SimplePractice Pricing (2026): Starter vs Essential vs Plus
SimplePractice is the most popular practice management platform for therapists in the US, but their pricing page can be confusing. Three plans, various add-ons, per-clinician fees for groups: it adds up fast if you don’t understand what you’re actually paying for.
📅 Pricing last verified: June 2026. We check and update pricing quarterly. If you notice a change, email us.
Here’s the straightforward breakdown of what each plan costs, what’s included, and which one you probably need based on how your practice runs in 2026.
The Three Plans at a Glance
| Feature | Starter ($29/mo) | Essential ($69/mo) | Plus ($99/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Documentation/notes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Telehealth | Add-on ($15/mo) | Included | Included |
| Client portal | No | Yes | Yes |
| Online intake forms | No | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance billing | No | Yes | Yes |
| Appointment reminders | Email only | Email + SMS | Email + SMS |
| Credit card processing | Yes (3.15%) | Yes (2.95%) | Yes (2.95%) |
| Multiple clinicians | No | No | Yes |
| Wiley Treatment Planners | No | No | Yes |
| Monarch directory listing | No | Yes | Yes |
All prices are billed monthly. You’ll save roughly 10% by committing to annual billing.
Starter Plan: $29/month
The Starter plan is SimplePractice’s entry point, and honestly, it’s quite limited. You get scheduling, basic documentation, and the ability to process payments. That’s about it.
No client portal means patients can’t self-schedule, fill out intake forms online, or access their documents through SimplePractice. No insurance billing means you’re either private-pay only or handling claims through a separate clearinghouse. No SMS reminders means you’re relying on email (which patients often miss) or sending texts manually.
Telehealth costs an extra $15/month on this plan, bringing your real total to $44/month if you do any video sessions.
Who should actually use the Starter plan? Honestly, almost nobody in 2026. Maybe a therapist who’s just testing whether they want to use SimplePractice before committing, or someone with a very small private-pay practice who handles everything else manually. For $29/month with these limitations, you’re barely getting more than a calendar app.
The Starter plan exists mostly as an anchor price: it makes the Essential plan look like a deal by comparison. And in fairness, it is.
Essential Plan: $69/month
The Essential plan is where SimplePractice becomes a real practice management system. This is the plan most solo therapists end up on, and for good reason.
You get the client portal, which transforms the patient experience. New clients receive a link, fill out your custom intake paperwork, sign consent forms, provide insurance information, and book their first appointment: all before they ever walk through your door or log into a telehealth session. This alone saves hours of admin work every week.
Insurance billing is included. You can submit claims electronically, track their status, post ERAs (Electronic Remittance Advice), and manage patient balances. The claim submission process isn’t perfect: you’ll still need to understand billing codes: but it eliminates the need for a separate clearinghouse for most practices.
Telehealth is included at no extra charge. The video platform is HIPAA-compliant, requires no download from the client side, and integrates directly with your scheduling. Patients just click a link at appointment time.
SMS appointment reminders are included, which dramatically reduces no-shows. You can customize the timing (24 hours before, 48 hours, etc.) and the message content.
Credit card processing drops from 3.15% to 2.95% on the Essential plan. Doesn’t sound like much, but if you’re processing $10,000/month in client payments, that’s a $20/month savings that partially offsets the plan cost increase.
The Monarch directory listing puts your profile on SimplePractice’s therapist directory, which can drive new client inquiries. It’s not a game-changer, but it’s a nice bonus for visibility.
For the vast majority of solo therapists: whether private pay, insurance-based, or a mix: Essential is the right plan. It’s the complete package without paying for features designed for group practices.
Plus Plan: $99/month
The Plus plan adds two significant things: multi-clinician support and Wiley Treatment Planners.
If you’re a solo practitioner, you don’t need Plus. Period. The extra $30/month buys you features that only matter when you have other clinicians working under your practice.
Multi-clinician support lets you add additional therapists to your account. Each additional clinician costs $59/month. So a three-therapist group practice would pay $99 + $59 + $59 = $217/month total. That’s competitive with other group practice solutions, though it adds up as you scale.
As an admin on the Plus plan, you get oversight tools: you can review other clinicians’ notes, manage their schedules, run practice-wide financial reports, and control permissions. This is essential for practice owners who need to maintain clinical oversight and track revenue across providers.
Wiley Treatment Planners are pre-built treatment plan templates based on the Wiley PracticePlanners book series. They give you evidence-based language for treatment plans across hundreds of diagnoses. If you bill insurance and struggle with treatment plan documentation, these save time and reduce audit risk.
Per-Clinician Costs for Group Practices
Here’s where pricing gets real for group practices:
- 2 clinicians: $99 + $59 = $158/month ($79/clinician)
- 3 clinicians: $99 + $59 + $59 = $217/month ($72/clinician)
- 5 clinicians: $99 + ($59 × 4) = $335/month ($67/clinician)
- 10 clinicians: $99 + ($59 × 9) = $630/month ($63/clinician)
The per-clinician cost decreases slightly as you grow since the base $99 is spread across more people. But at $59/clinician, SimplePractice is on the pricier side for large groups. If you have 10+ clinicians, compare with TherapyNotes or dedicated group practice solutions.
Add-ons and Hidden Costs
Credit card processing: 2.95% + $0.30 per transaction on Essential/Plus (3.15% on Starter). There’s no way around this: SimplePractice uses Stripe on the backend and takes a cut on top.
Claim filing fees: Electronic claims cost $0.25 each. If you file 100 claims/month, that’s an extra $25. Not outrageous, but worth budgeting for.
Annual billing discount: Paying annually saves about 10%, bringing Essential to roughly $62/month and Plus to about $89/month.
What Most Solo Therapists Actually Need
If you’re a solo therapist starting or running a private practice in 2026, here’s the honest recommendation:
Get the Essential plan. It has everything you need: scheduling, telehealth, client portal, intake forms, insurance billing, and SMS reminders. The $69/month is a legitimate business expense that replaces multiple separate tools (scheduling app, video platform, billing clearinghouse, form builder).
The Starter plan is too limited to run a real practice. The Plus plan is overkill unless you’re employing other clinicians.
If you’re comparing SimplePractice against competitors, check out our full comparison of SimplePractice vs TherapyNotes vs Jane App. For dental-specific practice management, see our guide to the best dental practice management software.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SimplePractice worth $69/month?
For most solo therapists, yes. If you add up the cost of separate scheduling software, telehealth platform, billing clearinghouse, and form builder, you’d spend more than $69/month buying them individually. The value is in having everything connected: a client books, fills forms, attends a telehealth session, and gets billed without you touching multiple systems.
Can I try SimplePractice before paying?
Yes. SimplePractice offers a 30-day free trial with access to most features. You don’t need a credit card to start the trial. Use the trial period to set up your intake forms, test telehealth, and try the billing workflow before committing.
Why did SimplePractice raise prices?
SimplePractice has raised prices several times since launching. The most notable increase moved the old “Professional” plan from around $59 to the current $69 Essential plan while restructuring what’s included. They cite rising infrastructure costs and new feature development. It’s frustrating for long-time users, but the pricing remains competitive for what you get.
Can I downgrade from Essential to Starter later?
Yes, you can downgrade anytime. But you’ll lose access to your client portal, insurance billing, and telehealth (unless you add it back for $15/month). Your data isn’t deleted: if you upgrade again later, everything is still there. Just be aware that your clients will lose portal access immediately on downgrade.
Does SimplePractice handle superbills for out-of-network billing?
Yes. SimplePractice generates professional superbills that clients can submit to their insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. This is available on all plans, including Starter. Superbills include all required information: CPT codes, diagnosis codes, provider NPI, and session details. Many private-pay therapists use this as a middle ground: they don’t file insurance directly but help clients get reimbursed.
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