SmileSIM Alternative: Artist-Made Sims vs Chairside AI

What is a good SmileSIM alternative?

SmileSIM sends your patient photo to a team of digital artists and returns a hand-made simulation, within 60 minutes for premium members during its office hours or in 24 to 48 hours on the standard turnaround, paid by the credit. If you want the preview while the patient is still in the chair, the alternative is chairside software such as Smile PreVue, which turns one photo into a veneer or whitening preview on an iPad in about 20 to 30 seconds, on one monthly plan.

Every SmileSIM fact in this post comes from SmileSIM's own pages, read on 2026-10-30, and the page is named next to each figure. Smile PreVue is our product, so weigh our side accordingly. SmileSIM is a fair product with a clear model, and there are practices it suits better than we do. We say which ones below.

The question underneath most searches for an alternative is case acceptance: what helps a patient say yes in the room, instead of "I want to think about it" on the way out.

How does SmileSIM work?

Per its homepage (smilesimdmd.com, fetched 2026-10-30), SmileSIM is "a powerful dental simulation service designed to help doctors showcase their expected treatment results." The page says each simulation "is hand-crafted by a first-class team of digital artists," and that the service "requires no software to install."

The same page lists what a simulation includes:

• A simulated after image to go with your before image
• A side-by-side simulation certificate to compare results
• A morphing before and simulated after animation
• A financial roadmap worksheet

That is a complete, presentable package. A designer's hand is behind every image, and the practice does not need to learn a new tool to get one.

What does SmileSIM cost?

SmileSIM prices by the credit. Per its pricing page (smilesimdmd.com/pricing, fetched 2026-10-30):

• "All new SIMs cost 5 credits."
• 5 credits are $89, which is one SIM at $89.
• 25 credits are $345, which is five SIMs at $69 each.
• 50 credits are $490, which is ten SIMs at $49 each.
• A second version of the same photo, to show another treatment option, costs an additional 3 credits.
• New users get five free credits on signup, with no credit card needed, and credits do not expire.

So the first SIM is free, and after that a practice pays per case, from $49 to $89 depending on the pack. That is easy to budget for a practice that presents a few cosmetic cases a month.

When does the preview reach the patient?

This is the real difference between the two models, and it is about timing, not image quality.

SmileSIM's homepage (fetched 2026-10-30) states its turnaround plainly. Without a premium membership, "our standard turnaround time is 24-48 hours." Premium members who request during its 9 AM to 4 PM CST office hours get the simulation uploaded within 60 minutes, or their credits are refunded.

Those are honest numbers for hand-made work. They also mean that in most consults, the patient has left the building before the image exists. The preview arrives by email or at a second appointment, after the moment of highest interest has passed. We covered that trade-off at the category level in simulation services versus chairside software, so here is the short version.

A cosmetic decision is not made by the image alone. It is made in a conversation: the patient sees the result, asks whether it will look natural, hears the dentist explain what the treatment involves, and then hears the price. When the preview, the explanation and the price all land in the same visit, the patient can decide while the picture is still in front of them. When the preview arrives two days later, it lands in an inbox next to everything else, with nobody there to answer the next question.

A preview does not close a case on its own. The dentist still guides the conversation. What chairside timing changes is that the dentist gets to guide it at all.

SmileSIM vs Smile PreVue: how do they compare?

Here is the side-by-side, limited to rows where both sides have a sourced answer. SmileSIM cells come only from its homepage and pricing page, fetched 2026-10-30. We left out rows where a SmileSIM cell would need a guess. SmileSIM's homepage and pricing page carry no HIPAA statement, which is not a statement about its compliance either way, so we say nothing about it.

Row	SmileSIM	Smile PreVue
Who makes the preview	A team of digital artists, by hand (homepage)	AI, from one patient photo
Typical turnaround	24 to 48 hours standard; within 60 minutes for premium members during 9 AM to 4 PM CST (homepage)	About 20 to 30 seconds, chairside
Where it runs	A service, no software to install (homepage)	iPad app or a desktop browser, no scanner or other hardware
Pricing unit	Per SIM, 5 credits each; packs of $89, $345 and $490 (pricing page)	One plan per provider: $149.00 per month on the web ($1,199 a year), or $149.99 per month in the App Store
Getting started	Five free credits on signup, no card (pricing page)	3-day free trial on the web, no card, up to 3 simulations a day

Notice the pricing row compares different units. One is per case, the other is per provider per month. Neither is simply cheaper. Which costs less for your practice depends on how many cosmetic cases you present and how often you want to show more than one option. Do that arithmetic with your own numbers. Our full price is on the Smile PreVue pricing page.

What else comes with Smile PreVue?

Beyond the preview, the parts that matter for a same-visit decision are on what Smile PreVue does chairside. In short, the preview can go home with the patient by email, or by text with the patient's double opt-in, and as a branded PDF report. The practice can price the case and let the patient pay in full by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Cash App, or pay over time through Affirm, Klarna or Sunbit, subject to the provider's approval. Smile PreVue is not the lender. Processing runs on Google Cloud's Vertex AI under the Google Cloud BAA, and the platform is HIPAA-compliant.

Smile PreVue previews veneers and whitening. It does not simulate orthodontics, implants or other treatments, so if those are your main cosmetic cases, factor that in.

When is SmileSIM the better choice?

A fair comparison has to say this part out loud. SmileSIM may be the better fit if:

• Your cosmetic volume is low. If you present a handful of cases a year, paying per SIM can make more sense than a monthly plan per provider.
• You present big cases at a second visit anyway. For a full-mouth plan that already involves records, a wax-up and a dedicated presentation appointment, a 24 to 48 hour turnaround fits the schedule, and nothing is lost by waiting.
• You want a designer's hand on the image. Some dentists prefer a person to make the judgment calls on a showcase case. That is a reasonable preference.
• You do not want a new step in the operatory. A service asks nothing of your team in the room beyond taking the photo.

Smile PreVue fits better when the cases you lose are the ones that walk out undecided: the veneer or whitening consult where the patient was interested, said they needed to think about it, and never booked. That is where a preview in the room, with the price discussed in the same visit, has the most to offer.

If you are weighing other tools in the field, we have also written up how DTS PRO compares, using the same vendor-sourced rules.

What should you test in a trial?

Whichever direction you lean, test the thing that matters in a real consult, not a demo. Three checks, at the concept level:

• Time from photo to preview, in a live consult. Not the vendor's number, yours, with a real patient and the usual interruptions.
• Whether the patient leaves with it. Can the patient take the preview home by email, text or a PDF the same day, so the conversation at the dinner table starts from the image you showed?
• Whether price and payment happen in the same visit. If the patient says yes, can the case be priced and paid for, or financed, before they stand up?

Run the same checks against SmileSIM's free first SIM and against our trial, and decide on what you saw in your own operatory.

FAQ: SmileSIM alternatives

How much does SmileSIM cost?

Per smilesimdmd.com/pricing (fetched 2026-10-30), a new SIM costs 5 credits. Credits come in packs of 5 for $89, 25 for $345 and 50 for $490, which works out to $89, $69 or $49 per SIM. Another treatment version of the same photo costs 3 more credits, and new users get five free credits. Confirm current prices on SmileSIM's site before you buy.

Is Smile PreVue a simulation service like SmileSIM?

No. Smile PreVue is software the practice runs chairside on an iPad or in a desktop browser. Nothing is sent out for a person to build, which is why the preview is ready in about 20 to 30 seconds.

Does Smile PreVue do orthodontic or implant simulations?

No. Smile PreVue previews veneers and whitening.

How much does Smile PreVue cost?

There is one plan: $149.00 per provider per month on the web, or $1,199 a year, and $149.99 per month in the App Store. Smile PreVue is not affiliated with PreVu Dental.

Can I try Smile PreVue first?

Yes. Start a 3-day free trial on the web at app.smileprevue.com/register with no card and up to 3 simulations a day, or download Smile PreVue from the App Store, whichever fits how your practice works.