Independent optical practices evaluating practice management software (PMS) often come down to one question: does the system cover what the practice actually needs, or does it cover everything the vendor decided to include?
Acuitas 3 and Xeyex answer that differently. The gap between them becomes most visible once you move past the headline feature list.
Pricing models, equipment integration depth, NHS coverage across the UK, and how each platform handles reporting and compliance can reveal more than a feature checklist alone. The same is true when a practice opens a second location, connects more clinical equipment, or needs its software to support an online patient journey alongside everything happening in-practice.
Spotlight: Acuitas 3 vs Xeyex
Xeyex is a cloud-based EHR for optometry built specifically for independent opticians, priced on a single monthly subscription plan for their modules, with some services offered as optional add-ons rather than bundled automatically.
Acuitas 3 is Ocuco’s cloud-based EHR for independent practices and groups, built around an omnichannel architecture that connects clinical workflows, dispensing, eCommerce, and reporting in one environment.
Both are cloud-based. Both are purpose-built for opticians. Where they diverge is in depth, integration breadth, and what the platform can support as a practice grows.
This comparison covers the areas most relevant to a purchasing decision. A useful starting point before narrowing to a shortlist is understanding how to choose EHR software for optometry and what criteria matter most for independent practices. For anything specific to your setup, a demo with each vendor remains the most reliable way to verify fit.
All feature and pricing information below is compiled from publicly available documentation on both vendors’ websites and is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Feature availability may change; always verify directly with each vendor before making a decision.
A Different Approach to Pricing
Xeyex publishes a flat pricing model: £353 per month for the first site and £323 per month for each additional site. That covers core features listed by XEYEX, multiple devices/terminals, support, maintenance, and future upgrades. A one-off setup and training fee of £725 applies, with data migration costs available on request. Optional extras (SMS credits, managed print-and-post recalls, and EPOS hardware) are available as add-ons.
Acuitas 3 takes a different approach, pricing based on practice size, site count, user numbers, and the modules required. This means the final cost reflects the actual configuration of the practice rather than a fixed rate applied across the board. Practices request a quote to get a figure tailored to their specific setup.
Both models have a logic to them. Xeyex suits practices that want to know the full cost before committing. Acuitas 3 suits practices that want pricing matched to what they actually use, particularly those with more complex setups, multiple locations, or plans to scale over time.
Neither approach is necessarily better; the right fit depends on how the practice is structured and where it expects to be in a few years.
NHS Coverage Across the UK
Both platforms are designed to support NHS-related workflows, but coverage can vary per country and practice setup, so it’s best to validate regional support in a demo rather than assume UK-wide parity.
Acuitas 3 supports GOS forms and NHS payment reconciliation in an integrated workflow, linking voucher activity to the patient record and keeping reconciliation in the same environment. For NHS-heavy practices, compare how each system handles exceptions (validation, errors/rejections, rework) and how NHS activity feeds into reporting and finance.
Both platforms are credible choices for high-volume NHS practices; the difference sits in how that workflow is structured operationally.
Clinical and Operational Features
The features that shape daily workflows are the most practical starting point for any side-by-side evaluation.
| Feature | Acuitas 3 | Xeyex |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical records | Configurable by visit type with data validation ¹ | Configurable layout; per-user quick-fill shortcuts ² |
| Equipment integrations | Largest published catalogue in the industry ¹ | Nidek 3100/5100 Phoropter, TonoRefII, LM500 published on their features list ² |
| Dispensing | Validated dispensing with pre-order error checking ¹ | Integrated with EPOS; QR code tracking; collection alerts ² |
| Contact lens management | Full CL management ¹ | Trials, aftercare, ordering, repeatable orders, integrated DD ² |
| Recall & patient comms | Multi-channel automated recall, including integrated CRM ¹ | Letter, SMS, email, phone; optional managed print-and-post ² |
| eCommerce | Synced online and in-practice product catalogues, enabling 24/7 online selling ¹ | Not listed as a core feature |
| Telemedicine | Integrated teleconsultation scheduling ¹ | Not listed as a core feature |
¹ Acuitas 3 features: https://www.ocuco.com/industry-solutions/independents/acuitas-3/
² Xeyex features: https://www.xeyex.co.uk/system_features.aspx. For the full equipment integration list, confirm directly with the vendor
Note: Compiled from publicly available sources at the time of writing. Feature availability may change; always verify directly with each vendor before making a decision.
Equipment Integration: Depth vs Confirmed Compatibility
Equipment integration is one of the areas where the two platforms take a different approach.
Acuitas 3 maintains the largest published equipment integration catalogue in the optical industry, covering imaging, refraction, and dispensing devices from multiple manufacturers, with a dedicated team that adds new devices as they come to market. For practices working with a mix of diagnostic equipment or planning to expand their setup, that breadth means compatibility is rarely a question that needs to be raised separately.
Xeyex confirms integrations with three Nidek devices: the 3100/5100 Phoropter, the TonoRefII, and the LM500 Lensmeter. For practices already running Nidek equipment, that support is straightforward. Practices with devices outside that list should confirm compatibility directly with Xeyex before making a decision.
Dispensing, Stock, and Direct Debit Management
Acuitas 3 includes a validated dispensing layer that checks whether a specific frame and lens combination can be produced before the order is placed.
For practices where dispensing errors and remakes generate recurring costs, this validation step has a direct operational benefit worth testing in a demo. Choosing the right optical inventory management software also plays into this; stock in Acuitas 3 is managed in real-time across all sites, which becomes increasingly relevant as practice complexity grows.Acuitas 3 also supports integrated card payments for online and in-practice sales via OcuPay, with the payment terminal connected directly to the PMS to keep purchasing simple for both staff and patients and ensuring a smooth end of day reporting process.
Xeyex handles dispensing through a system connected directly to the EPOS till, with digital dispensing orders covering frames, lenses, and measurements, QR code tracking, and SMS or email notifications for collection. The contact lens module covers trials, aftercare, ordering, repeatable orders, and integrated direct debit payments through GoCardless.
Recall and Patient Communication
Acuitas 3 handles automated recall across email, SMS, and letter. Marketing tools sit within the same environment, and practices with multiple locations can monitor all communication activity from a central view rather than managing it separately per site. For practices operating in the US, the platform also covers HIPAA-compliant patient communication for optometry within the same workflow.
Xeyex covers recall across letters, SMS, email, and phone. There is also an optional managed print-and-post service available for practices that prefer to have physical recall letters produced and sent externally. For smaller practices without dedicated administrative staff, that option reduces the workload around postal recalls.Reporting and Business Intelligence
Acuitas 3 integrates Microsoft Power BI for reporting, giving practices dashboards they can customise by site, clinician, time period, and revenue stream. That supports both independent practices that want a clear day-to-day visibility and multi-site optometry practices that need consolidated performance view across locations, without needing a separate reporting platform. Tracking the right optometry practice KPIs also becomes more straightforward when the reporting is built to surface them across the whole business in one place.
Xeyex provides built-in reports covering patient statistics, recall performance, financial data, stock and product metrics, and management summaries, with custom reporting available on request. In reality , the choice is between standard, out-of-the-box reports and more configurable Power BI dashboards.
Scale, Compliance, and Third-Party Integrations
| Area | Acuitas 3 | Xeyex |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 27001 certification | Yes ³ | Not listed on public pages |
| SOC 2 Type II certification | Yes ⁴ | Not listed on public pages |
| GDPR compliance | Yes; full audit trail ¹ | EU GDPR-compliant data centres ² |
| Accounting integration | Yes | Xero ² |
| Direct debit integration | Yes | Yes ² |
| API access | Yes ¹ | Not listed as a core feature |
| US market support | Yes ¹ | No |
| Multi-site reporting | Centralised Power BI dashboards ¹ | Cross-branch diary and patient record access ² |
¹ Acuitas 3: https://www.ocuco.com/industry-solutions/independents/acuitas-3/
² Xeyex: https://www.xeyex.co.uk/system_features.aspx and https://www.xeyex.co.uk/pricing.aspx
³ ISO 27001: https://www.ocuco.com/news/ocuco-receives-iso-270012017-certification-for-information-security-compliance/
⁴ SOC 2 Type II: https://www.ocuco.com/news/ocuco-awarded-soc-2-type-ii-certification-for-acuitas-3-omnichannel-edition/
Note: Compiled from publicly available sources. Always verify directly with each vendor before making a decision.
Data Security and Compliance Certifications
Acuitas 3 holds both ISO 27001:2017 and SOC 2 Type II certification, alongside GDPR and DPA compliance and a full in-platform audit trail. For practices that operate under formal governance frameworks, or that form part of a larger group with compliance obligations, those certifications provide a documented standard rather than a general assurance.
Xeyex operates from enterprise-level, EU GDPR-compliant data centres with full automated backups and failover infrastructure. Its public documentation does not list ISO 27001 or SOC 2 equivalents. Practices with specific data governance requirements should ask Xeyex directly for their current compliance position.
Switching Platforms: What to Factor In
For practices already on a system and considering a move, the evaluation process involves more than feature comparison. Data migration, staff retraining, and continuity of patient records during the transition are all practical concerns that affect the timeline and cost of switching. Working through a switching EHR checklist before committing to a timeline helps surface those risks early, and understanding what transitioning to cloud-based optometry EHR involves operationally is worth doing before a go-live date is set.
Both Acuitas 3 and Xeyex support data migration from existing systems. Ocuco handles migration for practices moving from previous Ocuco platforms, and supports extraction from third-party systems in conjunction with the existing provider. Xeyex lists data migration as an available service with costs provided on request.
Which Platform Fits Your Practice
Xeyex is an option for independent opticians who want a cloud-based system with published pricing and UK-wide NHS coverage. The integrated GoCardless direct debit management and managed print-and-post recall service are practical inclusions for practices running CL subscriptions or working with limited administrative resources. If the practice operates on Nidek equipment and has no near-term need for eCommerce, telemedicine, or telephony integration, Xeyex covers the core requirements described.
Acuitas 3 suits practices that need clinical depth and the broadest possible equipment integration catalogue, want validated dispensing to reduce remake costs, or are building toward omnichannel capability that connects in-practice and online patient journeys. The Power BI reporting architecture scales in a way that simpler built-in reporting does not, and the ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications provide independently audited assurance for practices with formal compliance and governance requirements.. For any practice thinking beyond a single location, the infrastructure Acuitas 3 is built on holds up as complexity grows.
A demo is the most direct way to see how that looks with your specific workflows. Book a demo with Acuitas 3.
