PracticeQ 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, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
SimplePractice grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PracticeQ
Intake forms, booking, billing and charting for small practices
SimplePractice
Practice management and EHR for private-practice therapists
Which one is for you
Pick PracticeQ if
- Fits if your biggest chore is collecting intake forms and consents before the first visit
- Works for mixed clinics such as behavioral health, chiropractic and med spas that share one system
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Starter: 25 appointments, 25 form submissions and 50 texts per practitioner a month
- Pricey if you need e-prescribing at $65 a month or the Engage messaging add-on from $99.90 a month
- Watch out: card rates for PracticeQ Payments aren't published, faxing is 10¢ a page, and Zapier isn't under the HIPAA agreement
- Not for you if you only want forms: IntakeQ Forms is a separate product at $54.90 a month plus $20 a practitioner
- Skip it if you want a phone app, since none is on record and it runs in the browser
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
| 2.2GPAPracticeQFair | 2.8GPASimplePracticeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $59.90 a month, where this category's dearest tenth begins, and holds 25 appointments per practitioner. Pro is $84.90 for 500, more than double the category's middle of $39. Extra practitioners are $25 or $30 each. | 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 | CA 2-week trial with no card, and no free plan. Half off the first 2 months exists, but you have to claim it on a call with sales. | 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 | BBranded forms with conditional logic and e-signatures, online booking, reminders, SOAP notes, a client portal, telehealth on its own video, Zoom or Meet, invoicing and claims through Trizetto or Office Ally. AI notes come through Heidi. | 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. The forms are the heart of it and you build them, along with booking pages, note templates and a clearinghouse link. | 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, with an open API and links to Heidi, Office Ally, Trizetto, Zoom, Google Meet, Fullscript, Rupa Health and Zapier. No mobile or desktop app on record. | 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 | practices whose main chore is intake forms | 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: PracticeQ and SimplePractice. How we grade
Price against what you get
PracticeQ starts at $59.90 a month 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 $10.90 a month lower. Of the other therapy and clinic software on the chart, 1 scores higher than PracticeQ 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
- PracticeQ also covers forms.
- SimplePractice also covers transcription.
At a glance
| PracticeQ | SimplePractice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $59.90 per month (Starter, 25 appointments per practitioner) | $49 per month (Starter), after a first 3 months at $24.50 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 2-week free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | IntakeQ | SimplePractice, LLC |
| Price read from | practiceq.com | simplepractice.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PracticeQ
- Starter allows only 25 appointments and 25 form submissions per practitioner a month; busier practices need Pro.
- E-prescribing is $65 a month, the Engage patient-messaging add-on starts at $99.90 a month, and faxing is $0.10 a page.
- PracticeQ Payments rates are not published, and Zapier is not covered by the HIPAA business associate agreement.
- A forms-only product, IntakeQ Forms, is sold separately at $54.90 a month plus $20 per extra practitioner.
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
PracticeQ
- Custom intake forms
- Unlimited branded forms with conditional logic, e-signatures, attachments and form reminders, sent by text or email and filed to the client record.
- Booking and reminders
- An online booking site or widget, appointment reminders, recurring appointment packages, and automated patient intake and onboarding.
- Charting and client portal
- Built-in SOAP and EHR note templates, secure file sharing and a client portal. Notes and forms can be copied to Google Drive as they are saved.
- Billing and claims
- Invoices, recurring payments, superbills and electronic claims through the Trizetto or Office Ally clearinghouses; PracticeQ Payments handles cards and ACH in the US.
- Telehealth
- Sessions run on PracticeQ's own video, on Zoom or on Google Meet, on every plan.
- Integrations and API
- An open API plus included links to Heidi for AI scribe notes, Fullscript, Rupa Health labs, Google and Outlook calendars, SRFax and Zapier.
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
PracticeQ
Starter$59.90
per month for 25 appointments, plus $25 per extra practitioner
Each month per practitioner: 25 appointments, 50 text messages and 25 form submissions. Includes one practitioner or admin and up to 10 assistant accounts.
Pro$84.90
per month for 500 appointments, plus $30 per extra practitioner
Each month per practitioner: 500 appointments, 300 text messages and 500 form submissions, with the same core features as Starter.
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
PracticeQ
- Other savings
50% off the first 2 months through sales
The pricing page offers half off the subscription for the first 2 months to customers who claim it by speaking with a PracticeQ sales representative.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for nonprofits
PracticeQ's about page says it offers discounts for non-profit organizations and special low-volume rates; the amounts are not published.
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, PracticeQ or SimplePractice?
As of Oct 24, 2026, SimplePractice is cheaper to start with: $49 a month, against $59.90 a month for PracticeQ. PracticeQ starts at $59.90 per month (Starter, 25 appointments per practitioner), and SimplePractice starts at $49 per month (Starter), after a first 3 months at $24.50.
Which has a free plan, PracticeQ or SimplePractice?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither PracticeQ nor SimplePractice has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do PracticeQ and SimplePractice run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only SimplePractice lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.