OpenVPM vs Vetspire
Vetspire is known for deep customization and a broad GraphQL API. OpenVPM provides public source and a smaller targeted REST surface.
Reviewed August 17, 2026 by Evan Gauer, OpenVPM founder. Vendor interest disclosed; primary sources linked below.
Workspace access is immediate. Live clinic use starts as a guided pilot alongside the current PIMS. See current fit and rollout limits.
Vetspire is a cloud system favored by larger and corporate practices for customizable records and GraphQL access to customer data. Following Battery Ventures' August 2026 investment, it operates as a standalone business; Thrive remains a customer and no longer holds ownership. It does not publish a current numeric rate card. OpenVPM makes its source and schema public, but its REST API covers only selected client, patient, appointment, SOAP-note, and agent workflows and is not equivalent in breadth.
Quote-based vendors can change commercial terms at any time. Confirm pricing, implementation, integration, support, and exit terms in writing before buying.
Sources reviewed
We prefer vendor-owned product, pricing, developer, support, and contract material. These links support the changeable facts above, not OpenVPM's editorial judgment.
What about your data?
Vetspire's terms provide customer access to data through a GraphQL API, subject to contractual limits. OpenVPM gives you source and schema access, but its supported API surface is narrower and should not be presented as a like-for-like replacement.
Read: who owns your practice dataWhen Vetspire is the better fit
If your team needs customizable records and GraphQL access, evaluate Vetspire against your actual workflow and integration requirements.
When OpenVPM is the better fit
Consider OpenVPM only for a controlled, connected single-location companion-animal or house-call pilot. Corporate, multi-location, and deeply customized workflows are not production-ready.
Use OpenVPM your way.
Self-host the full open-source PIMS for free, or let us run it for you. Same software, your choice.
Run OpenVPM on your own infrastructure. You operate security, backups, email, messaging, payments, model providers, and production validation.
- Full source under the AGPLv3 license
- All source modules and the documented API
- Docker or Vercel deployment paths
- Bring your own database, email, SMS, and AI keys
Common questions
Vetspire has a great API. Does OpenVPM?
OpenVPM has a targeted REST API with scoped keys and signed webhooks, but Vetspire's API is broader today. OpenVPM's advantage is that you can also inspect and extend the application and schema themselves.
Who owns Vetspire?
Following Battery Ventures' August 2026 investment, Vetspire operates as a standalone business. Thrive Pet Healthcare remains a customer and no longer holds ownership.
Is OpenVPM cheaper than Vetspire?
OpenVPM has no self-hosted software license fee, although infrastructure and operations still cost money. Vetspire does not publish a current rate card, so compare a written quote and the products' different readiness scopes.
Keep reading
Open-Source vs. Closed Veterinary Practice Software: What You Need to Know
A plain-language guide for practice owners: what open-source veterinary PIMS actually means, how managed hosting changes the cost equation, and who it's for.
Read moreWho Owns Your Veterinary Practice's Data? (And What Happens When You Try to Leave)
A plain-language guide to veterinary data stewardship, software contracts, export fees, portability, and what open source changes.
Read moreSee OpenVPM for yourself.
The demo is live and loaded with real-looking data. No sales call. Click around, then self-host it free or let us run it for you.