What is the best telehealth software for private practice in 2026?
Five tools scored for seeing your own patients on video under HIPAA, from free video clinics to full practice systems.
The short answer depends on how much of your practice you want in one tool. For scheduling, notes, billing and video together, SimplePractice is the most complete, from $49 a month. If you only need HIPAA-ready video, VSee Clinic starts free with a signed BAA. Already on Zoom? Its healthcare offer works on a paid plan with a BAA. And for clients who hate apps, Doxy.me opens straight in the browser.
Some links may be affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always flagged on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best telehealth software for your situation
From $49/mo, 30-day trial
Free with a signed BAAFree for one provider
Patients already on ZoomPro from $14.16/mo billed yearly
Clients who hate appsBrowser link, free plan
Group therapyGroup telehealth on Plus
Growing clinic up to 50 usersPremium $49/mo + $200 setup
The 5 telehealth tools compared
Two kinds of tools share this market. Practice systems like SimplePractice and Carepatron put video next to notes and billing. Video tools like VSee, Zoom and Doxy.me do one job and plug into the EHR you already have. The “How it works” column tells you which side each tool sits on.
| Best for | How it works | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SimplePractice | All-in-one private practice | Telehealth inside a full practice system | 4.3/5 | Starter $49/mo, Essential $79, Plus $99 | — | Solo to 5 clinicians | Visit → |
| 2 | VSee Clinic | Free start, HIPAA from day one | Video clinic with waiting room | 4.2/5 | Free; Plus $29/mo; Premium $49/mo + $200 setup | ✓ | Solo provider to 50 users | Visit → |
| 3 | Zoom Workplace (healthcare) | Familiar video, BAA on paid plans | General video with a healthcare offer | 4.1/5 | Pro $14.16/mo billed yearly, $16.99 monthly | — | Practice already on Zoom | Visit → |
| 4 | Doxy.me | No download for patients | Browser video, no app | 3.7/5 | Free plan; Premium billed per user, yearly | ✓ | Solo therapist | Visit → |
| 5 | Carepatron | Practice software shortlist | Practice platform with telehealth | 3.5/5 | Free; Plus $31, Advanced $39 per user/mo | ✓ | Small practice comparing options | Visit → |
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and ranked
We started from a private practice question: which tool lets you see your own patients on video, under HIPAA, at a cost you know before the first invoice? For each tool, we read the official pricing page, the plan limits and the BAA terms, then the most critical feedback from clinicians on review sites. That feedback is where buffering, setup friction and surprise add-ons show up.
The biggest gap in other lists is the BAA. A free plan without one is not a plan you can use for patient care, so we check who signs it and on which tier. Zoom already has a score on our video conferencing ranking: we reuse it here unchanged.
- HIPAA and BAAA signed BAA, and on which plan it starts.Entry condition
- Real costBase plan plus add-ons like ePrescribe, AI notes and setup fees.Heaviest
- Patient experienceJoin flow, downloads, waiting room, what happens when the connection drops.Heavy
- Practice fitScheduling, notes, intake and billing in the same tool, or video alone.Medium
- Field feedbackVideo quality, support and billing complaints from clinicians.Medium
Some links may be affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always flagged on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
SimplePractice
SimplePractice is the most complete option in our comparison for a private practice. Video sessions sit next to scheduling, clinical notes, intake forms and billing, so a client books, signs paperwork and joins the call from one portal. The Plus plan puts group telehealth sessions front and center, which matters for group therapy and family sessions.
The list price is only the start. Starter costs $49 a month, Essential $79 and Plus $99. Add-ons stack up fast: ePrescribe lists at $49 a month plus an $89 one-time setup, and the AI Note Taker is a paid add-on on top. Practices with six or more clinicians move to a custom quote. A BAA is available, and the 30-day trial gives you time to run real sessions before you pay.
- Video, scheduling, notes and billing in one client portal
- Group telehealth sessions on Plus
- 30-day free trial
- ✓Clients join from the same portal they book in
- ✓BAA available
- ✓Clear public pricing for one to five clinicians
- ✗Add-ons (ePrescribe, Note Taker) raise the real cost
- ✗Custom quote from six clinicians
- ✗More software than you need if you only want video
The right pick if you want to run the whole practice in one place. If you already have an EHR and only need video, VSee or Doxy.me cost far less.
VSee Clinic
VSee Clinic stands out for one reason: its free plan covers one provider and comes with a signed BAA. Many free tiers leave you without a BAA, which makes them a poor fit for patient care. With VSee, a solo clinician can start a compliant video practice the same day.
Paid plans add features as you grow. Plus costs $29 a month, Premium $49 a month with a $200 setup fee and support for up to 50 users, and Enterprise is quoted. One detail to read before you click buy: monthly plans are non-refundable. Start on Free, run a few weeks of sessions, and upgrade only when you hit a real limit.
- Free plan for one provider with a signed BAA
- Paid plans from $29 a month
- Premium scales to 50 users
- ✓Compliant start at zero cost
- ✓Cheap step up to Plus
- ✓Built for clinical video, not meetings
- ✗Monthly plans are non-refundable
- ✗$200 setup fee on Premium
- ✗Not a full EHR
The best way to start telehealth without spending money. Pair it with your existing EHR, or move to SimplePractice when you want everything in one system.
Zoom Workplace (healthcare)
Zoom is the video tool your patients are most likely to know already. Zoom Workplace has a healthcare offer, and that familiarity cuts down on the calls where you spend ten minutes talking someone through a download. Pro costs $16.99 a month, or $14.16 a month billed yearly.
HIPAA is the catch. On Zoom, it means a paid plan plus a signed BAA, and the free account does not qualify. Zoom also does not give you charting, intake forms or billing. It is a video layer, not a practice system, so you will still need an EHR next to it.
- Video most patients already know
- Healthcare offer with a BAA on paid plans
- Pro from $14.16 a month billed yearly
- ✓Fewer patients stuck on setup
- ✓Same tool for staff meetings
- ✓Clear public pricing
- ✗Free account is not HIPAA-ready
- ✗No notes, intake or billing
- ✗Built for meetings first, clinics second
A safe choice if your practice already lives on Zoom. If you start from scratch, VSee gives you a clinic-style waiting room for less.
Doxy.me
Doxy.me is the simplest experience for patients in our comparison. They click a link, the call opens in the browser, and nobody installs anything. The free plan covers unlimited calls, and group calls take up to 25 participants. For older clients or anyone who dreads apps, that simplicity is worth a lot.
The BAA comes with Premium, billed per user on a yearly basis, so plan for it if you treat patients under HIPAA. Field feedback is mixed on quality: some therapists report buffering and headset issues, while others point out that the patient's own network is usually the cause. Ask clients to join from a stable connection and test their headset the first time.
- Opens in the browser, no patient download
- Free plan with unlimited calls
- Group calls up to 25 participants
- ✓Easiest join flow for patients
- ✓Free plan to start
- ✓Light enough for occasional use
- ✗BAA only on Premium
- ✗Buffering reported by some therapists
- ✗Video only, no notes or billing
The pick for a therapist who values a frictionless link above everything. Budget for Premium as soon as you need the BAA.
Carepatron
Carepatron shows up on most US shortlists of telehealth platforms for private practice, next to Practice Better, Spruce and TheraNest. It sits in the same family as SimplePractice: practice software with video built in, rather than a video tool alone.
Its pricing page is short and readable: a Free plan with telehealth included, then Plus at $31 and Advanced at $39 per user per month, with 20% off on yearly billing. Group telehealth sits in the paid plans. We rank it fifth because we read less field feedback on its video quality than on the tools above. Before you move, ask in writing whether the BAA covers the plan you pick and which add-ons sit outside the base price.
- Free plan with telehealth included
- Plus $31, Advanced $39 per user per month
- Group telehealth on paid plans
- ✓One more all-in-one option to compare
- ✓Useful benchmark in a negotiation
- ✓Covers more than video
- ✗Group telehealth only on paid plans
- ✗Less field feedback than the tools above
- ✗BAA terms to check per plan
Keep it on your shortlist if SimplePractice feels expensive, but get the BAA terms and add-on prices in writing first.
Five things to settle before your first video session
These points come up again and again in clinician feedback. None of them appear on a pricing page.
Get the BAA on the plan you actually use
ComplianceVSee signs a BAA even on its free clinic plan. Doxy.me includes it on Premium. Zoom requires a paid plan plus a signed BAA. Download the signed copy and file it: it is the first document an auditor asks for.
- Check
- BAA tier, signed copy on file
Price the add-ons, not the plan
CostOn SimplePractice, ePrescribe lists at $49 a month plus an $89 setup, and the Note Taker is billed on top. A $49 plan can pass $100 a month in a few clicks. List every add-on you need and total the year.
- Check
- Annual total with add-ons
Run a two-minute test with new patients
ExperienceMost video problems sit on the patient side: a weak network or a bad headset. A short test call before the first session saves the appointment, and a phone number on file gives you a fallback.
- Tip
- Test call before session one
Read the refund terms before upgrading
ContractVSee states that monthly plans are non-refundable. Upgrade when you hit a real limit, not in advance, and set a reminder before each renewal.
- Tip
- Upgrade on need, not on hope
Check group sessions if you run groups
FeaturesDoxy.me supports group calls up to 25 participants, and SimplePractice highlights group telehealth on its Plus plan. If group therapy is part of your practice, confirm the tier before you migrate clients.
- Check
- Group sessions on your tier
Pick your next step based on what you need
Telehealth touches your EHR, your billing and how you message patients. Here are our other rankings on those topics.
EHR and scheduling compared
Billing eats your eveningsBest medical billing softwareClaims and payments compared
You need video for team meetingsBest video conferencing softwareZoom, Teams, Meet compared
You want SMS appointment remindersBest business SMS for healthcareReminders and confirmations
You schedule a care teamBest healthcare staff scheduling softwareShifts and cover
You are moving off ZoomZoom alternativesWhere to go next
Telehealth software FAQ
Is there free HIPAA-compliant telehealth software?
Yes. VSee Clinic's free plan covers one provider and includes a signed BAA. Doxy.me also has a free plan, but its BAA comes with Premium. Zoom's free account does not qualify for HIPAA use.
How much does telehealth software cost for a private practice?
From $0 for video alone to about $99 a month for an all-in-one system before add-ons. VSee Plus is $29, Zoom Pro $14.16 billed yearly, SimplePractice $49 to $99. Add-ons like ePrescribe can add $49 a month or more.
Do I need a BAA for telehealth?
Yes, if you handle protected health information under HIPAA. The vendor signs a BAA with you. Check which plan includes it: on Zoom it takes a paid plan, on Doxy.me it takes Premium, and VSee signs it on its free plan.
Can I use regular Zoom for therapy sessions?
Not the free account. Zoom's HIPAA support requires a paid plan plus a signed BAA. With that in place, many therapists use it, but you still need a separate system for notes and billing.
Video-only tool or all-in-one practice software?
Video-only if you already have an EHR you like: VSee or Doxy.me cost little and stay simple. All-in-one if you are setting up a practice or juggling three tools: SimplePractice puts booking, notes, billing and video behind one login.
Why does telehealth video keep freezing?
Most of the time, the patient's network or headset is the cause, not the platform. Ask patients to join from a stable connection, run a short test call the first time, and keep a phone number on file as a fallback.
Can I run group telehealth sessions?
Yes. Doxy.me supports group calls up to 25 participants, and SimplePractice highlights group telehealth on its Plus plan. Confirm the tier before you move a group over.