, the clinic carries on.
- You pay once. Many desktop systems are sold with a permanent licence, sometimes with a yearly maintenance contract on top.
- The records stay with you, on a machine in the clinic rather than on an outside server.
Where desktop software falls short
- Backups are your job. If the hard drive fails, the computer is stolen or a virus strikes, years of records can be lost, unless someone makes regular backups outside the clinic.
- It is tied to one place. Checking on the clinic from home or from another branch needs extra remote-access tools.
- Updates are slower. New features may need a new version or a technician's visit, and may cost extra.
- Branches are hard. Linking two branches to the same records needs special set-up.
What cloud software does well
- Anywhere, on any device. You can follow the clinic from outside it, and the vet can work from a tablet in the consult room.
- Backups are the provider's job. Records are kept and copied regularly without anyone in the clinic having to remember.
- Continuous updates. New features arrive on their own, with nothing to install.
- Branches are easier. Every branch works on the same records from day one.
- A lower start-up cost. No large payment up front and no server to buy.
Where cloud software falls short
- It needs the internet. No connection means no software, so a backup connection, such as mobile data, is wise.
- The subscription continues. You pay for as long as you use it, and over many years the total can exceed a one-time licence.
- You depend on the provider. So ask where the records are kept, how often they are backed up, and whether you can export them if you leave.
How to choose
Ask yourself five questions:
- Is your internet reliable? If it often drops for hours, that points to desktop software, or at least to a backup connection.
- Do you have, or plan, a second branch? If so, cloud is far simpler.
- Do you want to follow the clinic from outside it? Cloud makes that possible with no set-up.
- Who will look after backups? If nobody clearly and regularly does it, cloud is safer for your records.
- How do you prefer to pay? A larger sum once, or a smaller regular one that includes updates and support?
Questions to ask any provider
- Are my records kept apart from other clinics' records?
- How often are they backed up, and where are the backups kept?
- Can I export my records?
- What happens if a payment is late? Are my records kept?
- Are the prices published and clear?
Where Petfolio stands
Petfolio is cloud software. It runs in the browser on a computer, a tablet or a phone, with nothing to install. Each clinic's records are kept apart from every other clinic's and backed up off-site twice a day. Each clinic also keeps a daily copy of its own records for the last week, and can download any copy as Excel, even if its subscription ends. The prices are on the pricing page, billed quarterly or yearly.
To be clear about the limits: Petfolio needs an internet connection to work, and its screens are in English, with names, notes and search working in Arabic. If your clinic is somewhere the internet often drops, desktop software may suit you better, or set up a backup connection before you start.
