Veterian vs Shepherd
Both built so the medical record writes the invoice. Where we differ is how far the AI goes, and what each of us publishes about price.
Join clinics making the switch
More than 400 veterinarians choose Veterian. We'd love to see you among them.
Veterian and Shepherd side by side
Every Shepherd entry below is taken from Shepherd’s own published pages and linked underneath, with the date we read it. Where a capability is not documented publicly, the table says so rather than assuming it is missing. A cross in the Shepherd column appears only where Shepherd states the answer on the page the footnote links to.
| Capability | Veterian | Shepherdas published 9 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Platform and access | ||
| Cloud-based, nothing to install or maintain | Included | Included[1] |
| No limit on clients, patients or records | Included | Not published |
| Role-based permissions | Included | Not published |
| Multi-location and multi-branch management | Partly includedEnterprise plan, custom pricing | Included[1] |
| Clinical workflow | ||
| Medical records in SOAP format | Included | IncludedSOAP-based records[2] |
| Treatment plans and prescriptions | Included | IncludedEstimates pushed to treatment plans[1] |
| Vaccination calendar with automatic reminders | Included | Not published |
| Inpatient and boarding tracking | Included | Not published |
| Real-time patient flowboard | Included | Not published |
| Client and patient history in one profile | Included | Not published |
| AI-assisted dictation and SOAP notes | Included | IncludedTranscription and summarisation tools[1] |
| Lab results and imaging held in the patient file | Included | Not published |
| Consent forms with electronic signature | Partly includedConsent forms; no e-signature | Partly includedCustomisable client forms[2] |
| Scheduling | ||
| Appointment management | Included | Not published |
| Per-vet and per-staff calendar | Included | Not published |
| Online appointment booking | Included | Not published |
| Shift and leave management | Included | Not published |
| Client communication | ||
| SMS, email and mobile notifications | Included | IncludedReminders tied to products and treatments[2] |
| WhatsApp integration | IncludedClinic plan | Not published |
| Bulk notifications and announcements | Included | Not published |
| Pet owner mobile app | IncludedFree for pet owners | Partly includedPet portal[2] |
| Finance and stock | ||
| Invoice, payment and balance tracking | Included | IncludedPayment processing and charge capture[2] |
| Product and stock tracking | Included | Included[1] |
| E-invoice and e-archive integration | Included | Not published |
| POS integration | Included | Not published |
| Pricing and trial | ||
| Prices published on the vendor's own website | IncludedFrom €29/month | Not published |
| Free trial | Included14 days | Not published |
| Reporting, migration and support | ||
| Reporting and analytics | Included | Included[1] |
| Data migration from your current software | IncludedFree on every plan | Not published |
| Live chat support | Included | Not published |
Cloud-based, nothing to install or maintain
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
No limit on clients, patients or records
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Role-based permissions
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Multi-location and multi-branch management
- Veterian
- Partly includedEnterprise plan, custom pricing
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Medical records in SOAP format
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- IncludedSOAP-based records[2]
Treatment plans and prescriptions
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- IncludedEstimates pushed to treatment plans[1]
Vaccination calendar with automatic reminders
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Inpatient and boarding tracking
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Real-time patient flowboard
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Client and patient history in one profile
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
AI-assisted dictation and SOAP notes
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- IncludedTranscription and summarisation tools[1]
Lab results and imaging held in the patient file
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Consent forms with electronic signature
- Veterian
- Partly includedConsent forms; no e-signature
- Shepherd
- Partly includedCustomisable client forms[2]
Appointment management
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Per-vet and per-staff calendar
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Online appointment booking
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Shift and leave management
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
SMS, email and mobile notifications
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- IncludedReminders tied to products and treatments[2]
WhatsApp integration
- Veterian
- IncludedClinic plan
- Shepherd
- Not published
Bulk notifications and announcements
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Pet owner mobile app
- Veterian
- IncludedFree for pet owners
- Shepherd
- Partly includedPet portal[2]
Invoice, payment and balance tracking
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- IncludedPayment processing and charge capture[2]
Product and stock tracking
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
E-invoice and e-archive integration
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
POS integration
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Prices published on the vendor's own website
- Veterian
- IncludedFrom €29/month
- Shepherd
- Not published
Free trial
- Veterian
- Included14 days
- Shepherd
- Not published
Reporting and analytics
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Data migration from your current software
- Veterian
- IncludedFree on every plan
- Shepherd
- Not published
Live chat support
- Veterian
- Included
- Shepherd
- Not published
Sources
- [1] https://www.shepherd.vet/ — as published on 9 September 2026.
- [2] https://www.shepherd.vet/features — as published on 9 September 2026.
11 of 30 rows have a published Shepherd source.
Why practices choose Veterian over Shepherd
Shepherd's idea: the record writes the invoice
Their charge-capture line is "if it's in the medical record, it's on the invoice", and treatments administered update the invoice and the stock count as they happen. It is a good idea, well expressed, and worth understanding before you compare anything else.
Veterian works the same way in substance — the visit is managed on one screen from exam to payment, treatments post to the invoice, and stock moves with them. If avoiding missed charges is why you are looking, both of us are answering that question.
Where each of us draws the line on AI
Shepherd publishes transcription and summarisation, and also a tool that suggests diagnoses and treatments. Veterian's AI stops at the note: dictation becomes a structured SOAP record for the vet to review and correct.
That is a scope decision rather than a gap. We built the drafting step and stopped there. How far an assistant should reach into the consult is a genuine difference of view in this market, and Shepherd has built for the other answer — which is a reason to look at both, not a mark against either.
Pet portal, pet owner app
Shepherd publishes a pet portal where clients see appointments, prescription refills and history. Veterian publishes a pet owner mobile app on iOS and Android, free to your clients, covering appointments, vaccination records and invoices.
A portal and an app are not the same thing and we have marked their row partial rather than equal. Which suits you depends on whether your clients would install something.
Neither their price nor their migration terms are published
We could not find a pricing page, a trial offer or migration terms on Shepherd's site. Most of their column above reads "Not published" for that reason, and that means we have read their public pages rather than used the product.
Ours are all on the pricing page: €29, €59 and €89 a month, a 14-day free trial, and migration free on every plan.
Frequently asked questions
Both build around charge capture from the medical record, and both run in the browser. The table above shows where each is documented, with links to Shepherd's own pages.
Two differences we can point at: our prices, trial and migration terms are published where theirs are not, and we hold a deliberate line on how far AI reaches into the consult.
Try Free for 14 Days
Try it free for 14 days without paying anything.
Trademarks and methodology
Shepherd and all associated names, marks and logos are the property of their respective owners. Veterian is not affiliated with, authorised by, sponsored by or endorsed by them, and their marks are used here only to identify the products being compared.
These pages are published for veterinary practices in English-speaking markets.
This comparison reflects information published by each vendor on its own website, read on the dates given beside each source and reviewed on 9 September 2026. Vendors change their products and their documentation without notice, so entries may be out of date. Where a vendor does not publish information about a capability we record it as “Not published”; we do not treat silence as evidence that a capability is absent.
If you believe an entry misrepresents your product, write to support@veterian.com and we will correct it.