Hippo Manager vs SmartFlow: Complete Comparison 2026

An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.

Hippo Manager

7.5(480 reviews)

Affordable cloud veterinary software with intuitive interface, built-in reminders, and QuickBooks integration from $120/month.

8.3(420 reviews)

Digital patient flowsheets for veterinary hospitals that replace paper ICU charts with real-time electronic monitoring.

Aspect	Hippo Manager	SmartFlow
Best For	Solo veterinarians and tiny practices where the software budget needs to be under $150/month	Emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals where paper flowsheets are a daily workflow bottleneck
Pricing Model	Subscription	Subscription
Starting Price	$120/mo	$150/mo
Deployment	cloud	cloud
Platforms	WEB	WEB, IOS, ANDROID
Rating	7.5/10	8.3/10

Most affordable cloud vet PIMS at $120/month — significantly cheaper than every competitor
Surprisingly intuitive interface that new staff learn in 1-2 days without extensive training
Native QuickBooks integration eliminates double-entry accounting for practices already using QuickBooks
All essential features (records, scheduling, billing, inventory, reminders) included at the base price
Cloud-based with no server costs — total cost of ownership is dramatically lower than any server-based system

Lab integration is basic — limited in-clinic analyzer support compared to Cornerstone or eVetPractice
Reporting depth is minimal — data-driven practice owners will need to export data for serious analysis
No telemedicine capability and no client-facing mobile app
Growing practices with 3+ vets will likely outgrow the feature set and need to upgrade platforms
Mobile experience is functional but clearly not the primary design focus

Eliminates paper flowsheet errors — digital tracking prevents missed treatments, illegible handwriting, and lost charts
Real-time treatment status visible to the entire care team from any device in the hospital
Integrates with existing PIMS (Cornerstone, eVetPractice, etc.) rather than requiring a platform switch
Medication scheduling with automated alerts prevents missed doses and dosing errors in critical patients
Treatment charges sync to PIMS billing automatically, capturing revenue that paper charts often miss

Not a standalone PIMS — requires a separate system for scheduling, billing, medical records, and other core functions
Only valuable for practices with hospitalized patients — general practices without ICU/hospital have no use for it
Adds another monthly cost ($150/month) on top of existing PIMS subscription
Staff adoption requires changing deeply ingrained paper-based habits which can be initially resistant
Integration quality varies by PIMS — some connections are tighter than others

Product	Pricing Model	Starting Price
Hippo Manager	subscription	$120/mo
SmartFlow	subscription	$150/mo

Choose Hippo Manager if...

Solo veterinarians and tiny practices where the software budget needs to be under $150/month

Choose SmartFlow if...

Emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals where paper flowsheets are a daily workflow bottleneck

Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.