A Cornerstone alternative for clinics ready to leave the server

Why clinics look for a Cornerstone alternative

Most clinics look for a Cornerstone alternative because of the server, the unpublished price or the cost of IDEXX's own cloud path. IDEXX is on Cornerstone 9.7, installed on a server in the practice, and it has 183 reviews on Capterra at 4.0 stars.

• The server is yours to run. Cornerstone is on-premise, so backups, updates and the hardware are the clinic's job.
• There is no published price. Capterra lists a starting price of US$549 a month, a third-party figure that may be out of date.
• The client app costs extra. Online booking, reminders, texting and refill requests come through Vello, a separate IDEXX product.
• IDEXX's cloud move has a cost. Moving to IDEXX Neo carries a US$2,375 setup fee and a US$590 data conversion according to Capterra; IDEXX publishes neither.

There is no deadline: Cornerstone is supported, and you can move when it suits the clinic. If you are weighing Neo as well, our IDEXX Neo alternative post compares that route.

Where Cornerstone is the better choice

Cornerstone is the better choice if you rely on IDEXX diagnostics, need long support hours or your team is settled and nothing is pushing a move. We would rather you hear that from us.

• Lab integration. Cornerstone connects to IDEXX labs. PetGrid has no lab integration; your team files lab results on the chart.
• Support hours. IDEXX offers phone, chat and email, Monday to Friday 6:30am to 8pm CT and Saturday 7am to 4pm CT, and in Canada a Sentry tier adds 24-hour on-call cover. PetGrid offers email support on weekdays, 9:00 to 17:00 Eastern Time, with no phone line.
• Texting today. With Vello, Cornerstone clinics text clients from a dedicated local number. PetGrid's two-way texting is new, and part of the paid AI Front Desk add-on.
• Invoicing and inventory. Both are more established in Cornerstone. PetGrid's inventory is basic, with no purchase orders or automatic reordering.

Is PetGrid a good Cornerstone alternative?

PetGrid is a good Cornerstone alternative for a clinic that wants the server out of the building, a published price, free imports and an owner app included. It is a weaker fit for a clinic that depends on IDEXX lab results flowing into the chart.

• No server in the back room. PetGrid runs in the cloud, so there is no machine to back up, patch or replace.
• The owner app is included. Owners request appointments, see visits, vaccines and invoices, ask for refills and chat with your team, in an app with your clinic's name and colours. See the app for your clients.
• AI in every plan, a person in charge. AI Assist drafts SOAP notes, summarises a patient's history and drafts replies; owners get vet-approved visit summaries and Pip. A person approves everything AI writes.
• Your data, out whenever you want it. Reports download as CSV, accounting files import into QuickBooks Online and Xero, and an admin can download the whole clinic as one ZIP at any time. See import and export.

PetGrid keeps records encrypted in transit and at rest, and has no SOC 2 audit or penetration test yet; the security page sets out what is in place.

Cornerstone and PetGrid at a glance

See every feature side by side: 36 rows in eight grouped tables, AI, security and data export included, each with a one-line verdict.

What does Cornerstone cost compared with PetGrid?

IDEXX does not publish a price for Cornerstone; Capterra lists a starting price of US$549 a month, a third-party figure that may be out of date. PetGrid costs $259 CAD a month per practice plus $90 CAD per veterinarian: $349 CAD for one vet, $529 CAD for three and $709 CAD for five, with no setup fee and no long-term contract. See the pricing page.

Remember the costs that do not appear on an invoice: the server, its backups and its replacement, and Vello if you want the client app. Check your Cornerstone agreement's notice period before you move; we could not read its contract terms on IDEXX's public pages.

How to switch from Cornerstone to PetGrid

1. Export your clients and pets. Cornerstone can export client and patient lists to CSV, one row per pet with the owner repeated.
2. Check the file first. Upload it in Settings, Import, and see what was found before anything is saved.
3. Bring the history. Export visit history as a second CSV with headings close to these: Pet name, Owner email, Date, Time, Reason, Veterinarian, Notes. Each visit lands on the pet's chart, with the note marked as imported. Vaccine history imports too, so reminders carry on.

Both imports are free. Lab, invoice and inventory history are not imported, so keep Cornerstone available to look things up in for the first weeks. Our guide to switching veterinary software without losing data covers the whole move.

The verdict: Cornerstone or PetGrid?

Stay with Cornerstone if IDEXX labs and long support hours carry your clinic. Pick PetGrid if you want no server, a public price, an owner app included and a free move, and can live without lab integration for now.

Questions people ask

Read the clinic questions and answers

The short version

Cornerstone is a mature system with strong IDEXX ties and long support hours, and for many clinics it remains the right call. PetGrid is the Cornerstone alternative for the clinic that wants no server, a public price, an owner app included and a free move.

If that is your clinic, try PetGrid with 14 days free and no card, import a client file and look at what PetGrid makes of it before anything is saved.