Pablo Bear
Comparison

How Pablo compares to the competition

Pablo is a practice management system with AI built in: client portal, messaging, scheduling, notes, your website, credentialing and claims. Here is how it compares with SimplePractice and Sessions Health. Every price comes from the vendor's own published pages.

Pablo is the AI-native place for solo mental health therapists and small groups to run their practices — not AI bolted onto an EHR. That means:

  1. One place to run your practice. Clients book, fill in intake forms, sign consents and message you through their portal. You write notes, bill, and answer email in Pablo. The table below shows what's included today and the few things still to come.
  2. Credentialing and claims, without the markup. Founding practices get two payers included. After that, credentialing is billed at what it costs us, per payer. So are claims.
  3. A say in what comes next. If something is missing, you can speak directly with the developer and help shape what we build.

This comparison is a snapshot of where things stand today, including where other products offer more and where they cost less.

Pricing for solo and small group practices

Compare features and monthly costs

Compared against each product's AI-inclusive configuration, because that's the version that does what Pablo does. The total is the monthly software cost. Claims, card fees and eligibility checks are per-use and depend on your panel, so they're listed at their own rates rather than folded into a total we'd have to guess at.

Per clinician / month SimplePractice
Essential + Care Aide		 Sessions Health
Professional + AI Assist		 Pablo One
Founding rate
Base plan$79$39$59 ($79 list)1
AI note drafting+$59 (Care Aide)2+$35 (AI Assist)Included
Inbox triage, safety flags & reply draftsNot offered3Not offeredIncluded
Insurance credentialingFree for 2 payers,
limited offer4		Not offered2 payers included
(founding), then at cost5
Insurance claims$0.39–$0.33/claim
or $1.79–$1.49 with Navigator, coming soon6		$0.25–$0.19/claim7$0.50/claim,
at cost8
Insurance eligibility checks$0.15 each, manual6$0.15 each, manualFree, and
automatic9
Online bookingIncludedIncludedIncluded
Telehealth videoIncluded+$10Not yet10
Client portalIncludedIncludedIncluded
Secure client messagingIncludedIncludedIncluded
Practice websiteIncluded, one page13Not offeredIncluded, and we build it for you13
Client card payments3.15% + $0.302.9% + $0.302.9% + $0.3011
Signed BAAYesYesYes, at signup
HIPAA-eligible mailboxNoNoIncluded
Open-source clinical documentation engineNoNoYes
Monthly, plan + AI$138$747$59
 Prices verified 7 October 2026 from each vendor's own pricing, support and release pages. The total is plan plus AI. Telehealth is left out of it, because a therapist on any of these products can use a free service with a BAA instead.10 Pablo can run your practice on its own, or work alongside an EHR you already use. Sources and caveats are at the foot of this page.
Credentialing

Getting on panels is the expensive part. Founding practices get two included.

Credentialing is the work of getting you contracted with an insurance payer so you can bill them as an in-network provider. Done independently it is the single biggest cash cost of opening an insurance practice.

What credentialing usually costsTypical rangeWith Pablo
One payer, through a credentialing service$150–$40012Included, founding
A five-payer panel$1,500–$3,500122 included, 3 at cost
Keeping it current, per year$600–$2,40012At cost
Whose name the contract is inYoursYours
 The first 20 founding practices get two payers included, under your own NPI. Every payer after that is billed at cost. The contract is yours and it stays with you: if you leave Pablo, you keep your panels.5

SimplePractice offers credentialing too, and it's worth taking seriously. In September 2026 they ran a limited-time offer covering the cost for up to two payers; it ended on 13 September. Their pricing notice still lists SimplePractice assisted credentialing (available for an additional fee) as coming later in 2026, with no price published yet.4 Pablo's offer is the same two payers, capped by seats instead of a date: the first 20 founding practices, and at cost with no markup after that. Sessions Health doesn't offer credentialing.

Changed 1 October 2026

If you bill insurance through SimplePractice, your claim costs went up this month

On 1 October SimplePractice set one claim fee across all plans and ended the free monthly claims included with Essential and Plus. Their subscription prices didn't change — the claims did.6

Your SimplePractice planClaim rate beforeSince 1 October
Starter$0.50$0.39 down
Essential$0.35$0.39 up
Plus$0.25$0.39 up 56%
 Essential and Plus no longer include free claims. Volume discounts continue: $0.39 for the first 250 claims a month, then $0.37, $0.35, and $0.33 above 1,000. A new tier, Insurance Navigator, adds benefit verification, AI help with claim errors, and phone access to insurance specialists at $1.79 per claim, falling to $1.49 at volume. It is listed as coming soon, with a waitlist.6
Choosing the right fit

Where Pablo fits—and what's still to come

Pablo covers the day-to-day of a solo or small-group practice: the client portal, intake and consents, scheduling, messaging, notes, your website and insurance. A few things aren't built yet. If you rely on one of them today, tell us — it helps decide what comes next.

Not in Pablo yet

  • Clients paying a balance from their portal
  • Built-in video — Pablo links to the telehealth service you already use10
  • A therapist directory, or client referrals

What Pablo does that the others don't

  • Gets you credentialed. Two payers included for founding practices, at cost after that, under your own NPI with the contract in your name.
  • Checks benefits before the first session. Coverage is verified automatically at intake and whenever it's saved — copay, deductible, visit limits, prior-auth flags, and whether behavioral benefits are carved out to another administrator. SimplePractice sells automatic verification in its top insurance tier; we don't charge for it at all.9
  • Saves you time on everyday email. Pablo sorts incoming messages and drafts routine replies for you to review and send.
  • Surfaces safety-flagged and crisis messages. Pablo leaves them undrafted at the top of your queue with crisis resources attached.
  • Drafts seven types of clinical documentation, including SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, intake, safety, and treatment plans.
  • Bills claims at cost. No markup on claims, and none on card payments either.
  • A direct line to the person who builds it. Not a ticket queue.
Your month, priced

What you pay SimplePractice today

Pick your plan and a typical month. The prices are SimplePractice's own, verified 7 October 2026, and the arithmetic updates as you go.

Your SimplePractice plan
AI notes
Insurance, in a typical month

SimplePractice

Essential$79.00
AI Note Taker$35.00
40 claims at $0.39$15.60
10 checks at $0.15$1.50
A month$131.10

Pablo One, founding rate

Plan, AI included$59.00
40 claims at $0.50, at cost$20.00
Eligibility checksIncluded
A month$79.00

Pablo is $52.10 a month less, or $625 a year.

Pablo's claim fee is higher per claim today: $0.50 at our clearinghouse's cost against $0.39, because our volume is small. The month still comes out ahead because the plan and the AI are one price. Card fees are left out; both charge Stripe's rate and SimplePractice adds 0.25%.

What $59 includes

Pablo costs what SimplePractice charges before the AI

SimplePractice Essential is $79 a month for the EHR alone. Their AI suite, Care Aide, is $59 a month on top of that. Pablo's full list price is $79 — documentation, inbox triage, safety flags, reply drafts, a HIPAA-eligible mailbox, and a signed BAA, with nothing else to add. Founding practices pay $59.

$79
SimplePractice Essential — the EHR, before any AI
+$59
Care Aide — their AI suite, which does not touch your email
$59
Pablo One, founding rate — all of it

Care Aide includes their AI Note Taker, so this isn't a stack of two add-ons — it's their one AI price.2 What it doesn't include, at any tier, is anything that reads your practice inbox.3

Founding rate: first 20 practices
$59/mo
Locked for life, then $79 for everyone after.1
Mailbox, BAA and two payers of credentialing included. Claims at cost.
Thirty days to decide. If Pablo isn't earning his keep we refund every cent and send you $25 for lunch.
Become a founding member Talk about your practice

Questions people ask before switching

How much does SimplePractice cost with AI notes?
SimplePractice Essential is $79 a month. Their AI Note Taker is $35 on top, or Care Aide, the full AI suite, is $59, for a total of $114 or $138 a month. Starter is $49 and Plus is $99. Prices verified 7 October 2026.
What does SimplePractice charge per insurance claim?
Since 1 October 2026, $0.39 per submitted claim on every plan for the first 250 claims a month, falling to $0.33 above 1,000. The free monthly claims that came with Essential and Plus ended on that date. Insurance Navigator, listed as coming soon, is $1.79 per claim and adds benefit verification and phone support.
How does Pablo compare on price?
Pablo One is $59 a month for the first 20 practices and $79 after that, with AI notes, the practice inbox, the client portal and a practice website included. Claims are $0.50 each, which is what the clearinghouse charges Pablo. Eligibility checks are included. Card payments carry Stripe's rate with nothing added.
Does Sessions Health include AI notes?
No. Sessions Health is $39 a month for the first practitioner, AI Assist is $35 on top, telehealth is $10, and eligibility reports are $0.15 each. Claims start at $0.25. It is the closest product to Pablo on price.
Can I bring my SimplePractice data to Pablo?
Yes. Export your archive from SimplePractice and import it in Pablo's Settings. Clients, calendar and notes come across. You have 30 days to decide, with a full refund if Pablo is not a fit.

Sources and caveats

Prices above were verified on the vendors' own pages on 7 October 2026. Prices change; if you spot something stale, tell us and we'll fix it.

  1. Pablo's two prices. $59 is what founding practices pay, and it is locked for life — not a promotional rate that expires. $79 is the list price once the first 20 places are gone. We've quoted $59 in the table because that's what you'd pay today, and flagged $79 everywhere so you can check our arithmetic against the alternatives at either number. At $79 the comparable total is $79 a month.
  2. SimplePractice Care Aide. $59 a month for the account owner, plus $49 for each additional clinician. Care Aide includes the $35 AI Note Taker rather than sitting on top of it, so we've shown $59 as their single AI price and not added the two together. Care Aide covers session prep, an in-session agenda tool, session and intake summaries, and note drafting.
  3. "Not offered" means not offered. Neither product sells an inbox-triage layer as of this date, at any tier. Both have AI that drafts clinical notes, and SimplePractice's premium AI suite adds session prep and summaries — but nothing in either product reads and answers your practice email.
  4. SimplePractice credentialing. Three sources, and we'll be precise about which is which. Their own credentialing page describes the service, states no price, and markets the same panel-portability we do ("Get paneled independently and take it wherever you go") — on that point we agree with them. Its FAQ names Medallion as the platform requests go through, so the service is resold rather than built in-house. A SimplePractice promotional email dated 11 September 2026 put terms on the free offer: "For a limited time, SimplePractice is covering the cost of getting credentialed… Is this really free? Yes, for up to two payers, for a limited time," closing with "This offer ends Sunday" — 13 September 2026. And their own insurance pricing notice lists "SimplePractice assisted credentialing (available for an additional fee)" among features coming later in 2026. So the shape of it is: two payers free on a promotion that has ended, and a paid product afterwards at a price that, as of 7 October 2026, is still not published. If they've published a price or a new offer since, tell us and we'll update this.
  5. Pablo credentialing. The first 20 founding practices get two payers included, credentialed under your own NPI and tax ID. Every payer beyond two, and every payer for practices after the first 20, is billed at cost with no markup. Payer approval timelines are the payer's, not ours, and typically run 60–120 days. Because the contract is in your name, leaving Pablo doesn't cost you your panels.
  6. SimplePractice claim and check fees. Since 1 October 2026 claim fees no longer depend on your subscription plan and start at $0.39 per submitted claim: $0.39 for the first 250 claims a month, $0.37 for 251–600, $0.35 for 601–1,000, and $0.33 for each claim after 1,000. The free monthly claims previously included with Essential and Plus ended on that date. Insurance Navigator, an optional upgrade with no separate monthly fee, is $1.79 per submitted claim across the same volume bands, falling through $1.69 and $1.59 to $1.49, and adds verification of benefits, AI suggestions for claim errors, EOB autofill, onboarding, and phone access to insurance specialists. Their pricing page lists it as coming soon, with a waitlist and trials from November 2026. Their pricing-change notice puts manual insurance status checks at $0.15 on Starter and Essential, free on Plus until next year.
  7. Sessions Health. $39 for the first practitioner and $29 for each additional one, with a free tier for up to 3 active clients. AI Assist is $35, telehealth $10, eligibility reports $0.15. Claims are tiered on your monthly volume: $0.25 up to 199 claims, then $0.23, $0.21, $0.20, and $0.19 above 1,000. Their $74 total is $39 plus $35 for AI Assist. They are the closest product to Pablo on price.
  8. Pablo claim fees. Pablo adds no markup to claims — you pay exactly what our clearinghouse charges us, which is $0.50 per submitted claim today. That is more than SimplePractice or Sessions Health charge, because both mark claims down against volume we don't have yet. As Pablo's claim volume grows our rate falls and yours falls with it, automatically, without you asking. We'd rather tell you that than pretend a markup is a feature.
  9. Pablo eligibility checks. Included in your plan. There is no per-check fee, and no cap we'll spring on you later. Pablo runs a check automatically when a client completes intake and whenever their coverage is saved, and again whenever you press re-verify — you don't have to remember to ask. The check reads back the copay, the remaining deductible, any visit limit, whether prior authorization is required, and which payer administers a carved-out behavioral-health benefit — the denial this specialty is most prone to, because the card names the medical payer and the behavioral benefit belongs to somebody else. SimplePractice and Sessions Health each charge $0.15 for a check you request by hand; automatic verification of benefits before the appointment is part of SimplePractice's Insurance Navigator tier at $1.79 per claim.
  10. Telehealth. Pablo doesn't host video — and doesn't lock you into anyone else's either. Use whichever service you already like. Doxy.me includes a signed BAA on every plan including its free tier for individual providers, so HIPAA-compliant video doesn't have to cost you anything. Because that option is open to customers of all three products, we've left telehealth out of every monthly total rather than charge Sessions Health $10 for something their users can also get free.
  11. Pablo card payments. Pablo adds no transaction fee—ever. Stripe's standard processing fee still applies: currently 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic-card transaction.
  12. Credentialing costs. Ranges are what independent credentialing services charge therapists: roughly $150–$400 per payer application, $1,500–$3,500 to stand up a five-payer panel, and $600–$2,400 a year to keep contracts current and revalidated. Your own costs will depend on your state, license and payer mix.
  13. Practice websites. SimplePractice includes a Professional Website on every plan at no extra cost, with a custom domain; it is a single page, one per practice. With Pablo, we build your practice's site with you and publish it on your own domain or one we host; your client portal can match its look. An AI site builder is on the way, and you can change the site yourself any time, with a preview before it goes live and the option to roll back. We found no website offering on Sessions Health's pages.
  14. Promotional pricing. Competitors discount: SimplePractice runs 50% off for three months on new subscriptions started within the first 7 days of a trial, and as of 7 October is offering Care Aide free for 45 days and then at half price. Sessions Health offers a 30-day free trial with no card. We've compared list prices throughout, because that's what you pay once the offer ends. Pablo's $59 is not that kind of offer — it's permanent for the practices who take it.
  15. Plans we didn't show. SimplePractice Starter is $49 and includes telehealth, but has no calendar sync, no secure messaging, no client waitlist and no e-signature documents, so we don't think it's a fair comparison; Plus is $99 and adds team members, which solo practices don't need. TherapyNotes is $69 for a solo practice, or $79 plus $50 for each additional clinician in a group, with its AI add-on at $40; its electronic claims, ERAs and eligibility checks are 14¢ each. Sessions Health also sells group-practice seats at $29 each.
  16. Networks. Services like Headway, Alma, Rula and Grow Therapy bring clients to you and handle the insurance side. They're a different kind of thing from the software compared here, so we've left them out. Many therapists use one of them and are happy to, and Pablo's notes and inbox work alongside them.

SimplePractice, Sessions Health, TherapyNotes, Headway, Alma, Rula, Grow Therapy, and Doxy.me are trademarks of their respective owners. Pablo Health is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. This page is a good-faith comparison of publicly published pricing, offered so you can make your own decision.