Most private practices do not need a separate CRM. Practice software like SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Jane or TheraNest already holds clients, reminders and a portal, and most offer a business associate agreement. A CRM only helps before someone becomes a client: inquiries, consult calls and referral sources. If you add one, it needs that agreement too.
Prices below come from each vendor's own page, as listed on October 22, 2026. This guide is not legal advice. Your counsel and your licensing board decide what is right for your practice.
What does "CRM" mean for a therapy practice?
In most businesses, a CRM tracks customers. In a therapy practice, your clients already live in your practice software, with notes and billing. What usually goes missing is the step before: the person who called, emailed or filled out a form and never booked.
So a practice "CRM" is really an inquiry tracker:
- Who reached out, and how to reach them.
- Where they found you.
- Whether a consult call was booked and held.
- Whether they became a client, or you referred them elsewhere.
Nothing clinical belongs in it.
What does your practice software already cover?
More than most owners use. Each of these holds client records, reminders and a client portal. Most describe a business associate agreement on their own pages; ask for it in writing either way.
| Software | What it lists | Inquiries and booking |
|---|---|---|
| SimplePractice | Starter $49, Essential $79, Plus $99 a month | An Inquiries page for prospective clients; reminders from Essential; the BAA takes effect when you open the account |
| TherapyNotes | Solo $69 a month; Group $89 plus $60 per added clinician | Booking requests through its client portal and directory profile; text reminders 14 cents each |
| Jane | Balance $59 for 1 practitioner and 20 visits a month; Practice $79 and Thrive $99, plus a fee per practitioner | Free text reminders from Practice; its terms say it signs a BAA on request |
| TheraNest | Essentials $29, Advanced $59, Premier $89 per therapist a month | Online booking and reminders from Advanced; ask for its BAA terms |
SimplePractice is the only one of these with a real inquiry inbox on the pages we checked. Its contact form widget for your own website is on the Plus plan.
Can you use HubSpot or Zoho for a therapy practice?
You can, but it costs more than it looks. HubSpot says storing HIPAA-protected data requires an Enterprise subscription, turning on its sensitive data settings and accepting its business associate agreement. Zoho says it provides a business associate agreement on request and that no patient data should go into its apps until one is signed. Salesforce lists Health Cloud from $350 per user a month, billed yearly.
For a solo or small group practice, that is usually far more tool than the job needs. A general CRM on a free plan, without a signed agreement, is not a place for client information.
What should an inquiry tracker hold, and leave out?
Only what you need to follow up and to see what works. HHS asks covered entities to limit information to the minimum necessary for the purpose, which is a good rule here too.
| Keep | Leave out |
|---|---|
| Name and a way to reach them | Symptoms, diagnoses and history |
| Where they found you | Why they want therapy |
| Date of first contact | Anything they told you in the consult |
| Consult booked, held or missed | Insurance member numbers |
| Became a client, or referred out | Notes a client would not want shared |
If an inquiry becomes a client, move them into your practice software and close the inquiry.
Where do therapy inquiries come from?
Usually four places, and it helps to count each one.
- Your website. The one you own. See what a therapist website should include.
- Directories. A Psychology Today listing is $29.95 a month, with no contract.
- Referrals from other clinicians, doctors and past clients.
- Insurance networks. Headway offers free credentialing and charges $9.99 on appointments with clients found through its marketplace. Alma's membership is $125 a month, or $95 a month billed yearly. These are networks, not CRMs.
Ask every inquiry how they found you, and count consults and new clients by source once a month. That is the whole report most practices need.
Which setup fits your practice?
Pick the smallest thing that covers how inquiries reach you.
- Solo practice. Your practice software, its booking link and a monthly count by source. Nothing else.
- Small group with shared intake. Practice software plus SimplePractice's inquiries or a simple shared board, with a business associate agreement in place.
- Group practice with an intake coordinator and many inquiries. A board that routes inquiries by specialty, insurance and opening, with follow-up reminders. This is where a small custom build can earn its keep.
- Large group with a marketing team. HubSpot Enterprise or Salesforce Health Cloud, set up under their health data terms.
When does a custom inquiry board make sense?
When several clinicians share intake, inquiries come from many places and nobody can see who is still waiting for a call back. It rarely makes sense for a solo practice.
Elevate, a Houston AI, software and marketing studio led by Justin Davis, builds the first-contact side only: the website, the booking path, a missed-call reply with consent in mind and an inquiry view with no clinical details. We do not touch clinical records, and we do not claim any compliance certification. Anything with client information stays in the practice software that covers it under your agreement.
Custom vs practice software vs doing it yourself
| Your practice software | A custom inquiry board | Doing it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Your current plan | A build, priced on a free call | Your time |
| Holds client records | Yes | No, inquiries only | No |
| Business associate agreement | Described by each vendor | Needed if it holds client information | Not applicable to a paper list |
| Best for | Most practices | Busy group intake | A few inquiries a week |
| Biggest risk | Features you never turn on | Building more than you need | Inquiries lost in voicemail |
What should you ask before you add anything?
- Does my practice software already track inquiries, and am I on the plan that has it?
- Will the new tool sign a business associate agreement before it holds anything?
- What is the least information we can keep and still follow up?
- Who on my team can see it?
- How will I count consults and new clients by source each month?
Where to go from here
If inquiries slip through before they become clients, book a free call. In 15 to 30 minutes we look at how people reach your practice and what your software already covers, with your privacy rules in front. Every build is priced on that call, with one flat price in writing before work starts. See what we would build first on our page for therapists and counselors.