Carepatron vs SimplePractice (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick SimplePractice: it is first in our ranking of therapy and clinic software (Carepatron is second), and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Carepatron grades higher on the free plan. SimplePractice grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Carepatron
Practice management with a free plan, AI scribe and telehealth
SimplePractice
Practice management and EHR for private-practice therapists
Which one is for you
Pick Carepatron if
- Fits if you're a solo practitioner who wants to start on a free plan with unlimited clients
- Works for mixed practices of therapists, allied health and wellness staff under one account
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free: 100 appointments a month, 1 GB of storage, and no reminders or calendar sync
- Watch out: claims start at 25¢ each and insurance checks cost 15¢, and neither is on the free plan
- Pricey if you grow, as every practitioner is a paid seat and ePrescribing through DoseSpot is $39 a month per user
- Not for you if you need roles and permissions, white labeling or the API, which are only on Advanced at $39 a user
- Watch out: Plus includes 150 texts a month per user, and each one past that costs 5¢
Pick SimplePractice if
- Fits if you're a solo US therapist who bills insurance and wants claims in the same account as your notes
- Works for groups of up to five clinicians who want a published price: Plus is $99 plus $74 a clinician
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Starter: reminders, calendar sync, secure messaging and treatment plans start on Essential at $79
- Pricey if you want AI notes, as Note Taker is $35 a month and Care Aide $59 plus $49 per extra clinician
- Watch out: claims are 39¢ each, cards 3.15% + 30¢, and every clinician pays a $20 yearly fee for CPT codes
- Watch out: ePrescribe is $49 a month plus an $89 setup fee, and group sessions and extra clinicians need Plus
- Not for you if your group has six or more clinicians and you want a price up front, as those go through sales
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACarepatronGood | 2.8GPASimplePracticeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $31 a user a month on yearly billing, $39 monthly, between this category's cheaper quarter ($25) and its middle ($39). Every practitioner is a paid seat, and claims, extra texts and ePrescribing cost more on top. | CStarter is $49 a month after a first 3 months at half price, between this category's middle ($39) and its dearer quarter ($59). Reminders and calendar sync need Essential at $79, and on top come 39¢ a claim and a $20 yearly CPT fee per clinician. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan keeps unlimited clients, telehealth, the client portal, online payments and the AI scribe, so one person could run a small practice on it. It stops at 100 appointments a month and 1 GB of storage, with no reminders or calendar sync. | CA 30-day trial with no card, and no free plan. The half-price first 3 months only applies if you start paying within 7 days of signing up. |
| Features | BOnline booking, an AI scribe, note templates, treatment plans, telehealth, invoicing, claims with ERA posting, a client portal and custom workflows. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job; the limits are which plan you're on. | BScheduling, paperless intake, progress notes, measurement-based care, telehealth, insurance claims and card payments all come on Starter. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job; the gaps are plan locks and add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Booking pages, intake forms, note templates and workflows all need setting up, and the onboarding manager is only on Advanced. | ASimplePractice rates 4.7 on the US App Store from 33,999 ratings, which puts it at A on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with DoseSpot and Google Analytics, and an API on Advanced. No desktop app, and the integration list is short. | BWeb, plus a clinician app for iPhone, iPad and Android with the calendar, notes, messages and payments. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations or API. |
| Best for | solo practitioners who want to start free | solo US therapists who bill insurance |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Carepatron and SimplePractice. How we grade
Price against what you get
Carepatron starts at $31 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SimplePractice starts at $49 a month and scores 3.3.
SimplePractice scores higher, and starts $18 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other therapy and clinic software on the chart, none scores higher than Carepatron for less, and none scores higher than SimplePractice for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| Carepatron | SimplePractice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $31 per user / month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly) | $49 per month (Starter), after a first 3 months at $24.50 |
| Free plan | Unlimited clients, telehealth, client portal, online payments and the AI scribe, with up to 100 appointments, 1 GB of storage and 100 emails a month per user. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid features, no credit card required | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Carepatron Limited | SimplePractice, LLC |
| Price read from | carepatron.com | simplepractice.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Carepatron
- The free plan has no appointment reminders or calendar sync and stops at 100 appointments and 1 GB of storage.
- Paid plans are charged per user. Texts beyond the monthly allowance cost $0.05 each, and ePrescribing through DoseSpot is $39 a month per user.
- Electronic claims start at $0.25 each and manual insurance checks cost $0.15 each; neither is on the free plan.
- Roles and permissions, white labeling and API access are only on Advanced.
SimplePractice
- Insurance claims cost $0.39 each, card payments 3.15% + $0.30, and each clinician pays an annual $20 fee for CPT code access.
- Reminders, calendar sync and client messaging start on Essential; group sessions and extra clinicians need Plus.
- AI notes are extra: Note Taker is $35 a month, Care Aide $59 a month plus $49 per extra clinician. ePrescribe is $49 a month plus an $89 setup fee.
- The 50% discount applies only if a paid account starts within 7 days of the trial; groups of 6 or more clinicians are priced by sales.
Key features
Carepatron
- Online booking and reminders
- Clients book from an online page or an embed on your site. Paid plans add calendar sync, email and SMS reminders, group appointments and booking approval rules.
- AI scribe and clinical notes
- An AI medical scribe drafts notes from sessions, alongside a template library, customizable notes, signatures and locking, and treatment plans. Group notes need Plus.
- Telehealth video
- One-on-one video sessions on every plan, including the free one; group telehealth and in-call chat start on Plus.
- Invoicing and insurance
- Online card payments and automated invoicing on all plans. Paid plans add superbills, CMS-1500 forms, electronic claims from $0.25 each and ERA posting.
- Client portal and messaging
- Clients sign intake forms, message the practice securely and pay through a portal. Plus adds a HIPAA-encrypted email integration, bulk sending and a shared inbox.
- Workflows and API
- Custom workflows run 2,000 times a month per user on Plus and without limit on Advanced, which also opens the Carepatron API.
SimplePractice
- Client portal and online booking
- Clients request appointments online and complete paperless intake documents through a client portal website. Essential adds email, text and voice reminders and calendar sync.
- Notes and treatment plans
- Progress notes, a template library and measurement-based care come on every plan; customizable treatment plans and Wiley Treatment Planners start on Essential.
- Built-in telehealth
- Video sessions are included on every plan. Plus adds group appointments and group telehealth.
- Insurance claims and payments
- Claims are filed from the account at $0.39 each and clients pay online by card. Insurance Navigator, listed as coming soon, adds claim checks and benefits verification at $1.79 a claim.
- Care Aide and Note Taker
- Paid AI add-ons. Note Taker drafts progress notes from a recorded session or dictation; Care Aide adds live telehealth support, treatment plans in beta and client-ready summaries.
- Clinician mobile app
- An iPhone, iPad and Android app to manage the calendar, write and review session notes, share documents, send secure messages and take payments.
Plans
Carepatron
Free$0
Unlimited clients, telehealth, client portal, online payments and the AI scribe; 100 appointments, 1 GB of storage, no reminders or calendar sync.
Plus$31
per user / month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)
Unlimited appointments and storage, calendar sync, reminders, group telehealth and notes, shared inbox, custom branding and 150 texts a month per user.
Advanced$39
per user / month, billed yearly ($49 billed monthly)
Adds roles and permissions, white labeling, API access, Google Analytics, 90-day deleted-data retention, an onboarding manager and premium support.
SimplePractice
Starter$49
per month
Unlimited clients, telehealth, progress notes, insurance claims, online payments, intake forms and a client portal. $24.50 a month for the first 3 months.
Essential$79
per month
Adds free email, text and voice reminders, calendar sync, treatment plans, Wiley Treatment Planners and secure messaging. $39.50 for the first 3 months.
Plus$99
per month, plus $74 per additional clinician
Adds group appointments, group telehealth, a premium support line and advanced analytics. $49.50 for the first 3 months; groups of 6+ can get custom pricing.
Ways to pay less
Carepatron
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Carepatron's pricing page lists 20% off for paying yearly: Plus is $31 per user a month instead of $39, and Advanced $39 instead of $49.
- Other savings
50% off the first 6 months
A limited offer on the pricing page halves paid plans for the first 6 months, for example Plus at $15.50 per user a month on yearly billing; no end date is given.
- Other savings
October offer: $1 a month for 3 months
A banner offers $1 a month for the first 3 months, or 50% off the first year, ending 30 October 2026.
SimplePractice
- Other savings
50% off the first 3 months
Starting a paid account within 7 days of signing up halves the first 3 months: $24.50 for Starter, $39.50 for Essential and $49.50 for Plus, then the regular price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Carepatron or SimplePractice?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Carepatron starts at $31 per user / month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly), and SimplePractice starts at $49 per month (Starter), after a first 3 months at $24.50. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Carepatron or SimplePractice?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Carepatron has a free plan. SimplePractice does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.