Comparison

athenaText vs Althea Smart EHR

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

Head to head
About

athenaText

A secure, HIPAA-compliant text messaging service for healthcare providers to collaborate, consult, and share information instantly. Communicate clearly and confidently with colleagues and a network of HCPs nationwide.

Highlights
  • HIPAA-compliant messaging
  • Instant collaboration
  • Share texts and images
  • Consult with peers nationwide
  • Integrated drug information
Features
Read full description

Collaborate. Consult. Connect. Introducing athenaText, the free, secure text messaging service designed especially for health care providers. Collaborate instantly Exchange information instantly and collaborate easily across care teams. Share texts, images, and medication information with your colleagues. Communicate with security and confidence Because athenaText enables HIPAA-compliant messaging, there's no need to be cryptic to avoid revealing PHI. Communicate clearly and share texts and images with the confidence that your communications are secure. Consult with your peers on the go Tap a network of HCPs across the country, courtesy of Epocrates, the #1 medical app trusted by 1 out of 2 US physicians. Invite HCPs to join you in secure conversations. Add the latest drug information athenaText is also built into athenaOne mobile app as well as athenahealth's desktop services athenaClinicals (EHR) and athenaCoordinator (order transmission & care collaboration). At your clinic or on the go, secure communication is just a tap away.

About

Althea Smart EHR

This comprehensive electronic health record system integrates practice management, patient portal, and revenue cycle management. It offers a streamlined interface for doctors with extensive charting capabilities, patient communication tools, and secure document handling.

Highlights
  • Integrated EHR, Practice Management, Patient Portal, RCM
  • Single-page access to comprehensive patient data
  • Smart charting with voice recognition, macros, and templates
  • Patient messaging and appointment/reminder text messaging
  • Cloud-based faxing
  • Customizable user views
Features
Read full description

Althea Smart EHR is a game changing EHR using the best of what Apple technology has to offer to deliver unique user experience for doctors. Features: One single solution EHR, Practice Management, Patient Portal and RCM services. Single page access to Appointments, Chief Complaint, History of Present Illness, Immunization, Health Maintenance, Current Allergies, Current Medications, Current Problems, Family History, Social History, Surgical History, Review of Systems, Vitals, Physical Exam, Diagram, Assessments, CPOE (Medications, Labs, Imaging, Referrals), Procedures, Patient Education, Implanted Devices, Care Plan, Transition of Care, CCDA, Document Center Other features include: Smart charting with Voice recognition, using macros and templates; copy previous notes; save a note as a template for future use; send messages to patients and referrals; text messaging to patients for appointment reminders, health maintenance reminders and Immunization reminders; import and export CCDA; download / reconcile current medications, allergies, problems; built in cloud based fax both inbound and outbound; smart diagrams; customize view by user.

Screenshots

athenaText3 screens
Althea Smart EHR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Althea Smart EHR at 4.3 against athenaText's 3.9. Althea Smart EHR also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks). athenaText's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Althea Smart EHR holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 377 and 126 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of athenaText's written reviews are positive against 81% of Althea Smart EHR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

athenaText ships an update every 4 weeks, Althea Smart EHR every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
athenaText versus Althea Smart EHR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterathenaTextAlthea Smart EHR
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (377 ratings)4.3 (126 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.7% of reviews81.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings377 — better126
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB228 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperathenahealthAlthea Care, LLC

Customer experience

athenaText

All ratings377 ratings
Positive70.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive75.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative20.0%

Althea Smart EHR

All ratings126 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive81.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative19.0%

Bugs and requests

athenaText

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on login or when switching between screens
  • Notifications not working or delayed
  • Sync issues causing loss of messages
  • Inability to log in or access the app after updates
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Snooze or do-not-disturb functionality
  • Ability to dictate notes and sign off on charts
  • Mass delete/management of message threads
  • Improved push notifications and alerts
  • Android app support

Althea Smart EHR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

athenaText

No in-app purchases

None

Althea Smart EHR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is athenaText free?
athenaText is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Althea Smart EHR free?
Althea Smart EHR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, athenaText or Althea Smart EHR?
Althea Smart EHR is rated higher. athenaText averages 3.9 out of 5 from 377 ratings, while Althea Smart EHR averages 4.3 from 126 ratings.
Do athenaText or Althea Smart EHR have ads?
Neither athenaText nor Althea Smart EHR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, athenaText or Althea Smart EHR?
athenaText ships an update every 4 weeks, and Althea Smart EHR every 9 days. Most recently, athenaText was updated on October 20, 2026 and Althea Smart EHR on October 21, 2026.

Other comparisons