Owl Practice vs SimplePractice (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Owl Practice if

• Fits if you see couples, families or groups and want them in one telehealth call
• Works for Canadian practices that need data kept in Canada and support in French

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're on Growth, which stops at 20 sessions a month and has no client online booking
• Pricey if you want secure messaging and clinical measures, which need Professional at CA$100 plus tax
• Watch out: prices are published only in Canadian dollars; the US site shows none and offers a demo
• Skip it if you want a phone app, as none is named on its pages
• Watch out: there are no one-off add-ons, so one feature can mean a whole plan up, and group practices get custom quotes

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

Owl Practice

• The published prices are the Canadian site's, in CAD plus tax; the US site, Owl Practice Suite, shows no prices and offers a demo or free start.
• Growth stops at 20 sessions a month; online booking needs Advanced, and secure messaging and clinical measures need Professional.
• Features come only with plan tiers, with no one-off add-ons; group practices get custom quotes.
• It runs in the browser; no native mobile apps are named on its pages.

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.

Owl Practice

Scheduling and online booking

Rooms, waitlists, recurring sessions, couples and family bookings, and iCal or Google Calendar sync. Client online booking starts on Advanced.

Notes and clinical measures

A note template library, custom and handwritten notes, supervision support, and 85+ clinical measures that score themselves, subscales included.

Telehealth for families and groups

Video sessions with a waiting room and in-session chat, for individuals, couples, families and groups, with a supervisor able to join.

Secure messaging and portal

A client portal for booking, forms and payments; Professional adds secure conversations that clients can start, with read receipts and two-way documents.

Billing and insurance claims

Invoices, card and ACH payments, sliding-scale fees and split billing. The US edition files claims to 5,000+ payers and checks benefits with 2,000+.

Zencare directory (US)

Owl Practice Suite pairs the EHR with Zencare, a therapist directory and marketing service, plus out-of-network benefit checks and courtesy claims for private-pay clients.

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.

Owl Practice

• GrowthCA$60

  per month plus tax, for up to 20 sessions a month

  All core features for therapists starting out or working part-time: calendar, notes, telehealth, client portal, payments and free email and SMS reminders.

• AdvancedCA$80

  per month plus tax

  Unlimited sessions, client online booking, circle of care, and customizable intake and consent forms.

• ProfessionalCA$100

  per month plus tax

  Adds shareable video links, secure messaging, couples and family conversations, clinical measures and medication tracking.

• Group PlusCustom

  Negotiated by number of clinicians, for multi-therapist practices; Group Plus Video adds integrated telehealth.

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.

Owl Practice

• Other savings

  60% off the first 3 months

  On the Canadian pricing page, solo plans signed up by October 31 are 60% off for 3 months (Growth CA$24, Advanced CA$32, Professional CA$40), with a free month of Smart Notes.

• Other savings

  $100 off for each referred therapist

  Owl's Refer a Friend program takes $100 off the subscription for every referred therapist who signs up; partner Canadian associations also offer discounts.

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.