SimplePractice for Clinicians vs Columbia Protocol
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimplePractice for Clinicians
Manage your practice on the go with intuitive tools for scheduling, client management, and administrative tasks. This HIPAA-compliant app offers a streamlined experience for clinicians to connect with clients, manage appointments, and access client information securely from their mobile devices.
- Client scheduling and management
- HIPAA-compliant security
- Session note writing
- Document sharing and uploading
- Secure messaging
- Invoice and payment processing
- Optimized mobile interface
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SimplePractice for Clinicians app puts scheduling, client management, and admin tools at your fingertips - so you can focus on what matters most. The app provides a smoother, faster, and more intuitive way to manage your practice and connect with clients anytime, anywhere. What’s new: - Optimized for the way you work: Work effortlessly across your iPhone and iPad with an optimized interface designed for a smooth, flexible workflow. - Streamlined calendar experience: Quickly access your client’s complete history of past appointments and notes right from your calendar. Use new filters and layout options to customize your view, and easily see other clinician’s availability within your practice. - Enhanced Client Profiles: Quickly review intake forms, appointment details, outstanding balances, and uploaded documents—so you’re always prepared for your next session. - Instant data sync: Updates sync instantly between mobile and web so you can seamlessly transition between devices. With this app, you can: - Protect your data with HIPAA-compliant security - Manage your schedule on the go - Write and review session notes - Share and upload documents - Send secure messages - Process invoices and payments Security features include: - 100% HIPAA compliance - Biometric access - In-app passcode protection - Bank-level data encryption This is a companion app for SimplePractice's cloud-based practice management software. A SimplePractice account is required to use the app.
Columbia Protocol
This application provides a standardized tool for assessing suicide risk through a series of questions. It is designed for widespread use to aid in suicide prevention, offering guidance for low or moderate risk responses.
- Suicide risk assessment
- Evidence-supported tool
- Simple question series
- Global usability
- Mental health referral guidance
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The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), the most evidence-supported tool of its kind, is a simple series of questions that anyone can use anywhere in the world to help prevent suicide. Disclaimer: If you are high risk, a further evaluation is indicated. For Low or Moderate answers, a mental health referral may be helpful or is provided. Thank you to the sponsors that helped make this a possibility: Blair County Department of Social Services Community Care Behavioral Health UPMC Healthy Blair County Coalition UPMC Altoona Foundation
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: SimplePractice for Clinicians at 34K against Columbia Protocol's 12. SimplePractice for Clinicians also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Columbia Protocol's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 29%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SimplePractice for Clinicians holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimplePractice for Clinicians has 34K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of SimplePractice for Clinicians's written reviews are positive against 50% of Columbia Protocol's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SimplePractice for Clinicians ships an update every 3 weeks, Columbia Protocol every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimplePractice for Clinicians | Columbia Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (34K ratings) — better | 4.4 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.8% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34K — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #198 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.3 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 137 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | SimplePractice, LLC. | PSS Chute Software |
Customer experience
SimplePractice for Clinicians
Columbia Protocol
Bugs and requests
SimplePractice for Clinicians
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inconsistent behavior when syncing appointments
- Unreliable push notifications and reminders
- Issues with insurance billing and payment tracking
- Problems accessing client documents and files on mobile
Requested features
5 requests- iPad app support
- Ability to edit invoices and payments
- More customization options for client portal
- Improved calendar view and scheduling functionality
- Better integration with other productivity apps
Columbia Protocol
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SimplePractice for Clinicians
No in-app purchases
Columbia Protocol
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SimplePractice for Clinicians free?
Is Columbia Protocol free?
Which has better reviews, SimplePractice for Clinicians or Columbia Protocol?
Do SimplePractice for Clinicians or Columbia Protocol have ads?
Which is updated more often, SimplePractice for Clinicians or Columbia Protocol?
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