SimplePractice alternative without EHR overhead
SimplePractice is a full therapy EHR. If your real need is online booking, scheduling, and taking payments — not insurance claims and clinical records — Cicini is simpler and cheaper.
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Choosing between an EHR and a scheduling platform
SimplePractice is a well-respected, EHR-centric platform built for therapists and mental-health clinics. It does the hard parts of running a clinical practice — progress notes, treatment plans, insurance claims, and a client portal — and more than 250,000 practitioners rely on it.
But that depth comes at a cost. Plans run from about $49 to $99 per provider each month, and many of the things you actually use day to day — ePrescribe, AI notes, SMS reminders, extra users — are paid add-ons on top. If your bottleneck is filling your calendar and collecting payments rather than filing claims, you're paying for clinical machinery you don't need.
Cicini is the right-sized choice when scheduling and booking matter more than a full EHR.
How Cicini and SimplePractice differ
SimplePractice centers on the clinical record. The schedule exists to feed documentation, billing, and insurance — that's the product's gravity, and it's why it works so well for therapy practices.
Cicini centers on the booking. Clients find your branded page, choose a service and a time, pay the full appointment price via Stripe, and get automatic reminders. Staff see their own availability, you take payments through Stripe, and Google outbound calendar sync (beta) pushes bookings to your calendar — not metered as add-ons. Deposits and two-way sync are on the roadmap.
The difference isn't quality — it's scope. Choose by your real bottleneck: clinical documentation, or filling and running the schedule.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Capability | Cicini | SimplePractice |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking pages | Branded booking page — iframe embed on roadmap | Yes — client portal booking |
| Calendar sync (Google / Outlook / Apple) | Google sync + FreeBusy busy-block (beta) — Outlook/Apple on roadmap | Google / Outlook sync |
| Multi-staff scheduling | Yes — role-based, individual availability | Yes — per provider |
| Online payments at booking | Full/deposit Stripe + gift cards (paid plans) — packages/memberships on roadmap | Yes — card payments |
| Email reminders | Yes — all plans | |
| SMS reminders | Yes — on paid plans | Add-on / per-message fees |
| Automated workflows | Limited | |
| Intake forms | On roadmap | |
| Waitlist management | On roadmap | Limited |
| Multi-location support | On roadmap | Limited |
| API access and webhooks | API keys + webhooks (Pro+) — limited quotas on Pro | |
| Free plan | Yes — $0 forever | |
| Transparent published pricing | Yes — $0 / $19 / $49 | $49–$99 + add-ons |
| Clinical notes & treatment plans (EHR) | ||
| Insurance claims & billing | ||
| ePrescribe | Add-on | |
| HIPAA support with BAA | HIPAA-compliant security · BAA / Health tier on Enterprise roadmap |
SimplePractice details reflect publicly listed plans and add-ons and can change. Cicini is a scheduling and booking platform, not an EHR — see the notes below.
When practices choose Cicini
When practices choose Cicini
- Your bottleneck is filling and running the schedule — not clinical documentation or insurance billing
- You want online booking and full-price Stripe checkout in one tool (deposits on roadmap), without per-feature add-ons
- You run wellness, coaching, allied-health, or service appointments rather than a therapy EHR workflow
- You want SMS and email reminders without paying per message
- You need a free or low-cost plan to start, with transparent pricing as you grow
- You want read API access today and full API on the roadmap to connect Cicini to the rest of your stack
Explore the full appointment scheduling software feature set, or see plans on the transparent pricing page.
Switching from SimplePractice
Switching from SimplePractice
Pay for what you use
Honest value: pay for what you actually use
Cicini vs SimplePractice: frequently asked questions
Clear answers about booking, clinic workflows, pricing, and getting started with Cicini.
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Contact our teamFrequently asked questions
Is Cicini a good SimplePractice alternative?
Cicini is a strong SimplePractice alternative when your main needs are scheduling, online booking, and taking payments — not a full clinical EHR. SimplePractice is built around therapy and mental-health records (notes, insurance claims, treatment plans). If you do not need that clinical depth, Cicini gives you modern booking, Google Calendar sync (beta), reminders, and Stripe checkout at a lower, more predictable price.
How does Cicini pricing compare to SimplePractice?
Cicini is simpler and cheaper for scheduling-led practices. SimplePractice plans start at $49/mo and run to $99/mo per provider, with paid add-ons for ePrescribe, AI notes, SMS, and extra users. Cicini has a Free plan at $0, Starter at $19/mo, Professional at $49/mo, and a custom Enterprise tier — with email reminders and online booking included on every plan.
Does Cicini replace an EHR for therapists?
No, and we are honest about that. Cicini is not an electronic health record system and does not file insurance claims or store clinical treatment records. If you require a full EHR with insurance billing, SimplePractice is purpose-built for that. Cicini is the better fit for practitioners who want excellent scheduling, booking pages, and payments without paying for clinical modules they will not use.
Can I take client payments in Cicini?
Yes. Cicini connects to Stripe so clients can prepay the full appointment price at booking on paid plans. Deposits and packages are on the roadmap. There are no SimplePractice-style per-feature payment add-ons — payments are part of the platform.
How hard is it to switch from SimplePractice to Cicini?
Switching is straightforward when you are moving your scheduling and booking workflow. You connect Google Calendar (beta), recreate your services and availability, and publish a branded booking page — usually in an afternoon. Our team can help; visit support for migration guidance. Note that clinical records held in SimplePractice should be exported and retained separately, since Cicini is not an EHR.
Does Cicini support HIPAA compliance for healthcare practices?
A HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and compliance tier are on our Enterprise roadmap — not available on Free, Starter, or Professional plans today. If your practice needs HIPAA coverage for protected health information, contact us via /demo. Standard plans cover general scheduling and booking needs.
Who is Cicini best for compared to SimplePractice?
Cicini is best for wellness, coaching, allied-health, and service practices that want scheduling, online booking, automated reminders, and payments in one clean tool. SimplePractice is best for therapy and mental-health clinics that need a dedicated EHR with insurance billing. Choose based on whether your bottleneck is scheduling or clinical documentation.
See if Cicini is the simpler fit
Start a free trial or book a demo to see how Cicini handles booking, scheduling, and payments — without the cost and complexity of a full EHR.
30-day free trial on paid plans · Free plan at $0 · Cancel anytime