--- title: "Shepherd Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Shepherd Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Veterinary products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/172485/Shepherd-App/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-09-29" --- # Shepherd Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 29, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Shepherd ## What is Shepherd? Good software shouldn’t slow you down. It should feel like part of the team. Shepherd is second-nature, workflow-first practice information management software that runs in the background, keeping everything in sync while you move through the day. Built and overseen by veterinary professionals, it reflects how clinics actually operate. Features are guided by a Director of Veterinary Medicine — something no other PIMS has. As your team documents care, Shepherd connects the rest automatically, so there are fewer clicks, missed charges, and things to double-check. It’s intuitive enough to learn quickly, powerful enough to scale, and with vet experience at every level, it’s designed around how real practices operate (not how software thinks they should). When you need help, you’ll talk to a clinically trained support team that understands your day and responds fast. This is software that fits into your workflow. Not the other way around. ## What is Shepherd used for? [Veterinary](https://www.capterra.com/veterinary-software/) Recognitions Shortlist Overall rating Based on 89 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 98% Neutral 2% Negative 0% Starting price $299 Other, Per Month Free trial available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... - Veterinary / 2026 Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... ## Shepherd alternatives Highest Rated [4.9 (238)](https://www.capterra.com/p/234498/Instinct-EMR/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (292)](https://www.capterra.com/p/133166/DaySmart-Vet/reviews/) Starting price $116.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (278)](https://www.capterra.com/p/99977/ezyVet-Cloud-Vet-Software/reviews/) Starting price $260.50 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 95% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (106)](https://www.capterra.com/p/167764/Digitail/reviews/) Starting price $289.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/172485/Shepherd-App/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Shepherd Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Shepherd? Shepherd is most used by veterinarians, practice managers, and hospital administrators who need to streamline clinical workflows, scheduling, and patient record management. Veterinary technicians support care delivery with faster charting and coordination, while owners and finance leaders use it to oversee operations, billing, and practice performance. Answer based on 88 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Shepherd built for? Shepherd is built for small veterinary clinics, with 100% of reviewers from small businesses and 97% from veterinary practices. It serves practice owners and managers who want less admin and workflow-first software. Reviewer mix shows limited use in hospital and health care and computer and network security, with veterinary as the primary use case. Answer based on 88 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Shepherd? Shepherd includes core veterinary practice tools like appointment scheduling, patient records management, SOAP notes, patient charting, and billing and invoicing. Differentiating features include automated reminders, integrated SMS messaging, customizable templates, whiteboard-based hospital tracking, and treatment workflows that capture charges directly from completed care. Answer based on 23 reviews Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Shepherd starts at $299 per month for unlimited users and includes a free trial. The plan includes charge capture, client communication, customizable forms, detailed reporting, digital whiteboard, inventory tracking, patient scheduling, practice management, and SOAP medical record workflow. Answer based on 2 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Shepherd integrate with? Shepherd integrates with IDEXX Neo and Cubex Retail, and its catalog also includes AllyDVM, FetchIt, Greenline, Inventory Ally, PCM Integrations, Sunbit, Talkatoo, VetTalk, WaitWell, and Weave. These connections cover laboratory, retail, communication, scheduling, and practice-management workflows. Answer based on 10 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Shepherd offer? Shepherd provides live online sessions, webinars, documentation, and videos to help teams get started. Live online sessions and webinars support guided instruction, while documentation offers written reference material and videos provide self-paced walkthroughs for learning product features and setup steps. Answer based on 5 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Shepherd offer? Shepherd provides Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, and Chat. Reviewers describe the customer support as responsive, helpful, and thorough, with smooth onboarding and clear guidance during setup. Users also note that support staff are easy to work with and quick to answer questions. Answer based on 5 reviews Features and Usability ### What features does Shepherd offer for veterinary practices? Shepherd offers a connected set of veterinary practice management features that keeps scheduling, SOAP notes, invoices, documents, integrations, and team tasks in one place. Small clinics, startups, and specialty practices often like the intuitive design and regular updates, though some teams want more customization, stronger inventory tools, and a more refined AI assistant. Answer based on 23 reviews Features and Usability ### Is Shepherd easy to learn and use every day? Shepherd feels easy to learn and straightforward to use in daily veterinary workflows. Many clinics, including startups, urgent care teams, and practices switching from older systems, describe quick onboarding, clear navigation, and simple record keeping. Some users still want easier searching across grouped records, but overall usability remains a clear strength. Answer based on 18 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 1,661 Veterinary reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of veterinary software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Billing & Invoicing** (**60%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Patient Records Management** (**67%**) - **Charting** (**59%**) Shepherd supports all three of the features reviewers value most: **Billing & Invoicing**, **Patient Records Management**, and **Charting**. Together, these capabilities help veterinary practices manage financial workflows, maintain complete and accurate patient histories, and document care clearly, allowing teams to run day-to-day operations more efficiently and support better treatment decisions. Billing & Invoicing 4.5 (52) 90.38% of 52 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create, manage, and send invoices or bills to customers Patient Records Management 4.6 (57) 96.49% of 57 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Managing different types of patient records, including paper documents, digital files, billing information, and scheduling details Charting 4.8 (45) 95.56% of 45 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Manage patient documentation describing all clinical interactions, diagnoses, procedures, medications, etc. Prescription Processing 4.4 (44) 95.45% of 44 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Enables pharmacists to process single or multiple prescriptions simultaneously Appointment Scheduling 4.8 (58) 93.10% of 58 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Schedule appointments via a calendar Client Management 4.7 (41) 87.80% of 41 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Manage contact details and communication with clients Shepherd 40 features ### All Features - Accounting: Built-in accounting to manage ledger, accounts payable/receivable, financial reports, etc. - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Alerts/Notifications: Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Appointment Scheduling: Schedule appointments via a calendar - Billing & Invoicing: Create, manage, and send invoices or bills to customers - Calendar Management: Track and manage schedules and meetings via an integrated calendar - Charting: Manage patient documentation describing all clinical interactions, diagnoses, procedures, medications, etc. - Client Management: Manage contact details and communication with clients - Communication Management: Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat - Confirmations/Reminders: Automated reminders and confirmations for booked appointments and events via text or email - Customer Database: A collection of customer information such as contact details, demographics, previous interactions, etc. - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Document Management: Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location - Document Storage: Store and organize documents in a centralized system - Electronic Payments: Electronically collect payments for goods or services - Electronic Signature: Digitally sign online documents - Email Reminders: Reminders sent via email - EMR/EHR: Create and securely store digital patient records - Historical Reporting: Information, data and reports that are being tracked over time - Imaging and X-rays: Visual representations or pictures of objects, structures, or internal body parts, often for diagnostic or analytical purposes - Inventory Management: Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply - Invoice Management: Captures invoice data and maintains comprehensive records for auditing and reporting purposes - Live Chat: Ability to chat online in real time - Patient Intake: Patients can register for appointments in advance online - Patient Portal: Online portal where patients can access information such as health records, treatment plants, etc. - Patient Records Management: Managing different types of patient records, including paper documents, digital files, billing information, and scheduling details - Payment Processing: Accept, record, and reconcile financial transactions - Prescription Processing: Enables pharmacists to process single or multiple prescriptions simultaneously - Reminders: Timed notification for any upcoming task, deadline, appointment, or activity - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Self Service Portal: Online portal through which end users can access the system, manage tasks, or obtain information - SMS Messaging: Send messages via SMS - SOAP notes: Method of writing out notes in patient's charts (subjective, objective, assessment, and plan) - Status Tracking: Track the status over time for a request, process, asset, or transaction - Task Scheduling: Track and manage the scheduling of tasks - Template Management: Create, save, and re-purpose templates for emails, forms, etc. - Third-Party Integrations: Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes - Treatment Planning: Create treatment plans that document interventions and outcomes to track patient progress - Workflow Management: Create, design and manage workflows for repetitive tasks --- Features 4.6 (89) 4.6 Based on 89 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.7 (87) Free Trial [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/172485/Shepherd-App/pricing/) Shepherd $299.00 Other,Per Month It includes: - SOAP Medical Record Workflow - Client Communication - Practice Management - Detailed Reporting - Inventory Tracking - Charge Capture - Digital Whiteboard - Patient Scheduling - Customizable forms Value for money 4.7 (87) 4.7 Based on 87 reviews ## Integrations [ Weave](https://www.capterra.com/p/141842/Weave/)[ Talkatoo](https://www.capterra.com/p/198507/Talkatoo/)[ WaitWell](https://www.capterra.com/p/236054/WaitWell/)[ FetchIt](https://www.capterra.com/p/182373/GoFetchIt/)[ AllyDVM](https://www.capterra.com/p/232663/AllyDVM/)[ Greenline](https://www.capterra.com/p/213375/Greenline/)[ Sunbit](https://www.capterra.com/p/251658/Sunbit/)[ Inventory Ally](https://www.capterra.com/p/10020300/Inventory-Ally/) ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.8 (89) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.8 (89) 4.8 Based on 89 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.7 Based on 89 reviews Filter by rating 5(67) 4(20) 3(2) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent EB Elena B. Veterinarian Veterinary ### "Two paws up!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 11, 2026 From the time of the demo meeting to the actual setting up the program, every person has been an absolute pleasure and was a mostly "seamless" transition from paper to paperless/paper light. 100% recommend. Pros I love how customizable the program is. It can be tailored to our specific practice needs. Easy to use and customize reminders for patients. It is very convenient to make appointments. I can't speak highly enough of the folks working the support desk. Amazing and very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the program. They don't give up on tough problems and help guide you with the "how to fix it." Hands down the best program I have used. Cons When you edit the inventory/products individually, it brings you back to the beginning of the list, instead of the page you are working on once you hit save. I wish there was an app for clients to use on their phone. I also wished there was a better integration for communications/texting and didn't cost as much. Switched from [Covetrus Avimark](https://www.capterra.com/p/92887/AVImark/) cumbersome, nobody knew how to use it, slow Review source Vendor Referred: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Dr. Dan M. Veterinarian Veterinary ### "Sheperd is not there yet!! Scrolling and clicking software." 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 1/10 August 24, 2026 Disappointed, I should have looked closer. Since very well advertised and has great reviews I thought I was getting the best. Staff feels same way, record retrieval will require keeping former.software for a long long time. Pros Creating a Soap is logical but hate conferimation extra step, lost income step. Conversion went smooth and was free. AI help (sheppy) is useful. Cons Lots of time spent retrieving MR for what was done last time or last year. Software is completely not customizable, if u want to record any objective or physical exam findings you must use a physical exam form, not AI. AI program although included not even close to accurate as others available for vets. Reminders typical as other PIms but no remind if never done.and it likes to double remind lab work (CBC/chem gets 2 reminders). No simple test results option, must manually enter (type Felv test negative) Switched from [Vetport](https://www.capterra.com/p/92897/Vetport/) Looking for customer support and increased efficiency. Alternatives considered [NaVetor](https://www.capterra.com/p/178450/Patterson-Technology/) [Nectar](https://www.capterra.com/p/186557/PerkNow/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd Quality of product seemed better and more tested. Definitely better advertised. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Response from Vendor September 15, 2026 Dr. Dan, thank you for your feedback. We are constantly making improvements based on customer input. Reviews and comments like yours help us improve the software with every update. Please reach out to us. We'd love to show you how the features work, especially after our most recent update. Saturday's release made PE templates even easier to work with. Thank you again for your honesty, and we hope to connect with you soon! JM Jessica M. Hospital Manager and RVT Veterinary ### "#1 Best Veterinary Software and PIMS Out There" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 19, 2026 Overall, I would still recommend Shepherd to hospitals that are looking to find the best veterinary PIMS, it's by far the best software I've ever used in the 13 years I've been doing this. Pros Easy to use, great PIMS, user-friendly, inventory tracking is amazing, the best veterinary software as it's made for vets by vets Cons The updates have gotten better, but there are still issues with the entire system going down within 24 hours after updates have been done, which messes with our daily flow, schedule, charges, and general communication. I will say, they are actively working to resolve this Alternatives considered [Covetrus Avimark](https://www.capterra.com/p/92887/AVImark/) [Cornerstone Software](https://www.capterra.com/p/99976/Cornerstone-Practice-Management/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd Easier to use, made by vets for vets, integration is fantastic Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JJ Jack J. CFO Veterinary ### "Outstanding practice management" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 11, 2025 Very pleased we switched, it makes life easier from an administrative perspective and is a much more cost effective solution than our prior software. Pros Ease of use - reporting is super easy, very straightforward, and customizable. Exports simply to CSV rather than clunky PDFs or other “canned” reports. Switched from Server-based (Impromed) to cloud-based and it is now a much simpler infrastructure. Customer support is modern, and very responsive. Cons It took a bit of time to understand some of the workflow but after a bit of cruising around the system it all made sense. Switched from [Covetrus Impromed](https://www.capterra.com/p/95888/ImproMed/) Modernization, needed to move into this century. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AR Ashley R. Owner and veterinarian Veterinary ### "Great software with great customer service. " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 10, 2025 Great software and streamlined. Not clunky like a lot of the other older ones out there. Love the customer service! Pros The platform is user friendly. Users are able to get help very easily either by searching for an answer or directly messaging a team member. Cons The texting feature is not super user friendly. It does not auto create spay or neuter certificates. Alternatives considered [easyVET](https://www.capterra.com/p/134498/easyVET/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd More user friendly and not overly done. Better price. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. DG Dr. Ginger B. DVM Owner Veterinary ### "Great software that is constantly listening and improving" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 26, 2025 I truly love Shepherd, they continue to grow and improve, making my days easier. As with anything, there are always places to improve and Shepherd listens and constantly strives to hwlp create a better work balance. They allow me to work smarter, not harder!!! Pros I love the look of Shepherd, they also have great customer support. I have been with them for 2 years and love how they are continuing to grow. The constant improvements and integrations are great. Cons Inventory Management is difficult but hopefully will improve soon. Providing more specific and detailed information on how to efficiently use Shepherd would be beneficial, ie how to videos. Alternatives considered [ezyVet](https://www.capterra.com/p/99977/ezyVet-Cloud-Vet-Software/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd I didn't want Idexx to run my practice completely. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. KB Kathy B. Practice Manager Veterinary ### "Shepherd is a must for practices" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 6, 2025 Overall we've had an amazing experience with Shepherd. Our practice has been able to utilize all the features to make us more efficient. We've seen a lot of updates that have also improved our overall experience. Pros We love how streamlined Shepherd is. Everything is all in one place for medical records, no need to go searching for what you are looking for. Cons When sending text messages, right now you have to type the name of the patient into the message, instead of just being able to choose the patient name. Switched from [Covetrus Pulse](https://www.capterra.com/p/130107/Covetrus-Pulse/) The work flow was horrible. It would take 10 steps just to do something simple. The lag time on the site was horrible too, even though we told them many times there was a problem. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. EC Erika C. Veterinarian Veterinary ### "Functional Practice Management Software" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 August 5, 2025 Overall i really like this software. It is mostly intuitive and improving all the time. I reslly appreciate how adaptable it is. Pros I appreciate how quickly i can get in touch with the support staff. They are always able to answer my questions and are very receptive to feedback in suggested improvements. Cons It took a little while to fully understand how to work with it in our established flow. The tutorials are useful, but a full orientation with someone to go through using it in our situation would have been more helpful. Switched from [Cornerstone Software](https://www.capterra.com/p/99976/Cornerstone-Practice-Management/) Looking for something less expensive, more useful in our environment. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. MS Mindy S. Practice Owner Veterinary ### "Great PIMS" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 29, 2025 Pros The user interface and features such as tasks, tagging employees, and templates. I also love the Shepherd Pay. Cons Some capabilities are not maximized for equine mobile practice - I would really love to have access the schedule calendar more easily in a remote setting. An app similar to google calendar that is accessible without internet but syncs throughout the day would be ideal. Switched from [Covetrus Impromed Equine](https://www.capterra.com/p/141475/ImproMed-Equine/) Outdated and poor support with poor user experience Alternatives considered [Covetrus Pulse](https://www.capterra.com/p/130107/Covetrus-Pulse/) [ezyVet](https://www.capterra.com/p/99977/ezyVet-Cloud-Vet-Software/) [DaySmart Vet](https://www.capterra.com/p/133166/DaySmart-Vet/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd Better UI and no cost for migration or data Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. JB Julie B. Owner and veterinarian Veterinary ### "Overall great!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 July 28, 2025 Pros Shepherd is very intuitive and easy to use. It’s user friendly and integrates with most of the vendors I’d want it to (Vetsnap, Blue Rabbit, Zoetis Reference Lab, Kumba). It is cloud based which is imperative for me as a mobile practice. Customer support is generally pretty fast and helpful. Cons It’s a little pricier than some of the other softwares I looked into. There have also recently been a few fairly major outages where the system has been unusable during business hours. Alternatives considered [ezyVet](https://www.capterra.com/p/99977/ezyVet-Cloud-Vet-Software/) [DaySmart Vet](https://www.capterra.com/p/133166/DaySmart-Vet/) [IDEXX Neo](https://www.capterra.com/p/145988/IDEXX-Neo/) [Hippo Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/134667/Hippo-Manager/) Reasons for choosing Shepherd Ease of use, integrations, and customization available Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/172485/Shepherd-App/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [DaySmart Vet vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/133166-172485/DaySmart-Vet-vs-Shepherd-App)[Instinct Science vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172485-234498/Shepherd-App-vs-Instinct-EMR)[ezyVet vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/99977-172485/ezyVet-Cloud-Vet-Software-vs-Shepherd-App) [Cornerstone Software vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/99976-172485/Cornerstone-Practice-Management-vs-Shepherd-App)[Covetrus Impromed vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/95888-172485/ImproMed-vs-Shepherd-App)[IDEXX Neo vs Shepherd](https://www.capterra.com/compare/145988-172485/IDEXX-Neo-vs-Shepherd-App)