Vello Review

The verdict

Vello is the client engagement platform IDEXX built exclusively for ezyVet, Neo and Cornerstone. It automates appointment and medical service reminders by text, email and postcard, adds unlimited two-way texting from a local number inside the PIMS, online scheduling, pre-visit instructions, post-visit surveys and a pet owner app and portal, and ties communication to preventive care with diagnostic screening recommendations and VetConnect PLUS results sharing. Everything writes back to the record natively, and IDEXX reports 19 percent fewer no-shows. Pricing is quoted, reported at about $249 a month flat. The catches are that it only works with IDEXX PIMS, offers less reminder cadence customization, lacks integrated wellness plans and uses Vello rather than practice branding. For IDEXX clinics it is the obvious first choice.

Vello at a glance

See Vello in action

A quick look at the interface, so you know what you are getting before the trial.

What Vello does

The areas we lean on most in daily use, and how Vello handles each.

How Vello works day to day

Vello is the client engagement platform from IDEXX, built only for IDEXX practice management software: ezyVet, IDEXX Neo and Cornerstone. It automates appointment and medical service reminders, adds unlimited two-way texting, online scheduling and post-visit follow-ups and surveys, and gives pet owners a Vello app and web portal where they can see upcoming visits, review pre-visit instructions, request refills and download records and vaccination history. Because IDEXX makes both the PIMS and Vello, messages, confirmations and bookings write back to the patient record automatically.

What is Vello in practice? It is the reminder and communication layer of an IDEXX clinic. Reminders go out by SMS, email and mailed postcard, from ready-made or fully custom veterinary postcard designs, and confirmed visits appear on the practice calendar without anyone calling the client. Pre-appointment instructions, such as bringing a fecal sample or fasting before bloodwork, go out ahead of the visit, and IDEXX reports that Vello users reduce no-shows by an average of 19 percent. A Vello inbox inside the PIMS handles two-way texting from a dedicated local number with photo sharing, auto-replies and templates, with no per-message limit.

IDEXX frames Vello around the three stages of a visit, and that is a useful way to judge any veterinary client engagement software. Before the visit, appointment reminders, confirmations and pre-visit instructions mean the client arrives prepared and the practice team starts the day with fewer surprises and fewer no-shows. During the visit, preventive care conversations have already started, because the client has seen the recommended diagnostics and what they cost, so the veterinary team spends less time explaining and more time on care. After the visit, follow-ups, surveys and results sharing keep pet owners connected, and every client communication is logged in the practice software instead of a separate tool. For a busy veterinary practice, that continuity of client communication is the real value of a platform built by the same company as its PIMS.

The feature that sets Vello apart is how it ties client communication to diagnostics and preventive care. Diagnostic screening recommendations can appear in the client's appointment details with an average cost range, fecal sample checklists and customizable client education drive compliance, and the newest update lets the team send diagnostic results from VetConnect PLUS to the pet owner by text or email, with a PDF the client can open later in the app or portal. IDEXX's own case studies cite a 4.3 percent increase in wellness visit volume and a 7.1 percent increase in wellness visits with diagnostics; one Michigan practice on Neo reports fecal samples rising from under five a week to more than five a day.

Integration is native by design. With ezyVet, client messages and bookings save to the ezyVet record automatically; with Neo, syncing is instant with a pet parent portal; and with Cornerstone, Vello adds automated communications, writeback and self-service access for clients. IDEXX says setup uses automatic PIMS sync and a dedicated onboarding team that can get a practice live in hours. The trade-off is just as clear: Vello is currently only available to IDEXX software users, so a clinic on Avimark, Covetrus Pulse, Shepherd or Digitail cannot use it.

Vello pricing is not published on IDEXX's site; you book a demo for a quote. IDEXX describes it as transparent, all-in-one pricing with no hidden upgrade fees, and third-party comparisons report a flat price of about $249 a month with unlimited two-way texting and no user limits. Treat that number as a starting point and confirm it with IDEXX, and ask which IDEXX add-ons are included.

IDEXX is candid about Vello's limits in its own comparison guide. There are fewer options for customizing reminder cadence than in some rivals, some capabilities such as integrated wellness plans are not yet available, and the client app and portal carry the Vello brand rather than your practice's. Independent reviews are still scarce: Capterra shows 5.0 out of 5 from only 3 reviews, with users praising easy setup, client compliance and responsive support, so ask IDEXX for references from practices on your PIMS.

If Vello is not the right fit, the closest Vello alternatives are PetDesk, which works with more than 25 PIMS and adds phones and an AI scribe, Weave for phones, texting and reviews, Otto for scheduling, communication and payments, AllyDVM for reminders and client apps, and Mango Voice if you mainly need a phone system. The verdict: for practices already on ezyVet, Neo or Cornerstone, Vello is the most tightly integrated way to automate reminders, texting and preventive care follow-up, and the natural first choice before adding a third-party platform.

Vello pros and cons

Who should use Vello, and who should skip it

Is Vello right for your practice?

Here is how Vello fits each type of practice, and what to check for yours.

Vello scorecard

How Vello scored across our rubric. Every tool is measured on the same areas.

Vello pricing and plans

Real starting prices, dated and re-checked each pass. IDEXX does not publish Vello pricing on its site; practices book a demo for a quote. IDEXX describes it as transparent, all-in-one pricing with no hidden upgrade fees, and third-party comparisons report a flat price of about $249 a month including unlimited two-way texting and no user limits. Vello is only available to practices on ezyVet, IDEXX Neo or Cornerstone.

Vello integrations

Tools Vello connects with out of the box, so it fits the stack you already run.

Support, training and deployment

How you can reach the Vello team, how they onboard you, and where it runs.

Vello alternatives

If Vello is not the fit, these are the closest tools we rank, in order.

How to test Vello before you commit

Every tool demos well. These are the checks that actually tell you whether Vello fits your practice, while the free trial is still running.

Vello FAQ

Vello reviews from real users

Verified reviews from people running Vello in the field. Every review is read by our team before it goes live, so this is honest signal, not spam.