Comparison · Clinics

athenahealth vs SimplePractice

athenahealth and SimplePractice side by side for clinics: scores by criterion, native features, and pricing.

Updated September 26, 2026

Higher scoreMedical software

athenahealth

7.5

Strongout of 10

athenaOne combines cloud EHR, practice management, revenue cycle, and patient engagement for ambulatory care — priced as a percentage of collections, not a public seat card.

Contact for pricing

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Medical software

SimplePractice

7.3

Fairout of 10

Practice management EHR for health and wellness — scheduling, notes, telehealth, insurance tools, client portal, and public monthly plans aimed at behavioral health and allied clinicians.

From $49/month (Starter; Essential and Plus higher)

Read full profile Official site

Criteria where athenahealth wins

Ties

Criteria where SimplePractice wins

Score by criterion

In green, who wins the criterion. The overall score uses clinics weights: charting and care and insurance and billing weigh more.

CriterionathenahealthSimplePractice

Charting and care1.4×
Native electronic health record with history, notes, and attachments — not a contact card with a PDF on the side.
9.2
7.2
Insurance and billing1.3×
Eligibility, claims, denials, and patient payments inside the product — not a separate billing company as the only path.
9.0
7.0
Patient relationship1.1×
Recalls, campaigns, portals, or acquisition tools that keep the panel full after the first visit.
8.2
8.0
Messaging and confirmations1×
Native SMS or messaging inbox on the patient record, with team history. WhatsApp Business API also counts. One-way reminder blasts, portal-only chat, and marketplace apps do not.
5.0
5.0
Price and transparency0.8×
Public plan in USD, trial, and what sits outside the monthly fee. Percent-of-collections quotes without a rate card lower the score for opacity.
5.0
8.5
Learning curve0.8×
English UI, clinical vocabulary, and time until the front desk and a provider can work without a long implementation project.
6.5
8.8
Overall score
7.5
7.3

Native features

Only what is part of the product counts. Marketplace integrations or third-party apps are out.

FeatureathenahealthSimplePractice

Electronic health recordYesYes
Online schedulingYesYes
E-prescriptionsYesNo
Insurance billingYesYes
Clinic billingYesYes
Native messagingNoNo
TelehealthYesYes
Patient acquisition & recallYesYes

Compare with another rival

Each pair has its own page. The ranking only highlights the main duels — the rest are here and on each CRM profile.

Compare athenahealth with

Compare SimplePractice with