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Valant vs SimplePractice

Compared by PracticeAll's healthcare IT team · Updated · How we review

The short answer

Valant and SimplePractice both serve mental health practices but at different depths. SimplePractice suits solo therapists and small counseling groups that want published pricing from $49 a month, a self-serve trial and AI note add-ons. Valant suits psychiatry practices, larger groups and programs running intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization care, with DrFirst e-prescribing and EPCS, state PDMP access, 80+ scored outcome measures and utilization review. Expect a demo and a custom quote with Valant.

Choose Valant if you run a psychiatry practice, a multi-clinician group or an IOP/PHP program that needs prescribing, outcome measures and utilization review.

Choose SimplePractice if you are a solo therapist or small counseling group that wants published pricing, a quick self-serve setup and client marketing tools.

Valant vs SimplePractice at a glance

ValantSimplePractice
Best forPsychiatry, therapy groups, multi-site practices and IOP/PHP programsSolo and small group therapists, counselors, SLPs and OTs
Practice sizeSolo to multi-practice and franchise organizations; 50,000+ users per the vendorSolo to groups; groups of 6+ practitioners can ask sales for custom pricing
Starting priceNot published$49/mo (Starter)
Pricing modelCustom quote by number and type of licenses (therapist, prescriber, supervisor) plus add-ons$49, $79 or $99/mo; added clinicians on Plus $74/mo each for 2 to 5, less for larger groups; claims from $0.39 each
Core approachBehavioral health EHR and PM with measurement-based care and program workflowsTherapy practice management with client portal, website and directory tools
EHR integrationsDrFirst e-prescribing with EPCS; PDMP access in 43+ states; eLabs; inbound, outbound and scheduling APIsePrescribe through DrFirst; calendar sync; no published lab interfaces or public API
HIPAA / BAADescribed as HIPAA and PCI compliant; BAA terms not publishedBAA accepted at signup; HITRUST certified
PlatformsWeb; MYIO patient app for iOS and AndroidWeb; iOS and Android apps
Notable strengthAuto-scored outcome measures and IOP/PHP, group therapy and utilization review toolsLow published price and 30-day self-serve trial
Main drawbackNo public pricing; sales demo requiredLimited prescriber and program-level workflows; ePrescribe is a paid add-on

Key differences

Who each is built for

Valant says it was founded in 2005 from a psychiatrist's vision and is built only for behavioral health. It serves solo therapists and psychiatrists, small and large groups, multi-practice organizations and billing agencies, and it supports intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) programs. SimplePractice serves a wider set of wellness clinicians, mainly therapists and counselors, plus speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, and reports about 250,000 practitioners. Its strength is the private practice clinician who wants to be up and running quickly.

Pricing and buying process

SimplePractice publishes plans at $49, $79 and $99 a month, offers a 30-day free trial and lets you sign up online. Insurance claims cost from $0.39 each as of October 1, 2026. Valant does not publish prices. It quotes by the number and type of licenses you need, such as therapist, prescriber and supervisor, plus optional add-ons like patient engagement, reporting, telehealth and AI documentation, and it says it offers tiered pricing. You need a demo or quote request to see a number.

Prescribing and clinical depth

Valant integrates with DrFirst for e-prescribing, includes an EPCS portal for controlled substances, and connects to prescription monitoring databases in more than 43 states. It also offers prior authorization tracking, eLabs, 80+ behavioral health outcome measures that are collected and scored automatically, and treatment plan libraries from 32 Wiley PracticePlanners. SimplePractice offers ePrescribe through DrFirst as an add-on at $49 a month plus an $89 setup fee, and includes Wiley Treatment Planners on its Essential and Plus plans.

Documentation and AI

Valant's AI Notes Assist drafts notes in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, narrative or custom formats from in-person recordings or telehealth transcripts, with CPT-aligned suggestions for the clinician to review. Valant's pricing page lists AI-assisted documentation among the optional add-ons that affect a quote. SimplePractice sells Note Taker at $35 a month or the broader Care Aide suite at $59 for the account owner plus $49 per additional clinician, with free trial periods for both.

Which should you choose?

Match the system to your practice's clinical complexity. Talk-therapy practices rarely need Valant's prescriber and program tools, while psychiatry and IOP/PHP practices can outgrow SimplePractice.

Choose Valant if:

  • Your practice includes psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners who prescribe controlled substances
  • You run IOP or PHP programs or need utilization review
  • You want outcome measures collected and scored automatically across clinicians

Choose SimplePractice if:

  • You are a solo therapist or a small counseling group
  • You want to see prices and start a trial without a sales call
  • You want a practice website and directory listing included in your plan

For an insurance-focused therapy EHR, also compare TherapyNotes; for psychiatry documentation with published plans, see ICANotes.

Read the full reviews

Valant logoValant reviewOutpatient psychiatry and therapy groups, including IOP and PHP programsContact for pricingSimplePractice logoSimplePractice reviewSolo therapists and small mental health groups wanting low-cost all-in-one softwareFrom $49/mo

Sources

  1. Valant plans and pricing
  2. Valant e-prescribing
  3. Valant EHR for solo therapists
  4. Valant AI Notes Assist
  5. Valant about us
  6. Valant EHR API management
  7. SimplePractice pricing
  8. SimplePractice: Comparing features by plan
  9. Valant MYIO patient portal
  10. SimplePractice BAA, Terms of Service and Trust and Security

Valant vs SimplePractice: FAQ

Is Valant or SimplePractice better for a small practice?

For a solo therapist or small counseling group, SimplePractice is usually the better fit: it publishes prices from $49 a month, includes telehealth on every plan and can be set up without a sales call. Valant fits small practices with psychiatric prescribers, heavy use of outcome measures or plans to add IOP or PHP programs, where its deeper clinical tools justify a custom quote.

How much does Valant cost compared with SimplePractice?

SimplePractice costs $49, $79 or $99 a month for a solo clinician, with additional clinicians on Plus at $74 each for groups of two to five ($72 for 6 to 15, $69 for 16 or more) and claim fees from $0.39. Valant does not publish prices; it quotes by the number and type of licenses, such as therapist, prescriber and supervisor, plus add-ons. Ask Valant for an itemized quote that lists setup fees and contract length.

Do Valant and SimplePractice support e-prescribing and labs?

Both use DrFirst for e-prescribing. Valant includes an EPCS portal for controlled substances, PDMP access in more than 43 states and a separate eLabs product. SimplePractice offers ePrescribe as an add-on at $49 a month plus an $89 setup fee and does not publish lab interfaces. Psychiatric practices that prescribe controlled substances and order labs often need Valant's depth.

Do Valant and SimplePractice sign a BAA?

SimplePractice includes its business associate agreement in the terms you accept when you create a trial account, and it says the platform is HITRUST certified. Valant describes its EHR as HIPAA and PCI compliant but does not publish its BAA terms on the pages we reviewed. As a vendor that stores patient records, Valant acts as a business associate, so ask for its BAA when you request a quote.

Can I move from SimplePractice to Valant as my practice grows?

Yes. A move often makes sense when you add prescribers or programs. Export client demographics, documents and billing history from SimplePractice, and ask Valant which data it imports and whether migration is included in your quote. Keep SimplePractice active until outstanding claims are paid.