Updated for 2026 pricing and feature changes. Solo practitioners (1-3 providers, single-location, indie-physician practices) face a different telehealth stack problem than a 40-clinician group: the platform has to bundle enough workflow to replace three or four tools, but cannot price for an enterprise contract you do not have. We tested 8 telemedicine platforms against a solo-provider rubric — HIPAA BAA terms, e-prescribing for controlled substances, support for online digital E/M codes 99421-99423 and G2010, async messaging depth, and the real all-in monthly cost when add-ons are included. The eight ranked below are the ones worth a serious trial in 2026.
The full ranking
- Starting price
- $49/mo per provider (Starter); +$10/mo telehealth add-on
- Trial / guarantee
- 30-day free trial, no credit card up front; 30-day money-back
- Affiliate program
- Yes (PartnerStack)
Key features
- HIPAA BAA included
- Full EHR + practice management — notes, scheduling, client portal
- Insurance billing with electronic claims, ERA/EOB, CMS-1500
- CPT codes auto-available (AMA fee $20/yr per clinician)
- Stripe-based card processing at 2.95% + $0.30
Best for: Solo therapists, counselors, and small behavioral-health practices that want EHR + billing + video on one bill. SimplePractice is the only vendor in this guide with a verified affiliate program through PartnerStack, and the only one we have personally onboarded with operator clients.
Notable pro: Replaces 3-4 tools. The superbill workflow handles 99421-99423 cleanly when a counselor logs cumulative 7-day asynchronous time on a single client encounter.
Notable con: Telehealth is a paid add-on, not bundled. The PE acquisition drove substantial price increases in 2026, and the AMA fee is an extra annual line item that surprises new sign-ups.
Get SimplePractice
- Starting price
- Free tier; Plus $29/mo per provider
- Trial / guarantee
- Free tier serves as testing ground
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA BAA included
- E-prescribing including controlled substances via partner integration
- Custom subdomain plus branded patient portal
- Walk-in alerts and configurable waiting room
- EHR integration via configurable workflows
Best for: Solo physicians and small specialty clinics needing e-Rx plus a configurable, branded telehealth portal. The branded subdomain matters when a solo physician wants the patient experience to feel like an extension of their own practice rather than a generic vendor portal.
Notable pro: E-prescribing including controlled substances is rare in this price tier. Most platforms either skip e-Rx entirely or limit it to non-controlled medications. For a solo physician handling buprenorphine, ADHD stimulants, or pain management scripts, this single feature is the deciding factor.
Notable con: EHR integrations require setup work, and the UI feels dated next to newer platforms. Premium features at $49/mo+ are needed for the full feature set, so the $29/mo headline is somewhat optimistic for a solo physician with real workflow needs.
Get VSee Clinic
- Starting price
- Free tier; Pro $35/mo per provider
- Trial / guarantee
- Free plan is permanent and BAA-covered
- Affiliate program
- Unknown (partners portal exists)
Key features
- HIPAA BAA on all plans, including the free tier
- Browser-based with no patient downloads required
- Virtual waiting rooms with practice branding
- HD video, screen sharing, file transfer
- Live in-call chat and payment processing on Pro
Best for: Solo clinicians who want a zero-install, browser-based video visit with the lowest barrier to entry. Doxy.me is the right pick for a solo practitioner who has not decided whether telehealth is a permanent part of the practice — start free, upgrade only if the workflow sticks.
Notable pro: The free plan is genuinely usable and BAA-covered. Trusted by 1M+ providers globally, and the no-download patient experience cuts the support burden a solo provider would otherwise carry alone.
Notable con: Limited native EHR integrations, no e-prescribing, no billing or CPT engine, and asynchronous messaging is minimal next to Spruce. A solo physician who needs CMS-1500 claims will pair Doxy.me with a separate billing tool.
Get Doxy.me
- Starting price
- $24/mo per user (Basic)
- Trial / guarantee
- Free trial available
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA BAA included
- Secure asynchronous messaging across app and web
- 2-way SMS texting with patients
- HIPAA-compliant video visits
- VoIP/desk phone on Communicator at $49/mo, plus API access
Best for: Solo practitioners who lean heavily on asynchronous messaging and SMS as the primary patient-comms channel. A solo physician running an async-first concierge or DPC model can document cumulative 7-day digital E/M time inside Spruce and bill 99421-99423 against it.
Notable pro: Best-in-class async messaging plus SMS in this list. Per-user pricing scales cleanly from solo, and Spruce replaces the business phone line plus the secure messenger, collapsing two line items into one.
Notable con: No native EHR or billing module, and no e-prescribing. Video is solid but secondary to the messaging focus. A solo physician needing controlled-substance e-Rx will not get it here.
Get Spruce Health
- Starting price
- Free Starter; Core $19.99/mo (up to 10 active clients)
- Trial / guarantee
- Free Starter plan, no time limit
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA + SOC-2 + PCI compliant; BAA included
- Bundled telehealth video, scheduling, charting, client portal
- Online payment collection
- Customizable forms plus SOAP notes
- Mobile apps (iOS + Android) on every plan
Best for: Solo nutritionists, dietitians, and wellness/health coaches — also fits low-volume solo physicians starting out. The 10-client cap on Core makes Healthie a validation-tier pick rather than a long-term home for a busy panel.
Notable pro: Lowest paid entry price in the segment at $19.99/mo. Telehealth is bundled rather than an add-on, and the free Starter plan lets a solo coach validate workflow before paying anything.
Notable con: Insurance billing and CPT workflow are weaker than SimplePractice, the Core plan client cap of 10 is restrictive, and behavioral-health-specific tooling is thinner than TheraNest.
Get Healthie
- Starting price
- $42/mo (up to 30 clients); $29/mo per additional provider
- Trial / guarantee
- Free trial available
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA BAA included
- Therapy-focused EHR with notes and scheduling
- Insurance billing plus claim management
- Integrated telehealth video bundled in core plans
- CPT and diagnosis code support on superbills
Best for: Solo and small-group behavioral-health practices that need a therapy-tuned EHR with bundled telehealth. The client-tier pricing scales gracefully when a solo therapist takes on a per-diem associate — $29/mo per additional provider is friendlier than the SimplePractice add-per-seat math.
Notable pro: Client-tier pricing scales with practice size, telehealth is bundled rather than an add-on, and the platform is purpose-built for therapists and counselors.
Notable con: Less polished UI than SimplePractice, no e-prescribing, and not built for multi-specialty or medical practices. A solo physician who is not a behavioral health clinician should look elsewhere.
Get TheraNest
- Starting price
- Custom quote (no public pricing)
- Trial / guarantee
- Sales-led only
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA BAA included
- AI no-show prediction
- Patient self-scheduling plus digital intake forms
- Enhanced virtual waiting room and automated patient payments
- Multiple EHR integrations and behavioral-health workflow templates
Best for: Growing small practices that want enterprise-grade patient engagement (AI, automation) without an enterprise team to run it. A solo practitioner with a packed panel and a no-show problem is the natural buyer here. Mend's AI no-show prediction pays for itself if your no-show rate runs above 15%.
Notable pro: Strong patient engagement automation including reminders, AI prediction, and automated payments. 86% user satisfaction across 793 reviews. Scales from solo to large systems without a platform swap.
Notable con: No public pricing, sales-led only. Likely overkill for a true solo provider with a thin panel, and modular pricing can stack quickly once you start adding the engagement modules that are the actual reason to choose Mend.
Get Mend
- Starting price
- Custom quote (historical reference ~$200/mo); Workplace Healthcare tier required
- Trial / guarantee
- Sales-led only
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Key features
- HIPAA BAA on the Workplace Healthcare tier only
- AES-256 encryption end-to-end
- EHR integrations with Epic, Cerner, and others
- Workplace AI Companion for healthcare
- Video, Phone, Webinars, and Rooms covered by the BAA
Best for: Solo providers already comfortable with Zoom who want a pure video-visit tool and will handle EHR and billing elsewhere. The pure-video-only positioning is what disqualifies Zoom for Healthcare from a higher rank. At ~$200/mo a solo practitioner is paying enterprise pricing for what Doxy.me Pro delivers at $35/mo.
Notable pro: Lowest-friction patient experience because everyone already knows how to join a Zoom meeting. Strong enterprise security posture and integrations with major EHRs.
Notable con: No native scheduling, EHR, or billing — video-only. Pricing is not public and is sales-led. Standard Zoom is NOT BAA-covered, so the solo practitioner who tries to use a normal Zoom Pro plan for patient visits is taking on real HIPAA risk.
Get Zoom for Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Which telemedicine platform is cheapest for a solo practitioner in 2026?
Healthie's Core plan at $19.99/mo is the lowest paid entry, but it caps at 10 active clients. Doxy.me has a free tier with a HIPAA BAA, and Spruce Health starts at $24/mo per user. SimplePractice is $49/mo plus a $10/mo telehealth add-on. Cheapest depends on whether you need EHR and billing bundled or just video.
Can a solo physician bill telehealth CPT codes 99421-99423 or G2010 with these platforms?
Codes 99421-99423 cover online digital E/M services (5-21+ minute cumulative time over 7 days), and G2010 covers remote evaluation of patient-submitted images. SimplePractice and TheraNest support CPT/diagnosis coding on superbills. SimplePractice handles full insurance billing with electronic claims and ERA/EOB. Doxy.me, Spruce, and Zoom for Healthcare have no native billing engine, so the solo physician would file claims through a separate clearinghouse or biller.
Do these platforms support e-prescribing of controlled substances for solo practitioners?
VSee Clinic offers e-prescribing including controlled substances via a partner integration, which makes it the strongest pick in this list for solo physicians who handle controlled-substance scripts. Doxy.me, Spruce, Healthie, and Zoom for Healthcare have no native e-Rx. SimplePractice and TheraNest are tuned for behavioral health where e-Rx is less central.
Is the free tier of Doxy.me actually usable for HIPAA-covered visits?
Yes. Doxy.me's free plan includes a HIPAA BAA, and the company is trusted by 1M+ providers globally. The free plan handles browser-based video visits with no patient downloads. Solo practitioners typically outgrow the free tier when they need group calls, payments, or integrations, at which point Pro at $35/mo unlocks those.
Which platform is best for asynchronous patient messaging instead of live video?
Spruce Health is the standout for async messaging. Its Basic plan at $24/mo per user includes secure messaging across app and web, 2-way SMS texting with patients, and HIPAA video. Solo practitioners who run an async-first workflow can also bill 99421-99423 against the cumulative 7-day time documented inside Spruce.
Should a solo practitioner just use regular Zoom?
No. Standard Zoom is not BAA-covered. Only the Workplace Healthcare tier of Zoom signs a BAA, and pricing is sales-led with historical reference around $200/mo. For a solo provider, that price point only makes sense if you already use Zoom heavily and want video-only. Otherwise Doxy.me or VSee Clinic delivers a HIPAA-covered visit at a fraction of the cost.
What about EHR integration for a solo practice?
SimplePractice, Healthie, and TheraNest are EHRs themselves, so integration is a non-question. VSee Clinic supports EHR integration through configurable workflows but requires setup work. Zoom for Healthcare integrates with Epic, Cerner, and others, but those EHRs are rare in solo practice. Doxy.me has limited native integrations and Spruce has none in its core product.