Best EHR for solo practice: 7 options compared (2026)

Key Takeaways

Software covered: 1. Pabau, 2. SimplePractice, 3. TherapyNotes, 4. Jane App, 5. Elation Health, 6. Tebra, 7. DrChrono

The best EHR for solo practice depends on specialty: aesthetics and wellness providers get the deepest feature set from Pabau, therapists from SimplePractice or TherapyNotes

Total cost of ownership varies widely: some platforms charge add-ons for billing, telehealth, and reminders that appear free at base pricing

Pabau includes built-in telehealth, digital consent forms, and AI-assisted documentation without requiring costly add-ons for solo providers

Most solo practitioners spend more time evaluating EHR software than they budgeted for their first month of clinical operations. The market is crowded, the pricing is opaque, and the “best” option on any given roundup was usually written for hospital systems or large group practices, not someone running a one-person clinic. As a result, choosing the best EHR for solo practice comes down to three factors that rarely get enough space in generic comparisons: specialty fit, total cost of ownership, and how quickly you can actually get up and running without a dedicated IT team.

This guide evaluates seven platforms across scheduling, clinical documentation, billing, telehealth, pricing, and ease of setup, covering solo providers across aesthetics, wellness, therapy, primary care, and allied health. Because the right EHR for private practice looks different depending on whether you’re a nurse injector, a solo therapist, or a direct primary care physician, this comparison reflects those differences directly.

Best EHR for solo practice: Quick comparison

Before diving into the full reviews, here’s how the seven platforms stack up at a glance across the criteria solo providers care about most.

1. Pabau – best EHR for solo aesthetics, wellness, and allied health

Solo providers in aesthetics, medical spa, wellness, and allied health need something different from a behavioral health EHR or a primary care chart. Specifically, they need consent workflows, before-and-after photo management, injection plotting, private-pay billing, and documentation that reflects what they actually do in the treatment room. Because of that, Pabau is built for exactly that segment, and it shows in the feature set from day one.

In practice, the platform covers the full solo practice workflow: digital intake and consent forms that clients complete before they arrive, a visual calendar with resource-based booking, invoicing and prepayment collection, and AI-assisted clinical note generation via Pabau Scribe. As a result, for a nurse injector, dermatologist, or physiotherapist running alone, that breadth removes the need to stitch together three or four separate tools.

Key features

• Pabau Scribe: AI medical scribe generates clinical notes from consultation audio, reducing post-session documentation time
• Injection plotting: annotate body diagrams directly in the client record with product, dosage, and placement data
• Digital consent forms: customizable, sent automatically before appointments, signed electronically
• Telehealth: built-in video consultations integrated into the booking workflow, with no third-party app required
• Before-and-after photos: capture and compare treatment images within the client record
• Online booking: client self-booking portal with deposit collection and automated reminders
• Private-pay billing: invoicing, package management, memberships, and Klarna buy-now-pay-later integration
• Automated workflows: pre-care and post-care instructions sent automatically by appointment type

Pricing

Where Pabau shines

• Specialty-specific documentation: treatment note templates, image annotation, and consent workflows built for aesthetics and wellness, not adapted from a generic primary care format
• No feature gating: every tier includes scheduling, forms, billing, and client records; pricing scales with location and user count rather than locking core functionality behind upgrades
• AI documentation: Pabau Scribe reduces note-writing time after procedures, which matters more when you’re the only person in the clinic
• Private-pay billing depth: packages, memberships, deposits, Klarna, and invoicing built in, without requiring a separate billing module purchase
• Onboarding support: structured onboarding for solo providers who don’t have a dedicated IT team or implementation budget

Where Pabau falls short

• Insurance billing: Pabau is optimized for private-pay workflows; solo providers billing insurance heavily should evaluate platforms built around claims management
• Setup curve: the breadth of customization means initial configuration takes time, particularly for treatment templates and automated workflows

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, Pabau earns 4.7 out of 5 from 600-plus verified reviews, with consistent praise for its all-in-one functionality for aesthetic and wellness practices and for the responsiveness of its support team. In particular, common feedback highlights the strong customization of treatment notes and consent forms. However, the most frequent criticism is the initial setup investment required to configure templates and workflows.

Who Pabau is best for

• Solo nurse injectors and aesthetic practitioners who need injection plotting and consent management
• Dermatologists and skin clinics running private-pay appointment models
• Solo physiotherapists, osteopaths, and allied health providers who want scheduling, notes, and billing in one place
• Wellness and functional medicine practitioners who need flexible documentation without a rigid primary-care chart format

2. SimplePractice — best EHR for solo therapists and behavioral health

SimplePractice is the dominant EHR in the solo therapy and behavioral health market in the US. Built from the ground up for licensed mental health clinicians, it covers the full session-based workflow: scheduling recurring appointments, writing DAP, SOAP, and BIRP notes, billing insurance with ERA processing, and running a client-facing portal where patients can book, pay, and complete paperwork. Moreover, if you’re a solo therapist, counselor, social worker, or behavioral health clinician, it’s the platform most of your peers are already using.

Key features

• Therapy-specific note templates: DAP, SOAP, BIRP, and treatment plan formats built for behavioral health documentation
• Insurance billing: claims submission, ERA and EOB processing, and superbill generation for self-pay clients
• Integrated telehealth: video sessions with HIPAA-compliant waiting room and session note integration
• Client portal: self-booking, paperwork completion, and messaging in one client-facing interface
• Appointment reminders: automated SMS and email reminders (available on higher-tier plans)
• Mobile access: iOS and Android apps for scheduling and note-writing on the go

Pricing

Note: SimplePractice charges separately for appointment reminders on lower tiers. Verify current plan inclusions at simplepractice.com before comparing total cost.

Where SimplePractice shines

• Therapy-optimized documentation that matches how behavioral health clinicians actually write notes
• Insurance billing with ERA processing, making it viable for solo therapists billing insurance directly
• Clean, intuitive interface praised consistently by users who are not technically experienced

Where SimplePractice falls short

• Appointment reminders and some billing features sit behind higher-tier plans, raising the effective monthly cost
• Not well suited for non-therapy specialties: aesthetic, medical, or allied health solo providers will find the templates too session-focused
• Pricing increases at higher tiers can feel steep for a truly solo practice with limited client volume

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, SimplePractice holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating, with high marks for its interface and therapy-specific feature set. However, G2 reviewers score it at 4.1 out of 5, with some feedback pointing to the per-tier pricing model as a frustration for solo providers managing costs carefully.

Who SimplePractice is best for

• Solo licensed therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers in private practice
• Behavioral health clinicians who bill insurance and need ERA and superbill functionality
• Practitioners who want a recognized, community-supported platform with extensive third-party integrations

Running a solo practice shouldn’t mean running three different software tools

Pabau combines scheduling, clinical documentation, consent forms, billing, and telehealth in one platform built for aesthetic, wellness, and allied health solo providers. See how it works for practices like yours.

Book a demo

3. TherapyNotes — best for solo mental health billing and documentation

TherapyNotes is a behavioral health EHR built specifically for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists in solo and small group practice. While SimplePractice competes on breadth and interface polish, TherapyNotes instead competes on depth of behavioral health documentation and billing accuracy. As a result, solo mental health providers who prioritize getting their notes and insurance submissions right, rather than a slick design, consistently rate it highly.

Key features

• Behavioral health templates: progress notes, treatment plans, and intake forms built specifically for mental health practice standards
• Insurance billing: electronic claims, ERA processing, and batch billing for insurance-heavy solo practices
• Patient portal: client self-scheduling, secure messaging, and paperwork completion
• Scheduling: calendar management with recurring appointments and waitlist functionality
• Telehealth: available on higher-tier plans; video sessions with notes integration

Pricing

Where TherapyNotes shines

• Depth of behavioral health documentation that rivals what hospital-based clinicians use
• Insurance billing support strong enough for solo therapists who handle all their own claims
• High user satisfaction among solo mental health practitioners, reflected in its Capterra score

Where TherapyNotes falls short

• Telehealth is not included on all plans, which adds cost for practitioners who offer video sessions
• Limited functionality outside mental health: medical, aesthetic, or allied health providers will find it too narrow
• Interface has a more utilitarian feel than SimplePractice; less polished for practitioners who value design

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, TherapyNotes earns 4.7 out of 5, with consistent praise for its behavioral health documentation quality and billing accuracy. In particular, solo therapists frequently cite it as reliable and predictable — two qualities that matter especially when you’re managing billing without administrative support.

Who TherapyNotes is best for

• Solo psychologists, social workers, and counselors who prioritize documentation depth over interface aesthetics
• Mental health practitioners billing insurance who want robust ERA processing
• Solo providers who want a purpose-built behavioral health platform rather than a general-practice EHR

4. Jane App — best EHR for solo allied health practitioners

Jane App is the preferred EHR among solo physiotherapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, and occupational therapists, particularly in Canada, Australia, and the UK, with strong and growing adoption in the US. Notably, its reputation is built on scheduling simplicity: the booking experience is genuinely easy for both practitioners and patients, and the platform manages to feel accessible without sacrificing clinical depth for allied health workflows.

Key features

• Scheduling: visual calendar, online booking portal, recurring appointments, and waitlist management
• Clinical documentation: customizable chart templates for allied health disciplines
• Online booking portal: clean patient-facing interface with self-scheduling and intake form completion
• Payments: integrated payment processing, insurance billing support, and receipt generation
• Telehealth: built-in video appointments linked to the booking workflow
• Patient portal: secure messaging and appointment management for clients

Pricing

Where Jane App shines

• Scheduling and booking experience rated among the most intuitive in the market by allied health practitioners
• Strong community support with Jane-specific resources for physiotherapy, massage, and chiropractic workflows
• Clean patient-facing portal that reduces the administrative friction of intake and booking

Where Jane App falls short

• Insurance billing tools are less robust for the US market, where claims complexity is higher
• Limited functionality for aesthetics, medical prescribing, or injection-based treatments
• Fewer AI or automation features compared to newer platforms entering the same market

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, Jane App scores 4.8 out of 5, the highest in this comparison. Reviewers frequently highlight the booking experience and the quality of the patient portal. That said, the most common criticism is around US insurance billing limitations for practitioners in that market.

Who Jane App is best for

• Solo physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and occupational therapists
• Allied health providers in Canada, Australia, and the UK where Jane has strong market presence
• Practitioners who want the cleanest scheduling and booking experience in the market

5. Elation Health — best EHR for solo primary care physicians

Elation Health occupies a specific niche in this comparison: it’s built for physician-grade primary care documentation, and it does that job exceptionally well. For solo physicians running direct primary care (DPC) models or independent family medicine practices, Elation provides longitudinal patient records, clinical decision support, and charting depth that general-purpose EHRs don’t match. It earns its place on this list because, unlike allied health or aesthetics providers, solo primary care physicians have documentation needs that most general-purpose platforms simply don’t address.

Key features

• Physician-grade charting: longitudinal problem lists, medication management, and structured clinical documentation
• Clinical decision support: alerts and reminders built into the charting workflow
• Direct primary care support: billing models and patient engagement tools designed for DPC practice structures
• Patient record management: comprehensive patient history across visits, conditions, and medications
• Referral management: structured referral documentation and tracking

Pricing

Where Elation Health shines

• Physician-grade clinical documentation that meets the depth requirements of primary care practice
• Strong longitudinal patient record management, which matters when you’re the only provider and the sole custodian of a patient’s full history
• Good fit for direct primary care (DPC) models where billing structures differ from insurance-heavy practices

Where Elation Health falls short

• Higher price point than alternatives in this comparison, which matters for solo providers managing costs without support staff revenue
• Not suited for non-physician allied health or aesthetics providers
• Limited aesthetics and wellness functionality for practices that blend clinical and cosmetic services

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, Elation Health holds a 4.5 out of 5 rating, with strong praise from physicians for clinical documentation quality. Similarly, G2 reviewers score it at 4.3 out of 5. In both cases, primary care solo physicians consistently highlight the longitudinal record management as a key differentiator from more general-purpose platforms.

Who Elation Health is best for

• Solo family medicine and internal medicine physicians in independent practice
• Direct primary care (DPC) practitioners who need a physician-grade EHR with DPC billing support
• Physicians transitioning from hospital employment to independent solo practice who need full clinical depth from day one

6. Tebra — best for solo medical practices with insurance billing

Tebra (formerly Kareo) is a practice management and EHR platform targeting small independent medical practices in the US, with particular strength in medical billing and revenue cycle management. However, the rebrand from Kareo to Tebra is relatively recent, and as a result, some confusion around features and support exists during that transition. Nevertheless, for a solo physician or nurse practitioner running an insurance-heavy practice, Tebra’s billing tools are the primary reason to consider it.

Key features

• Medical billing and RCM: claims submission, denial management, and revenue cycle tools for insurance-billing practices
• Scheduling: appointment management and patient self-scheduling
• EHR charting: clinical documentation with ICD-10 and CPT code integration
• Patient engagement: automated reminders, patient portal, and intake form management
• Reporting: financial and clinical reporting dashboards

Pricing

Where Tebra shines

• Medical billing and RCM tools that are more developed than most EHRs in this price range
• Good fit for solo primary care physicians and nurse practitioners in insurance-based US practices
• Integrated patient engagement features alongside the billing and charting workflow

Where Tebra falls short

• Customer support response times have been flagged as slow by reviewers, which is particularly painful for a solo provider with no admin staff to escalate issues
• The billing module has a learning curve that can be steep for new solo practitioners without billing experience
• The recent rebrand from Kareo has caused some feature and support confusion during transition

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, Tebra holds a 3.9 out of 5 rating, with positive feedback for its billing tools and mixed feedback on support responsiveness. Similarly, G2 reviewers score it at 3.8 out of 5. Therefore, the support frustrations are worth weighing seriously for a solo practice where there’s no one else to handle a billing outage or technical issue.

Who Tebra is best for

• Solo physicians and nurse practitioners running insurance-heavy US practices who need full RCM support
• Primary care solo providers transitioning from a larger group practice who need a familiar billing structure
• Practices where billing complexity justifies the additional learning investment

7. DrChrono — best EHR for solo providers needing customizable charting

DrChrono is one of the more flexible EHRs in this comparison, built around a highly customizable charting environment and an iPad-native design that suits practitioners who work primarily from a tablet at the point of care. For a solo provider who needs to adapt the EHR to a specific workflow rather than adapt their workflow to the EHR, DrChrono’s template customization is a genuine differentiator. However, that flexibility comes with a trade-off: setup complexity and a higher cost to access the full feature set.

Key features

• Customizable EHR templates: highly adaptable charting forms for almost any specialty
• iPad-first design: native iOS app optimized for tablet use at the point of care
• Medical billing: built-in billing and RCM with claims management tools
• Scheduling: appointment calendar with patient self-scheduling and reminders
• Speech-to-text: dictation capability integrated into note-writing workflow

Pricing

Where DrChrono shines

• Template customization depth that lets a solo provider build charting exactly to their specialty workflow
• iPad-native design is genuinely better for providers who chart at the bedside or treatment table rather than at a desk
• Speech-to-text dictation reduces typing burden during and after appointments

Where DrChrono falls short

• Steep learning curve for full configuration: solo providers without IT support should budget significant setup time
• Higher cost for access to the full feature set, with some capabilities sitting behind premium tiers
• Customer support inconsistencies have been flagged in user reviews, a meaningful concern for a solo operator

Customer reviews

According to Capterra reviewers, DrChrono holds a 3.9 out of 5 rating, with strong marks for template flexibility and iPad functionality. Meanwhile, G2 reviewers score it at 3.6 out of 5. Overall, feedback highlights the power of the charting customization alongside frustration with the time required to unlock that power.

Who DrChrono is best for

• Solo providers in non-standard specialties who need a charting system they can build from scratch
• Practitioners who work primarily from an iPad and want a genuinely native tablet experience
• Solo providers with some technical confidence and willingness to invest time in initial setup

How to choose the best EHR for solo practice

The comparison matrix and product reviews above help narrow the field. Nevertheless, before making a final decision, here are the five criteria that separate the right choice from a costly mistake for solo providers.

1. Specialty fit first: no EHR is best for every solo practice. Therapists should look at SimplePractice or TherapyNotes. Allied health providers at Jane App or Pabau. Aesthetics and wellness providers at Pabau. Primary care physicians at Elation Health or Tebra. Starting with specialty alignment eliminates most of the noise.
2. Total cost of ownership: add up what each platform charges beyond the base subscription. Telehealth, appointment reminders, insurance billing modules, and credit card processing are common add-on costs that can double an advertised monthly rate. Pabau and Jane App bundle more features at the base level than platforms like SimplePractice or Tebra.
3. Billing model compatibility: private-pay practices need different tools than insurance-heavy practices. Pabau is built for private pay; SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and Tebra are built for insurance billing. Choosing the wrong billing model forces workarounds that cost time every month.
4. Setup complexity relative to your time budget: as a solo provider, you have no IT team. DrChrono and Tebra offer powerful configurations but require meaningful setup investment. SimplePractice and Jane App are faster to launch. Pabau offers structured onboarding support specifically for solo providers. As HIPAA Journal notes, choosing an EHR that requires scale to be viable is a common mistake for independent practices.
5. HIPAA compliance and data security: every platform on this list maintains HIPAA-compliant infrastructure, but confirm specifics directly with each vendor. The HHS HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities to evaluate and select security measures appropriate to their practice size and risk.

Conclusion

Solo practitioners in aesthetics, wellness, and allied health have been underserved by EHR comparisons that default to therapy-focused or primary-care-focused platforms. Ultimately, therefore, the best EHR for solo practice isn’t a single answer: it depends on your specialty, your billing model, and how much setup time you have before your first patient appointment.

For aesthetics, wellness, medical spa, and allied health solo providers, Pabau offers the deepest feature set built specifically for treatment-based private-pay workflows, including digital consent forms, injection plotting, Pabau Scribe for AI documentation, and telehealth without add-on fees. So if you’re a solo nurse injector, dermatologist, physiotherapist, or wellness practitioner, it’s worth seeing how it fits your specific workflow. Book a demo and bring your most frustrating current workflow to the conversation.

Continue your research

Running a medical spa as a solo provider? Medical spa software covers what solo med spa operators need from scheduling through treatment documentation.

Considering a multi-specialty or hybrid solo practice? Private practice management breaks down the operational decisions that determine whether a solo practice runs smoothly or bogs down in admin.

Frequently Asked Questions