Compare · Vet Practice service
Vivetra vs. RoboVet, Covetrus Ascend, Merlin & the UK & Ireland vet-practice field
Across the UK & Ireland, the practice-management options include Covetrus’s RoboVet and Ascend, MWI-backed Merlin, the NVS Group’s VetIT, and long-running vendors like Teleos (since 1997) and Verifac (since 1978). Vivetra is one flat monthly rate that covers unlimited doctors and staff, with managed hosting included. Below is the field for the Vet Practice service, side by side, with every competitor claim pulled from a sourced, dated record you can check yourself.
Vivetra’s Vet Practice service is $200/mo — the same number at three people or thirty, unlimited staff and fully managed hosting included in that price, not bolted on as a later line item.
The UK & Ireland field, side by side
Competitor ownership, deployment, and any notable claim are shown exactly as our sourced dataset records them — follow the “source” link on any row to the vendor’s own page or the record we relied on.
| Platform | Published pricing & claims | How it’s licensed / notable |
|---|---|---|
| Vivetra (Vet Practice service) | $200/mo, flat — unlimited doctors and staff, never a per-seat or quote-only figure | Fully managed for you: managed hosting included in the price, no server for you to run. One flat monthly rate, the same as your team grows. Includes a client portal where your clients pay bills and estimates online through your practice’s own connected Stripe account. |
| RoboVet source (opens in new tab) |
Covetrus practice-management system offered on-premises, hosted, or hybrid; Covetrus positions its separate Ascend product as the cloud-based option |
Covetrus-owned. Offered on-premises, hosted, or hybrid — Covetrus positions its separate Ascend product as the cloud-based option. |
| Merlin source (opens in new tab) |
cloud-based UK veterinary software "backed by MWI" and "powered by the veterinary expertise of MWI Animal Health" |
Cloud-based UK software “backed by MWI” and “powered by the veterinary expertise of MWI Animal Health” — not a Covetrus product. |
| Covetrus Ascend source (opens in new tab) |
Covetrus's cloud-based PMS (UK), described as designed for simplicity with an intuitive interface and streamlined workflows |
Covetrus-owned. The cloud PMS Covetrus positions for the UK, pitched on simplicity and streamlined workflows. |
| Teleos Systems source (opens in new tab) |
self-described as "the UK and Ireland's largest independent supplier of practice management systems"; in veterinary software since 1997; registered office in St Neots, support and training centre in Birmingham |
In veterinary software since 1997 — self-described as the UK and Ireland’s largest independent supplier of practice management systems. Registered office in St Neots, with its support and training centre in Birmingham. |
| VetIT source (opens in new tab) |
cloud-based UK veterinary PMS; part of the NVS Group (alongside NationWide Laboratories and National Veterinary Services) |
Cloud-based, part of the NVS Group — alongside NationWide Laboratories and National Veterinary Services. |
| Verifac source (opens in new tab) |
Gloucester, UK-based vendor developing veterinary software since 1978; flagship product Evolution |
Gloucester-based, building veterinary software since 1978 — flagship product Evolution. One of the longest-running vendors in this list. |
About this comparison. This is Vivetra’s own comparison of competing products — we chose the vendors and wrote the framing, so read it as our argument, checked against sourced facts, not a neutral third party’s. Every competitor claim above is shown as published by that vendor or the cited record, and was verified as of 2026-10-29 for the UK & Ireland market. Ownership, deployment, and features move; if a detail here is out of date or wrong, tell us at [email protected] and we correct or remove it within 5 business days. Vivetra’s own price is identical in every supported currency — no conversion, ever — so switching the currency selector only changes the symbol and tax note beside it, never the digits.
Where Vivetra genuinely falls short today
Hiding a real limitation is worse than not having it. Here are the honest gaps for the Vet Practice service, stated directly.
- No native mobile app — PWA only. The service installs as a Progressive Web App straight from the browser and works like an app icon on a phone or tablet, but it is not an App Store or Play Store listing. If a native app is a hard requirement for your front desk or floor team, know that before you sign up.
- Online payments, but no saved cards yet. You connect your practice’s own Stripe account and your clients pay bills and estimates online from the client portal — you keep your own Stripe relationship and your own rates, with a small platform fee on top. What isn’t here yet is a card on file: payments in the Vet Practice service are full-balance only, so there’s no charge-the-card-we-already-have flow. If that’s central to how you collect, know it before you sign up.
- We’re newer than the incumbents. Several products in the table above have run for years or decades — Verifac since 1978, Teleos in veterinary software since 1997. Vivetra is a newer vendor with less of a track record — a real consideration we’d rather name than let you find out later.
Questions about this comparison
Why is the price the same whether I have 3 people or 30?
Because Vivetra doesn't count seats. The UK & Ireland field here includes Covetrus's RoboVet and Ascend, MWI-backed Merlin, the NVS Group's VetIT, and long-running vendors like Teleos (since 1997) and Verifac (since 1978). Vivetra is a single flat monthly rate for the service with unlimited doctors and staff and managed hosting included, so the number you see is the number you pay as your team grows.
Do I have to run my own server?
No. Vivetra is fully managed for you — the software runs on infrastructure we operate on your behalf. You never touch a server, never patch an OS, never restore a backup yourself. Vivetra is also independent: several options in this table belong to a larger group (Covetrus's RoboVet and Ascend, the NVS Group's VetIT) or are backed by MWI (Merlin). With Vivetra your PMS choice and your lab or wholesaler choice stay separate decisions.
What does Vivetra genuinely NOT do that some of these competitors do?
Two things worth knowing before you sign up, not after. There is no native iPhone or Android app — the Vet Practice service runs as an installable PWA, not an App Store or Play Store listing. And online payments here are full-balance only: you connect your own Stripe account and your clients pay bills and estimates online (you keep your own Stripe relationship and rates, with a small platform fee on top), but the Vet Practice service does not keep a card on file to charge later yet. We're also a newer vendor than incumbents like Verifac and Teleos that have run for decades — we'd rather say all of that plainly than let you discover it later.
See it against your own headcount
Pick the Vet Practice service alone or bundle it with the others your group needs, and see the exact flat monthly number before you talk to anyone.