SimplePractice VS CounSol.com: A Complete Comparison For Therapists
SimplePractice VS CounSol.com: A Complete Comparison For Therapists
8 mins Read
Published at Sep 25, 2025
Starting Price: $49/month*
Starting Price: $69.95/month*
Best For: Therapists, Substance Use Counselors
Best For: Psychologists, Life Coaches
Mobile App: iOS, Android
Mobile App: N/A
User Rating: 4/5
User Rating: 4.7/5
For modern therapists running online practices, the right electronic health record (EHR) software can be the difference between smooth day-to-day operations and constant administrative stress. Areas like secure client communication, scheduling, billing, and documentation all need to work in a synchronized manner.
SimplePractice and CounSol.com are two names that often surface when mental health professionals search for an all-in-one therapy platform. While both offer their own strengths, they provide different experiences in terms of flexibility, customization, and ease of use.
In this guide, we will compare SimplePractice vs CounSol.com across critical areas like features, pricing, and user feedback so you can decide which platform better aligns with the needs of your growing practice.
Head-On Comparison
SimplePractice is an all-in-one practice management software designed to help health and wellness professionals thrive in private practice. Trusted by over 225,000 practitioners and more than 16 million clients, it offers a modern experience that simplifies everything from scheduling and billing to documentation and telehealth. Additionally, it ensures compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, and PCI, which secures confidentiality. SimplePractice offers features like artificial intelligence (AI)-powered note taker, customizable billing, insurance support, and a client portal. It is highly valued by therapists, speech therapy providers, psychiatrists, and other behavioral health providers for its services.
CounSol.com offers a highly personalized approach to practice management, giving providers full control over how they operate. Every subscriber is paired with a dedicated account manager for ongoing support. Its deep customization abilities enable the providers to tailor client forms, treatment plans, availability settings, and secure communication to fit their exact workflow. CounSol.com also features secure messaging, group session scheduling, insurance claim submissions, and a client-facing custom website. Its streamlined documentation tools, video and chat session options, and calendar syncing capabilities make it a powerful, flexible choice for solo counselors or growing practices that value autonomy and personalized service.
SimplePractice Vs CounSol.com: At A Glance
Feature
SimplePractice
CounSol.com
Scheduling
✓
✓
Client Control And Security
✓
✓
Therapy Documentation
✓
✓
Billing And Payments
✓
✓
Telehealth
✓
✓
ePrescribe
✓
✓
Client Journal
✓
✓
Comparing Strengths And Weaknesses
SimplePractice
CounSol.com
PROS
Enables practitioners to take notes effortlessly
Supports electronic document management, minimizing manual work
Provides appointment alerts, keeping appointments on time
Enhances practice efficiency by simplifying intake forms
Empowers clients to manage their sessions and print invoices
Offers a dedicated account manager who solves issues quickly
CONS
Limited customizations in invoices
Does not display written medications and prescriptions automatically
May require expert guidance for initial understanding of the system
Lacks two-way calendar integration
Side-By-Side Feature Comparison
Scheduling
SimplePractice: SimplePractice offers a streamlined patient scheduling system tailored for therapy practices. It allows practitioners to manage their availability, accept or decline appointment requests, and enable clients to book sessions directly through the client portal. Calendar syncing with Google, iCal, or Outlook is available, and practices can create availability blocks and manage out-of-office time with ease. Providers can also automate reminders and leverage features like color-coding and waitlists to reduce no-shows and improve calendar management.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com provides a customizable scheduling tool that integrates with its secure patient portal. Clients can view available times by hour, day, week, or month and request appointments based on the provider’s preset availability. Sessions can be offered in various formats, including video, phone, or in-person, and providers can specify different session lengths. Calendar syncing is available through iCal or calendar subscription links. The platform also includes automated reminders via email, text, or phone call, which can be sent 24, 48, or 72 hours before the appointment, depending on the provider’s settings.
Winner: SimplePractice takes the lead with its richer scheduling toolkit, offering features like waitlists, color-coding, and advanced calendar controls that streamline booking and reduce no-shows.
Billing And Payments
SimplePractice: SimplePractice makes getting paid effortless with robust payment processing and invoicing tools designed specifically for therapists. It automates client billing through features like AutoPay, allowing seamless and timely payments. Clients can pay using major cards such as credit, debit, FSA, HSA, and Link through a secure client portal. Also, practitioners can generate digital invoices, superbills, and statements in just a few clicks.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com offers a billing system that lets providers send invoice notifications via email and securely process payments online through a third-party payment processor. Clients can pay directly from the secure client portal without requiring the provider's presence. Additionally, all transactions are tracked within the private admin dashboard, making it easy to monitor payments and manage pending invoices.
Winner: With automated billing features like AutoPay and a broader range of payment options, SimplePractice offers a more streamlined and hands-off billing experience for therapists.
Client Control And Security
SimplePractice: SimplePractice prioritizes client control and security through robust, industry-recognized safeguards. It is both HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST-certified, ensuring your practice meets top-tier privacy standards. All data is protected with always-on encryption. Two-step login protection adds an extra layer of defense, minimizing risks even if credentials are compromised. Secure payment processing ensures financial data is handled with the same care as health information, maintaining full PCI compliance. Additionally, customizable access controls let you decide who on your team can view specific information, helping you maintain strict confidentiality across your practice.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com offers a comprehensive, privacy-focused infrastructure. The platform operates within a Tier IV data center and complies with HIPAA, HITRUST, SSAE 16, ISO 27001, and PCI 2.0 standards. All user activity is securely logged, and sensitive data is protected with 256-bit encryption and hourly backups. Moreover, no sensitive information is ever sent via email, and a full secure socket layer (SSL) is enforced system wide. With strict access controls, CounSol.com ensures both therapists and clients remain fully protected at every step.
Winner: CounSol.com wins here as it offers a more exhaustive compliance framework and stricter safeguards that help keep sensitive data secure.
Documentation
SimplePractice: SimplePractice offers a robust therapy documentation system designed to save clinicians time and improve workflow efficiency. Its library of customizable intake forms, therapy notes, and assessments lets practitioners personalize documentation to suit their needs. The AI-powered note taker enables speech-to-text conversion, loads previous notes as templates, and allows the use of saved snippets for faster notetaking. Users can also access Wiley Treatment Planners with over 1,000 pre-built goals and objectives. Specialty-based treatment templates, automatic ICD-10 code suggestions, and measurement-based tracking tools make progress monitoring seamless. The platform ensures documentation is secure, comprehensive, and tailored to support high-quality care.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com offers a secure and customizable notes and documentation system tailored for mental health professionals. Clinicians can create detailed progress notes and treatment plans using built-in templates that include diagnosis codes, risk assessments, goals, interventions, and plan updates. Custom forms and questionnaires allow therapists to gather essential client information before sessions, streamlining documentation workflows. The platform supports editable diagnosis descriptions, symptom tracking, and assessment entries to keep treatment records clear. Additionally, client journals and chat logs are automatically stored, offering a complete and centralized documentation history.
Winner: SimplePractice wins again due to its advanced AI-powered notetaking, speech-to-text writing, saved snippet usage, and Wiley Treatment Planners that significantly enhance documentation speed.
Telehealth
SimplePractice: SimplePractice provides a secure telehealth solution that enables therapists to deliver care from anywhere with the ease and clarity of in-person sessions. The platform offers engaging features like screen sharing, a digital whiteboard, and secure chat to foster interactive virtual care. A virtual waiting room ensures control over session flow, and built-in tools like background blur and timers enhance privacy and time management. It also supports group sessions with up to 15 clients, making procedures efficient for multiple participants.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com’s telehealth capabilities are designed specifically for mental health professionals. Therapists can conduct live online video or chat sessions directly through the client’s private portal, with no software downloads required. The platform supports screen sharing during video sessions and works across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, which offers clients maximum flexibility and accessibility. With automated appointment reminders, secure messaging, and integrated scheduling, CounSol.com ensures a seamless and safe virtual therapy experience.
Winner: SimplePractice wins for its telehealth capabilities as it offers native support for group sessions, eliminating the need for external tools.
Pricing Plans For SimplePractice And CounSol.com
SimplePractice: SimplePractice offers three pricing plans to providers, along with a free trial of either 30 days. The Starter plan costs $49/month, the Essential plan costs $79/month, and the Plus plan costs $99/month.
CounSol.com: CounSol.com offers four pricing tiers, along with a 14-day free trial. The Standard plan is priced at $69.95/month plus $35/month/additional counselor and the Standard Plus plan is priced at $79.95/month plus $40/month/additional counselor. Moreover, the Premium plan is priced at $84.95/month, and the Premium Plus plan is priced at $89.95/month, plus both charge $45/month/counselor.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
What Users Have To Say?
Users appreciate SimplePractice for its modern design and helpful features like the scheduling widget and automated reminders. Users say it simplifies daily tasks and offers them a smooth experience to manage their patients and practice operations. While some note that it requires initial training, many still find the solution to be reliable and effective for their requirements.
CounSol.com is especially appraised by solo practitioners for its therapist-focused design, responsive support, and ability to manage complex cases. Users particularly value its paperless practice management. While a few users mention its lack of Zoom integration, most still find it a dependable and smart choice for operating their practice workflows seamlessly.
Selecting The Ideal Fit For Your Practice
SimplePractice and CounSol.com both offer extensive solutions tailored to the unique needs of mental health professionals, but they cater to different styles of practice management. SimplePractice stands out with its automation-driven workflows, advanced billing, and telehealth features. It is an ideal fit for solo or group practices looking for a modern, scalable, and secure platform.
CounSol.com, on the other hand, prioritizes customization and hands-on control. Its highly configurable communication and security measures enable therapists to deliver their services seamlessly. Moreover, it gives practitioners granular control over client interactions and session management.
Ultimately, the decision depends on providers preferences and requirements. Whether it is simplicity at scale or a tailored client experience, both platforms deliver essential features to support mental health professionals in delivering quality care.
