Tools that
actually help you read better, teach better, and survive the day
Radiology is
glamorous only from the outside. Inside, we’re fighting with slow PACS,
half-working CDs, missing priors, and residents hunting for a DICOM viewer at 2
AM.
So I made a simple list: the software that really helps. Old favorites, new
players, and the modern tools radiology is quietly shifting toward.
Think of this
as the “no-nonsense survival kit” for radiologists who want to work smarter,
not harder.
1. Horos
and OsiriX
The Mac
experience that feels like a proper workstation
If you’ve ever
used OsiriX, you know the feeling. Smooth scrolling. Clean interface. Good 3D.
It just works.
OsiriX MD is
paid.
Horos is free.
Horos is
practically OsiriX without the price tag, and that’s why half the FRCR
candidates use it for exam prep. For Mac users, this is still the best
all-rounder: fast, elegant, stable.
Best for:
- Exam practice
- Teaching sessions
- Consultants who want a clean UI
- Anyone who doesn’t want to wrestle
with Windows viewers
What’s new
in 2025:
- Better plugins for 3D and research
- More stable builds
- Native support for newer macOS
updates
2. RadiAnt
(Windows)
The Windows
workhorse
RadiAnt is the
one viewer every resident installs on day one and never deletes. Light, fast,
opens huge CTs without complaining, and perfect for “CD cases from outside
hospitals.”
It’s not
fancy. It’s reliable.
And reliability is underrated.
Best for:
- College desktops
- Emergency department computers
- Laptops used by residents
- Teaching rooms with old hardware
2025
additions:
- Better PET-CT blending
- Faster loading engine
- More stable MPR/MIP
3.
MicroDICOM
The
pendrive-friendly viewer
Some hospitals
just don’t allow installations. MicroDICOM solves that. It runs from a USB
stick, loads multiple studies, and gets you through the day.
Not for fancy
reconstruction.
Perfect for everyday viewing.
Best for:
- Residents on duty
- Places with restricted computers
- Quick review of multiple patient
CDs
4. Weasis
The
underrated open-source all-rounder
If you want
something that works on everything — Windows, Mac, Linux — and integrates with
PACS or Orthanc, Weasis is excellent.
It’s
open-source, actively updated, and surprisingly powerful.
Great for teaching and research labs.
Best for:
- Low-budget PACS setups
- Academic institutes
- Multi-platform hospitals
5. Orthanc
Your
mini-PACS in a box
If you ever
wished you're own server where residents can upload DICOMs, learn, share, and
archive, Orthanc gives it to you for free.
Tiny
footprint. Completely vendor-neutral.
You can integrate Weasis, Horos, MedDream, or any viewer with it.
Best for:
- Teaching departments
- Multi-center collaborations
- Building your own DICOM library
- RWT-style case banks
2025
upgrades:
- Faster indexing
- Better plugins
- Improved web interface
6. MedDream
Web Viewer
DICOM in
your browser
Open browser → load study → teach.
That’s it.
No installation, no headache.
MedDream works
beautifully for teaching rounds, online sessions, or when residents join from
different devices. It does full MPR, MIP, 3D, everything you need.
Best for:
- Remote teaching
- Cloud workflows
- Multicenter rounds
- Quick case sharing
7.
postDICOM
Cloud PACS
with 50 GB free
Upload
anonymized cases.
Build a personal cloud archive.
Share links with your team or residents.
postDICOM
gives you 50 GB free just to begin with. Great if your institution’s PACS is
unreliable or you work across multiple hospitals.
Best for:
- Personal teaching archives
- Residents building case libraries
- Consultants travelling between
hospitals
8. 3D
Slicer
When you
want more than a viewer
3D Slicer is
not a regular viewer.
It’s a research platform.
Segmentation.
3D modeling. Volumetric analysis. AI plugin ecosystem. If you’re doing tumor
boards, AI research, or want to teach anatomy in 3D, this tool is impressive.
Best for:
- Research projects
- Oncology boards
- AI/ML segmentation work
9.
AI-Assisted Reporting Tools
The new era
of radiology reporting
Rad AI
Learns your
reporting style and drafts impressions for you. Not a toy. It cuts time and
reduces repetition.
MD.ai
Great for
annotation, labeling, and building datasets for research or teaching.
deepcOS
Think of it as
a dashboard that lets you plug in multiple radiology AI models without worrying
about infrastructure.
Microsoft
Dragon Copilot (Preview for Radiology)
A major
upcoming tool. Speech + multimodal AI for radiologists. Drafts reports,
summarizes prior imaging, adapts to your style.
Why this
matters:
Reporting volume is exploding.
AI helps you stay ahead without burning out.
10.
Reporting Tools That Still Matter
Because
simple things save time too
Word with
AutoText
Google Docs with voice typing
LibreOffice
WPSOffice
These are
still the backbone of report typing in thousands of hospitals. Don’t
underestimate them.
Tip:
Create codes for your frequent templates.
You’ll save hours every month.
11.
IndexYourFiles (IFY)
Find old
reports instantly
IFY is tiny
but powerful.
Point it to your report folder — it indexes everything.
Perfect for
clinics without EMR, or when patients come back after six months asking for
their “previous CT.”
12. The
Future: Cloud. Collaboration. AI.
Radiology is
slowly moving toward three things:
- Cloud-native PACS
- Web-based viewers
- AI-integrated workflows
You don’t need
huge infrastructure anymore.
A laptop + Orthanc + Weasis can become a PACS.
A phone + postDICOM can access your full archive.
AI can draft reports and annotate cases.
For teaching,
research, and exam prep, this is the most exciting decade to be a radiologist.