SimplePractice Essential Plan: $79/Month
The Plan Most Therapists Actually Need
Essential at $79/month is the de facto standard plan for licensed therapists in private practice. It covers telehealth, insurance billing, secure messaging, and treatment plans. Here is everything you need to know about what it includes, what it costs in practice, and when to consider Plus instead.
SimplePractice Essential
$79
per month, billed monthly
Increased from $69 in early 2025 (+$10/mo, +14%)
Everything Included in Essential
True Monthly Cost Breakdown
The plan fee is $79/month. For most therapists, additional fees add $20-50/month:
| Cost item | Rate | Example: 30 insurance clients |
|---|---|---|
| Essential plan | $79/mo | $79.00 |
| Clearinghouse (30 claims/mo) | $0.25/claim | $7.50 |
| Credit card processing (est. $2,400 revenue) | 2.95% + $0.30 | ~$30.00 |
| Total monthly | ~$116.50 |
Annual cost at this rate: approximately $1,398/year. Use the cost calculator for your practice.
Essential vs Plus: Is the $20/Month Upgrade Worth It?
Upgrade from Essential to Plus ($99/mo) if you need any of:
- ✓ Adding clinicians to your practice (Plus is required for multi-clinician setups)
- ✓ Group telehealth (group therapy sessions with multiple clients)
- ✓ Client portal (client self-service file access and appointment requests)
- ✓ SimplePractice-hosted professional website
- ✓ Premium phone support
Stay on Essential if:
- ✓ You are solo and have no plans to add clinicians
- ✓ You do not need group appointments or group telehealth
- ✓ You are comfortable without a client-facing portal
Is Upgrading from Starter Worth $30/Month?
For almost every therapist: yes. The $30/month gap between Starter ($49) and Essential ($79) buys telehealth, insurance billing, secure messaging, and treatment plans. That $360/year premium is justified if you use any one of those features, which most therapists do.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Essential go from $69 to $79?
SimplePractice raised the Essential plan from $69 to $79/month in early 2025. This was a 14% increase. Most third-party pricing comparison sites still show the old $69 price as of mid-2026.
Does Essential include the client portal?
No. The client portal is a Plus-plan feature ($99/mo). Essential includes secure messaging and telehealth but not the full client portal where clients can access their records and request appointments independently.
What is the true monthly cost of Essential?
The plan fee is $79/month. For a solo therapist with 30 insurance clients and moderate card-processing volume, total monthly cost including clearinghouse fees and processing fees is typically $100-120/month. Use the calculator at /pricing-calculator for a precise estimate.
Can I downgrade from Essential to Starter?
Yes, but you will lose telehealth, insurance billing, secure messaging, treatment plans, and the analytics dashboard. The downgrade takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle. See the downgrade guide for full details on what you lose.