DICOM viewers open the scans that CT, MR, ultrasound and X-ray machines produce, on a desktop, in a browser or inside a PACS.
This guide puts independent and open projects first and asks four things: how images arrive, where they are stored, what a year costs, and whether the vendor says who stands behind the software.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What DICOM viewer software does
A DICOM viewer reads medical image files and PACS archives, then lets clinicians scroll, measure, reconstruct and share studies on a workstation, in a web browser or on a phone.
Setup effort, true cost, data portability, exit options and buyer fit are the five tests, applied in that order to every DICOM viewer tool here. Smaller challengers are placed in the top three wherever the category has them; the well-known brands come after. The reasoning behind the five tests, and behind having no score out of ten, is set out on the how we work page.
Quoted per organisation; the home page shows no prices
—
Large hospital groups consolidating imaging and reporting with one supplier
Small clinics wanting a lightweight viewer
The country column shows the vendor's headquarters or contracting entity. Data hosting is a separate matter, and an entry flags it when the two diverge.
Open desktop viewer that reads DICOM discs, folders and PACS archives
Ranked #1 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Beyond everyday CT, MR, ultrasound and X-ray, Weasis handles MPR with volume rendering, MIP slabs, calibrated measurements saved as KO or PR objects, and DICOM SEG or radiotherapy structures.
It can be launched from a portal through the weasis:// protocol. Every exam type works out of the box, yet the vendor page gives no support offer, so a hospital must plan its own upkeep.
What stands out
EPL 2.0 or Apache 2.0
Reads DICOM CDs offline
DICOMweb and DIMSE queries
Where it costs you
The site names no developing organisation, so there is no named party to hold to a support commitment.
The page lists no paid plans, which leaves training and maintenance for you to arrange.
Right for
Clinics and researchers wanting a no-cost workstation viewer with 3D, structured reports and PACS queries
Wrong for
Buyers who need a vendor to sign a support contract
Not stated by the vendorFree software under EPL 2.0 or Apache 2.0; the page lists no paid plans
Windows viewer sold by the month or year, with a disc-burning edition
Ranked #2 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The disc licence is the unusual part: a recorder buyer pays once and gets an autorun package that opens images on a patient CD without installation, with a yearly maintenance renewal after twelve months of updates.
Subscription terms start short, so a seasonal reading room can pay by the month. Checkout runs through a reseller page and prices exclude local taxes.
What stands out
Prepaid terms from one month
PET-CT fusion
CD/DVD autorun package
Where it costs you
The pricing page mentions neither a trial nor a gratis edition, so a purchase precedes any hands-on test.
It is a Windows product, which excludes Mac-only departments.
Right for
Small practices wanting a priced Windows viewer for a few workstations
Wrong for
Mac or browser-only teams wanting a trial first
Not stated by the vendorSubscription prices published per PC and term, plus a one-time recorder licence for disc autorun packages
Cloud PACS storage with a browser viewer and secure sharing links
Ranked #3 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Plans differ by storage and seats: the lower tier holds 100 GB, the next 500 GB with two users, then 1,000 GB with three.
The primary region is picked from twelve Azure locations, and a bridge program sends images from modalities that use C-STORE. API and FHIR access come only with the custom plan, so integrators should price that tier before committing.
What stands out
Azure storage region choice
Password-protected share links
Medical Device Communicator
Where it costs you
The trial needs a card and auto-renews unless cancelled, so a missed date becomes a paid month.
Storage caps rise with each tier, which makes a large archive expensive.
Right for
Imaging centres wanting hosted storage and referrer links without running servers
Wrong for
Sites forbidden from keeping studies in a public cloud
Not stated by the vendorFour published tiers plus a custom quote, billed monthly or yearly and sized by storage and users; 7-day trial with a card
Lightweight Belgian DICOM server with a REST API and web viewers
Ranked #4 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierOpen sourcePublished pricingEurope
Orthanc earns its place where a team wants to script imaging: receive, upload and transfer studies, then drive the whole flow through the REST API or an SDK for native applications, with a web interface included.
Whole-slide imaging and an ImageJ interface exist as plugins. The vendor sells commercial offers separately from the free software, so the free route means assembling and running the pieces yourself.
What stands out
REST API
Stone and Orthanc web viewers
Plugin ecosystem
Where it costs you
The home page names no specific licence, so legal review needs the repository.
It is a server with viewer plugins, which suits integrators more than radiologists.
Right for
Developers and hospital IT teams wiring DICOM storage into their own workflows
Wrong for
Clinicians expecting a ready workstation out of the box
BelgiumFree software; commercial offers are sold separately under Orthanc Services and donations are accepted
Windows and Mac viewers, with a gratis Lite edition
Ranked #5 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The Lite and Pro split lets a small clinic start without paying and move up only when it needs anonymising, burning discs or acting as a small PACS.
Pro is the edition with 2D and 3D viewing and file conversion. A Mac version is sold under the same name, which helps mixed offices, although the page mentions no trial for Pro.
What stands out
Gratis Lite edition
DICOM anonymiser
Disc burning
Where it costs you
Pro prices sit behind a store and a quote page, so budgeting needs a request.
The pages read give no country or address for Santesoft LTD.
Right for
Practices wanting a gratis viewer now and a paid upgrade path later
Wrong for
Teams needing published Pro prices before talking to anyone
Not stated by the vendorFree Lite edition; Pro prices are not shown, only a store link and a written quote page
Open web viewer framework maintained by a health imaging foundation
Ranked #6 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierSelf-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
Treat OHIF as scaffolding. Its extensible framework runs in the browser, and the foundation lists funding from NIH/NCI ITCR and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. A hosted demo lets a team test it at viewer.ohif.org.
For customisation, AI integration or upgrades, the page points to paid expert support without a price, so project cost has to be estimated from the work, not read off a tariff.
What stands out
MIT licence
Runs in the browser
Segmentation workflows
Where it costs you
The page names no PACS or EHR integration, so connecting it is development work.
Self-hosting is not described, which leaves deployment guidance to the repository.
Right for
Developers building a custom browser viewer on a permissive licence
Wrong for
Clinics wanting to install a viewer and start reading
Not stated by the vendorFree under the MIT licence; paid expert support exists with no price shown
Research workstation for segmentation, registration and image-guided therapy plugins
Ranked #7 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierOpen sourcePublished pricingElsewhere
The extension catalogue is the draw: Python 3 packages can be installed, AI frameworks connect, and OpenIGTLink links trackers and scanners. A Segment Editor supports hundreds of segments in a single image, which suits anatomical modelling.
Because the page calls its BSD-style licence open to commercial use, a company can build on it. Day-to-day reading is simply not what it advertises.
What stands out
Segment Editor
Over 150 extensions
MONAI and TensorFlow
Where it costs you
The page advertises segmentation, registration and extensions rather than routine reading workflows, which leaves daily reporting unaddressed.
The page states no country or company behind it, only contributors.
Right for
Researchers segmenting scans and testing AI models on a free platform
Wrong for
Front-line radiologists needing fast daily reading
Not stated by the vendorFree and open source under a BSD-style licence that invites commercial use
Self-hosted PACS archive that indexes DICOM metadata for search
Ranked #8 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Free tierSelf-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
Dicoogle puts search first: a team can query by example or range over stored metadata, then extend the system through a plugin SDK and an open API.
GPL v3 is the stated licence, so a legal team should read it before any commercial reuse. Installation is described as simple on Windows, Linux or Mac, and you run the server yourself, which makes upkeep your job.
What stands out
GPL v3
Metadata search indexing
Plugin SDK
Where it costs you
Proprietary plugins carry no published price, so extras are unbudgetable from the page.
The site names no vendor company or country, only the University of Aveiro and BMD Software as users.
Right for
Research groups wanting searchable DICOM storage on their own server
Wrong for
Radiology departments seeking a polished viewing workstation
Not stated by the vendorFree GPL v3 core; free and proprietary plugins exist with no prices shown
Mac-only viewer from Pixmeo, with a certified MD edition
Ranked #9 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Certification is the point of difference: the vendor states that the MD edition is certified for medical use, FDA cleared and CE II labelled. Navigation covers 3D and 4D, and the platform accepts plugins.
The terms name a Swiss company and Swiss law. Price is shown per month, so cost compounds over several years, and the page offers no one-off licence to compare it with.
What stands out
FDA cleared and CE II
3D and 4D navigation
Open plugin platform
Where it costs you
The page lists no tiers, only a starting monthly price, so the full cost stays unclear.
The page lists only Mac builds, which leaves Windows workstations out.
Right for
Mac-based radiologists wanting a certified viewer with 3D and plugins
Wrong for
Windows or Linux departments and buyers avoiding subscriptions
SwitzerlandOsiriX MD is shown with a monthly start price; Lite is a free demo for macOS
Austrian health-content platform with archive, PACS and multiformat viewer
Ranked #10 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
This is a platform sale, not a viewer purchase. The viewer sits beside archive, scanning, video and reporting modules, which suits a hospital wanting all of them from one supplier.
A buyer who wanted only a DICOM viewer would be evaluating a much wider product. The page does not name a synedra View product, so confirm exactly which viewer you are getting.
What stands out
Universal archive
Multiformat viewer
FHIR and reporting
Where it costs you
Prices need a sales contact and no trial is mentioned, so evaluation is slow.
Owner and hosting model are unstated, leaving procurement questions open.
Right for
Hospitals wanting one archive and viewer across many content types
Wrong for
Small clinics wanting a self-service download and price list
AustriaQuoted per organisation; the pages show no prices and no trial
Cloud-native PACS and viewer platform for radiologists and clinicians
Ranked #11 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Visage positions the viewer as part of a PACS, giving radiologists and clinicians the same interface with the full imaging history behind it. The iPhone and iPad app extends reading to mobile.
The platform is described as cloud-native and server-side. Procurement is by demo, and the home page offers no figure for what an enterprise rollout would cost, and no country is given either.
What stands out
Visage 7 platform
CloudPACS
Visage Ease Pro app
Where it costs you
No price or trial is shown, so budgeting begins with a demo request.
On-premises deployment is not mentioned, so the cloud route is the one on offer.
Right for
Hospital groups wanting one cloud viewer with priors and mobile reading
Wrong for
Small clinics wanting visible prices and a download
Not stated by the vendorQuoted per organisation; the site invites a demo and states no price
Enterprise imaging with cloud offering and radiology reporting in one system
Ranked #12 of 12 in Best DICOM Viewer Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Sectra is the large, multi-product end of this list, so it sits last: the sale is a full imaging and reporting system, not a viewer.
Its one-system approach reduces the number of suppliers a hospital deals with, yet the same breadth makes adopting it a wider commitment than adding a viewer. Neither prices nor named integrations were visible on the page, and the headquarters location was not stated.
What stands out
Sectra One Cloud
Radiology reporting
Enterprise imaging
Where it costs you
The home page shows no prices, so cost surfaces only through sales talks.
No third-party integrations appear on the page read, which leaves interoperability unconfirmed.
Right for
Large hospital groups consolidating imaging and reporting with one supplier
Wrong for
Small clinics wanting a lightweight viewer
Not stated by the vendorQuoted per organisation; the home page shows no prices
A DICOM viewer reads medical image files and PACS archives, then lets clinicians scroll, measure, reconstruct and share studies on a workstation, in a web browser or on a phone. These are the questions that actually differ between vendors, in the order we would ask them.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
Only 8 of the 12 print a price; 4 quote per organisation. Comparable without a sales call: Weasis, RadiAnt, PostDICOM, Orthanc, Sante DICOM Viewer, OHIF Viewer, 3D Slicer, Dicoogle.
02
Ask which country the contract runs through
The vendors on this page are based in 4 countries (Elsewhere 9, Europe 3). The country of the contracting company sets which authorities can ask it for your data, whatever the hosting region.
03
Decide if open source matters
Open source here means Orthanc, 3D Slicer. The price of self-hosting is the time your team spends maintaining it.
How DICOM viewer software gets images in front of you
Before comparing screens, trace the route a study takes. Weasis reads a folder, a USB drive or a DICOM CD and also queries a PACS over DICOMweb or DIMSE, so it copes with a patient arriving with a disc. RadiAnt does the same for Windows and sells an autorun disc package. PostDICOM works the other way: a bridge program pushes images from scanners into cloud storage and the viewer opens in a browser.
Orthanc and Dicoogle are servers that receive and index studies first. A viewer that cannot reach your source of images has no value, however good the rendering is. Ask each vendor which transfer methods apply before judging anything on screen, because a missing link usually means custom work for your own IT staff.
List every source of studies: scanners, discs, referrers and an existing archive.
Check the protocol each product states, such as DICOMweb, DIMSE or C-STORE.
Test one real study from each source before agreeing a licence.
Open source viewers and what running one involves
Free tools dominate this market, and they are not interchangeable. Weasis is a workstation viewer under EPL 2.0 or Apache 2.0. OHIF Viewer is MIT-licensed and runs in a browser, but it is a framework, and the page names no PACS integration. 3D Slicer is BSD-licensed and aimed at segmentation research. Dicoogle uses GPL v3, which matters if you plan to ship a derived product.
Orthanc is free and open source, yet its home page names no licence, so check the repository. Free software moves the cost into hours of configuration and into support you must arrange yourself. Paid expert support exists for OHIF Viewer, but its page shows no price, so the hours stay an estimate until a quote arrives.
Confirm the licence in the repository, not only on the home page.
Decide who maintains the installation and who answers when it fails.
Ask whether a paid support route exists and read what it covers.
Pricing for DICOM viewer software, from free demos to quotes
Prices in this category take four shapes. RadiAnt and PostDICOM publish them, one per PC and term, the other by storage tier. Sante DICOM Viewer has a free Lite edition while Pro prices sit behind a store and quote page. OsiriX shows a monthly start price for its MD edition and a free Lite demo. Synedra, Visage and Sectra sell by quotation, so the page gives you nothing to budget.
Remember that a trial may need a card: PostDICOM auto-renews after seven days unless you cancel. Compare the cost of three years, not one month. RadiAnt's prepaid terms and PostDICOM's storage tiers make that sum easy, while a quote-only vendor forces you to ask for the same figures in writing and to compare them like for like.
Convert every offer into a three-year cost for your number of workstations.
Note which trials need a card and when they renew.
Request a written quote from vendors that publish no price.
Certification, platforms and who is behind the product
A viewer used for diagnosis carries regulatory weight. OsiriX says its MD edition is FDA cleared and CE II labelled, and Visage calls its iOS app FDA 510(k) cleared, while the Lite demo and open projects make no such claim on the pages read. Platform limits also bite: OsiriX is for Macs, RadiAnt for Windows, OHIF Viewer for a browser.
Ownership is patchy, too. Weasis, 3D Slicer and Dicoogle name no company or country on their sites, whereas Orthanc, OsiriX and Synedra state Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. Read the intended-use statement before putting any viewer in a clinical workflow, and keep a copy with the purchase record so an auditor can see which edition was bought.
Ask for the intended-use statement and certification in writing.
Match the operating systems on your reading room workstations.
Record which company, if any, answers for the software.
What goes wrong most often when buying DICOM viewer software
Choosing a viewer for its rendering demo before testing studies from your own scanners and discs.
Assuming a free research platform such as 3D Slicer is cleared for routine clinical reading.
Treating Orthanc or Dicoogle as a ready workstation when both are servers that need configuring.
Starting a card-based trial for a cloud archive and missing the renewal date after seven days.
07
Frequently asked questions
8 answers
What is the best DICOM viewer software in 2026?
Weasis leads our ranking of 12. Weasis is a desktop viewer released under EPL 2.0 or Apache 2.0 and described as free with no vendor lock-in.
It opens exams from a folder, a USB drive or a DICOM CD without a network, and queries a PACS through DICOMweb or DIMSE. The site names no developing organisation or country and lists no paid support, so responsibility for a clinic deployment stays with you.
Which DICOM viewer tools publish their pricing?
8 of the 12, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Weasis: Free software under EPL 2.0 or Apache 2.0; the page lists no paid plans.
RadiAnt: Subscription prices published per PC and term, plus a one-time recorder licence for disc autorun packages.
PostDICOM: Four published tiers plus a custom quote, billed monthly or yearly and sized by storage and users; 7-day trial with a card.
Orthanc: Free software; commercial offers are sold separately under Orthanc Services and donations are accepted.
Sante DICOM Viewer: Free Lite edition; Pro prices are not shown, only a store link and a written quote page.
OHIF Viewer: Free under the MIT licence; paid expert support exists with no price shown.
3D Slicer: Free and open source under a BSD-style licence that invites commercial use.
Dicoogle: Free GPL v3 core; free and proprietary plugins exist with no prices shown.
The other 4 quote per organisation.
Is there a free DICOM viewer tool?
Weasis, Orthanc, Sante DICOM Viewer, OHIF Viewer, 3D Slicer, Dicoogle come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these DICOM viewer software vendors established?
Vendor countries on this page, Elsewhere 9, Europe 3:
Weasis: Not stated by the vendor.
RadiAnt: Not stated by the vendor.
PostDICOM: Not stated by the vendor.
Orthanc: Belgium.
Sante DICOM Viewer: Not stated by the vendor.
OHIF Viewer: Not stated by the vendor.
3D Slicer: Not stated by the vendor.
Dicoogle: Not stated by the vendor.
OsiriX: Switzerland.
Synedra: Austria.
Visage: Not stated by the vendor.
Sectra: Not stated by the vendor.
Which DICOM viewer tools are open source?
Orthanc, 3D Slicer.
Which DICOM viewer tools can you host yourself?
OHIF Viewer, Dicoogle, Visage. The other 9 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of Weasis?
RadiAnt and PostDICOM are the next two on this page. RadiAnt is for small practices wanting a priced Windows viewer for a few workstations; PostDICOM is for Imaging centres wanting hosted storage and referrer links without running servers.
Who should not buy Weasis?
Buyers who need a vendor to sign a support contract. The site names no developing organisation, so there is no named party to hold to a support commitment..
We rank 12 DICOM viewer software products on this page. If we missed one, its maker can write to us about its purpose and customers. We pick what gets added; the terms of a listing are set out under software advice.
