Comparison

Cerner Message Center vs Backline+

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cerner Message Center

This app facilitates secure messaging workflows for physicians, allowing them to view, compose, reply, and forward messages. It also enables cosigning orders and endorsing results, providing essential EHR access outside of traditional clinic settings.

Highlights
  • View messages, reminders, consults, receipts, sent items, and trash
  • Compose, reply, and forward phone messages
  • Cosign orders
  • Endorse results
  • Secure EHR access
Read full description

PowerChart Touch Message Center for iPad and iPhone supports fast, easy and smart messaging workflows for the physician including: • Ability to view messages, reminders, consults, receipts, sent items and trash • Ability to compose, reply, and forward phone messages • Ability to cosign orders and endorse results PowerChart Touch Message Center also provides secure access for physicians needing access to the EHR outside of clinic walls. IMPORTANT: PowerChart Touch Message Center requires your organization to have a valid license and be on release 2012.01 or higher. If you are unsure about the availability of PowerChart Touch Message Center at your organization, please contact your IT department or your Cerner representative.

About

Backline+

This HIPAA-compliant platform offers real-time collaboration and workflow automation for healthcare professionals. It centralizes communications and provides virtual patient rooms to enhance care team coordination and improve efficiency.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Workflow automation
  • Secure messaging
  • HIPAA-compliant
  • Virtual patient rooms
  • Centralized communications
Read full description

Intelligent Workflow Management & Collaboration for Healthcare Professionals Backline+ is a cloud-based platform delivering real-time collaboration, workflow automation and secure messaging for the healthcare industry. Designed for healthcare professionals, Backline+'s HIPAA-compliant clinical collaboration platform intuitively mirrors the workflow, collaboration and communication needs of clinicians and administrative staff and delivers them in one, easy-to-use integrated experience. Deployed in healthcare systems across the US, Backline+ has become a platform of choice for hospitals and health systems wanting to go beyond secure messaging and embrace the efficiencies that come with real-time collaboration and workflow automation. • Designed by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals • Centralizes all communications in one HIPAA-compliant hub • Virtual patient rooms for ultimate care team collaboration With the Backline+ platform, you can: • Increase Profitability • Improve Productivity • Increase Clinician and Patient Satisfaction • Decrease Re-admittance Rates

Screenshots

Cerner Message Center2 screens
Backline+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cerner Message Center at 3.0 against Backline+'s 2.4. Backline+'s advantage is review sentiment (25% vs 0%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cerner Message Center holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 33 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Cerner Message Center's written reviews are positive against 25% of Backline+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cerner Message Center ships an update every 2 months, Backline+ monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and August 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cerner Message Center versus Backline+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCerner Message CenterBackline+
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (27 ratings) — better2.4 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2733 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB117 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperCerner CorporationDiagnotes Inc

Customer experience

Cerner Message Center

All ratings27 ratings
Positive37.0%
Neutral18.5%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative87.5%

Backline+

All ratings33 ratings
Positive27.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative63.6%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral18.8%
Negative56.3%

In-app purchases

None

Cerner Message Center

No in-app purchases

None

Backline+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cerner Message Center free?
Cerner Message Center is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backline+ free?
Backline+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cerner Message Center or Backline+?
Cerner Message Center is rated higher. Cerner Message Center averages 3.0 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Backline+ averages 2.4 from 33 ratings.
Do Cerner Message Center or Backline+ have ads?
Neither Cerner Message Center nor Backline+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cerner Message Center or Backline+?
Cerner Message Center ships an update every 2 months, and Backline+ monthly. Most recently, Cerner Message Center was updated on September 18, 2026 and Backline+ on August 21, 2026.

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