EchidnaCare vs. Animal Care Software vs. ZIMS
Serious records, compliance, and daily care for your facility — with medical records, unlimited staff seats, and guided migration included on every EchidnaCare plan. Here is how we suggest evaluating the three.
SOAP notes included
EchidnaVet medical records are part of every EchidnaCare plan, not a paid add-on.
Unlimited staff seats
Your whole team can log care without per-seat surprises.
Free help moving records
We help move records from ACS, ZIMS, and spreadsheets before you pay.
The ten criteria directors ask about first.
As of July 29, 2026 · based on publicly available vendor materials — see basis of comparison below
| Criterion | EchidnaCareThis is us | Animal Care Software | ZIMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal recordsProfiles, identifiers, documents, transfers, lifetime timeline. | |||
| Veterinary recordsSOAP notes, treatments, medications, vaccinations, diagnostics. | Included | Documented | Institutional |
| Staff seatsWhether the whole team can log records without per-seat pricing. | Unlimited | — | — |
| Mobile & offline useField logging from any phone, with records saved until the connection returns. | Mobile documented; offline use not published | — | |
| MigrationGuided import of animals, history, and documents 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. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| 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. | Starting price published | Membership-based |
Full matrix · as of July 29, 2026 · based on publicly available vendor materials — see basis of comparison below
| Feature | EchidnaCareThis is us | Animal Care Software | ZIMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core records | |||
| Animal and facility recordsProfiles, identifiers, photos, species details, parentage, documents, enclosures, status, transfers, and lifetime timeline. | |||
| 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 | Institutional |
| 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. | — | ||
| Studbook & geneticsLineage, pairings, kinship, and population management. | — | ||
| 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 | |||
| Unlimited staff seatsEvery staff member can log care without per-seat surprises. | Unlimited | — | — |
| Mobile field loggingLog a feed, weight, or medication from the enclosure on any phone. | — | — | |
| Offline field loggingCare logs and field photos save on the device when the connection drops, then upload 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. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| Maintenance dashboardReport issues with photos and map locations, assign urgent work, and see what is down or due for inspection. | — | Not a published feature | |
| Team operationsClock-ins, optional location sharing, important messages with read confirmations, coded emergency alerts, urgent assignments, and manager controls. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| Staff schedules and timesheetsDraft weekly schedules from your team and facility events, publish shifts with notifications, and compare scheduled and worked hours for payroll. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| 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 | Not a published feature | Not a published feature |
| 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 | Not a published feature | Not a published feature |
| Flora catalog & plant safetyA searchable catalog of 17,875 plant species with a toxicity screening flag (safe / caution / never-plant) for planting around animals. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| 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. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| Change historyA reviewable trail of who changed what across the system. | — | — | |
| 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. | — | Institutional | |
| Rehab outcome analyticsRelease rate, days in care, disposition mix, and monthly intake/release trends for a cohort of admitted animals. | — | — | |
| 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 & SpanishThe day-to-day app runs end to end in English or Spanish — animal records, medical, husbandry, reports, and the parasite/diagnosis reference — with a one-tap switcher. | In-app | — | — |
| Built-in help with compliance and recordsGet help finding compliance guidance and drafting record summaries, with human review before decisions are made. | Not a published feature | Not a published feature | |
| Onboarding & cost | |||
| Guided migration includedWe move animal records, species details, locations, medical history, documents, and care records from ACS, ZIMS, and spreadsheets. | 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. | Institution-focused | ||
| Transparent, published pricingClear tiers you can read before you talk to a salesperson. | — | Membership-based | |
Basis of comparison
EchidnaCare entries describe our current product. Entries for other products are our good-faith understanding of publicly available vendor materials as of July 2026; we have not independently verified every capability, plans differ by facility and membership, and vendors improve their products all the time — so confirm current capabilities and pricing directly with each vendor before buying. This page is general information, not purchasing advice.
Last verified July 29, 2026 against each vendor's public website: 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.
The differences that show up on every bill.
Medical always included
The veterinary records your team relies on are part of every EchidnaCare plan—not a paid add-on or a charge that grows as you care for more animals.
Unlimited staff seats
Your whole team logs care from the field without per-seat fees, so the cost of adding a team member is never a reason to skip a record.
Free, guided migration
We move your ACS, ZIMS, and spreadsheet records over for you before you pay a cent — the part everyone fears, handled.
See the plans behind the comparison.
Every tier includes medical records, unlimited staff seats, and core facility operations. Pick the size that fits the number of animals in your care—no card required to start.