SimplePractice is an excellent product for therapists in the USA. If you work in Europe, GDPR obligations, currency, and infrastructure raise problems SimplePractice was never designed to solve.
Direct answer
SimplePractice is optimized for the American market: HIPAA (not GDPR), USD billing, American insurance integrations. A European therapist cannot access 80% of the features they pay for. APONIA.ro is built from the ground up for the European context.
SimplePractice vs APONIA.ro for European therapists
| APONIA.ro | SimplePractice | |
|---|---|---|
| Native GDPR compliance | ✓ Core, EU-based | ✗ HIPAA (USA) — GDPR not native |
| Data stored in EU | ✓ Frankfurt, Germany | ✗ AWS USA |
| European currency pricing | ✓ RON / EUR | ✗ USD ($29–$99/month) |
| Online scheduling | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Session notes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes (SOAP/DAP templates) |
| Complexity for solo practice | ✓ Simple, essential | ✗ Over-engineered for a small practice |
| Insurance billing integration | ~ Roadmap | ✗ US insurers only |
| Monthly cost | ✓ Affordable, in local currency | ✗ $29–$99/month + conversion fees |
SimplePractice is built for a specific context: American therapist, American patients, American insurance, American laws. The product is mature and well-designed. But your context is different.
As a therapist in Europe, you have clear GDPR obligations regarding your patients' data. SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant, not GDPR-compliant. That doesn't mean it's illegal to use, but it means GDPR compliance responsibility stays entirely with you — with no native support from the platform you're paying $59 a month for.
Furthermore: you're paying for telehealth integrated with American insurers, for English-language forms, for a billing system adapted to US CPT codes. Features you simply cannot use in a European context.
APONIA.ro is built exactly for your context — a practice in Europe, patients with European expectations, data that must stay in the EU. No excess, no paying for features you cannot access.
Free beta. No card. Native GDPR, EU data, accessible pricing.
SimplePractice offers a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) for European customers, which is a step. But the platform is built on AWS infrastructure in the USA, with internal processes designed for HIPAA. Real GDPR compliance — right to erasure, data portability, 72-hour breach notification — is not their core business.
It depends on your practice. A solo therapist in Europe doesn't need insurance billing, e-prescribe, superbills, or multi-therapist group sessions. You pay for features you never use. APONIA.ro is exactly what you need — nothing more.
Yes. APONIA.ro supports import from standard CSV exports. More complex session notes can be transferred manually or in bulk during onboarding.
Features relevant to the European market, yes. Those specific to the American healthcare system, no. APONIA.ro focuses on what matters for a European practice: scheduling, session notes, patient communication, GDPR compliance.
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