Side-by-side comparison
Echidna vs. Animal Care Software vs. ZIMS
This comparison is built from each vendor's own published pricing and documentation, with the source linked on every claim. Where we have had it wrong, we have corrected it in their favour.
SOAP notes included
EchidnaVet medical records are part of every Echidna plan, not a paid add-on.
Free help moving records
Included migration help, with an agreed scope
Published pricing
From $49 a month, priced on the number of animals you care for. The full table is on our pricing page.
The short version
The ten criteria directors ask about first.
As of September 19, 2026 · based on publicly available vendor materials. See basis of comparison below
| Criterion | EchidnaThis is us | Animal Care Software | ZIMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal recordsProfiles, identifiers, documents, transfers, lifetime timeline. | Source | Source | |
| Veterinary recordsSOAP notes, treatments, medications, vaccinations, diagnostics. | Included | Documented Source | Institutional Source |
| Staff seats | Unlimited | Unlimited Source | — |
| Mobile & offline useField logging from any phone, with records saved until the connection returns. | Mobile documented; offline use not published Source | — | |
| MigrationGuided import of animals and their history from your current system. | Free | — | — |
| Compliance reportingCensus, annual inventory, and the records an inspector asks for. | — | — | |
| Maintenance & facility operationsFacility map, equipment inspections, and maintenance tracking. | — | — | |
| Data export & ownershipRecords remain downloadable, with read-only connections for approved tools. | — | — | |
| Multi-site supportA group view with separate records and access for each facility. | — | — | |
| Pricing clarityPublished tiers you can read before you talk to a salesperson. | Published tiers Source | Membership-based Source |
Full matrix · as of September 19, 2026 · based on publicly available vendor materials. See basis of comparison below
| Feature | EchidnaThis is us | Animal Care Software | ZIMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core records | |||
| Animal and facility recordsProfiles, identifiers, photos, species details, parentage, documents, enclosures, status, transfers, and lifetime timeline. | Source | Source | |
| SOAP notes & veterinary recordsSOAP notes, vitals, diagnostics and imaging, treatments, vaccinations, medications, anesthesia logs, body-condition trends, structured necropsy, rechecks, weights, and diagnoses. | Included | Documented Source | Institutional Source |
| Document vaultPermits, acquisition and disposition files, veterinary attachments, inspection documents, and official record storage. | — | — | |
| Diet, nutrition & enrichmentFeeding plans, daily care schedules, enrichment and behavior logging. | Source | — | |
| Studbook & geneticsLineage, pairings, kinship, and population management. | — | Source | |
| Training, breeding & egg incubationBehavior plans, criteria ladders, breeding records, egg measurements, hatch countdowns, and incubation notes. | — | — | |
| Drug formulary & dose calculatorA facility formulary with mg/kg ranges that calculates the dose, and the volume to draw, from the patient's current weight. | Included | — | — |
| Structured labs, trend graphs & problem listCBC, chemistry, fecal, and cytology panels one analyte at a time, with reference-range flags, per-analyte trend charts, and a problem list from onset to resolution. | — | — | |
| Controlled-drug register & record lockingA witnessed running ledger for scheduled drugs, plus a vet review queue and finalized records that lock against edits. | — | — | |
| Rehab lifecycle & release outcomesPre-admission calls, rehab evaluations and release readiness, post-release monitoring, and outcome analytics like release rate and days in care. | — | — | |
| Parasite & diagnosis referenceA built-in, searchable, bilingual library of common wildlife parasites and rehab diagnoses, extendable with your own terms. | — | — | |
| Staff & field work | |||
| Staff seats | Unlimited | Unlimited Source | — |
| Mobile field loggingLog a feed, weight, or medication from the enclosure on any phone. | Source | — | |
| Offline field loggingCare logs, weights, health records, vaccinations, medications and observations save on the device when the signal drops and sync when it returns. Anything needing attention stays visible. | — | — | |
| Multi-site group viewSwitch between sites and see the group picture while keeping each facility's records limited to the right people. | — | — | |
| Facility-to-facility transfers and placementsPublish pairing or surplus listings, message other facilities, and transfer animals with copied history and safety controls. | — | — | |
| Facility map and equipmentPlace buildings, cameras, rides, vehicles, and equipment on one map, track whether they are working, and record signed inspections. | — | — | |
| Maintenance dashboardReport issues with photos and map locations, assign urgent work, and see what is down or due for inspection. | — | — | |
| Team operationsClock-ins, optional location sharing, important messages with read confirmations, coded emergency alerts, urgent assignments, and manager controls. | — | — | |
| Staff schedules and timesheetsDraft weekly schedules from your team and facility events, publish shifts with notifications, and compare scheduled and worked hours for payroll. | — | — | |
| Urgent alerts on staff phonesWhen the facility and staff member enable alerts, emergency and SOS updates can reach supported phones. | Facility-enabled | — | — |
| Public found-animal intakeA public “I found injured wildlife” form that lands in a staff inbox and converts into a permanent patient record, for wildlife rescues and rehabbers. | Rescue/rehab | — | — |
| Public sponsorship & donationsA public sponsor page with per-animal profiles that links to your own donation platform and captures donor leads, for the segments that live on donations. | Rescue/rehab/sanctuary | — | — |
| Flora catalog & plant safetyA searchable catalog of 17,875 plant species with a toxicity screening flag (safe / caution / never-plant) for planting around animals. | — | — | |
| Volunteer management & hoursTrack volunteers alongside paid staff, log clocked and manual hours, and export month or year-to-date totals for grant reporting. | — | — | |
| Compliance & reporting | |||
| USDA / APHIS inspection reportingCensus, annual inventory, and the records an inspector asks for. | — | — | |
| Compliance report PDFsCensus and annual inventory reports with spreadsheet downloads and printable inspection packets. | — | — | |
| Chat with us assistantUSDA/APHIS guidance and inspection-finding appeal drafting with human review. | — | — | |
| Change historyA reviewable trail of who changed which animal or medical record, and when. | — | — | |
| Director dashboardsOverdue care, active treatments, rechecks, census, staff activity, maintenance backlog, and inspection readiness. | — | — | |
| Controlled access to sensitive informationOwner, change-history, safety, and management information is limited to the people who need it. | — | — | |
| Rehab outcome analyticsRelease rate, days in care, disposition mix, and monthly intake/release trends for a cohort of admitted animals. | — | — Source | |
| Ease of use and security | |||
| Fast, responsive appPages and records update as you work without reloading the whole screen after every click. | — | — | |
| Fast on phones, tablets, and computersDesigned to load quickly across the devices staff use in the field and office. | — | — | |
| Modern security safeguardsEncrypted connections and modern website protections help guard accounts and records from common online threats. | — | — | |
| Protected change historyImportant changes are recorded in a protected history that can be reviewed and checked for alterations. | — | — | |
| Safe connections for approved toolsApproved tools can read animal, species, enclosure, and care records without permission to change them. | — | — | |
| Bilingual: English & SpanishEnglish and Spanish are available in selected workflows. Some screens and reference content remain in English; we can demonstrate the workflows your team needs in each language. | In-app | — | — |
| Built-in help with compliance and recordsGet help finding compliance guidance and drafting record summaries, with human review before decisions are made. | — | — | |
| Onboarding & cost | |||
| Guided migration includedWe move animal records, species details, locations, medical history, and care records from spreadsheets, paper, and Animal Care Software. | Free | — | — |
| No-lock-in exportsYou can export your records on every plan and connect approved tools with read-only access. | — | — | |
| Built for small & private facilitiesFast and affordable for animal care facilities of many sizes, not just large institutions. | — | — | |
| Transparent, published pricingClear tiers you can read before you talk to a salesperson. | Source | Membership-based Source | |
Verified capability Partial (see note) Not established in the sources reviewed— Not publicly documented
Basis of comparison
This comparison covers the workflows listed, not every capability of each product. Competitor entries link to the public source used. A dash means that we have not established that capability from those sources; it does not mean the vendor lacks it. Confirm current scope, pricing and terms with each provider.
Primary sources reviewed September 19, 2026: animalcaresoftware.com · species360.org
ZIMS is a product of Species360. Animal Care Software is a product of its respective company. All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners, are used here only to identify the products compared, and do not imply any affiliation with, sponsorship of, or endorsement by those organizations. Spot something outdated or incorrect? Email team@echidnacare.com and we will review and correct it promptly.
Why it matters
The differences that show up on every bill.
Medical always included
Veterinary records are included at every tier. Your subscription price changes with the number of animals in your care, not with a separate medical-module fee.
Free, guided migration
Migration help is included. We review a sample, agree the supported records and timing, and let your team check the import. Anything you keep as an attachment does not travel — scanned permits, vet imaging, a necropsy PDF. Photos come across as one link per animal. Those files stay where they are and you keep that copy; you re-upload what you need afterwards. We tell you that before we start, not after.
See the plans