SimplePracticeTherapyNotes
Starting Price: $49/monthStarting Price: $69/month
Best For: Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapists Best For: Behavioral Health, Health Coaching 
Mobile App: iOS, Android Mobile App: iOS, Android 
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Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Mental health professionals deal with complex administrative tasks that divert attention from patient care. Between managing documentation, insurance claims, scheduling, and client communication, valuable clinical time gets lost to paperwork and phone calls. 

Two platforms consistently emerge as solutions: SimplePractice and TherapyNotes. Each offers a distinctive approach to streamlining practice management and reducing administrative burden. 

This guide compares SimplePractice vs TherapyNotes, examining what each platform offers, including their core features, pricing structures, user feedback, and key pros and cons to help mental health providers make the right choice for their practice. 

Head-On Comparison

SimplePractice is a cloud-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) system that assists in managing the clinical and administrative components of a private practice among health and wellness professionals. Having more than 225,000 practitioners, the platform provides an in-built tool for therapists, psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other mental health specialists. 

The software allows the patient care process to run through an interconnected system through the combination of telehealth, scheduling, billing, insurance claims, secure messaging, AI-powered documentation, and customizable templates. Moreover, the platform is accessible both through desktop-based and mobile-based applications, and it facilitates a user-friendly design and workflow automation to accelerate the day-to-day activities of the company. In addition to the practice management, TherapyFinder directory by SimplePractice was nominated for the Webby Award, which includes 12% out of almost 14,000 projects in the world. 

TherapyNotes EHR is a web-based, HIPAA-compliant EHR and practice management platform built specifically for behavioral health professionals. It supports thousands of therapists, psychologists, and social workers with structured documentation, streamlined medical billing, and telehealth integration, insurance claims, and e-prescribe capabilities. 

Known for its emphasis on reliability and clinical consistency, TherapyNotes also stands out for its 24/7 live phone and email support, which remains a key differentiator in the behavioral health EHR space. Furthermore, its iOS and Android mobile apps enable on-the-go access to essential workflows. Reflecting its strong market presence, TherapyNotes ranked 12th in Newsweek’s America’s Best Online Platforms 2025 based on evaluations across more than 20,000 U.S. platforms. 

SimplePractice Vs TherapyNotes: At A Glance

Feature 

SimplePractice 

TherapyNotes 

E-Prescribe 

✓ 

✓ 

Scheduling 

✓ 

✓ 

Worry Free Security 

X 

✓ 

Telehealth 

✓ 

✓ 

Patient Portal 

✓ 

✓ 

Measurement Based Care 

✓ 

X 

AI Functionality 

✓ 

✓ 

Reporting And Analytics 

✓ 

✓ 

Documentation And Intake 

✓ 

✓ 

Billing And Payment Processing 

✓ 

✓ 

Comparing Strengths And Weaknesses

SimplePractice 

TherapyNotes 

Pros: Pros: 
  • Intuitive scheduling widget reduces phone calls 
  • Automated reminders minimize client no-shows 
  • Easy setup and mobile app management
  • Supports customizable interventions and note templates 
  • Efficiently streamlines administrative tasks 
  • Exceptional and responsive customer support 
Cons: Cons: 
  • Minimum flexibility for expanding practice workflows 
  • Switching platforms requires significant setup effort 
  • Recent updates caused telehealth and server issues 
  • Problems attaching files in the client portal 

Side-By-Side Feature Comparison

E-Prescribe

SimplePractice provides e-prescribing, which enables clinicians to electronically prescribe controlled and non-controlled substances directly on the platform. The system consists of drug interaction verification, allergy notification, dose check, and verification of the formulary. The patient’s medication histories are easily accessed, allowing clinicians to manage refills, and they get renewal requests without exiting the EHR. The functionality uses two-factor authentication for controlled substances and is completely compliant with HIPAA audit trails.

Controlled substance prescription monitoring is an optional component of PDMP that monitors drug prescriptions to identify patients who are at risk of overdose. In comparison to TherapyNotes, SimplePractice gives more priority to higher-level safety automation, compliance, and risk-reduction protection in the prescribing process.

TherapyNotes has built-in electronic prescribing, which enables providers to deliver prescriptions to pharmacies directly via the platform. The system facilitates prescription renewals, real-time prescription status, and allows clinicians to choose preferred pharmacies/client. Medication histories are stored in the client’s chart, which allows for reviewing history during treatment and consistent documentation of treatment.

This integration maintains a strong connection between the prescribing and the clinical workflow and does not need any special software. On the contrary, TherapyNotes focuses more on streamlined documentation-based prescribing that fits well within the daily clinical documentation and treatment administration.

Winner: SimplePractice edges ahead with advanced safety checks, two-factor authentication for controlled substances, and PDMP integration, keeping prescribing secure, compliant, and seamlessly tied to clinical workflows.

Scheduling

SimplePractice has a calendar that is color-coded and allows filtering by service code, clinician, appointment status, new client, incomplete documents, unpaid balances, and insurance type. It facilitates single, couple, and group bookings, recurring appointments, and is accompanied by unlimited automatic email and text reminders. The portal allows clients to request appointments, and it handles waitlists in case of full schedules, whereas out-of-office blocks automatically stop booking and inform the concerned clients.

The calendar integrates with Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook, allowing group practices to view real-time availability across multiple clinicians and locations. Compared to TherapyNotes, SimplePractice provides more advanced filtering, multi-provider coordination, and waitlist management to handle complex scheduling needs.

TherapyNotes offers a medical scheduling system that is simple to use and is displayed in the form of a calendar that can be viewed by day, week, month, or agenda, and filtered by clinician, location, or appointment type. The appointments may be scheduled within a short time as a single session or a recurring session, both including clinical and non-clinical events.

Meanwhile, work schedules of clinicians determine availability with a possibility of blackout time or additional slots. The portal and automated email, text, and voice reminders keep the clients informed by allowing them to request appointments in the portal. TherapyNotes, on the other hand, is admired for simplicity, quick installation, and simple appointment management to make matters easy in day-to-day scheduling.

Winner: Although both platforms offer solid scheduling features, SimplePractice wins due to its advanced filtering, group and couple appointments, waitlist management, and seamless calendar integration across multiple locations.

Telehealth

SimplePractice provides a built-in video chat, which allows clinicians to initiate a session right on the calendar. It also has virtual waiting rooms where clients can check in, screen sharing where they can view documents, a secure chat, an in-built timer, and background blur to preserve privacy. The sessions may include 15 participants, and the clients can get appointment links automatically.

Moreover, the session link is included in the reminders, and virtual appointments are very easy to manage, in addition to scheduling and documentation. Unlike TherapyNotes, SimplePractice emphasizes integrated session management, collaboration tools, and workflow automation to deliver smoother, more virtualized care.

TherapyNotes allows clinicians to initiate video sessions during an already scheduled appointment on any device with a camera and microphone, with clients either joining their portal or as a guest. Sessions can accommodate 16 people in high-definition video and feature a virtual waiting room and in-session messaging.

Clinicians have the option to reposition or conceal their video preview and mute or switch off their camera. Overall, TherapyNotes is geared towards consistent high-definition video, in-session versatility, and dependability in behavioral health sessions.

Winner: TherapyNotes takes the lead by supporting more participants in high-definition video and offering flexible controls, such as repositioning or hiding the video preview.

Patient Portal

With SimplePractice, clients can easily request or cancel appointments, fill out paperless intake forms and questionnaires, and even pay invoices within the patient portal. Administrative work can also be minimized through practices that send forms, reminders, and push notifications prior to appointments.

All messages are confidential, and the portal is maintained in the Spanish language to assist clients in communicating with care in their mother tongue. In comparison to TherapyNotes, SimplePractice focuses on the features of engagement with clients, multilingual features, and proactive communication.

TherapyNotes has portal form templates that are custom-built to support behavioral health practices, compliance requirements, and a standardized intake process. Clients can make their appointments, check clinician availability, and request, cancel, or reschedule sessions with one click.

Online payments are also supported via the portal, and the clients can use TherapyNotes merchant services to pay their outstanding balances using credit, debit, or HSA cards at their convenience. In short, TherapyNotes specializes in structured intake, compliance-ready forms, and flexible payment management of behavioral health practices.

Winner: TherapyNotes stands out due to its ready-made templates of behavioral health forms, convenient scheduling of appointments, and versatile online payments.

AI Functionality

The AI-based Note Taker is a tool that allows clinicians to review and update their notes by typing, dictating (or listening to) audio or dictation recordings and generating structured progress notes (e.g., SOAP, DAP, BIRP) that can be saved and reviewed accordingly.

It also offers pre-appointment summaries of the most recent notes and chart details to assist clinicians in preparing for upcoming sessions. In comparison to TherapyNotes, the AI tool of SimplePractice is centered on the simplified transcription and quick writing of organized notes, with clinician reviews at the center.

TherapyNotes provides TherapyFuel, an AI documentation platform that helps simplify work processes by creating summaries of client history, progress notes, and contact notes in the system. The AI-enabled capabilities receive meaningful information on the contents of the session, summarize clinical history, and adapt the tone and style of the notes to the preferences of the individual clinician.

Overall, TherapyFuel is not confined to mere note-writing but also comprises the summaries of the client history, the creation of contact notes via the use of secure messaging, and the specifics of the clinical-voice-focused functions, which can allow taking a broader range of actions in relation to documentation.

Winner: TherapyNotes excels due to its TherapyFuel suite, which not only drafts progress notes but also generates client history summaries and contact notes with customizable clinical-voice options.

Billing And Payment Processing

SimplePractice includes integrated credit card processing powered by Stripe, allowing practices to securely charge and store client cards, accept major credit/debit cards, and use online payments directly from the client’s profile or invoices.

Administrative billing functions include generating invoices, statements, superbills, and CMS-1500 forms within the practice management system. Compared with TherapyNotes, SimplePractice emphasizes convenient online and automatic payment workflows, including AutoPay and client-initiated card storage through the portal.

TherapyNotes offers fully integrated payment processing, letting practices securely charge and store client credit and debit cards for payments. Moreover, its core billing suite supports electronic claim submission, tracking patient balances and payments, generating CMS-1500 forms, and managing insurance prior authorizations.

Billing settings allow payers and rate schedules to be configured per patient and appointment, and you can enter and allocate payments in multiple ways. In contrast, TherapyNotes places strong emphasis on integrated claims and detailed practice billing tools, though its automated payment options are not as emphasized.

Winner: TherapyNotes excels due to its integrated billing suite that handles both detailed revenue cycle management (insurance claims, prior authorizations, and payment tracking) and secure, next-day client payment processing.

Secure Messaging

SimplePractice has secure messaging, which allows clinicians and clients to communicate safely without any loss of privacy through encryption. Messages are sent either via desktop or mobile, and automatic responses are sent when the clinician is out of the office.

Announcements can be made to a group, replies are handled in a central inbox, and messaging can be disabled for a particular client. This enables structured, effective, and completely secret communication between providers and clients. In comparison to TherapyNotes, SimplePractice is more focused on direct, simple communication between clinicians and clients in order to have an efficient everyday interaction.

TherapyNotes offers a safe way to send and receive messages, which are divided into administrative, billing, or clinical audiences. Moreover, the system allows staff to control access, including those who view each message and communicate with the rest of the staff internally.

Messages are organized in a central inbox through audience, topic, or client filters, and the user is notified about new messages. Messaging is also available at any time, and employees have the opportunity to make contact notes based on messages to document them. All-in-all, TherapyNotes focuses on formal teamwork, customizable message themes, and access control of complicated practice processes.

Winner: TherapyNotes excels with structured messaging that supports custom topics, internal team communication, access management, and on-the-go use.

Pricing Plans For SimplePractice And TherapyNotes

SimplePractice offers three monthly subscription plans designed for solo providers. The Starter plan is priced at $49/month, the Essential plan at $79/month, and the Plus plan at $99/month. For clinicians who need E-Prescribe, it can be added to any plan for an additional $49/month, along with a one-time setup fee of $89. The software also offers a 30-day free trial; no credit card required. 

TherapyNotes pricing starts at $69/month for a solo clinician, which includes core practice management features. The Group and Enterprise plan starts at $79/month for the first clinician plus $50/month for each additional clinician, with unlimited non‑clinical users included. A 30-day free trial is also available. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

What Users Have To Say

According to various users, SimplePractice is an efficient and trusted platform that manages daily clinical and administrative workflows. They usually applaud its user-friendly interface, mobile accessibility, and smooth handling of scheduling, documentation, and insurance billing. However, as per some users, the new feature updates take time to get used to. All in all, the platform is appreciated due to its well-structured workflows, pre-defined templates, and ease of use among individual practitioners and group practices. 

Users tend to refer to TherapyNotes as a simple and reliable behavioral health practice solution. Many appreciate its easy onboarding and the way it centralizes documentation, billing, and telehealth in one system. A few users mention that advanced reporting options can feel limited. Yet the platform is consistently recognized for saving time, supporting smooth practice operations, and maintaining accurate records for both individual clinicians and small teams. 

Selecting The Best Option

SimplePractice and TherapyNotes each bring solid capabilities to behavioral health practices, but their strengths support different priorities. SimplePractice offers a more clinician-focused experience, with detailed treatment planning, built-in behavioral health templates, and structured documentation that is compatible with insurance requirements. It’s a strong choice for solo or group providers who need precision, accountability, and control over session workflows. 

On the other hand, TherapyNotes emphasizes lean operations and simplicity. It is powerful in the fact that it centralizes scheduling, charting, billing, and telehealth on a single platform. Moreover, its simplicity to use and effectiveness in keeping the records make it compatible for practices that are centered on day-to-day efficiency and the management of various clinicians. 

In the end, the right choice depends on how the practice operates on a daily basis. Whether the goal is optimizing clinician-driven workflows or simplifying practice management, both platforms provide the tools to support the next step.