The best Lighthouse 360 alternatives (2026)
Full disclosure: we make Patientell, so yes, we're biased. Lighthouse 360 is mainly a reminders and recall tool, and it's good at that. Before you replace it, figure out whether you're unhappy with the reminders or the reviews. They have different answers.
TL;DR
If reminders and recall are the problem, the main alternative is Weave, which adds phones too. If reminders are fine and your Google reviews aren't growing, don't rip anything out. Keep Lighthouse 360 for reminders and add a reviews tool next to it.
- Best full replacement: Weave
- Best if only reviews are the problem: Patientell (ours)
- Best reviews tool with surveys: Swell
- Best for a texting inbox and payments: Podium
The picks at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price | Review sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weave | Replacing reminders and texting, and adding phones | ~$250–$450/mo + setup | Google, Facebook |
| Patientell (ours) | Fixing reviews while keeping Lighthouse for reminders | Quote, no contract | |
| Swell | Dental reviews and surveys | ~$179–$249/mo per location | Google, Facebook, Healthgrades and more |
| Podium | A shared texting inbox with payments | $399–$599/mo | Google, Facebook, others |
Why practices look for a Lighthouse 360 alternative
In public reviews, Lighthouse users mostly praise the support and the reminders. The complaints are about the product feeling dated, occasional sync or confirmation errors with the PMS, and price increases without new features. If those don't bother you, Lighthouse is a reasonable place to stay.
1. Weave
- Best for
- replacing Lighthouse entirely and adding phones
- Price
- Quote. Third-party reports put most dental offices around $250–$450/mo per location, plus a setup fee.
- Connects to
- Dentrix (including Ascend and Enterprise), Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Denticon, Curve, SoftDent and more.
Weave covers reminders, confirmations, texting, scheduling, forms and payments, plus VoIP phones with caller pop-ups. It connects to Dentrix, Ascend, Enterprise and most other dental PMSs.
It's quote-based with a setup fee and usually an annual agreement, per third-party reports. Switching phones is the biggest part of the project, so plan for it.
2. PatientellOurs
- Best for
- Dentrix practices happy with Lighthouse reminders but not their review count
- Price
- Quote. No contracts, no setup fees.
- Connects to
- Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, Open Dental, Oryx, Eaglesoft, Denticon, Curve Hero, eClinicalWorks and many more.
This is ours. Patientell is reviews-only. It runs alongside Lighthouse 360 on Dentrix: Lighthouse keeps your chairs full, we get more patients to leave detailed Google reviews with a patent-pending flow.
No contract, no setup fee. Turn off Lighthouse's review requests so patients get one ask, not two.
3. Swell
- Best for
- dental groups that want reviews plus surveys
- Price
- Per location. Dental association offers have run $179–$249/mo, often with 30 days free.
- Connects to
- PMS/EHR integration included in every plan.
Swell is dental-focused and reviews-first, with surveys, AI-drafted replies and location roll-ups. It also does reminders and texting, but most practices pick it for reviews.
4. Podium
- Best for
- practices that want a shared texting inbox and payments
- Price
- $399/mo (Core) or $599/mo (Pro), on a 12-month contract. Phones and some AI features cost extra.
- Connects to
- Integrates with the big dental PMSs, but it's built for all local businesses. Ask to see it on your system.
Podium isn't a recall tool. It's a texting, webchat and payments inbox with review requests. Published at $399/month and up on a 12-month term.
When to stay with Lighthouse 360
If your no-show rate is low and recall is working, that's the expensive part of the problem solved. Keep it. Reminders that work are worth more than any review tool.
Our pick
Reminders fine, reviews flat, on Dentrix: keep Lighthouse and add Patientell. Want to consolidate phones and texting: Weave. Want surveys too: Swell.
What we'd do today
- Check your no-show and recall numbers in Dentrix. If they're healthy, don't replace your reminders tool.
- Look at your Google reviews from the last six months. Flat count or one-line reviews means the review side needs work.
- Ask your Henry Schein One rep for your contract terms before you demo anything.
Questions
What's the best Lighthouse 360 alternative for Dentrix?
For a full replacement, Weave. For reviews only, while keeping Lighthouse for reminders, Patientell.
Can Patientell replace Lighthouse 360?
No. Patientell isn't a reminders or recall system. It replaces the review part only.
Can we only send review requests to happy patients?
No, and you shouldn't want to. Google's review policy says businesses must not selectively ask happy customers for reviews (called review gating), and the FTC's 2024 rule on consumer reviews cracks down on suppressing negative ones. Ask every patient. Any vendor that offers to filter unhappy patients away from Google is putting your profile at risk.
Where do Patientell's numbers come from?
One real dental practice that switched to Patientell from a large review vendor: 2.1× more reviews per month, reviews 2–10× longer, 12× more staff mentions, and 82% fewer one-star reviews year over year. It's one practice, not a controlled study, and we don't name the previous vendor. See the full data.
Try Patientell
Patent-pending review system for dental practices. Works with Dentrix, Open Dental, Oryx, Eaglesoft and many more. No contracts, no setup fees, live in under 24 hours.
We checked prices and features for every product here in October 2026. Most of these vendors don't publish prices, so ranges come from third-party reports. This stuff changes constantly, so confirm with each vendor before you sign anything. And we're not your lawyer or compliance officer.