SimplePractice for Clinicians vs Practice Pad
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.
Practice Pad
This app converts handwritten therapy notes into digital clinical documentation using Apple Pencil. It offers built-in templates, progress tracking with assessments, and secure, HIPAA-compliant data storage. Notes can be exported or synced to cloud storage.
- Handwrite notes with Apple Pencil
- On-device OCR for text conversion
- Built-in DAP, SOAP, BIRP templates
- Progress tracking with assessments
- Append-only addenda for amendments
- Biometric and encrypted data security
- Export notes to PDF or sync to Google Drive
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Finish the session. Tap Finalize. Done. Practice Pad is the clinical documentation app built by a licensed counselor for therapists who handwrite their notes. Capture them by hand with Apple Pencil and they become finished, signed clinical documentation — no retyping, no double work. WRITE BY HAND, FILE AUTOMATICALLY Handwrite session notes with Apple Pencil on your iPad On-device OCR turns your handwriting into clinical text — nothing leaves your iPad during conversion Built-in DAP, SOAP, BIRP, and Narrative templates organize your writing Browse and install community note templates — including EMDR specialty formats — right into your library (Cloud plan) Review section by section, then sign and lock the note TRACK PROGRESS OVER TIME Administer PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, ACE, and C-SSRS with automatic scoring Re-administer assessments and see each client's scores charted over time, with severity bands behind the line Progress is ready the moment you open a session — see where a client stands at a glance KEEP YOUR RECORD CLEAN AND DEFENSIBLE Append-only addenda let you add dated, signed amendments to a finalized note without altering the original record — designed to support proper clinical amendment practices under HIPAA Biometric Face ID / Touch ID lock protects your sessions AES-256 encrypted on-device storage YOUR DATA, YOUR ACCOUNT Sync finished notes to your own Google Workspace — Drive, Sheets, and Calendar (Cloud plan) Or copy note text and export PDF into any EHR (every plan) Your templates and your clients live in your account, not ours PRIVATE BY DESIGN We never collect your clinical data or PHI No PHI touches our servers A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available for your practice BUILT BY A CLINICIAN, NOT A BILLING COMPANY Practice Pad started because its founder — a Licensed Professional Counselor — was tired of paying for software that held his data hostage. It does one thing exceptionally well: turn your handwriting into a clean clinical record, then get out of your way. Plans start at $15/month with a 14-day free trial. Practice Pad is a documentation tool, not an EHR — no scheduling, billing, or client portal, by design.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Practice Pad at 100% against SimplePractice for Clinicians's 29%. Practice Pad also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). SimplePractice for Clinicians's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (34K vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Practice Pad sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. SimplePractice for Clinicians asks for nothing beyond the download.
Practice Pad holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimplePractice for Clinicians has 34K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of SimplePractice for Clinicians's written reviews are positive against 100% of Practice Pad's.
SimplePractice for Clinicians ships an update every 3 weeks, Practice Pad weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimplePractice for Clinicians | Practice Pad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (34K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #209 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.3 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 137 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SimplePractice, LLC. | Perry Emerick |
Customer experience
SimplePractice for Clinicians
Practice Pad
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
Practice Pad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SimplePractice for Clinicians
No in-app purchases
Practice Pad
- Practice Pad Secure14 Days trial$15.001 Month
- Practice Pad Cloud14 Days trial$22.001 Month
Questions
Is SimplePractice for Clinicians free?
Is Practice Pad free?
Which has better reviews, SimplePractice for Clinicians or Practice Pad?
Do SimplePractice for Clinicians or Practice Pad have ads?
Which is updated more often, SimplePractice for Clinicians or Practice Pad?
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