KeepMD alternatives: a desktop option for your records
KeepMD keeps family medical records encrypted on your phone. HealthViewer keeps lab history in an encrypted file on your Mac or PC. How they compare.
| HealthViewer | KeepMD | Carrot Care | Mere Medical | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Active | Active | Active | Maintained by one developer |
| Runs on | Mac and Windows | iPhone, iPad, Android; Mac only as the iPad app on Apple Silicon | iPhone only | Web browser, installable as an app; self-host with Docker |
| Price | $24.99 once, after a 7-day free trial | Free with 15 scanned pages a month; Plus $6.99/month, $59.99/year, or $149 lifetime | Free with limits; Premium from $6.99/month, $39.99/quarter, or $59.99 to $79.99/year | Free, open source (MIT) |
| Lab PDF import | Yes, plus CSV, FHIR JSON, and MyChart (C-CDA) files | Yes, by scanning, with unlimited pages on Plus | Yes, PDFs and photos | No |
| Patient portal connections | Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, eClinicalWorks (US) | Epic and Cerner, on Plus, where supported | No | Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, eClinicalWorks (Healow), NextGen, Veradigm, and others |
| Where your data lives | Encrypted file on your computer | Encrypted on your device; encrypted cloud backup on Plus | On your iPhone, optional iCloud backup | Your browser; encryption optional |
| Account | None | Set up in the app; KeepMD says there is no cloud database | None | None |
KeepMD and HealthViewer start from the same idea: your health records should be encrypted on a device you own, not stored in a company’s database. KeepMD does that on your phone. HealthViewer does it on your computer. Which one fits depends mostly on where you want to work with your records, and on whether you want everything in one place or your lab history in depth. We make HealthViewer, so we have tried to be specific about where KeepMD is the better choice.
Where KeepMD is stronger
- It is on your phone. KeepMD runs on iPhone, iPad, and Android, so you can scan a paper report in the waiting room and pull up a record at the front desk. HealthViewer is a Mac and Windows app. Its free phone app, on Android now with iPhone to follow, only views what you added on the computer.
- It covers more kinds of record. Along with labs, KeepMD keeps visit summaries, doctor’s notes, prescriptions, allergies, immunizations, vitals, and insurance cards, and can transcribe recordings of visits. HealthViewer centers on lab results, with medications, vaccinations, procedures, vitals, and a Documents section for other paperwork alongside them.
- It is built for families on phones. Plus allows four private profiles and three managed profiles for people in your care, with shared access for caregivers. HealthViewer also has a profile per person, each in its own encrypted file, but sharing means sharing the file.
- There is a free tier. KeepMD’s Starter plan is free, with 15 scanned pages a month and one profile. HealthViewer has a 7-day trial and then costs $24.99.
- It answers questions about your records. KeepMD’s AI features, on Plus, answer questions about your records and summarize them. They run on the device first; the cloud version is optional and asks for consent.
Where HealthViewer is stronger
- It reads lab PDFs as lab reports. KeepMD reads documents with OCR, which you review before saving. HealthViewer has dedicated readers for Quest, Labcorp, Mayo, MyChart, and other lab reports, plus CSV, FHIR, and C-CDA files, and matches each test across labs so the history lines up.
- Lab trends go deeper. Each test’s chart shows its reference range, medication start and change markers, and your own journal notes. Results are converted to standard units across labs, and the Appointment Prep report prints changes, flagged results, and medication changes on one page.
- One price, everything included. HealthViewer is $24.99 once, with portal connections, every import, and every profile on your computer. KeepMD’s portal connections and unlimited scanning need Plus, at $6.99 a month, $59.99 a year, or $149 for a lifetime license.
- More portal systems today. HealthViewer connects to Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, and eClinicalWorks portals. KeepMD lists Epic and Cerner, where supported, and describes its Epic support as a phased rollout.
- No account, and your data is a file. HealthViewer has no sign-up. Everything is in one encrypted file you can copy, back up, or move to a new computer, in a folder you choose. KeepMD stores records on the phone, offers an encrypted cloud backup on Plus, and its App Store privacy label lists health data among the data it collects.
Which one fits
Choose KeepMD if you want a whole-family medical record on your phone, you deal with a lot of paper, and you want one app for visit notes, insurance cards, and immunizations as well as labs.
Choose HealthViewer if lab results are what you track, they come from several labs and portals, and you would rather review them on a large screen with charts, medication markers, and a printable summary. Some people use both: a phone app for the paperwork of a visit, and HealthViewer for the lab history.
See also health record apps that store data locally. Download HealthViewer’s free trial, or read Getting Started.