SimplePractice Alternative for UK Therapists

Therasee is a UK-native platform for therapists and counsellors, with GDPR, GBP pricing, and workflows built for UK practice, not US insurance billing.

SimplePractice is a deservedly well-regarded US platform. Founded in 2012 and used by over 250,000 health and wellness practitioners across the United States, it's a mature, deeply-featured EHR with strong US insurance integration, HIPAA and HITRUST compliance, telehealth, and an established practitioner community. For US therapists, it's a serious choice.

It's also a platform that wasn't designed for UK practice. SimplePractice prices in USD, frames compliance around HIPAA rather than GDPR, builds its billing model around US insurance claim submission (CPT codes, ICD-10-CM, ERA/EFT, superbills), uses US English throughout (counselor, organization, behavior), and aligns with US professional bodies like the APA and NASW rather than BACP, UKCP, BPS, or NCPS. For a UK counsellor or psychotherapist, that translates into paying for features you can't use, navigating workflows that don't map to your practice, and managing US time-zone support hours.

Therasee is the UK-native equivalent. GDPR-first, ICO registered, GBP pricing, native invoicing with Stripe as the online payment rail, designed specifically for UK mental health practitioners. Here's how the two compare for UK practice.

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How they compare

A side-by-side look at what Therasee and SimplePractice offer.

  • Built for

    Therasee

    Mental health practitioners in the UK

    SimplePractice

    US health and wellness practitioners (therapists, dietitians, OTs, speech, and more)

  • UK based

    Therasee

    Yes, based in the UK with UK data centres

    SimplePractice

    No, US based (Santa Monica, California); no UK data residency commitment

  • Compliance & data protection

    Therasee

    GDPR compliant, ICO registered, UK data residency, HIPAA aligned

    SimplePractice

    HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, PCI; built around US frameworks, no ICO registration

  • Currency

    Therasee

    GBP (£)

    SimplePractice

    USD ($) only

  • Invoicing & payments

    Therasee

    Native, branded invoicing built into the platform (one-click from sessions, VAT, automated reminders); Stripe is the online payment rail

    SimplePractice

    Billing model built around US insurance claim submission (CPT, ICD-10-CM, ERA/EFT, superbills); credit-card payments included

  • UK insurer & medical billing

    Therasee

    Designed for UK self-pay and private practice; invoicing fits UK insurer workflows where used

    SimplePractice

    Deep integration with US carriers (Aetna, Cigna, BCBS, etc.); no Healthcode, no UK insurer integrations

  • Free plan

    Therasee

    Yes, £0 forever: 3 clients with built-in video, portal, payments, reminders, unlimited appointments

    SimplePractice

    No, 30-day free trial, then paid only

  • Paid pricing

    Therasee

    £19/user/month, everything included, no add-ons

    SimplePractice

    $49 / $79 / $99 per month (USD); 50% off the first 3 months as an intro promo, then add-ons for AI Notes and other features

  • Video sessions

    Therasee

    Built-in video, unlimited and encrypted. Or bring your own (Zoom, Meet, Teams)

    SimplePractice

    Built-in telehealth on paid plans

  • Client portal

    Therasee

    Full branded portal + mobile app (PWA): booking, forms, payments, messaging, documents, one-time code sign-in

    SimplePractice

    Client portal with booking, documents, billing, and secure messaging

  • Secure messaging

    Therasee

    In-app: templates, forms in chat, file sharing, speech-to-text, push notifications

    SimplePractice

    Secure messaging via the client portal

  • Clinical notes

    Therasee

    Session-linked notes, speech-to-text, therapy-specific templates, post-session prompt after every video call

    SimplePractice

    Customisable templates; AI Notes available (Plus plan or add-on); US clinical conventions

  • Forms & assessments

    Therasee

    Drag-and-drop form builder with AI assistant, 22 standard assessments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CORE-OM, PCL-5), e-signatures, PDF-to-form conversion

    SimplePractice

    Large template library, customisable intake forms, e-signatures

  • Automated reminders

    Therasee

    SMS and email reminders for appointments and payments

    SimplePractice

    Reminders included; SMS reminders typically purchased in bundles (USD)

  • Language & terminology

    Therasee

    UK English throughout (counsellor, organisation, GP)

    SimplePractice

    US English (counselor, organization, PCP); US clinical templates

  • Support

    Therasee

    UK team, UK time zones

    SimplePractice

    US support hours; no UK presence

Where Therasee stands out

Built for the UK, not adapted from a US product

SimplePractice is a US platform serving a US audience. Its defaults, currency, billing model, compliance language, clinical templates, and even its spelling are shaped by the US market. Therasee was designed in the UK for UK counsellors and psychotherapists. GDPR is the starting point, not a translation. GBP is the only currency. UK English runs through every label, template, and email. Workflows assume UK self-pay practice, not US insurance carriers.

GDPR and ICO, not just HIPAA

SimplePractice leads with HIPAA and HITRUST, which are US health-privacy frameworks. They are not what UK clients, supervisors, or insurers ask about. Therasee is GDPR compliant, ICO registered, and hosts data in the UK, the posture UK practice actually requires. We're HIPAA aligned too, but GDPR is the foundation.

Native invoicing in GBP, not US insurance billing

Therasee provides full branded invoicing built into the platform: one-click invoice generation from any session, customisable branding, VAT and tax support, automated payment reminders, and Stripe as the online payment rail for cards. SimplePractice's billing model is built around US insurance claim submission, CPT codes, ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding, ERA/EFT reconciliation, and superbills, the entire workflow that UK private therapists do not use and cannot benefit from.

One platform, one price, in pounds

Therasee is £19/user/month with everything included: video, messaging, notes, AI form builder, branded client portal, scheduling, and invoicing. SimplePractice is $49 / $79 / $99 per month, in USD, with add-ons for features like AI Notes that aren't on every tier. The 50%-off-3-months promo is an entry hook, not the long-term price.

A free plan, not just a trial

Therasee's free plan is permanent: 3 clients, built-in video, branded portal, online payments, SMS and email reminders, unlimited appointments. SimplePractice offers a 30-day free trial and then requires a paid subscription. If you're newly qualified, building a small caseload, or testing the platform alongside an existing tool, that distinction matters.

AI form builder with UK-relevant assessments

Therasee's drag-and-drop form builder includes an AI assistant that creates forms from plain English, 22 standard assessments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CORE-OM, PCL-5), e-signatures, and PDF-to-form conversion that digitises existing paper forms. SimplePractice has a large template library, but no AI builder and no PDF-to-form conversion.

Support from people in your time zone, who know UK practice

When you contact Therasee, you reach a UK-based team that understands UK counselling and psychotherapy, BACP, UKCP, BPS, and NCPS expectations, UK supervision norms, and UK self-pay practice. SimplePractice support operates on US time zones and is shaped by US clinical conventions.

Where SimplePractice stands out

A mature, deeply-featured US platform

SimplePractice has been refining its product since 2012 and now serves 250,000+ health and wellness practitioners across the United States. It's a stable, well-documented system with a deep feature set, monthly product cadence, and a large practitioner community. Within the US market, it's one of the leading choices for mental health professionals.

Best-in-class US insurance billing

If you bill US insurance carriers, SimplePractice is genuinely strong. It supports claim submission (837/835), ERA/EFT reconciliation, CPT and ICD-10-CM coding, and superbills, and integrates with major US carriers like Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. This is exactly the workflow it was built for.

Established content and learning ecosystem

SimplePractice runs conferences, webinars, and an extensive content library, and has invested in AI features like AI Notes. The brand and community ecosystem around it is well-developed, which is part of why it appears so frequently in lists of therapy software, including in UK-relevant searches.

Strong US compliance posture

SimplePractice is HIPAA compliant, HITRUST CSF certified, and PCI compliant. For practices that need to demonstrate US-shaped compliance credentials, particularly multi-state US practices or those working with US insurers, this is a meaningful position.

Pricing at a glance

Transparent pricing so you can make an informed decision.

Therasee

Free

£0

forever, 3 clients, full features

Premium

£19/user/month

everything included, no add-ons

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vs

SimplePractice

Trial

30 days free

no free plan

Starter

$49/month (USD)

50% off for the first 3 months as an intro promo

Essential

$79/month (USD)

mid tier

Plus

$99/month (USD)

top tier; some features are paid add-ons

Who is each tool best for?

Choose Therasee if…

You're a UK-based therapist, counsellor, or psychotherapist. You want a platform built in the UK, for UK practice: GDPR-first with ICO registration, GBP pricing with no FX surprises, native branded invoicing instead of US insurance billing, UK English throughout, and support from a team that understands BACP, UKCP, BPS, and NCPS expectations.

Choose SimplePractice if…

You're a US-based therapist. SimplePractice was built for US private practice, US insurance billing, and US compliance frameworks, and within that market it's a strong, mature choice. If you're a UK practitioner, the platform's defaults work against you: USD pricing, US insurance workflows you can't use, HIPAA framing instead of GDPR, US English, and support on US hours.

Frequently asked questions about SimplePractice and Therasee

Is SimplePractice available in the UK?

SimplePractice is a US-based platform (Santa Monica, California) and does not localise its product for the UK. UK practitioners can technically sign up, but the platform's defaults work against UK practice: USD pricing, US insurance billing workflows, HIPAA framing rather than GDPR, US English, and US time-zone support hours.

Is SimplePractice GDPR compliant?

SimplePractice frames its compliance around HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, and PCI, which are US health-privacy frameworks. It does not lead with GDPR compliance, ICO registration, or UK data residency, the things UK clients, supervisors, and insurers actually ask about. Therasee is GDPR compliant, ICO registered, and hosts data in UK data centres.

What does SimplePractice cost?

SimplePractice plans are $49, $79, and $99 per month (USD), with a 50% discount for the first 3 months as an intro promo, then full price after. Features like AI Notes are paid add-ons or limited to higher tiers. Therasee is £19 per user per month with everything included, in GBP, no add-ons.

Does SimplePractice handle UK insurance billing?

No. SimplePractice's billing model is built around US insurance claim submission (CPT codes, ICD-10-CM, ERA/EFT, superbills) and integrates with US carriers like Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. There is no Healthcode integration and no UK insurer workflows. Therasee is designed for UK self-pay and private insurer practice.

Does SimplePractice support UK therapists?

SimplePractice serves a US health and wellness audience: therapists, dietitians, OTs, speech therapists, and others. Templates, terminology, professional body alignment (APA, NASW, AAMFT), and support hours are all US-shaped. Therasee is built specifically for UK counsellors, psychotherapists, and psychologists aligned with BACP, UKCP, BPS, and NCPS expectations.

Should I choose SimplePractice or Therasee?

Choose SimplePractice if you're a US-based therapist. It's a mature, well-built platform for US private practice and US insurance billing. Choose Therasee if you're a UK practitioner: GDPR-first, ICO registered, GBP pricing, native branded invoicing instead of US insurance billing, UK English, and support from a team that understands UK practice.

Compare other UK therapy software

Still weighing up your options? See how Therasee stacks up against the other platforms UK therapists most often shortlist.

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