Search “best software for therapists” and three names dominate: SimplePractice, Practice Better, and TherapyNotes. All three publish real pricing, which already sets this niche apart from several others we’ve covered — but the published numbers hide two gates worth knowing before you pick a plan. Practice Better’s cheapest tier, at $35/month, caps out at just 10 clients, not enough for most working solo therapists. And SimplePractice’s insurance-claims feature — arguably the single most-needed feature for a therapist who bills insurance — isn’t included until its $99/month Plus tier, not the cheaper Starter or Essential plans.
The short version: TherapyNotes is a flat $69/month for a solo practitioner with unlimited clients and no tier-gating on core features, per multiple independent pricing trackers (TherapyNotes’ own pricing page blocks automated access, so treat this figure as third-party-reported, not self-confirmed — though several independent sources converge on the same number). SimplePractice starts at $49/month but gates insurance claims behind its $99/month Plus tier. Practice Better starts even lower at $35/month but caps that tier at 10 clients — a full solo caseload will likely force an upgrade to the $69/month Professional tier (300 clients) almost immediately.
Quick Comparison: Where Each One Actually Gates You
| Tool | Cheapest Plan | What It Actually Includes | The Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TherapyNotes | $69/mo (solo) | Unlimited clients, notes, telehealth, 24/7 support | None reported — one flat plan for solo practitioners |
| SimplePractice | $49/mo (Starter) | Core EHR features | Insurance claims not included until $99/mo Plus tier |
| Practice Better | $35/mo (Starter) | Core EHR features | Capped at 10 clients — jumps to $69/mo Professional (300 clients) once you exceed that |
SimplePractice and Practice Better pricing confirmed directly on each company’s own pricing page on August 28, 2026. TherapyNotes’ pricing page actively blocks automated verification; the $69/mo figure is corroborated by multiple independent third-party pricing trackers, not confirmed directly by us.
SimplePractice: Real Tiers, But Insurance Claims Are Gated
SimplePractice’s own pricing page lists three solo-practice tiers: Starter at $49/month, Essential at $79/month, and Plus at $99/month (standard pricing; the site was showing a 50%-off introductory promotion at time of writing). The Plus tier’s own feature list specifically calls out “35 free insurance claims/mo” and “automatic insurance status checks” as Plus-tier inclusions — features that aren’t listed under the cheaper Starter or Essential tiers. For a therapist who takes insurance, that’s the tier that actually matters, not the $49 headline price.
Groups of 6+ practitioners don’t get published pricing at all — SimplePractice moves those accounts to a “custom pricing” sales-call model, the same quote-gate pattern we’ve flagged in other software categories on this site.
- Who should NOT sign up for SimplePractice’s Starter tier expecting insurance billing: anyone billing insurance regularly — that functionality doesn’t show up until the $99/month Plus tier.
- Who it’s right for: a cash-pay or private-pay solo practitioner who doesn’t need insurance claims support, or one willing to pay for Plus from the start.
Practice Better: Cheapest Entry, Smallest Client Cap
Practice Better’s own pricing page lists four paid tiers plus a free “Sprout” plan for students: Starter at $35/month (10 clients, 1 GB storage), Professional at $69/month (300 clients, 5 GB storage), Plus at $99/month (unlimited clients, unlimited storage, still 1 practitioner license), and Team at $155/month (2+ practitioner licenses). Annual billing knocks roughly 10% off each tier.
The Starter tier’s 10-client cap is the thing to watch: a therapist with even a modest full-time caseload (many solo practitioners carry 20–30+ active clients) will exceed 10 clients quickly, at which point the real starting price for a working solo practice is $69/month (Professional), not the $35 headline figure.
- Who should NOT expect to stay on Starter long-term: any solo practitioner building toward a full caseload — 10 clients is a part-time or just-starting-out number, not a sustainable practice size.
- Who it’s right for: someone just launching a practice, testing the platform with a small initial client list, or a student practitioner (who may also qualify for the free Sprout tier).
TherapyNotes: One Flat Price, No Reported Gating
Unlike the two tiered platforms above, TherapyNotes is reported across multiple independent pricing trackers as a single flat rate — $69/month for a solo practitioner, with unlimited clients and notes, unlimited file storage, a client portal, basic telehealth, and 24/7 phone and email support all included at that one price. We weren’t able to confirm this directly on TherapyNotes’ own pricing page, which returned an automated bot-detection block rather than page content during our research — so treat the $69 figure as well-corroborated by third parties rather than self-verified. Optional add-ons reported separately include an AI note-taking assistant ($40/clinician/month) and Premium Telehealth ($15/clinician/month).
- Who should NOT assume this is definitely current: confirm the exact figure directly at therapynotes.com before committing, since we couldn’t verify it ourselves.
- Who it’s right for: a solo therapist who wants one predictable monthly number without tracking which features live behind which tier, if the reported pricing holds up at your own check.
Who Should NOT Buy Any of These Three
A therapist still in training or seeing only a handful of clients under supervision may not need a paid EHR at all yet — Practice Better’s free Sprout plan (capped at 3 clients) or a simple HIPAA-compliant scheduling tool may cover early practice-building needs without a monthly fee. On the other end, a group practice of 6+ clinicians should expect quote-based pricing from SimplePractice rather than a published number, and would be better served getting a specific quote before assuming any figure above applies to a multi-clinician setup.
FAQ
What is the best software for therapists? It depends on what you bill for. TherapyNotes offers one flat reported price with no feature gating. SimplePractice is cheaper to start but gates insurance claims behind its $99/month Plus tier. Practice Better is cheapest to start but caps client count at just 10 on its entry tier.
Do I need insurance-claims support from day one? Only if you actually bill insurance. Cash-pay or private-pay practices can use SimplePractice’s cheaper tiers or Practice Better’s Starter/Professional tiers without needing the insurance-specific features gated at higher tiers.
Is there a free option for therapist practice management software? Practice Better offers a free “Sprout” plan capped at 3 clients, aimed at students and practitioners just starting out. None of the three tools here offer an ongoing free tier for a full working caseload.
Why does Practice Better’s cheap tier only allow 10 clients? That’s how Practice Better structures its entry-level Starter tier — it’s positioned for practitioners just starting out, not an established full caseload. Most solo therapists with 20+ active clients will need the $69/month Professional tier instead.
Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?
- Want one flat price with no tier-gating (pending your own confirmation of current pricing): TherapyNotes, reported at $69/month.
- Cash-pay practice that doesn’t need insurance billing: SimplePractice Starter, $49/month.
- Bill insurance regularly: SimplePractice Plus, $99/month — where insurance claims actually get included.
- Just starting out with a small client list: Practice Better Starter, $35/month — but budget for an upgrade to $69/month once you pass 10 clients.
If you’re a solo practitioner outside therapy specifically, our best CRM for solo consultants guide covers general-purpose client-management tools built for a wider range of one-person practices.
For another regulated practice where one compliance feature decides which tier you need, see our small law firm software comparison.