Starviewer review
A free, local DICOM viewer with PACS retrieval, worklists, and multiplanar review.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Starviewer is an open-source medical-imaging workstation from the University of Girona for teams that need to view DICOM studies and support clinical imaging workflows locally. It is available for Windows and Linux, with desktop deployment that can be self-hosted. Its stated audience includes hospitals, imaging departments, and research environments; the mix of a DICOM viewer, PACS retrieval, worklists, and multiplanar review suits teams seeking a focused workstation rather than a hosted imaging service.
The core workflow connects DICOM viewing with study retrieval through PACS and a DICOM worklist. That gives imaging teams a way to access studies and review them in multiple planes from a local application. Its scope is centered on viewing and workflow: PACS connectivity is for retrieving studies, while PACS storage is not part of the product's stated feature set. Teams that need a viewer alongside existing PACS infrastructure may find that distinction important; those seeking storage within the same product should look elsewhere.
Starviewer is open source and available at no cost, with documentation and community listed as support channels. This makes it a reasonable fit for organizations comfortable with local desktop deployment and community-oriented support. It is less suited to teams that need a browser-only workflow or depend on a specified commercial support arrangement. Choose it for free DICOM review with PACS worklists on Windows or Linux; consider another option if your main requirement is PACS storage or a hosted service.
Starviewer pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Views DICOM images and supports multiplanar review
- Retrieves studies through PACS connectivity
- Includes a DICOM worklist workflow at no cost
- Where it doesn't
- Does not provide PACS storage
- Runs as desktop software rather than a browser-only service
- Docs and community are the listed support channels
Starviewer fact sheet, pricing and score →
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