Pearly is built for patient billing. ScoutIQ does patient billing too, and adds insurance payment posting, the books and Atlas.
The short answer
Pearly automates the patient’s share of dental billing: reminders, digital statements, pay-over-time plans and online payments. ScoutIQ covers that ground and also posts insurance payments from every ERA and paper EOB, 95% matched with no human review, reconciles each deposit to the bank and QuickBooks or Xero, and adds Atlas, an AI assistant.
Last updated Competitor facts checked
What each one is for
Proven in practice
The whole billing back office at a glance, from the insurance ERA to the books, then how each one is set up.
| Capability | ScoutIQ | Pearly |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance payments | ||
| Insurance ERA posting to the PMS | ScoutIQ Yes Every claim line posted, 95% matched with no human review | Pearly Not advertised Its site covers the patient’s share |
| Paper EOBs and checks (lockbox) | ScoutIQ Yes A ScoutIQ PO Box: EOBs and checks opened, scanned and posted | Pearly Not advertised |
| Payer portal remittances and virtual cards | ScoutIQ Yes Portal remittances and virtual card payments read and posted | Pearly Not advertised |
| Payments matched to bank deposits | ScoutIQ Yes EFTs, checks and virtual cards tied to each bank deposit | Pearly Not advertised Patient payments deposit to your bank |
| Underpayment and denial flags, with the reason | ScoutIQ Yes Queued with the payer’s reason and the days left to appeal | Pearly Not advertised |
| Patient payments | ||
| Patient billing by text, email and mail | ScoutIQ Yes Text, email and mailed statements, set by what is owed | Pearly Yes Text and email reminders, digital statements |
| Payment plans and pay later | ScoutIQ Yes Payment plans and pay later, on rules you set | Pearly Yes Pay-over-time plans; custom plans are an add-on |
| Card on file and card terminals | ScoutIQ Yes Cards on file charged, card terminals at the desk | Pearly Not compared Online payments, Apple Pay included, are advertised |
| Patient payments posted back to the PMS | ScoutIQ Yes Every payment posted to the right patient and procedure | Pearly Not compared |
| Books, analytics and AI | ||
| Reconciliation to QuickBooks or Xero | ScoutIQ Yes PMS, bank and QuickBooks or Xero, by location | Pearly Not advertised |
| Multi-location analytics | ScoutIQ Yes Every location and PMS on one set of numbers | Pearly Patient A/R A group dashboard of patient metrics |
| AI assistant | ScoutIQ Yes Atlas: plain-English answers and ranked billing work | Pearly Not advertised |
| Setup and fit | ||
| Practice systems supported | ScoutIQ 59 practice systems Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Curve, Denticon and more | Pearly 50+ to 80+ systems Ledger-level, per different pages |
| Who does the work | ScoutIQ Software Your team handles only the exceptions | Pearly Software With a Customer Success Manager |
| Time to go live | ScoutIQ 48 hours Connected to your PMS and running, with nothing to migrate; posting turns on location by location as the numbers match | Pearly Not compared |
Pearly information is from its public website as of , and may change. “Not advertised” means the feature is not described publicly; “Not compared” means we found no public fact either way. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Patient billing is one part of the job. What Pearly’s own website describes, and what it leaves to your team or another tool.
Checked against Pearly’s public website on . Where a feature is not described, we say so; that is not the same as saying it does not exist.
Pearly’s site covers the patient’s share: statements, reminders, plans and online payments. It does not advertise reading ERAs or EOBs or posting insurance payments, so that work stays with your team or another tool.
Source: pearly.co product and pricing pages
Patient payments are deposited to your bank account. Matching deposits to the PMS and booking them to QuickBooks or Xero is not advertised.
Source: pearly.co product page
Its pricing page lists custom payment plans and mailed statement automation as add-on tools, outside the core platform.
Source: pearly.co pricing page
The group dashboard reports patient revenue cycle metrics. Insurance, the bank and an AI assistant you can ask about the numbers are not advertised.
Source: pearly.co product page
Each one comes with a result measured in a named practice’s own systems, not an estimate.
Every ERA, paper EOB, portal remittance and virtual card read and posted claim line by claim line. Your team sees only the short pays and denials, with the reason.
Text, email and mail, plans and pay later, cards on file and terminals at the desk, each payment posted back to the PMS on its own.
Insurance and patient payments reconciled from the PMS ledger through the bank to QuickBooks or Xero, location by location.
Ask about collections in plain English, see why a number moved, and get the billing work ranked by dollars.
Choose Pearly if patient billing is your only gap and insurance posting is already handled. Choose ScoutIQ AI if you want insurance and patient payments posted in one system, and every deposit reconciled from the PMS to the bank and the books.
Three steps, with nothing to migrate and your current setup running until you are ready.
Connect the practice system you already run, your bank and QuickBooks or Xero. Nothing is migrated, and Pearly keeps running while you set up.
During the free 30-day trial, ScoutIQ shows what it would post and reconcile from your own remittances and deposits, before anything posts. Compare it with Pearly.
When the numbers match, turn on posting location by location. Your team handles only the exceptions, each with the reason.
How Pearly and ScoutIQ are priced, tried, supported and secured. ScoutIQ is quoted per group, and a demo on your own data shows the price before you decide.
| Capability | ScoutIQ | Pearly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing, contract and security | ||
| Pricing model | ScoutIQ Quoted A percentage of insurance collections or a fixed price; per seat and location for patient billing and analytics | Pearly Quoted A package designed after a few questions about your practice |
| Trial or pilot | ScoutIQ Free 30-day trial On your own data, nothing migrated | Pearly Free 30-day pilot At up to 5 offices, no set-up or subscription costs |
| Minimum size | ScoutIQ None Single practices, groups and DSOs | Pearly None stated Private practices to 200+ location DSOs |
| Support | ScoutIQ 24/7, white-glove Onboarding and staff training included | Pearly Customer Success Manager Phone and email, California |
| HIPAA and BAA | ScoutIQ Yes HIPAA compliant, with a BAA for every customer | Pearly Yes HIPAA and PCI secure; a Business Associate Addendum |
How ScoutIQ AI pricing works: insurance billing as a share of the insurance collections that flow through it or a fixed price by volume, patient billing and analytics per seat and per location, with 30 days free on your own data.
Pearly information is from its public website as of , and may change. “Not advertised” means the feature is not described publicly; “Not compared” means we found no public fact either way. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Other tools buyers weigh against Pearly, described from each vendor’s own website as of .
Text and email payment requests with automatic reminders, payment plans with autopay, and CareCredit.
Unified patient communications (phones, texting, reminders) with payments: reminders, bulk collections, plans, Sunbit and CareCredit.
ScoutIQ vs WeavePatient payments within NexHealth’s patient experience platform.
An outsourced patient billing service run by a remote team.
Pearly focuses on patient billing: automated balance outreach, digital statements, pay-over-time plans, online payments and patient A/R reporting across locations, through ledger-level integrations with 50+ to 80+ practice systems. ScoutIQ includes patient billing and payment plans too, and adds the insurance side (every ERA and paper EOB read and posted, 95% of insurance payments matched with no human review), reconciliation across PMS, bank and books, and Atlas, an AI assistant you ask in plain English.
It depends on the job. For patient billing alone, buyers compare Dental Intelligence Payments, Weave Payments and NexHealth Payments. If you also want insurance payments posted and reconciled to the books, ScoutIQ covers patient billing, insurance posting and reconciliation in one platform, with Atlas on top.
For patient billing, ScoutIQ covers the same core ground: automated balance outreach, payment plans and pay later, and online payments that post to the PMS. It also does what Pearly does not advertise: insurance payment posting, reconciliation to the bank and books, and Atlas. ScoutIQ does not submit claims.
Pearly does not publish prices: it designs a package after a few questions about your practice, and offers a free 30-day pilot at up to five offices. ScoutIQ is quoted per group: insurance billing as a percentage of the insurance collections that flow through it, or a fixed price depending on volume, and patient billing and analytics per seat and per location. A free 30-day trial runs on your own data.
Pearly serves DSOs of 200+ locations for patient billing. ScoutIQ serves DSOs across the whole billing back office: insurance and patient payments posted, every location reconciled to the bank and the books, and every location and PMS on one set of numbers with Atlas.
Pearly says it integrates with 50+ to 80+ practice management systems at the ledger level, and its case studies name Open Dental and Eaglesoft. ScoutIQ supports 59 systems, Dentrix and Open Dental included, and posts both insurance and patient payments into them.
Pearly describes itself as HIPAA compliant and PCI secure, and publishes a Business Associate Addendum. ScoutIQ is HIPAA compliant too, signs a BAA with every customer, and encrypts patient data in transit and at rest.
Yes. ScoutIQ connects to the PMS you already run (59 systems, including Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Curve and CareStack), so switching is an onboarding exercise rather than a data migration. Most practices and groups are live in 48 hours.
Evaluating dental billing and analytics software? Read on, or see every comparison.
The fastest way to compare is a demo on your practice’s real data.Production, collections and what you are owed, live in one view.
Book a demoIncludes a free 30-day trial on your own data.
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