SimplePractice Review 2026

Last updated: May 2026

What Is SimplePractice?

SimplePractice is the practice management platform for therapists, counselors, and other health and wellness practitioners. Founded in 2012, SimplePractice now serves over 200,000 mental health professionals, dietitians, occupational therapists, and other behavioral health practitioners.

The pitch is everything a private practice needs in one HIPAA-compliant app. Client scheduling, telehealth, treatment notes, insurance claims, billing, and secure messaging integrated rather than scattered across multiple tools. Most therapists running solo or small group practices can replace 3-5 separate tools by adopting SimplePractice.

The product competes with TherapyNotes and TheraNest in the behavioral health space, with stronger consumer-facing features (client portal, online booking) than the more clinician-focused alternatives.

How SimplePractice Works

Set up your practice profile with services, fees, and insurance accepted. Clients book online through your branded portal. Intake forms, consent documents, and outcome measures collect electronically before the first session.

Telehealth runs over HIPAA-compliant video. SimplePractice handles BAAs (Business Associate Agreements) so practitioners can use the platform without separate compliance setup. Sessions can also happen in-person with the platform managing scheduling and documentation regardless.

Treatment notes use templates customized to your modality (CBT, EMDR, DBT, narrative therapy). Quick-pick options for common diagnoses, interventions, and progress notes speed documentation. AI-assisted note generation helps draft notes from session highlights.

Insurance billing handles claims submission, payment posting, and patient responsibility tracking. SimplePractice generates and submits CMS-1500 claims electronically to most major payers. Statements for self-pay clients automate through Stripe integration.

Outcome tracking lets practitioners administer standardized measures (PHQ-9, GAD-7, etc.) through the client portal. Results graph over time to track treatment progress objectively.

SimplePractice Pricing in 2026

Starter: $39/month annually. Solo practitioner, calendar, basic notes, billing.

Essential: $69/month annually. Adds telehealth, advanced billing, secure messaging, outcome measures.

Plus: $99/month annually. Adds insurance billing automation, custom branding, multi-clinician.

Groups: Custom pricing. Multi-practitioner practices with shared scheduling and billing.

Insurance billing has additional per-claim fees on top of subscription. Stripe processing fees apply on credit card payments (2.9% + $0.30 standard rate).

Where SimplePractice Wins

• Mental health specialization: treatment plans, intake forms, outcome measures built for behavioral health workflows.
• Integrated telehealth: HIPAA-compliant video without separate vendor.
• Insurance claims: electronic submission to major payers from same platform.
• Client portal: clients book, fill forms, message, and pay through branded portal.
• HIPAA compliance handled: BAAs in place, security model designed for PHI.

Where It Falls Short

• Heavier than minimal alternatives: practitioners only needing scheduling find it overkill.
• Insurance billing complexity: handling rejections and patient responsibility requires real billing knowledge.
• Pricing higher than basic tools: $69-99/month vs $20-40 for simpler scheduling apps.
• Some workflow rigidity: customization within structures rather than fully custom workflows.

SimplePractice vs TherapyNotes vs TheraNest vs Practice Better

TherapyNotes is the closest direct competitor with similar feature set. Stronger clinical features, less polished client-facing UX.

TheraNest targets smaller solo practices with simpler workflows.

Practice Better targets nutritionists and integrative health practitioners.

Owl Practice and Sessions Health are newer alternatives with modern UIs.

Who Should Use SimplePractice

Solo mental health practitioners: psychologists, LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCs in private practice.

Small group practices (2-10 clinicians): shared scheduling, billing, and supervision.

Practitioners accepting insurance: built-in claims submission saves significant time.

Skip it if: you only need basic scheduling (Acuity is cheaper), you primarily do coaching (Practice Better fits coaches better), or your practice is enterprise-scale (use Athena or NextGen).

Frequently Asked Questions