Comparison
A Shepherd alternative with the same ease of use and more practice depth
The same design-led simplicity as Shepherd, with inpatient care, purchase orders, and a published price list
Shepherd is a modern, vet-built cloud PIMS with a well-earned reputation for being pleasant to use, popular with independent practices in the United States. VaroVet is built on the same conviction that everyday clinical work should take as few steps as possible, covers the same ground, and extends it with inpatient care, purchase orders and supplier management, and custom roles. Every price is published, and the product is built and supported in Europe.
At a glance
VaroVet
EU · Founded 2025
Pick VaroVet if you are
- Clinics that want a system that stays out of the way during a busy consult
- Practices that want the full monthly cost visible on the website, not after a call
- Clinics that need inpatient care and purchase-order-driven inventory alongside a simple interface
- European practices that want Latvian, Estonian, or English interfaces and support in European hours
- Anything from a one-vet practice to a multi-branch group with dozens of users
Shepherd
United States · Founded 2019
How Shepherd positions itself
- Founded in the United States in 2019 by a practising veterinarian
- Sells almost exclusively into the US independent-practice market
- Positions itself on being quick to learn and pleasant to use, with workflows shaped around the consult
- Pricing is quoted per practice rather than published as a full list
Everything you'd expect — on both
Everything you'd expect — on both
These are table stakes, and VaroVet and Shepherd both cover them. Nothing on this list is a reason to pick one over the other — the differences are further down.
- Multi-vet appointment calendar with drag-to-reschedule
- Staff availability, shifts, and walk-in check-in
- Digital medical records with SOAP notes and custom visit protocols
- Vaccination records with batch tracking and due-date reminders
- Inpatient and hospitalisation (ICU) management
- Invoicing, payment tracking, and payment links
- Inventory with unit conversion, expiry batches, and low-stock alerts
- Purchase orders and supplier management
- Email and SMS reminders with automated follow-ups
- Pet-owner portal with appointment requests and record access
- Online booking you can integrate into your own website
- Reporting, including per-vet production figures
- Role-based access control with custom roles
- Lab integrations and document/imaging attachments
- Multi-location support and cross-location reporting
- Works on desktop, tablet, and phone browsers
Where VaroVet is different
Where VaroVet is different
Equally simple, with more practice management behind it
VaroVet holds the same short-path approach to daily work while also carrying inpatient care, supplier purchase orders, FEFO expiry batches, and custom roles.
The whole price list is published
Plan prices, the rate for clinical users above the included count, and the second-location fee are all on the website. Reception, billing, and inventory staff are unlimited and free on every plan.
European product, European support
Data hosted in the EU, support in European hours, and invoicing, VAT, and address handling that match how European practices actually work.
Works in your team's language
Latvian, Estonian, and English interfaces, so nobody is translating clinical terms in their head mid-consult.
Feature comparison
Feature comparison
| Feature | VaroVet | Shepherd |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-vet appointment calendar | ||
| Medical records with SOAP notes | ||
| Custom visit protocols and templates | ||
| Vaccinations with batch tracking | ||
| Inpatient / hospitalisation management | ||
| Invoicing and payment tracking | ||
| Inventory with expiry batches and low-stock alerts | ||
| Purchase orders and supplier management | ||
| Email and SMS reminders | ||
| Pet-owner portal | ||
| Online booking for your website | ||
| Reporting incl. per-vet production | ||
| Role-based access control | ||
| Multi-location support | ||
| Lab integrations | ||
| Public API and webhooks | Enterprise tier | |
| EU data residency | ||
| Full price list published on the website | — | |
| Self-serve free trial without a sales call | — | |
| Reception, billing, and inventory staff included at no extra cost | — | |
| Latvian and Estonian interface | — | |
| Cross-clinic pet history sharing with owner consent | — |
Pricing snapshot
Pricing snapshot
VaroVet
Published in full: €69/mo Basic (1 clinical user), €149/mo Professional (3 clinical users, €35/mo per extra user, optional 2nd location €59/mo), Enterprise from €12,000/year. Reception, billing, and inventory staff are unlimited and free on every plan. 14-day free trial, no credit card.
See full VaroVet pricingShepherd
Quote-based — no public per-tier pricing
Disclaimer: Pricing reflects publicly available information at time of writing. Always verify directly with the vendor.
Ready to try VaroVet?
Start a 14-day trial — no credit card required. We'll migrate your existing data for free on Enterprise.