Practice tools, an AI assistant, AND a between-session client app — nobody else puts them in one product, anywhere on that list. Every other route is two or three subscriptions stitched together.
For independent therapists · sourced comparison · verified June 2026
Before you trust an EMR with your practice, ask it eight questions.
Run the audit on us first. We answer all eight, in writing.
Most behavioral-health platforms can't answer all eight cleanly. VibeCheck.luxury can: executed BAAs, HIPAA-eligible architecture, and an AI office that runs on your own Mac or PC as a free download, so your clients' words never leave your machine. Built by a practicing LCSW who runs his own caseload on it. Then there's the part no one else ships in one product: an AI office that runs your back office, and a client app for the 26 days between sessions.
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
THE AUDIT
Eight questions. Eight straight answers.
The questions a clinician should ask any platform before handing it a client's data. Here are ours, in writing. Ask every other platform the same eight, and compare the answers.
- Is there an executed BAA?Yes. PHI in VibeCheck.luxury is covered by our executed Business Associate Agreements. Shaula is office staff — she runs on your own computer, never touches PHI, and never speaks to your clients, so she needs none.
- Where does the client data actually live?Your clients' clinical data lives in VibeCheck.luxury — encrypted at rest, under our executed BAAs. Shaula runs on your own computer and never touches client data.
- Is PHI encrypted at rest?Yes, encrypted at rest (pgcrypto) in VibeCheck.luxury, with patent-pending PHI isolation.
- Who is the AI talking to, the clinician or the client?Shaula speaks only to you, never to your clients. The client-facing EMR support is clinician-governed, with the guardrails set by you, never engagement-seeking, and never an AI therapist.
- Can the AI act on its own?No. It drafts; you review and sign every output. It can never finalize a note or send on your behalf.
- What's the SOC 2 status?SOC 2 Type II is in progress. We say "in progress," not "certified," on purpose.
- Is the AI included, or an add-on?Included. Not a $40–50/mo scribe add-on like the platform tools charge (their own pricing pages, June 2026).
- Who built it?A practicing therapist. Matthew Sexton, LCSW, NATC, who runs his own practice on it — the story.
Every answer here is one you can hold us to in writing. The next sections show the rest of the field, named, with their own published numbers.
THE FIELD
We compared the whole field.
Not three cherry-picked names. The twelve a therapist actually weighs: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Jane, TheraNest, Sessions Health, Carepatron, Mentalyc, Upheal, Headway, Grow Therapy, Alma, and Quenza. Three honest things came out of it.
Carepatron has a free tier. Sessions Health is $39/mo (their own pricing pages, verified June 2026). If you want the budget lane, it's real. Our case is one bundle and the 26 days.
What a client actually holds between sessions — daily check-ins, an AI companion, a pattern mirror, crisis support. On the client side, the board goes empty for every name above.
THE CLIENT SIDE
The empty board.
Eight things a client could hold in their hands between sessions. Here's who ships them. "Yes" means the client gets it; "No" means it isn't on the client side of that product; "Partial" means some of it ships. Verified June 2026 — sources at the bottom of the page.
| What the client holds | VibeCheck.luxury | SimplePractice | TherapyNotes · Jane · Sessions Health · Carepatron client portals | Mentalyc · Upheal AI scribes, no client app | Quenza worksheet pathways · no AI · billed per client |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily check-ins (STOICK method) | Yesthe daily loop, not a quarterly form | No | No | No | Nopathways are scheduled worksheets, not check-ins |
| AI companion the client talks to | Yesclinician-channeled — your voice, your guardrails | No | No | No | Nono AI |
| Journaling + pattern mirror | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Homework worked in-app, with AI support | Yes | No | No | No | Partialworksheet pathways — no AI support |
| Self-assessments auto-scored | YesPHQ-9, GAD-7, 16 instruments | Yesassessment library | No | No | Partialinside pathways |
| Crisis support always on (988 / 741741) | Yesbuilt into the client app, with human escalation | No | No | No | Nono crisis rails |
| Graduation tail after discharge | Yessupport doesn't stop at the last session | No | No | No | No |
| Pattern notes back to the clinician | Yeswhat changed, what's stuck, what slipped | No | No | No | No |
Everyone else's client experience is a portal for forms and invoices.
Headway, Grow Therapy, Alma, and TheraNest aren't in the grid because their client side is booking and paperwork — same empty board. Quenza is the only one even playing: scheduled worksheet pathways on a per-client meter (Capterra, June 2026).
MONEY
How they charge.
No adjectives. Their own published numbers, dated, with the links at the bottom of the page.
Headway and Grow Therapy hand you free software, then keep roughly 20–30% of every insurance reimbursement, for as long as you see that client (healthaidaily.com, verified June 2026).
SimplePractice runs $49–99/mo, and the AI scribe is about $50/mo on top. TherapyNotes is $69/mo plus $40–50/mo for the AI (their own pricing pages, June 2026).
Quenza charges per block of clients — about $130/mo at 40 clients (Capterra, June 2026). The bill tracks the caseload.
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
THE EMR
And when you're ready to replace the whole thing.
VibeCheck.luxury is the EMR. It is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
Your money never touches our hands. The marketplaces keep 20–30% of every insurance reimbursement, for as long as you see that client — about $1,600–2,400 a month at $8,000/mo billed (healthaidaily.com, June 2026).
2.9% + 30¢, never marked up. SimplePractice runs 3.15%, TherapyNotes 3.1% — above the raw rate (their own pages, June 2026). Per-claim can be $0 with your own free clearinghouse.
The AI drafts every note and you sign every one — it can never finalize. SimplePractice and TherapyNotes sell the scribe as a +$40–50/mo add-on (their own pricing pages, June 2026).
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
Every competitor figure above is linked to its source and was verified June 2026.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Shaula comes free.
A free local assistant for the office side of practice, a free download, never sold. Nine capabilities, from your practice website and weekly blog to decks, proposals, and your newsletter. Bought piece by piece, that stack runs $250–400 a month. Shaula drafts, you approve. Nothing publishes without your yes.
Meet Shaula →THE CLOSE
The EMR is currently in beta.
Email [email protected] for more information.
Still weighing it up? The alternatives — including when to pick something else · Compare by what you're replacing · Reviews
Answering the eight questions for yourself: how the data is handled · where the software stops and a person decides
HIPAA-eligible architecture with executed BAAs. Patent pending, U.S. Provisional 64/059,214. Built by Matthew Sexton, LCSW, NATC, who runs his own practice on it — the story.
RECEIPTS
Sources, dated.
Every competitor figure on this page is linked to its source — the company's own pages where published; Capterra and healthaidaily.com otherwise.
- simplepractice.com/pricing — SimplePractice plans + AI add-on
- simplepracticepricing.com/billing-addon — SimplePractice per-claim fee ($0.25)
- simplepractice.com — processing-fee post: SimplePractice card processing 3.15%
- therapynotes.com/pricing — TherapyNotes plans + AI add-on
- support.therapynotes.com — payment processing fees: TherapyNotes 3.1% processing + $0.14/claim
- sessionshealth.com/pricing — Sessions Health $39/mo
- carepatron.com/pricing — Carepatron free tier
- capterra.com — Quenza pricing: per-client blocks, ≈$130/mo at 40 clients
- healthaidaily.com — Headway / Grow Therapy reimbursement cut (20–30%)
All verified June 2026 · re-verified before every update
FAQ
Common questions.
What makes VibeCheck.luxury different from SimplePractice or TherapyNotes?
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Pricing is not publicly listed; email [email protected] for more information.
Is VibeCheck.luxury the cheapest option?
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
Does VibeCheck.luxury replace my EHR?
Yes. VibeCheck.luxury is the EMR. It is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.
How can I learn more about the beta?
The VibeCheck.luxury EMR is currently in beta. Email [email protected] for more information.