Dandy wants to replace your dental lab. TrazaLab wants to make your lab relationship better. Same problem, opposite solutions. Here's how to decide which approach is right for your practice.
When dental practices search for a "Chairside alternative," they're usually not looking for a different way to order crowns from Dandy. They're looking for the digital workflow Chairside provides — real-time tracking, clean case submission, no more WhatsApp chaos — without being forced to switch labs.
That distinction matters more than any feature comparison, because Dandy and TrazaLab solve fundamentally different problems:
Dandy is a dental lab that gives you free software. Chairside is the ordering portal for Dandy's manufacturing operation. You get sleek case tracking, digital impressions, even a free scanner loan — but every case goes to Dandy's lab. You cannot use Chairside with any other lab. The software is the customer acquisition channel for their lab business.
TrazaLab is software that connects you to any lab. You keep your existing lab partner (or choose a new one). You get digital prescriptions, 5 GB file handling, real-time chat, and case tracking — but your lab relationship stays yours to control. TrazaLab never touches your cases, never manufactures anything, and never competes with your lab.
This is not a software-vs-software comparison. It's a business model comparison. And your choice depends on what you value more: convenience with lock-in, or flexibility with independence.
Dandy has raised over $200 million in venture capital. They are one of the most heavily funded companies in dental technology. Understanding their business model is essential before deciding if it's right for you — or if you need an alternative.
When you sign up with Dandy, you get a complete package: a free intraoral scanner (loaned, not given), Chairside software for case submission and tracking, and access to Dandy's centralized lab operation. It feels frictionless. Scan the patient, submit through Chairside, get the restoration delivered. No comparing labs, no negotiating prices, no managing multiple vendor relationships.
For practices that have never worked with a digital lab, this is genuinely appealing. Dandy removes the complexity of going digital.
In exchange for that convenience, you give up something significant: choice.
Every case submitted through Chairside goes to Dandy's lab. You cannot route a complex implant case to a specialist ceramist you trust. You cannot negotiate pricing for high-volume months. You cannot take your case history with you if you leave. Your scanner loan is contingent on the relationship.
This is the Dandy model by design, not by accident. Their $200M+ in funding is predicated on lab revenue, not software subscriptions. Chairside is the distribution channel. The lab work is the business.
Credit where it's due — Chairside is a well-built product:
These strengths are real. If this page pretended otherwise, you'd have no reason to trust anything else we say. Dandy has earned its position in the market. The question is whether their model — not their software — fits your practice.
The practices searching for "Chairside alternative" or "Dandy alternative" aren't typically unhappy with the software. They're uncomfortable with the business model. Here's what we hear most often:
Dentistry is a relationship business. Many practices have worked with the same lab for years — sometimes decades. The lab technician knows their preferences, their bite style, their shade expectations. Dandy asks you to walk away from that relationship entirely. For straightforward cases, that might be fine. For complex cosmetic or implant work, losing a trusted lab partner is a real clinical risk.
When you work with an independent lab, you negotiate pricing. You know what a PFM crown costs versus a zirconia crown. You can compare quotes. With Dandy, pricing is bundled into the relationship. You pay per case, but the pricing structure is Dandy's to set. There's no market comparison because there's no market — you're in a closed system. Some practices report competitive pricing; others feel the per-case fees add up significantly at volume.
Dandy operates centralized production facilities optimized for common restorations. If you routinely order highly specialized work — custom implant bars, complex combination cases, same-day PMMA provisionals — you may find that a specialist lab delivers better results. With Chairside, you can't split cases between a general lab and a specialist. Everything goes to Dandy.
Your case history, design files, communication records, and scan data all live inside Chairside. If you decide to leave Dandy, that data doesn't come with you. For practices building long-term patient records, this creates a dependency that goes beyond software preference.
Dandy operates exclusively in the United States. If your practice is in Mexico, Spain, Latin America, or anywhere outside the US, Chairside is simply not an option. TrazaLab is available globally with full bilingual support in English and Spanish.
This is the perspective that rarely gets discussed: what happens to your lab? When a practice switches to Dandy, their existing lab loses a client. For small independent labs, losing even a few practices to Dandy can be existential. If you value the independent lab ecosystem — and many dentists do — choosing Dandy means contributing to its erosion.
This isn't just a feature checklist. The fundamental difference is what you're buying: a lab service, or a software tool.
| Criteria | Dandy (Chairside) | TrazaLab |
|---|---|---|
| What It Is | Full-service digital lab + ordering portal | Lab-clinic coordination software |
| Business Model | Per-case lab fees (software free) | Flat monthly subscription (~$9.40/mo) |
| Lab Choice | ✕ Dandy only | ✓ Any lab you choose |
| Scanner Requirement | Dandy-loaned scanner (or compatible) | ✓ Any scanner brand |
| Case Tracking | ✓ Real-time | ✓ Real-time Kanban |
| Video Design Review | ✓ Live video calls | ✕ Chat + photo-based |
| File Size Limit | Integrated (scan-only) | 5 GB per file (any format) |
| Real-time Chat | ✓ In-app messaging | ✓ TrazaChat + WhatsApp Bridge |
| Digital Prescriptions | ✓ Structured | ✓ Structured + voice notes |
| AI Features | AI-assisted design | ✓ Audio transcription |
| Photo Management | Integrated in case flow | Uncompressed HD with EXIF |
| Who Benefits | Practices only (labs excluded) | Both labs and practices |
| Availability | US only | ✓ Global (EN + ES) |
| Data Portability | Locked to Dandy ecosystem | ✓ Your data, your labs |
| Upfront Cost | ✓ Free (scanner loaned) | 14-day free trial, then ~$9.40/mo |
| Security | SOC 2 compliant | AES-256 + HIPAA + RGPD |
| Product Range | Crowns, implants, dentures, aligners, splints | Any case type (you choose the lab) |
Data gathered from public-facing product pages, April 2026. Features and availability may vary — always verify with the vendor directly.
TrazaLab wasn't built to compete with Dandy's lab. It was built to give practices and labs the digital coordination layer that makes their existing relationship work better. Here's what that means in practice:
TrazaLab is lab-agnostic. Use it with your current lab, a new lab, or multiple labs simultaneously. Route implant cases to a specialist and crowns to a general lab. Your relationships, your choice.
See the platformUpload STL, DICOM, PLY, OBJ, CBCT, and high-res photos up to 5 GB per file. Resumable uploads, linked to the case, not buried in email. Dandy's system only handles scans within their pipeline — TrazaLab handles any file type from any scanner.
Every message tied to the case. WhatsApp notifications go where your lab and clinic already communicate. Unlike Chairside's in-app messaging, TrazaChat bridges into the real world while keeping everything logged and searchable.
Surgeons record voice notes; TrazaLab transcribes them automatically and attaches the text to the order. The lab technician reads clear instructions instead of replaying garbled audio messages.
Browse all toolsShade matching requires accurate color data. TrazaLab preserves EXIF metadata and stores photos at full resolution — no compression, no color shift. What the camera captures is what the lab sees. See shade photography features.
AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, audit logging, and one-click access revocation. Built for global compliance — not just the US market. Your patient data stays protected regardless of where you practice.
We could pretend TrazaLab is better for every practice. It isn't. Dandy has genuine strengths, and there are clear scenarios where their model makes more sense:
Acknowledging where a competitor is stronger isn't a weakness — it's how you make an informed decision. Dandy built a $200M+ company because their model genuinely works for a certain type of practice. The question is whether you're that type.
Chairside is free. That's a powerful statement. But understanding the total cost of each model requires looking beyond the software price tag.
You pay $0 for Chairside software. You pay $0 upfront for the scanner (it's loaned, not given). You pay per case — lab fees for every crown, bridge, denture, aligner, or implant restoration you order. These fees are Dandy's primary revenue. They are a lab business, and lab work is what you're buying.
For a practice sending 50 crown cases per month, the annual lab spend with any provider is substantial. The question is whether Dandy's per-case pricing is competitive with what you'd pay an independent lab. Some practices find it comparable. Others, especially high-volume practices, find that the per-case fees accumulate well beyond what they'd pay a local lab plus a software subscription.
TrazaLab costs approximately $9.40/month. Your lab fees are whatever you negotiate with your own lab. Because you maintain a direct relationship, you have pricing leverage — volume discounts, loyalty pricing, competitive bidding. You also own your scanner outright, which means no dependency on a loan agreement that could change.
If Dandy raises prices, changes their service, or you outgrow their offerings, leaving is expensive. You lose your case history, your scanner loan, and your workflow — all at once. With TrazaLab, switching labs is as simple as inviting a new lab to the platform. Your case history, files, and communication records stay intact. The software is independent of any lab.
This is why the "free" framing, while technically accurate, obscures the real economics. The cheapest option is the one that keeps you in control of your costs long-term.
If you're a dental lab owner reading this, you already know the threat. Dandy isn't just another lab — they're a venture-backed operation spending millions on marketing, offering free scanners, and building software that makes switching frictionless. Here's the uncomfortable truth and the actionable response.
It's rarely about quality. Most practices that switch to Dandy do so because of the experience: a clean digital ordering portal, real-time tracking, fast onboarding, and no file-management headaches. They're not switching because Dandy's crowns are better — they're switching because Dandy made the workflow easier than what their lab was offering.
The labs that survive the Dandy era will be the ones that offer a comparable digital experience while delivering what Dandy can't: personalized relationships, specialized work, and local expertise. Here's how:
The independent lab doesn't need to outspend Dandy. It needs to out-relationship them. The combination of personal service, specialized quality, and a modern digital workflow through TrazaLab is something a centralized factory operation fundamentally cannot replicate.
Want to see how other labs use TrazaLab to retain clinics? Read our guide for dental labs or start your free trial and invite one clinic today.
There's no universal answer. Your choice depends on your situation, priorities, and existing relationships.
Dandy's free scanner loan removes the biggest barrier. If you can't invest $20K+ in a scanner and want to go digital immediately, Dandy's bundled model is the fastest path. Just understand you're committing to their lab.
If you already have a lab relationship that works — one you've built over years — TrazaLab gives you the digital workflow without destroying that relationship. Start free.
At volume, per-case lab fees with Dandy add up fast. TrazaLab's flat $9.40/mo plus negotiated lab rates gives you pricing control. You can also split work between labs for speed and specialization.
Complex cases benefit from a specialist lab, not a generalist factory. TrazaLab lets you route your implant cases to a specialist ceramist while sending routine crowns elsewhere. Dandy doesn't allow this flexibility.
Dandy is US-only. TrazaLab is global, bilingual (EN/ES), and compliant with both HIPAA and RGPD (EU data protection). Whether you're in Spain, Mexico, or Latin America, TrazaLab works.
If you want one vendor to handle everything — scanning, lab work, communication, delivery — and you're comfortable with the lock-in trade-off, Dandy's all-in-one model is genuinely the simplest option.
Dandy doesn't serve labs — they compete with labs. TrazaLab was built for labs. It gives you a modern portal to offer your clinics, helping you retain clients who might otherwise switch to Dandy. See the lab guide.
If you don't have a lab you're loyal to, both solve the problem differently. Dandy gives you one consistent lab. TrazaLab gives you the tools to evaluate and manage multiple labs until you find the right one.
Dandy has raised over $200 million in venture capital. That money has built impressive software, subsidized free scanners, and funded aggressive growth. But VC funding comes with expectations — specifically, the expectation of massive returns.
This raises practical questions for practices considering long-term commitment:
Free scanners and competitive per-case pricing are growth strategies. They're designed to acquire customers and build market share. Once Dandy reaches critical mass, pricing may adjust to reflect the true cost of service — a pattern well-documented across VC-funded companies in other industries. You cannot guarantee that today's per-case rates will be tomorrow's per-case rates.
VC-backed companies face pressure to reach profitability or raise additional rounds. If Dandy's unit economics don't work at scale, the service could change — reduced scanner loans, higher case fees, narrower product offerings, or even acquisition by a larger company with different priorities. Practices locked into the Chairside ecosystem would feel these changes acutely.
With TrazaLab, you're not betting on any single company's funding trajectory. Your lab relationships exist independently of the software. If TrazaLab disappeared tomorrow, your lab relationships and case files would survive. If Dandy disappeared tomorrow, your Chairside access, scanner loan, and lab relationship all vanish simultaneously.
This isn't an argument that Dandy will fail. They may thrive for decades. It's an argument that independence — in software, in lab choice, in data ownership — reduces your exposure to any single company's future decisions.
Chairside is free to use, but it's not standalone software. It's the ordering portal for Dandy's lab services. You get the software for free, but every case you create goes to Dandy's lab — you can't use Chairside with your own lab or a third-party lab. The "free" software is the customer acquisition tool for Dandy's lab business.
No. Chairside is exclusively tied to Dandy's lab. You cannot connect it to an independent lab. If you want software that works with any lab — your current lab, multiple labs, or a lab you switch to in the future — you need a platform like TrazaLab that is lab-agnostic by design.
If you leave Dandy, you lose access to Chairside — including your case history, design files, and communication records. Because Chairside is Dandy's proprietary portal, your data lives inside their ecosystem. With TrazaLab, your case data belongs to you regardless of which lab you work with.
No. Dandy currently operates only in the US. Their lab facilities, scanner loans, and Chairside software are all US-only. TrazaLab is available globally and supports bilingual workflows in English and Spanish, making it suitable for practices and labs in any country.
Dandy controls the full production chain and advertises fast turnaround (often 5-7 business days for crowns). TrazaLab doesn't manufacture anything — it's the coordination layer between your practice and your lab. Your turnaround depends on which lab you work with. The advantage is you can choose a lab based on speed, quality, price, or specialization — not be locked into one option.
No. Dandy loans free intraoral scanners to practices as part of their lab service bundle. TrazaLab is scanner-agnostic software — it works with any scanner you already own or plan to purchase (iTero, 3Shape TRIOS, Medit, Primescan, etc.). You upload scan files directly to TrazaLab regardless of brand.
They're fundamentally different cost structures. With Dandy, you pay per case (lab fees for each crown, denture, aligner, etc.) — the software is free but the lab work is the revenue model. With TrazaLab, you pay a flat monthly fee (~$9.40/month) for the software, and your lab fees are whatever you negotiate with your own lab. For high-volume practices, the per-case lab fees with Dandy can be significantly more than the combined cost of TrazaLab plus an independent lab. Start a free trial to compare.
Yes — and many do. TrazaLab gives independent labs the same digital workflow tools that make Dandy attractive to practices: real-time case tracking, digital prescriptions, file handling up to 5 GB, and built-in chat. When a lab offers their clinics a TrazaLab portal, the practice gets the modern experience without being locked into a single lab. Read our guide for labs.
Keep your lab. Keep your scanner. Keep your relationships. Just add the digital coordination layer that makes everything work better. No credit card required.