Cloud 9 is a complete orthodontic practice management software. It’s part of the Planet DDS dental suite of products that’s trusted by over 13,000+ practices nationwide.
From patient scheduling and communication to financial management and payment processing, this fully cloud-based software helps ortho practices manage both front and back-office operations.
If you’re currently using Cloud 9 or considering using its integrated payment processing capabilities, read this review first. We’ll give you our insider take on the payment processing options based on our first-hand experience with our clients using Cloud 9.
Quick Take on Cloud 9 by Planet DDS
We work with dozens of orthodontists relying on Cloud 9 for day-to-day operations. Many of our clients also use the platform’s integrated payment processing capabilities.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Cloud 9 offers three integrated payment processing options—Global Payments, Worldpay, and Planet DDS Pay.
- With any of these options, your rates are 100% negotiable.
- All of the payment solutions are PCI compliant.
- Avoid any flat-rate pricing structure that’s presented to you.
- If you’re already set up with one of these integrated processors, you can lower your costs without switching (it’s rarely cheaper to switch).
Cloud 9 definitely provides powerful orthodontic-specific software. But since your payment acceptance options are somewhat limited, processors often leverage this to inflate your rates.
We’ve identified savings opportunities on every Cloud 9 processing statement we’ve audited, so there’s a good chance you’re overpaying.
Cloud 9 Highlights and Key Features
Before diving into the payment processing specifics, let’s look at some of the top features Cloud 9 offers and why it stands out in the orthodontics practice management space.
- Appointment management
- Two-way secure patient messaging
- Ability for patients to book appointments online
- Patient billing management
- Insurance claim reimbursement tracking
- Integrated payment processing
- Marketing tools
Overall, Cloud 9 is solid for managing patient schedules, communication, billing, and payment acceptance.
But I don’t think it’s quite as comprehensive as tools like Dolphin Practice Management. It’s not as scalable for multi-location practices and the feature list isn’t nearly as extensive. Many practices will likely need to leverage other Planet DDS solutions in addition to Cloud 9, like Apteryx for cloud imaging.
Integrated Payment Processing With Cloud 9 and Planet DDS
The ability to have payment acceptance integrated into your practice management software is crucial for any orthodontic or dental practice. This really simplifies the way you accept payments, helping to reduce errors and just make your life easier.
It’s important to understand that Cloud 9 itself doesn’t actually process your payments. So you’ll be using a third-party processor to accept credit cards.
You essentially have three potential integrated processors to choose from:
- Global Payments
- Worldpay
- Planet DDS Pay
We’ll take a closer look at each of these options below so you understand the pros, cons, pricing, and key differences.
Global Payments
Global Payments is one of the largest payment processors in the world. But despite its size, it’s actually not that great.
The biggest problem with Global Payments is that we constantly see them using deceptive and unethical billing practices. We’ve caught them padding assessment fees, inflating rates, inventing new fees, charging bogus fees, and they’re constantly raising rates.
An average orthodontist doesn’t know how to spot these things on statements, so Global just continues to get away with it until the business pushes back.
It’s also worth noting that, in general, integrated payment processing is more expensive due to the setup. Global applies these tactics even to businesses that don’t have integrations, so we typically expect the sales reps here to be even more aggressive when setting up your account.
With all of that said, Global does have access to interchange-plus pricing, and they can get you lower rates if you know how to ask.
If you haven’t made a decision yet, then I’d say to stay away from Global. But if you’ve already set up Global via Cloud 9 and Planet DDS, then it’s worth negotiating a better rate without switching.
Check out our Global Payments review for more information, including a full list of fees to watch out for if you’re using them.
Worldpay
Worldpay doesn’t have the best reputation in the payments industry, either. They aren’t nearly as bad as Global, but they also add some bogus monthly charges to accounts and try to increase rates as frequently as possible.
But our team has had lots of success over the years negotiating better rates with Worldpay.
For example, we’ve got some accounts down to a 0.10% + $0.10 per transaction markup over interchange, which is solid.
Integrated processing accounts through Cloud 9 will likely be a bit higher. And I’d say anything above 40-50 basis points has room for negotiation.
Keep in mind that Global Payments recently acquired Worldpay. The deal hasn’t officially gone through yet, but we definitely expect to see some of Global’s aggressive pricing tactics applied to Worldpay customers in the coming years.
So it’s in your best interest to audit your statements and negotiate better terms sooner rather than later to get ahead of this.
Refer to our Worldpay review for additional insights.
Planet DDS Pay
Planet DDS Pay is the newest addition to Cloud 9’s payment ecosystem. It officially launched in February 2025, so we don’t have tons of historical data on it compared to Global and Worldpay.
However, we’ve seen this type of play before across other orthodontics software and integrated payments. Here’s what makes Planet DDS Pay fundamentally different compared to the other options.
Planet DDS is moving to offer its own in-house payment processing solution, and Planet DDS Pay is just another service extension to Cloud 9 and Denticon. But Planet DDS doesn’t actually have the ability to process payments on its own. So the platform is powered by Stripe on the backend—which is a good thing for merchants.
Stripe has some of the best payment technology on the market right now (which I’ve made clear in our Stripe review). And as long as you stay away from its flat-rate pricing, it’s a really solid processing option for modern payments, especially for a cloud-based software like Cloud 9.
You’re getting great features, like text-to-pay requests sent directly to patient phones with a secure payment link. It also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay, in addition to all major credit cards.
Just be aware that Planet DDS needs to pay Stripe and still turn a profit. So your markup will always be a bit more inflated here because two players need to get paid.
In theory, it would be nice if Planet DDS just offered this solution as a way to simplify payments for Cloud 9 users. And while that may be partially true, make no mistake, they’re doing this because it’s profitable for the company.
This is still probably the best option for any new Cloud 9 user who wants to set up integrated processing for their practice, assuming you don’t already have another provider. You can likely get a great rate here because Planet DDS wants to onboard as many customers as possible to their own in-house payment platform. So they should be able to undercut Global and Worldpay.
How to Lower Cloud 9 Payment Processing Rates
For those of you who are already set up with integrated processing on Cloud 9, there’s a strong probability you’re paying higher rates than you need to. Here’s what you can do to reduce those fees:
- Start by auditing your last few months of statements.
- Look for any new charges, rate increases, and fees separate from the per-transaction rates.
- Contact the processor directly to negotiate better terms (not Cloud 9).
- Cloud 9 doesn’t control the rates set by Global or Worldpay, so going straight to the source is the only solution.
- Demand that those extra charges be removed, and ask for a rate reduction.
- If you’re on a flat-rate plan, ask for interchange-plus pricing (flat-rate plans crush your profits).
You can also try to leverage Planet DDS Pay to your advantage. Make an empty threat to switch (even though we don’t actually recommend this).
You’re in the power seat here because neither Global nor Worldpay wants to lose your account. They know that you can likely get a better rate via the Planet DDS Pay Stripe solution, so they’ll be more willing to work with you if you bring it up.
Get help from our team here at Merchant Cost Consulting if you need help navigating these negotiations. We can audit your statements for free, identify savings opportunities, and then negotiate better terms on your behalf directly with your processor. So you can keep everything you have in place with Cloud 9—you’ll just pay less.
Final Thoughts on Cloud 9 by Planet DDS
In terms of the software itself, Cloud 9 is solid. It works well for any orthodontics practice that’s looking for a cloud-based way to manage schedules, communicate with patients, and accept payments under one roof.
As for the integrated payment processing aspect, your choices are a bit limited.
Bluntly put, Global isn’t great, and Worldpay isn’t either (although they’re not as bad). The new Planet DDS Pay solution powered by Stripe is definitely an intriguing option, especially for brand new accounts that don’t have a processor yet. But I don’t think it’s good enough to consider the switch from Global or Worldpay—at least not yet.
Try negotiating better terms directly with Global or Worldpay first. It’s not always easy because these providers know you don’t have many options.
But getting a lower rate is 100% possible.
Between removing bogus fees, restructuring your contract, and paying lower rates per transaction, your practice could save thousands every month. Contact our team at MCC to learn more.