Most labs choose an exocad licence by comparing tier names and prices. That is the wrong order, and it is the reason so many labs end up either paying for modules they never open, or hitting a wall six months in on a case they cannot design.
The licence should fall out of two things: the work you actually take today, and the work you are currently turning away. Everything else is noise.
We built a tool that does this properly: the exocad licence configurator — answer four questions about your case mix and we send back the configuration that fits.
The four questions that decide it
1. What share of your cases are single units and simple bridges?
If that number is above roughly 80%, a base crown-and-bridge configuration covers you. Adding implant or denture capability to a lab that does not take that work is capital that returns nothing until the work arrives.
2. Are you turning away implant work?
This is the most common upgrade trigger we see. Screw-retained restorations, custom abutments and bar work each require their own capability. If you are outsourcing these or declining them outright, the number to compare against the module price is the revenue you are losing — not the price on its own.
A lab outsourcing four implant cases a month is usually already paying more in lost margin than the upgrade costs. Tell us your implant volume and we will run that comparison for you.
3. Do you do removable?
Full dentures and partial frameworks are a separate discipline in software as much as they are at the bench. A lab moving into printed dentures needs this deliberately. A crown-and-bridge lab does not, and should not pay for it in advance.
4. Who else touches the file?
If you send designs to a referring clinic for approval, or take files from several different scanners, collaboration and interoperability will matter more day to day than any single design feature.
The three bundles we stock
These are the iMES-iCORE exocad bundles in our catalogue, with current pricing:
| Bundle | Price | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Lab Bundle | $7,816.32 | A crown-and-bridge lab going fully digital. The standard starting point for most labs. |
| Implant Lab Bundle | $10,110.24 | A lab already taking implant work, or losing cases by outsourcing it. |
| Ultimate Lab Bundle | $14,853.84 | A full-service lab covering crown & bridge, implant and removable in one house. |
Individual modules are also available and are quoted per lab — configuration depends on which capabilities you actually need, so we price it against your case mix rather than selling you a box. Request your configuration and pricing here.
Prices verified at time of publication and subject to change; software licences are not stock items, and current version and availability are confirmed at quote.
Three mistakes that cost real money
Buying the top bundle "to be safe." Software you do not use does not appreciate. If removable is not on your roadmap this year, that capability is dead capital until it is.
Buying the base tier when implant work is already walking in the door. Upgrading later is rarely free, and every month you outsource is margin leaving the building.
Choosing on price without checking what your mill and scanner expect. A licence that does not fit your existing hardware chain creates an export workaround you will repeat on every single case for years. That cost never appears on the quote.
All three are avoidable in one conversation. Send us your case mix and we will tell you which tier fits — including when the honest answer is that you do not need to upgrade yet.
Six questions to ask any supplier before you buy
- Which modules are included in this bundle, by name?
- What does it cost to add a module later, versus buying it now?
- Is this perpetual or subscription, and what happens at renewal?
- What are the upgrade terms when a new version ships?
- Does it integrate with my scanner and my milling unit without an export workaround?
- What support is included, and who actually answers — the distributor or the manufacturer?
A supplier who has genuinely deployed this software answers all six without checking. One who ships boxes will need to get back to you. That difference tells you more about the next three years than any feature list. Ask us all six.
Get the licence that fits — not the biggest one
We would rather quote you the right configuration than the largest one. Tell us your monthly case volume and your split across crown & bridge, implant and removable, and we reply within 24 hours.
→ Request exocad licence pricing and download the buying guide
Or call or text +1 (954) 874-6325 — English & Espanol, Mon-Fri 8am-5pm ET.
Related reading: how case mix decides your milling unit and open STL versus closed portal on scanners — both decisions that interact directly with your CAD licence.