Doctolib and SimplePractice both sit in healthcare scheduling but at different depths and in different regions. Doctolib is a France-based (Levallois-Perret)…
Best for Doctolib: Patients and healthcare providers in France, Germany, or Italy who want a public, multi-specialty directory for booking appointments and holding video consultations.
Best for SimplePractice: US-based therapists, counselors, dietitians, and other wellness professionals who need scheduling, insurance billing, clinical documentation, and telehealth combined in one system, starting at $49/month per clinician on the Starter plan.
At a Glance
Doctolib
SimplePractice
Primary category
Healthcare & Wellness
Healthcare & Wellness
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
subscription
Starting price
Free for patients; from ~€139/month for practices
$49/month (Starter plan)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Key Differences
Practice Management Depth
Doctolib: Doctolib's documented features focus on booking, a specialist directory, and video consultations, with no clinical documentation, billing, or payment processing features listed.
SimplePractice: SimplePractice includes clinical documentation templates for behavioral health and wellness fields, insurance billing and claims, integrated payment processing, and group practice management.
A therapist choosing software to run their entire practice needs documentation and billing, not just booking.
Target Market and Geography
Doctolib: Doctolib operates in France, Germany, and Italy and is B Corp certified.
SimplePractice: SimplePractice is US-focused, built around US insurance and regulatory workflows, founded in 2012 in Santa Monica, California.
Regulatory and insurance workflows differ significantly by country, so a platform built for one market rarely transfers cleanly to another.
Pricing Transparency
Doctolib: Doctolib's pricing model and starting price are not published in the available facts.
SimplePractice: SimplePractice publishes tiered pricing: Starter at $49/month per clinician, Essential at $79/month, and Plus at $99/month, each with clearly listed included features.
Published tiered pricing lets buyers self-serve a budget estimate without a sales call.
AI Features
Doctolib: No AI features are documented for Doctolib.
SimplePractice: SimplePractice offers an AI Note Taker add-on that drafts session documentation from audio to speed up clinical note writing.
AI-assisted documentation can meaningfully cut the administrative time clinicians spend after each session.
Free Trial Availability
Doctolib: No free trial is documented for Doctolib.
SimplePractice: SimplePractice's pricing model is listed as "Paid (free trial available)," letting practices test scheduling, billing, and documentation before subscribing.
A free trial lowers the risk of committing to a new practice management system sight unseen.
Feature-by-Feature
Scheduling & Booking
Feature
Doctolib
SimplePractice
Online self-scheduling
Available
Available
Video / telehealth consultations
Available
Available
Specialist/provider directory
Available
Not documented
Automated appointment reminders
Not documented
Available
Clinical & Billing
Feature
Doctolib
SimplePractice
Clinical documentation templates
Not documented
Available
Insurance billing and claims
Unavailable
Available
Integrated payment processing
Not documented
Available
AI note-taking
Unavailable
Available
Company & Access
Feature
Doctolib
SimplePractice
Mobile apps (iOS/Android)
Available
Available
Published pricing tiers
Unavailable
Available
B Corp certification
Available
Not documented
Multi-country operation
Available
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Doctolib
Patient Booking — Free n/a
Doctolib Pro (Booking Subscription) — ~€139/month monthly
Plus — $99/month base plus approx $59/month per additional clinician monthly
Pros & Cons
Doctolib
Pros
Appointment booking is completely free for patients, with a simple and widely recognized booking experience
Large installed base of roughly 80 million patient accounts across France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands makes it easy for practices to be discovered
Combines booking, EHR, telemedicine, and insurance processing into one integrated professional platform
Well-funded and continuing to invest in expansion, reducing near-term risk of the platform being discontinued
Cons
Professional pricing is layered across multiple separate subscriptions (booking, telemedicine, EHR, card reader), which can add up
France represents the large majority of revenue, so feature depth and support quality can vary in newer markets
Enterprise and multi-practitioner pricing is not published and requires a custom sales conversation
As a French-market-first product, some workflows are most mature for the French healthcare system before other markets
SimplePractice
Pros
Purpose-built specifically for therapists and health and wellness professionals
Combines scheduling, telehealth, documentation, and billing in one platform
Large, established user base of over 225,000 practitioners
HIPAA-compliant telehealth is built in rather than requiring a separate tool
Free trial with a discount available for early sign-up on a paid plan
Cons
Pricing rises meaningfully for group practices with per-clinician fees on top of the base plan
Some advanced billing and insurance features are limited to higher-tier plans
Ownership changes (EngageSmart, then Vista Equity Partners) may raise questions for long-term customers about product direction
Learning curve for clinicians unfamiliar with EHR software
Primarily built around US insurance and compliance workflows, limiting fit for practices outside the United States
Use Cases
Choose Doctolib: Patients and healthcare providers in France, Germany, or Italy who want a public, multi-specialty directory for booking appointments and holding video consultations.
Choose SimplePractice: US-based therapists, counselors, dietitians, and other wellness professionals who need scheduling, insurance billing, clinical documentation, and telehealth combined in one system, starting at $49/month per clinician on the Starter plan.
Need both: There is no realistic single-practice scenario for using both -- they serve different regions and different depths of functionality. A multinational wellness organization might use SimplePractice for its US clinicians and separately list its European providers on Doctolib, but the facts show no integration between the two.
Doctolib
Booking a Doctor's Appointment — Patients search for available doctors by specialty and location and book an appointment online in a few clicks, without calling the practice.
Independent Practice Management — Solo practitioners and small clinics use Doctolib Médecin to manage scheduling, patient records, and insurance billing in one system.
Telemedicine Consultations — Healthcare providers offer remote video consultations to patients who cannot visit in person, integrated with the same booking and records system.
SimplePractice
Solo therapy practice management — Individual therapists use SimplePractice's Starter plan to manage scheduling, notes, and billing without extra administrative staff.
Group behavioral health practices — Multi-clinician practices use the Plus plan to centralize scheduling, billing, and documentation across an entire team.
Telehealth-first care delivery — Clinicians offering remote sessions use SimplePractice's built-in HIPAA-compliant video instead of a separate telehealth tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Doctolib an EHR like SimplePractice?
No. Doctolib's documented features center on appointment booking, a specialist directory, and video consultations, with no clinical documentation or EHR functionality listed. SimplePractice is a full practice management and EHR system.
How much does SimplePractice cost?
SimplePractice has three published tiers: Starter at $49/month per clinician, Essential at $79/month, and Plus at $99/month, each adding more features like custom treatment plans and analytics.
Does Doctolib publish its pricing?
No, based on the available facts, Doctolib's pricing model and starting price are not published.
Which tool is better for US therapists specifically?
SimplePractice, since it is built around US insurance billing workflows and includes documentation templates tailored to behavioral health and wellness professions, which Doctolib does not document.
Does Doctolib support telehealth?
Yes, Doctolib offers video consultations directly through its platform alongside in-person appointment booking.
Does SimplePractice include AI features?
Yes -- an optional AI Note Taker add-on drafts session documentation from audio recordings to speed up clinical note writing.