SimplePractice vs TherapyNotes (2026): Which Is Better for Mental Health Practices?

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TL;DR: SimplePractice for practitioners who want a polished client experience, integrated telehealth, and a modern interface that makes administrative work feel less like a burden. TherapyNotes for practices that prioritize clinical documentation structure, billing workflow reliability, and straightforward pricing that includes all features at every level. Start with SimplePractice if you want the better overall product experience and integrated telehealth. Choose TherapyNotes if documentation rigor and billing efficiency matter more than interface elegance.

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SimplePractice and TherapyNotes are the two most commonly compared mental health practice management platforms — and the choice between them is genuinely closer than most software comparisons. Both are HIPAA compliant, both handle scheduling and insurance billing, both include notes templates for mental health documentation, and both have telehealth. The pricing is similar.

So why do practitioners feel strongly about one over the other?

The difference is mostly about priorities: SimplePractice is a better product for the overall practice experience — client portal, mobile app, telehealth integration, and interface design. TherapyNotes is a better product for the billing and documentation workflow specifically — structured notes, reliable ERA processing, and a billing-focused design that experienced billers prefer.

This comparison goes deeper than the feature checklist.

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Quick Comparison

Feature	SimplePractice	TherapyNotes
Starting price (solo)	$29/month (3 active clients) / $69/month (unlimited)	$49/month (unlimited)
Full-feature solo pricing	$99/month (Plus)	$49/month (all features included)
Telehealth included	Plus plan ($99/mo)	Add-on ($15/month)
Insurance billing	Essential +	All plans
Superbills	Yes	Yes
Client portal	Yes (polished)	Yes (functional)
Mobile app	Yes (iOS + Android)	Yes (iOS + Android)
Group practice pricing	From $158/month	$39/clinician/month
Free trial	30-day free trial	30-day free trial
Contract required	No	No

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Where SimplePractice Wins

Client and patient experience

SimplePractice’s client portal is the best in the category. Clients can complete intake paperwork before the first appointment, book appointments online, join video sessions directly from the portal, and view invoices and superbills. The design is clean enough that clients who are not technically confident can navigate it without calling the office.

The mobile app extends this: practitioners can view their schedule, complete notes, and communicate with clients from a phone. For practitioners who see clients in multiple locations or work partially from home, the mobile experience matters.

Telehealth integration

SimplePractice’s telehealth is native — it lives inside the session record, not in a separate tab or third-party tool. Starting a video visit is launching the session; the client joins via a browser link, no app required. Post-visit, notes are documented in the same interface. This integration eliminates the coordination friction of managing scheduling in one tool and video in another.

Interface and overall UX

The interface is better. This is subjective but consistent in practitioner reviews: SimplePractice has invested in design in a way that TherapyNotes has not. The schedule view is cleaner, the note editor is more ergonomic, and the workflow from session booking to documentation to billing feels more cohesive.

For practitioners doing this work 40+ hours per week, the quality of the interface compounds.

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Where TherapyNotes Wins

Pricing clarity and value

TherapyNotes includes all features — including insurance billing and all note types — at every plan level. There are no feature-gated tiers. A solo practitioner pays $49/month and gets everything. Telehealth is a $15/month add-on rather than requiring an upgrade to the Plus plan.

At SimplePractice, you need the $99/month Plus plan to get insurance billing, telehealth, and the full feature set. For practitioners who need all features, SimplePractice at full capability is more expensive than TherapyNotes.

Clinical documentation structure

TherapyNotes’ note templates are more structured for clinical documentation workflows — particularly for practices that need to meet payer documentation standards for authorization reviews and appeals. The treatment plan module, progress note templates, and measurement tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5) are designed with documentation compliance in mind.

For practices that do regular utilization reviews or work with managed care organizations requiring specific documentation formats, TherapyNotes’ clinical structure is a meaningful advantage.

Insurance billing reliability

TherapyNotes has a strong reputation among experienced billers for ERA processing reliability and denial management workflow. The billing dashboard gives clear visibility into claim status, outstanding balances, and denial reasons. For group practices with a dedicated biller, TherapyNotes’ billing interface often gets higher marks for efficiency.

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Pricing Comparison

SimplePractice

Plan	Price	Key features
Starter	$29/month	1 provider, 3 active clients max
Essential	$69/month	Unlimited clients, scheduling, notes, client portal
Plus	$99/month	Everything + insurance billing, telehealth, Wiley treatment planners
Group (2 providers)	$158/month	Plus plan features for 2 clinicians
Additional providers	+$59/month each

TherapyNotes

Plan	Price	Key features
Solo	$49/month	Unlimited clients, all features
Group	$39/clinician/month	All features per clinician
Telehealth add-on	$15/month solo / $10/clinician	Video visits

Bottom line on pricing: TherapyNotes is cheaper for solo practitioners who need all features. SimplePractice is cheaper if you only need basic features (Essential plan at $69). For group practices, the math depends on clinician count and feature needs.

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Billing for Insurance: A Closer Look

Both platforms support:

• Electronic claim submission (via clearinghouse)
• ERA (electronic remittance advice) posting
• Secondary billing
• Superbill generation for out-of-network clients
• Co-pay and balance collection

The practical difference is in billing workflow ergonomics. TherapyNotes’ billing module is designed to be efficient for a dedicated biller who processes claims in batches — the interface shows outstanding claims, denial reasons, and action items in a workflow-oriented layout.

SimplePractice’s billing has improved significantly and is fully capable for most private practices. Where it lags is in high-volume group practice billing where a biller needs to process dozens of claims efficiently — the UI optimizations for that workflow are less developed.

For group practices with a dedicated billing staff member, evaluate both platforms’ billing interfaces before committing.

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Telehealth: A Closer Look

SimplePractice’s telehealth is the better integrated option:

• Launches from within the session record
• No app required for clients
• Notes are connected to the session
• Billing connects directly

TherapyNotes’ telehealth is functional and HIPAA compliant but requires the add-on and connects less tightly to the documentation workflow. The client experience is comparable — browser-based, no app — but the practitioner experience of launching a visit and then documenting it feels more segmented.

For practices where telehealth is a significant portion of visit volume, SimplePractice’s native integration is a meaningful advantage. For practices where telehealth is a small fraction of visits, the TherapyNotes add-on is adequate.

For a broader look at telehealth software options, see our telehealth platforms guide.

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Who Should Choose Each Platform

Choose SimplePractice if:

• You want the best overall product experience and are willing to pay for it
• Telehealth is a significant part of your practice
• Client-facing experience (portal, intake, scheduling) matters to your retention
• You are solo or a small group and the Plus plan pricing is acceptable
• You want a platform that will continue improving through product investment

Choose TherapyNotes if:

• Insurance billing efficiency is your top operational priority
• You prefer all-features-included pricing without tier decisions
• You run a group practice and $39/clinician is more cost-effective than SimplePractice’s model
• Your documentation workflow requires structured clinical note formats
• You have a dedicated biller who prefers a billing-optimized interface

Both have 30-day free trials. Run both in parallel for two weeks if the choice is not clear — the interface fit becomes obvious quickly in actual use.