Synchro or Petal: two Quebec-built products, two contexts.
Petal and Synchro are both Quebec-built physician scheduling products, but they do not answer exactly the same need. Petal offers a broad healthcare platform covering scheduling, clinical communications, billing and patient access. Synchro is a tool specialized in one thing: the operational scheduling of teams. Here are the factual differences.
Before you read
This comparison is written by the Synchro team. Our bias is obvious, so we stick to public, verifiable facts, current as of 2026-08-14.
Spot an inaccuracy about Petal? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it quickly.
The factual differences
| Synchro | Petal | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2025 | 2010 |
| Scope | Specialized tool: team scheduling (schedules, on-call lists, offices, walk-ins) | Broad healthcare platform: scheduling, clinical communications, billing, patient access |
| Pricing | Published: $10 CAD per user per month billed annually, $15 CAD month-to-month | Not published, available on request from their team |
| Trial | First month free. Free hospital beta for departments | Demo on request |
| Getting started | About 45 minutes to configure a team of 30 users, onboarded by our team, or self-serve | Through their team, on request |
The real difference: full platform or specialized tool
The question is not which product is better. It is what you are looking for. If your organization wants one platform covering clinical communications, billing and patient access on top of scheduling, that is Petal's ground. Synchro does not try to replace your EMR, your billing or your booking system.
Synchro focuses on the operational problem that stays open in many teams: getting the schedule built quickly, following clear distribution rules. Concretely: walk-in distribution, office assignment, on-call lists, constraints written in plain language by each physician, visible fairness and shift transfers.
Synchro is probably the better choice if…
- You are a clinic, family medicine group or department that runs its own schedules. The manager, lead physician or administrative team builds the schedules directly, without depending on an IT service or a project team.
- You want to be operational fast. About 45 minutes to configure a team of 30 users, web interface, nothing to install, first month free.
- You want a clear price before talking to anyone. $10 CAD per user per month billed annually, on the Pricing page.
- You are looking for a tool dedicated to scheduling. No patient records, no patient booking: Synchro schedules physicians and professionals, not patients.
- Your physicians prefer writing their constraints in plain language, the way they would say them, rather than filling out forms.
When Petal is probably the better choice
- Your organization wants a single platform across departments, with clinical communications and billing built in.
- You have an institutional procurement process and a project team to run the rollout.
- You want a vendor established for fifteen years, used by tens of thousands of physicians, including in Quebec health regions, with a bilingual product line.
Already using Petal, or looking for an alternative?
If Petal answers your needs and your organization already uses its other modules, staying on an integrated platform can make sense.
If your main need is the day-to-day scheduling of a clinic, family medicine group or department, and you are looking for a Petal alternative that is more focused, simple to deploy and transparent about its price, Synchro is a serious option to consider. The first month is free: you can compare on a real schedule period without cancelling anything.
The common ground that matters
Either way, you are choosing Quebec-built software, designed for the local reality, with support in your time zone. The real question is context: a complete healthcare platform, or a tool specialized in team scheduling.
Going further
Frequently asked questions
Does Synchro replace Petal?
Not as a whole. Petal offers a broad platform covering scheduling, clinical communications, medical billing and patient access. Synchro focuses on team scheduling: schedules, on-call lists, offices, walk-ins. If your need is scheduling, Synchro covers that part. If your organization uses Petal's other modules, Synchro does not replace them.
Does Synchro handle patient data?
No. Synchro is dedicated to team scheduling: it contains no patient records and no patient booking. The platform schedules physicians and professionals, not patients.
Is Synchro meant for hospitals or only for family medicine groups?
Synchro was born in the family-medicine-group context: it was developed with a pilot FMG in Saint-Hyacinthe and the product is mature there. On-call list creation also works for hospital departments (emergency, obstetrics, pediatrics and other specialties), and that is what the free hospital beta is for: we adjust the product with every department that joins.
How much does Synchro cost?
Pricing is published: $10 CAD per user per month billed annually, $15 CAD month-to-month, first month free. For hospital departments it is free during the beta. Details are on the Pricing page.
Can we try Synchro before committing?
Yes. First month free, no commitment, and configuration takes about 45 minutes for a team of 30 users, onboarded by our team. You test on a real schedule period before paying anything.
Information about Petal comes from public sources: its website, its blog and comparison platforms (Capterra, GetApp). Petal and PetalMD are trademarks of their respective owner. This site is not affiliated with Petal in any way.
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