This article is part of our Industry Software Guides: the website platforms, forms and booking tools practices and contractors use, with prices checked on vendor pages. Want to know where your site stands? Get a free 20–30 page website audit within 24 hours.
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For most solo therapists, SimplePractice Essential or Jane's Practice plan is the best online booking choice, because both put client self-scheduling, free text reminders and a signed BAA in one monthly fee. Group practices that want instant booking and cheap extra seats should look hard at Jane. Practices that already have an EHR they like can add Acuity Scheduling on its Premium plan instead.
The rest of this list covers TherapyNotes, IntakeQ, TheraNest, Sessions Health and Calendly, plus a short note on directories. Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page as of November 2026.
Pick the tool that lets new clients book from your website without emailing you, then check the text reminder bill before you sign.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price (billing) | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
 SimplePractice | Solo therapists who want one all-in-one system | $49/mo (billed monthly) | Starter has no appointment reminders; website request widget is Plus only |
 Jane | Groups that want instant booking and low seat costs | $59/mo (billed monthly) | Balance plan caps you at 20 appointments a month |
 TherapyNotes | Insurance-heavy practices | $69/mo (billed monthly) | Text and call reminders cost 14¢ each |
 IntakeQ | Practices that live on intake forms | $59.90/mo low-volume plan | Low-volume plan caps appointments at 25 per practitioner per 30 days |
 TheraNest (Ensora Health) | Budget per-therapist pricing | $29/therapist/mo (monthly) | Online booking starts on the $59 Advanced plan |
 Sessions Health | The cheapest paid EHR with booking | $0 for up to 3 clients, then $39/mo | Fewer extras than the big names |
 Acuity Scheduling | Adding booking on top of an existing EHR | $16/mo billed annually | BAA only on Premium ($55/mo billed annually) |
 Calendly | Free consultation calls only | Free; paid from $10/seat/mo billed annually | Standard terms say no protected health information |
Prices checked on vendor pricing pages on 2 November 2026.
How we chose
- Client self-scheduling: can a new client request or book a session without a phone call, and can you control who books what?
- A path from your website: a booking link, a widget, or a client portal you can link from your "Book a session" button.
- Reminders and their real cost: email, text and voice reminders, and whether texts are free or billed per message.
- BAA terms: whether the vendor's own page says it signs a business associate agreement, and on which plan.
- Per-clinician math: what the second, third and fifth clinician cost, not just the headline price.
- Fit for therapy: intake forms, telehealth and notes in the same place, so booking data does not sit in a separate silo.
A quick note on HIPAA. If a booking tool stores or sends client information for your practice, get a signed business associate agreement (BAA) before you switch it on. A BAA alone does not make your practice compliant, and this article is not legal advice. Our guide to HIPAA-compliant forms and scheduling covers the practice-side steps.
1. SimplePractice: best all-in-one pick for solo therapists
- Best for: solo and small-group therapists who want booking, notes, billing and telehealth in one login.
- Price: Starter $49/mo, Essential $79/mo, Plus $99/mo, each billed monthly. Only Plus can add clinicians, at $69 to $74 per clinician per month, per the SimplePractice plan comparison page. Groups of 6+ practitioners get custom pricing.
The same page shows online appointment requests, a client portal, telehealth and a professional website on every plan. Clients request a time from the portal and you confirm it, so you keep control over who joins your caseload.
Reminders matter more than people expect. The comparison page shows appointment reminders, a client waitlist and confirm or cancel by text on Essential and Plus, but not on Starter. The "appointment request widget" for your own website is listed only on Plus. On BAAs, SimplePractice publishes its business associate agreement, which takes effect when your account is created and forms part of its Terms of Service.
Where it falls short:
- The embeddable request widget is Plus only, so a solo therapist who wants booking on their own site pays $99, not $79.
- Bookings are requests you approve, not instant bookings.
- There is a $20 per clinician annual fee for AMA CPT codes, noted at the foot of the comparison page.
Our take: Essential at $79 is the sweet spot for a solo practice that links clients to the portal. Pay for Plus only if you want the widget on your own site or plan to add clinicians.
2. Jane: best for groups that want instant booking
- Best for: group practices and multidisciplinary clinics that want clients to book real-time slots.
- Price: Balance $59/mo (one practitioner, 20 appointments a month), Practice $79/mo, Thrive $99/mo, in USD per the Jane pricing page. Practice adds $35 a month per full-time practitioner and $17.50 per part-time one. Thrive adds $40 and $20.
Jane's online booking page describes real-time booking, a booking link you share on your website, intake forms sent after booking, and an automatic waitlist that offers openings to waitlisted clients. You can also take a card at booking for deposits or no-show protection. That combination is the closest thing on this list to "book a slot, done."
Jane counts a practitioner as part-time if they book fewer than 24 hours a week, and admin staff with no bookings are free. SMS reminders are free on Practice and Thrive where SMS is available in your region. On BAAs, Jane's terms say it will, on request, enter into its standard Business Associate Agreement with subscribers subject to HIPAA.
Where it falls short:
- Jane says it has no free trial; you get a demo instead.
- The Balance plan's 20-appointment cap rules it out for most full-time therapists.
- You have to request the BAA; it is not signed automatically at signup.
Our take: Jane is the strongest pick for a growing group, because part-time seats cost half and clients get instant booking. Solo therapists should start on Practice, not Balance.
3. TherapyNotes: best for insurance-heavy practices
- Best for: practices that bill insurance every day and want booking as part of the EHR.
- Price: Solo $69/mo for one user. Group $89/mo for the first clinician plus $60 per additional clinician, per the TherapyNotes pricing page. Non-clinical staff are free.
Clients request appointments through TherapyPortal, the practice's client portal. Requests show on your calendar and you approve or deny them, per TherapyNotes' help article. Clients can say whether they want in-person or telehealth.
The reminder model is different from SimplePractice and Jane. TherapyNotes charges 14¢ per text or call reminder, while email reminders are free. On BAAs, a TherapyNotes FAQ says the BAA has been built into its Terms of Service since 23 April 2026, for customers who need one.
Where it falls short:
- Per-text reminder fees add up in a busy group.
- Booking is request-and-approve through the portal, not instant.
- Premium telehealth is an extra $15 a month per clinician.
Our take: Choose TherapyNotes for its billing depth, not its booking. If texting is your main no-show tool, budget for the per-message fee.
4. IntakeQ: best for form-first practices
- Best for: practices that want strong intake forms and a booking widget without a full EHR switch.
- Price: Practice Management $84.90/mo plus $30 per additional practitioner. A low-volume version is $59.90/mo plus $25 per practitioner, capped at 25 appointments and 25 client form submissions per 30 days. Both are on the IntakeQ pricing page.
The Practice Management plan lists a booking widget, appointment reminders, automated intake and telehealth. Every plan on the page, including Forms Only, lists a "HIPAA BAA." IntakeQ says there is no contract and you can cancel anytime.
The pricing page does not say whether appointment reminders go by text, email or both, or whether texts cost extra. Ask before you sign if text reminders are your main no-show tool.
Where it falls short:
- The low-volume plan's caps are too tight for a full-time caseload.
- Per-practitioner fees ($30) are higher than Jane's or Sessions Health's.
Our take: A good fit if paperwork is your bottleneck and you want booking bolted to it. Check the per-practitioner math before choosing it for a group.
5. TheraNest (Ensora Health): best per-therapist pricing for small groups
- Best for: small groups that want flat per-therapist pricing and annual discounts.
- Price: Essentials $29, Advanced $59, Premier $89 per therapist per month on monthly billing, per the TheraNest pricing page. Yearly billing includes one month free.
Online booking and secure messaging start on Advanced. Text and phone reminders are not part of Essentials. Advanced includes 50 of each per month per practice, then $0.10 per reminder, and Premier is unlimited under a fair usage policy. There are no setup fees, and admin users are free.
Where it falls short:
- The $29 headline price does not include online booking or text reminders.
- The pricing page calls TheraNest HIPAA-compliant but does not mention a BAA. Ask sales for the BAA in writing before you add clients.
- A $19.50 per therapist annual AMA CPT fee is billed each December.
Our take: Advanced is the real starting point for booking. It is fair value for a two to five therapist group, once you confirm the BAA.
6. Sessions Health: best budget EHR with booking
- Best for: new and part-time practices watching every dollar.
- Price: Freemium is $0 for up to 3 clients and 1 practitioner. Professional is $39/mo for the first practitioner and $29 for each additional one, per the Sessions Health pricing page. Telehealth is $10/mo per practitioner.
The pricing page lists client online appointment requests, online scheduling through the client portal, and email and SMS reminders. Its signup article says it does not charge extra for appointment reminders and that a signed BAA is included during signup.
Where it falls short:
- Telehealth is an add-on rather than included.
- Booking is request-based through the portal.
- A smaller feature set than SimplePractice or Jane.
Our take: The cheapest credible way to give clients online booking with a BAA. Worth a trial if you are just starting out.
7. Acuity Scheduling: best add-on if you keep your current EHR
- Best for: practices that want polished self-booking on their site but keep notes and billing elsewhere.
- Price: Starter $16/mo, Standard $27/mo, Premium $55/mo on annual billing ($20, $34 and $69 monthly), per the Acuity pricing page.
Standard and Premium include automated SMS reminders. Only Premium lists "Sign BAA for HIPAA compliance," and the comparison table marks it for Premium alone. If you run your website on Squarespace, remember that a BAA for scheduling does not make the rest of your site a safe place for client details.
Where it falls short:
- It is scheduling only, so intake data and notes live in a second system.
- The BAA plan costs more than three times the Starter plan.
Our take: Acuity Premium is a clean choice when your EHR's booking is weak. Do not put client information into Starter or Standard.
8. Calendly: fine for free consults, not for client scheduling
- Best for: a 15-minute "is this a fit?" call where you collect only a name and email.
- Price: Free plan; Standard $10/seat/mo and Teams $16/seat/mo on annual billing, per the Calendly pricing page.
Calendly's pricing page does not mention HIPAA or a BAA. Its customer terms go further: customers warrant that their data does not contain protected health information. That makes it a poor home for anything clinical, including intake questions or "reason for visit" fields.
Where it falls short:
- Standard terms exclude PHI, so it should not handle existing-client sessions.
- No intake, notes or telehealth tied to a client record.
Our take: Use it only for pre-consult calls with no clinical questions, or skip it and use your EHR's booking.
A note on directories
Insurance networks and directories send you clients but do not replace booking on your own website. Our therapy directories comparison covers fees and models, and our post on Psychology Today profiles vs your own website explains why your site still matters.
How to choose
- Choose SimplePractice Essential if you are solo and want one system with free text reminders; step up to Plus for a website widget.
- Choose Jane Practice if you want instant booking, a waitlist and cheap part-time seats.
- Choose TherapyNotes if insurance billing drives your week and you can live with 14¢ texts.
- Choose Sessions Health if cost matters most and request-based booking is fine.
- Choose Acuity Premium if you keep your current EHR and need better self-booking on your site.
- Avoid Calendly for anything beyond a first-contact call with no clinical details.
Not sure online booking fits your caseload? Read should therapists use online booking first. For the full cost breakdown, see our therapy booking software pricing guide, and for the two most common finalists, SimplePractice vs Jane App. When you are ready to put booking on your site, our therapy practice website team can help with the page and the button placement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free online booking software for therapists?
Sessions Health's Freemium plan is $0 for up to three clients, with a BAA included at signup. Calendly has a free plan, but its standard terms exclude protected health information, so it only suits first-contact calls. Most practices outgrow free plans quickly.
Do therapists need a BAA for online booking software?
If the tool stores or sends client information for your practice, get a signed business associate agreement before you use it. Check which plan includes it: Acuity only offers it on Premium. A BAA alone does not make you compliant, and this is not legal advice.
Can clients book instantly, or do I have to approve each request?
It depends on the tool. Jane describes real-time booking. SimplePractice, TherapyNotes and Sessions Health use requests that you accept or decline. Request-based booking gives you more control over new-client fit.
Are text reminders free?
On some plans. SimplePractice includes text reminders on Essential and Plus, and Jane includes SMS on Practice and Thrive where available. TherapyNotes charges 14¢ per text or call, and TheraNest Advanced charges $0.10 after 50 a month.
Can I put a booking button on my own website?
Yes, with most of these tools. SimplePractice offers an appointment request widget on Plus, IntakeQ lists a booking widget, and Jane gives you a booking link. Our guide to website features that turn visitors into booked appointments covers where to place it.
