Opineko vs Swell

Swell (formerly Swell CX) is a patient experience and reputation management platform built specifically for healthcare organizations. Founded in 2016, the company has carved out a niche serving dental practices, medical clinics, veterinary offices, and other healthcare providers who need HIPAA-compliant review management.

The platform combines online reputation management with patient experience insights, including NPS tracking and survey tools. Swell's healthcare focus means their templates, workflows, and compliance features are tailored for medical practices — review request messaging that acknowledges appointment visits, integration with practice management systems, and appropriate handling of patient feedback.

Swell does not publish fixed pricing, instead offering custom quotes based on locations, selected modules, and organizational needs. This healthcare specialization and custom pricing model means Swell is often more expensive than general-purpose review tools but delivers features specifically designed for medical practice workflows.

Swell has carved out a clear niche: reputation management for healthcare. Their platform is purpose-built for dental practices, medical clinics, veterinary offices, and other healthcare organizations that need review management integrated with practice workflows and compliant with healthcare regulations.

The healthcare focus delivers genuine advantages. Swell integrates with practice management systems to automatically request reviews after patient visits — no manual follow-up required. Their templates and messaging acknowledge the healthcare context. And they support healthcare-specific review sites like Healthgrades and Zocdoc alongside general platforms.

The trade-off is cost and specialization. Swell's custom pricing (typically $150-350/month per location) reflects their healthcare focus and the integrations that support it. For non-healthcare businesses, Swell's specialized features add no value. And even for healthcare practices, the question is whether practice management integration justifies the premium over simpler tools.

Opineko offers healthcare practices an alternative approach: affordable, general-purpose review collection that works for any business type. QR codes in the waiting room or at checkout capture patient feedback while the experience is fresh. Review gating routes positive feedback to public platforms and negative feedback to private channels. For healthcare practices that want effective review collection without healthcare-specific pricing, Opineko delivers the core workflow at a fraction of Swell's cost.