SimplePractice Review 2026: The Therapy EHR With AI Notes

Quick Verdict

SimplePractice is the safe, established choice. If you already run your practice on SimplePractice — scheduling, billing, telehealth, client portal — adding the AI Note Taker ($35/month extra) keeps everything in one platform. The all-in cost ($84-134/month) is higher than standalone AI note tools, but you're paying for a complete practice management suite, not just documentation.

The trade-off: newer tools like Upheal (free tier with analytics) and Blueprint (free EHR + $0.99/session AI) offer better value if you don't need SimplePractice's full EHR ecosystem. SimplePractice's strength is breadth, not cutting-edge AI.

Practice Management Features

SimplePractice's core value proposition is as an all-in-one practice platform:

• Full EHR: Progress notes, treatment plans, intake forms, clinical documentation
• HIPAA-compliant telehealth: Built-in video sessions, no separate Zoom subscription needed
• Insurance billing: Claims submission, ERA/EOB processing, superbill generation
• Client portal: Intake paperwork, appointment scheduling, secure messaging
• Scheduling: Calendar management, automated reminders, online booking
• Professional website builder: Simple provider website with booking integration

AI Note Taker (Add-On)

The AI Note Taker is a $35/month add-on per clinician that was introduced to compete with standalone AI note tools:

• Real-time session transcription during telehealth or in-person sessions
• Automated SOAP, DAP, and BIRP note generation
• Pre-session summaries pulling relevant history from previous notes
• AI-adapted note style that learns your clinical documentation preferences
• 30-day free trial to test before committing

Pricing

Additional fees: Insurance claim fees ($0.25/claim), payment processing (3.15% + $0.30), annual CPT licensing ($20/year/clinician). These add up, particularly for practices processing many insurance claims.

HIPAA Compliance & Data Security

SimplePractice is designed for use by US-based licensed mental health practitioners, which means HIPAA compliance is non-negotiable. Here's what we verified:

• Business Associate Agreement (BAA): Available on all paid plans. SimplePractice is one of the most established HIPAA-compliant EHR platforms in mental health private practice and offers BAAs as standard for all subscribers.
• Encryption: AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit.
• SOC 2 Certification: SimplePractice maintains SOC 2 Type II certification. As the most widely used mental health EHR, its compliance posture is among the most mature in the category.
• Data Residency: US-based cloud infrastructure (AWS).
• Session Recording Handling: The AI Note Taker add-on ($35/mo) records sessions for transcription and note generation. Retention policies and deletion controls are governed by SimplePractice's enterprise data agreements. Telehealth recordings follow the same HIPAA-compliant infrastructure as the core EHR.
• Key consideration: SimplePractice handles the broadest scope of PHI in this category — not just session recordings, but clinical notes, treatment plans, billing data, client communications, and insurance claims. Its data protection posture is accordingly comprehensive, but the blast radius of any breach is larger. Review the enterprise data agreement carefully.

What clinicians should verify before signing up:

1. Request a current BAA template before sharing any PHI
2. Confirm SOC 2 Type II attestation date (should be within last 12 months)
3. Document data retention and deletion policies in your practice's privacy policy
4. Confirm whether AI training uses your client data (most tools now offer opt-out)

Important disclaimer: This information reflects publicly available compliance posture. Always verify current BAA terms, certifications, and data handling directly with the vendor before processing any PHI through their system.

User Ratings

• App Store: 4.7/5 (10,000+ ratings)
• G2: 4.1/5 (300 reviews)
• Most widely used EHR in mental health private practice

Weaknesses and Limitations

• Expensive total cost: $49-99/month for EHR + $35/month for AI = $84-134/month before transaction fees
• Essential features gated: Insurance billing and telehealth require the Essential ($79) or Plus ($99) tier
• AI is an add-on, not core: Unlike Blueprint (free AI) or Upheal (free basic notes), AI functionality costs extra
• No session analytics: Unlike Upheal, SimplePractice generates notes without providing analytical insights into session dynamics
• Transaction fee accumulation: Claim fees, processing fees, and licensing fees add 15-25% to the base subscription cost
• No peer-reviewed AI research: The AI Note Taker has no published clinical validation studies

Who SimplePractice Is Best For

• Established private practices already using SimplePractice for EHR, billing, and scheduling
• Therapists who want one platform for everything (documentation, billing, telehealth, booking) rather than stitching together multiple tools
• Group practices needing multi-clinician support with centralized management
• Therapists who take insurance and need integrated claims processing

Bottom Line

SimplePractice is the Microsoft Office of therapy practice management — established, comprehensive, and not particularly innovative. The AI Note Taker add-on is competent but unremarkable compared to purpose-built AI note tools. If you already live in the SimplePractice ecosystem, the AI add-on makes sense. If you're starting fresh or prioritize AI-first features, look at Upheal (analytics), Blueprint (free EHR + AI), or Mentalyc (templates).