bravery.academy vs SimplePractice
SimplePractice is the largest EHR for therapists in the US. bravery.academy is a privacy-first alternative for practitioners who need Zero-Knowledge encryption and AI supervision — not insurance billing at scale.
| Feature | bravery.academy | SimplePractice |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-Knowledge encryption for notes | ✅ Client-side encryption | ❌ Standard server storage |
| Platform can read your notes | ❌ Never (technically impossible) | ⚠️ Yes (policy-restricted) |
| AI supervision workflow | ✅ CBT-oriented supervision | ❌ Note-taking only |
| Sessions train AI model | ❌ Never | ⚠️ Varies by feature |
| GDPR-ready architecture | ✅ Privacy-by-design | ⚠️ US-primary, GDPR add-on |
| EU / Ukraine market focus | ✅ Primary market | ❌ US-centric |
| Insurance billing (US CPT) | ❌ Not a focus | ✅ Core feature |
| Established user base | ⚠️ Beta (2024–) | ✅ 250,000+ practitioners |
| Pricing entry point | ✅ Free beta | $49/month (Starter) |
| Dedicated infrastructure option | ✅ For clinics/enterprises | ❌ Shared infrastructure |
When SimplePractice is the right choice
SimplePractice is excellent for US-based therapists who need full insurance billing, CPT code workflows, ERA auto-posting, and a large practitioner marketplace (therapyfinder.com). With 250,000+ users and a mature product, it's the industry standard for US private practice management.
If insurance billing is your primary workflow pain, SimplePractice solves it well at $49–$99/month.
When bravery.academy is the right choice
- →You practice in Europe or Ukraine and need GDPR-ready architecture — not a compliance checkbox.
- →You operate self-pay and don't need US insurance billing infrastructure.
- →Client data privacy is a technical requirement, not just a policy preference.
- →You want AI supervision (reflective clinical process) — not just AI note-taking.
- →You need dedicated infrastructure for a clinic or enterprise deployment.
- →You are sensitive to the fact that SimplePractice can technically access your clinical notes.
The core privacy difference
SimplePractice's privacy model is compliance-based: they promise not to read your notes and follow HIPAA rules. That is a policy guarantee.
bravery.academy's Zero-Knowledge architecture is a technical guarantee: notes are encrypted in your browser using your key before they reach our servers. We physically cannot read them — not because we promise not to, but because the ciphertext is meaningless without your key.
This distinction matters if you work with clients whose disclosures carry significant risk (trauma survivors, high-profile clients, clients in sensitive professions), or if you operate in jurisdictions with strict data sovereignty requirements.
Try bravery.academy during beta
No subscription required during beta. First 30 private practitioners: 3 years free.
Join the waitlistSimplePractice pricing and feature information sourced from simplepractice.com (February 2026). Accuracy subject to change.