A solo veterinarian opened her first clinic in a suburban strip mall. She inherited the previous owner's copy of Cornerstone, IDEXX's legacy practice management software — server-based, Windows-only, with a UI that looked straight from 2005. Training took weeks. The annual license renewal came with a $3,600 invoice. She looked for alternatives and found Digitail, modern and cloud-based, but pricing required contacting sales and seemed designed for larger practices.
The US has 32,000+ veterinary practices, and pet spending hit $143 billion in 2025. Yet the practice management software market remains dominated by legacy players: IDEXX Cornerstone (most widely used), Covetrus AVImark (stable but dated), and eVetPractice (now Covetrus Pulse). These tools charge $200-400+/month and require significant training. Digitail is disrupting with modern UX and AI features, now serving 10,000+ veterinarians.
The gap is for 1-3 vet clinics that can't justify enterprise software. A focused tool at $49-99/month with: cloud-native (works on any device), simple scheduling, basic medical records, client communication, and vaccination reminders. Not trying to compete with Digitail's AI — just provide 'Stocky for vets' simplicity.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
Full features trial, 100 patient records, 1 user
1 veterinarian, unlimited patients, scheduling, basic records, client portal
3 vets, vaccination tracking, inventory basics, reporting, SMS reminders, priority support
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
Legacy tools (Cornerstone, AVImark) are $200-400/mo with dated UX. Digitail is modern but targets scaling practices. Gap at $49-99/mo for solo/small clinics wanting: simple scheduling, basic records, client messaging. VETport is closest but UI needs work.
Revenue Examples
Customer count + per-vet pricing
Public filings (bundled with diagnostics)
Pricing + longevity estimate
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IDEXX Cornerstone | $300+/mo | Most widely used. IDEXX diagnostics integration. Dated server-based design. Steep learning curve. |
| AVImark (Covetrus) | $200+/mo | Very stable, 20+ years. Limited modern features. Legacy feel but reliable. |
| Digitail | Per-vet pricing (tiered) | Fastest growing. Cloud-native, modern UI. AI scribe. 10,000+ vets. Well-funded. |
| eVetPractice/Covetrus Pulse | $199+/mo | All-in-one vOS approach. Integration focus. Mid-market. |
| ezyVet | Per-user + add-ons | Cloud-based. High migration fees. Charges per SMS. Growing. |
| VETport | $79-179/mo | Budget web-based option. Less feature-rich but affordable. |
Most widely used. IDEXX diagnostics integration. Dated server-based design. Steep learning curve.
Very stable, 20+ years. Limited modern features. Legacy feel but reliable.
Fastest growing. Cloud-native, modern UI. AI scribe. 10,000+ vets. Well-funded.
All-in-one vOS approach. Integration focus. Mid-market.
Cloud-based. High migration fees. Charges per SMS. Growing.
Budget web-based option. Less feature-rich but affordable.
Launch Strategy
1) Start with mobile vet clinics and new practice openings (no legacy to migrate). 2) Partner with veterinary equipment suppliers and practice consultants. 3) Content: 'Cornerstone alternatives for small clinics', 'cloud vet software 2026'. 4) Attend veterinary conferences (WVC, VMX). 5) Referral program with vet school career services. 6) Integration with IDEXX diagnostics as table stakes.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Cloud-native from day one. PostgreSQL handles relational medical data well. Row-level security for HIPAA-adjacent compliance. Twilio for appointment reminders and vaccination alerts.
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
8/10 — 32K+ vet practices in US. Digitail raised funding, 10K+ vets proves modern approach works. $143B pet industry.
6/10 — Digitail growing but private. Legacy players (IDEXX, Covetrus) are public but bundle services. Less indie proof.
5/10 — Practice management is complex. 6-8 weeks for MVP. Medical records have compliance needs.
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Veterinary Practice Manager". ## Product Overview All-in-one software for vet clinics: appointments, patient records, billing, and reminders. ## Problem All-in-one software for vet clinics: appointments, patient records, billing, and reminders. ## Solution Build Veterinary Practice Manager ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors IDEXX Cornerstone, AVImark (Covetrus), Digitail, eVetPractice/Covetrus Pulse, ezyVet, VETport ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.