AcuityMaster vs eChart Acuity

About eChart Acuity

eChart Acuity, introduced in 1997, positions itself on price-versus-performance and offers a free license that does not expire.

How AcuityMaster compares

Free software can be a reasonable starting point. Practices choose AcuityMaster when they want:

• Mac & Windows, browser-based access
• designed to ANSI Z80.21 / ISO 8596, distance-calibrated
• Color vision, reduced-contrast acuity, Worth 4-Dot, and pediatric optotypes
• Active development, updates, and support from a practicing surgeon
• Centralized multi-location administration

AcuityMaster at a glance
Platforms	Mac, Windows & iPad (browser-based)
Pricing	Graduated pricing from $249 for the first seat/year; free trial, no credit card
Charts included	Snellen, ETDRS/LogMAR, color vision, reduced-contrast acuity, Worth 4-Dot, pediatric optotypes
Standards	Designed to ANSI Z80.21 and ISO 8596, distance-calibrated
Hardware	None proprietary — uses your existing monitor
Built by	Mark S. Brown, MD, practicing oculoplastic surgeon

Which is right for your practice?

Free versus paid is rarely the whole decision — the real question is what your lanes, your patients, and your documentation requirements demand. A few honest profiles:

Budget-first solo practice. If cash flow is the binding constraint and a straightforward digital chart covers your daily needs, eChart Acuity's free, non-expiring license — as it describes its own offering — is a legitimate option, and it has been available since 1997. There is no shame in starting there. The cost of free software is usually paid elsewhere: in platform limits, update cadence, or support when something misbehaves mid-clinic. Our digital eye chart software guide walks through what to weigh.

Practice that needs to stand behind its calibration. If your charts must be defensibly accurate — refractive surgery screening, disability evaluations, or simply a standard you want to document — AcuityMaster is designed to the ANSI Z80.21 luminance and ISO 8596 optotype requirements, with letter sizes computed from your entered lane distance. That is the strongest single reason practices move from free software to a maintained clinical tool.

Mac or iPad practice. AcuityMaster Cloud is browser-based and runs on Mac, Windows, and iPad — no installation. If your office computes on Apple hardware, see our Mac eye chart software page, and check the system requirements for the rest of your lanes.

Growing multi-location group. Once you are past two or three lanes, consistency and administration start to matter more than the sticker price of any one seat. AcuityMaster Cloud offers centralized multi-location administration, graduated volume pricing that lowers the rate on each further band of seats, and updates and support that come directly from the physician who develops it.

Switching or getting started

You do not have to decide on paper. The free trial is fully functional — every chart and optotype — and requires no credit card, so you can run AcuityMaster against your current free chart on real patients and let the exam lane settle the question. If it wins, plans start at $249 for the first seat/year (graduated).

Common questions

Is AcuityMaster free?
AcuityMaster offers a free trial. Paid plans start at $249 for the first seat/year (graduated) and include updates and support.

Why choose paid software over a free eye chart?
Paid, actively developed software offers cross-platform support, designed to ANSI/ISO standards, regular updates, and direct support — important for clinical reliability.

Does AcuityMaster run on an iPad?
Yes. AcuityMaster Cloud is browser-based and runs on iPad as well as Mac and Windows computers — no installation required.

Competitor pricing verified 6 August 2026 against each vendor’s own website. Where a vendor publishes no price, we say so rather than estimate one. Vendors change pricing without notice Confirm current details at eChart Acuity. AcuityMaster is not affiliated with eChart Acuity.