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Healthcare · head to head

Included Health vs SimplePractice

Included Health logo

Included Health

Healthcare

Care navigation and virtual care in one contract for self funded employers and health plans

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SimplePractice logo

SimplePractice

Healthcare

Practice management and EHR for mental health and therapy

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Included Health owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.; SimplePractice no API or webhook support for integrations, preventing connections to Zapier or custom automation tools
  • They diverge on capability: Included Health covers Care navigation, SimplePractice covers Scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Included Health and SimplePractice actually diverge.

Attributes where Included Health and SimplePractice differ
AttributeIncluded HealthSimplePractice
Starting priceOn request$49/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Included Health

  • Care navigation
  • Provider quality steerage
  • Expert medical opinion
  • Virtual primary care
  • Virtual behavioural health
  • Virtual urgent care
  • Benefits integration
  • Employer reporting

Only in SimplePractice

  • Scheduling
  • Client Portal
  • Notes
  • Billing
  • Telehealth
  • Documents
  • Stripe
  • PayPal

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Included Health

  • A large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisionsnot SimplePractice
  • An employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid fornot SimplePractice
  • A self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programmenot SimplePractice
  • An employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experiencenot SimplePractice

SimplePractice

  • Patient Carenot Included Health
  • Medical Recordsnot Included Health
  • Practice Managementnot Included Health
  • Telehealthnot Included Health

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Included Health

  • Owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across the whole eligible population, so a plan with low navigation engagement pays for everyone to serve the minority who call.
  • Savings claims rest on avoided costs and changed referral decisions, which are counterfactual by nature, so performance guarantees need very careful definition or they measure activity rather than money.
  • The company is a merger of three organisations with different origins, and members and benefits teams still encounter seams between navigation, virtual primary care and behavioural health that the single brand implies are absent.
  • It sells primarily to large self funded employers, so mid market employers and fully insured plans find both the pricing and the implementation effort disproportionate to their size.

SimplePractice

  • No API or webhook support for integrations, preventing connections to Zapier or custom automation tools
  • Lacks AI clinical documentation in base plan, requiring manual note typing which takes 15-30 minutes per session
  • Reporting and customization features are limited compared to competitors, with weak insurance workflow support
  • Hidden costs beyond base pricing, with real cost often 3x higher after add-ons and annual increases
  • Telehealth component reported as unstable and frequently unreliable by some users

Pricing, plan by plan

Included Health

On request
  • Included Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Navigation and virtual care modules priced separately or bundled
    • Some components offered with performance guarantees tied to measured savings

SimplePractice

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • Scheduling
    • Documentation
    • Client portal
  • Essential$79/month
    • Billing and payments
    • Insurance claim filing
    • Telehealth
  • Plus$99/month
    • Website builder
    • Advanced reporting
    • ePrescribe integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Included Health if

  • You need care navigation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want provider quality steerage.
Included Health review

Choose SimplePractice if

  • You need scheduling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want client portal.
SimplePractice review

Questions people ask

Is Included Health or SimplePractice better?
Neither clearly leads. Included Health starts at On request and SimplePractice at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Included Health or SimplePractice?
Included Health starts at On request and SimplePractice at $49/month.
Does Included Health or SimplePractice run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Included Health best used for?
Included Health is most often used for a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions, an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for, a self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programme, an employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experience. Of those, a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions and an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for are not what SimplePractice is typically brought in for.
What can Included Health do that SimplePractice cannot?
Included Health covers Care navigation, Provider quality steerage, Expert medical opinion, Virtual primary care. SimplePractice covers Scheduling, Client Portal, Notes, Billing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Included Health: What exactly is Included Health?

The combination of Grand Rounds Health navigation, Doctor On Demand virtual care and the original Included Health concierge service, operating under one brand since late 2021.

SimplePractice: What does SimplePractice pricing include?

SimplePractice tiers start at $49 (Starter), $79 (Essential), and $99 (Plus) per clinician per month. Add-ons cost extra, including AI Note Taker at $35/month and ePrescribe at $49/month plus $89 setup.

Source
Included Health: Who pays for it?

The self funded employer or the health plan pays a per employee per month fee. Virtual care visits may also carry member cost sharing depending on plan design.

SimplePractice: Does SimplePractice include telehealth?

Yes, all SimplePractice tiers include HIPAA-compliant integrated telehealth, allowing therapists to conduct secure video sessions directly from the platform.

Source
Included Health: Is there a minimum size?

No published minimum, but it sells primarily to large self funded employers and the pricing and implementation effort do not suit small organisations.

SimplePractice: Is AI documentation included in SimplePractice?

No, AI clinical notes are not included in base pricing. SimplePractice offers an optional AI Note Taker add-on for $35/month that provides basic transcription, though it lacks advanced note generation features of competitors.

Source
Included Health: How does it recommend providers?

Through data driven quality analysis rather than a plain directory. Ask specifically how those recommendations are produced and how often they resolve to the company own virtual clinicians.

SimplePractice: Does SimplePractice support international or non-US workflows?

No, SimplePractice is designed for US practices only and does not support non-US workflows, insurance structures, or currencies, limiting its use for international practitioners.

Source
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