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Synthea

Free plan Self-hosted

What Synthea is

Synthea is a free, open-source generator that creates synthetic patients and medical histories for research, Health IT development and experimentation, and healthcare policy simulation. It models each patient from birth to the present, with generic modules representing diseases, conditions, care and transitions between health states. Generated records can contain medications, allergies, encounters and social determinants of health, and can be exported in HL7 FHIR R4, STU3 or DSTU2, C-CDA, and CSV formats. Bulk FHIR NDJSON and CPCDS exports are also supported when enabled in configuration. Users can configure demographics, add generic modules or write custom Java rule modules. The project offers downloads of more than a thousand sample patients, and users can build Synthea to generate additional data. It runs self-hosted and requires Java JDK 17 or newer; the project recommends LTS versions 17 or 25. Synthea describes its generated data as realistic but not real and free from privacy restrictions. Researchers, clinicians, policy makers and software developers are among its intended users. The project is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

Who it suits

Synthea suits researchers, clinicians, policy makers and software developers who need synthetic patient data. Its export formats and customization options also make it relevant to Health IT development and experimentation.

What it does well

Generates patient histories from birth through the present.
Records can include medications, allergies and social determinants of health.
Exports to FHIR, C-CDA and CSV formats.
Demographics and modules can be customized.
Offers more than a thousand sample patients.
Apache License 2.0.

What to know first

Requires Java JDK 17 or newer.
Runs self-hosted.
Bulk FHIR NDJSON and CPCDS exports require configuration to enable.

Limits

Synthea is free, with no free-trial period. It requires Java JDK 17 or newer, and Bulk FHIR NDJSON and CPCDS exports are disabled by default.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Synthea	Open-source synthetic patient generator	Free

As synthetichealth.github.io lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Synthea website.
Download sample patients or build the project to generate data.
Use Java JDK 17 or newer to run Synthea self-hosted.
Configure demographics and modules as needed.
Enable Bulk FHIR NDJSON or CPCDS exports in configuration if required.

Verdict

Choose Synthea if you need a free, customizable source of synthetic patient histories for research, policy simulation or Health IT work. It may not suit teams looking for a hosted service, since it runs self-hosted and requires Java JDK 17 or newer.

Questions

How much does Synthea cost?

The listed plan is free.

Is Synthea open source?

Yes. Synthea is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

Where does Synthea run?

It is self-hosted and requires Java JDK 17 or newer.

Which export formats does Synthea support?

It lists HL7 FHIR R4, STU3 and DSTU2, C-CDA, and CSV. Bulk FHIR NDJSON and CPCDS exports can be enabled in configuration.

Can I get sample patient data?

Yes. The project offers downloads of more than a thousand sample patients, and users can build it to generate their own.

Are Synthea's patient records real?

No. The project describes its generated data as realistic but not real and free from privacy restrictions.

Facts from Synthea's own pages

Additional output: The repository README lists Bulk FHIR ndjson and CPCDS exports, which are disabled by default and can be enabled in configuration. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Customization: The project supports configuration-based demographics, drop-in generic modules, and custom Java rule modules. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Export formats: The site lists HL7 FHIR R4, STU3 and DSTU2, C-CDA, and CSV exports. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Intended users: The site identifies researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and software developers as users of the synthetic health data. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
License: The GitHub README states that Synthea is licensed under Apache License 2.0. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Patient lifecycle: Each patient is simulated independently from birth to the present day using generic modules that model diseases, conditions, care, and transitions between states. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Privacy: The project describes its generated patient data as realistic but not real and free from privacy restrictions. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Purpose: Synthea is an open-source generator that simulates synthetic patients and their medical histories. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Record contents: Patient records can include medications, allergies, encounters, and social determinants of health. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Runtime requirement: Synthea requires Java JDK 17 or newer; the README recommends LTS versions 17 or 25. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Sample data: The site offers downloads of over a thousand sample patients and says users can build the project to generate their own. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Support: The Synthea team lists a discussion board, GitHub issues, and the email [email protected] for feedback and help. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Use cases: The site describes uses in academic research, Health IT development and experimentation, and healthcare policy simulation. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Website security: MITRE's site privacy policy says it uses safeguards including encryption and user authentication, while noting it cannot guarantee security of internet transmission or digital storage. · synthetichealth.github.io, 8 Oct 2026

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