The answer
wai is the stronger choice for a clinic that wants the consultation written up and the front desk answered, because it drafts the note and letters for the clinician to sign and answers calls and messages on the same record as booking and payments. SimplePractice is a well-established practice system and a sound fit for a practice whose clinicians write their own notes and whose team runs the phones.
The table below compares SimplePractice and wai row by row on the record, booking, payments, the note, letters, the front desk and cited answers. Every SimplePractice cell is footnoted to SimplePractice's own page as it read on 16 October 2026, and the wai cells come from our own product and pricing pages.
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| What you get | SimplePractice | wai |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | Starter $49, Essential $79 and Plus $99 a month, 50% off for the first 3 months1 | Clinician Plus $550 and Clinician $350 a clinician a month, both published |
| Clinical record and notes | Yes, with a template library for therapists2 | One record for the consult, the front desk and the patient's own profile |
| Patients book online | Yes, clients request or schedule appointments online within set availability3 | Yes, booking links that read each doctor's calendar, with waitlist backfill |
| Deposits and payments at booking | Yes, card payments and AutoPay through the Client Portal, processed by Stripe4 | Yes, deposits, invoices and memberships through the clinic's own Stripe |
| Note drafted from the consultation | AI Note Taker add-on at $35 a month, or within Care Aide at $59 a month1 | Yes, in the room or on video, for the clinician to sign |
| Referral and clinic letters | Not listed on its site2 | Referral and clinic letters, prescriptions and result explanations |
| Calls and patient messages answered | Secure client messaging and group announcements. No phone answering listed5 | Calls, email, web forms and WhatsApp in one thread per patient, replies drafted for approval |
| Cited answers to clinical questions | Not listed on its site2 | Yes, cited to current guidance and peer-reviewed papers |
Where wai is ahead
The consultation writes up as it happens. wai drafts the note, the referral and clinic letters, the coding and cited answers from the consultation for the clinician to sign, on the same record as the booking. SimplePractice's own pages list no letters, no phone answering and no cited answers.
The front desk answers. Calls, email, web forms and WhatsApp land in one thread per patient with replies drafted for approval, so the clinic answers the patient who would otherwise ring the next practice on the list.
One record for the consult, the front desk and the patient's own profile, with booking links that read each doctor's calendar, waitlist backfill, and deposits, invoices and memberships through the clinic's own Stripe. Every AI action that affects a patient is drafted for a person to review and approve. The clinician signs the note, the letter and the codes, and the front desk approves each reply before it goes.
Where SimplePractice is strong
SimplePractice publishes its prices, carries a template library for therapists, takes card payments and AutoPay, and lets clients book online.
It offers an AI Note Taker add-on, and secure client messaging.
Who should choose which
Choose SimplePractice if you are a US therapist or counselling practice that wants therapy templates and billing from a long-established product.
Choose wai if you run a medical clinic that wants letters, codes and cited answers from each consultation and the phones answered on the same record. For most private and independent clinics that is the decision that changes the evening, and the buyer's guide sets out the questions to ask any vendor, us included.
Moving from SimplePractice to wai
Start with one clinician, alongside what you use today. Request a demo and bring one real consultation. In fifteen minutes you see the note, the letter and the codes it produces, on your own workflow.
Your history can stay in SimplePractice while wai runs the consultation and the front desk alongside it. Signed notes and letters export to your record, and calendars connect from Google, Outlook and Apple. The switching checklist covers what to move, and when.
Then a 90 day pilot shaped around your team, which ends with three numbers from your own clinic, revenue, hours saved and patients cared for. The decision is then made on your data, not ours.
What it costs
wai publishes its prices. Clinician Plus is $550 a clinician a month, with bespoke templates, a records sync and a larger allowance, and Clinician is $350, with the note, letters, coding and cited answers from every consultation. Admin, the front desk, is priced per location after a demo.
SimplePractice's published price, as its own page showed it on 16 October 2026, is in the first row of the table with its source. Set the seat against what it replaces. An hour of a clinician's evening, a letter that waits a day, a call that goes to voicemail and a patient who books elsewhere each cost more than the line on the invoice, which is why the comparison worth making is the whole day, not the note.
Would one real consultation settle it? Bring one, and see the note, the letter and the codes it produces.
Frequently asked questions
Is SimplePractice or wai better for a private clinic?
For a clinic that wants more than the note, wai. It drafts the note, letters, coding and cited answers from each consultation and runs the front desk, booking and payments on the same record. Choose SimplePractice if you are a US therapist or counselling practice that wants therapy templates and billing from a long-established product.
How much does SimplePractice cost compared with wai?
SimplePractice, from its own page on 16 October 2026. Starter $49, Essential $79 and Plus $99 a month, 50% off for the first 3 months. wai Clinician Plus is $550 and Clinician is $350 a clinician a month, both published, and Admin is priced per location after a demo.
Does SimplePractice answer the phone or take bookings?
SimplePractice on calls and messages, from its own pages on 16 October 2026. Secure client messaging and group announcements. No phone answering listed. For booking, yes, clients request or schedule appointments online within set availability. wai answers calls, email, web forms and WhatsApp in one thread per patient, with replies drafted for approval, and takes bookings and deposits on the same record.
Can we move from SimplePractice to wai without losing records?
Yes. Start with one clinician alongside SimplePractice. Signed notes and letters export to the record you already keep, so nothing has to be switched off on the first day, and a 90 day pilot ends with revenue, hours saved and patients cared for from your own clinic.
Who should choose SimplePractice over wai?
Choose SimplePractice if you are a US therapist or counselling practice that wants therapy templates and billing from a long-established product. Choose wai if you run a medical clinic that wants letters, codes and cited answers from each consultation and the phones answered on the same record.
Sources
- SimplePractice, simplepractice.com/pricing, read 16 October 2026
- SimplePractice, simplepractice.com, read 16 October 2026
- SimplePractice, simplepractice.com/features/online-booking, read 16 October 2026
- SimplePractice, simplepractice.com/features/credit-card-processing, read 16 October 2026
- SimplePractice, simplepractice.com/features/hipaa-compliant-secure-messaging, read 16 October 2026
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