You're shopping for telehealth platforms. You've probably already looked at Doxy.me. Everyone has. It's the name that comes up first, and honestly, it deserves that reputation. But "most popular" and "best fit for your practice" aren't always the same thing.
So here's a real comparison. No fake neutrality, no marketing fluff. I'll tell you where Doxy.me genuinely wins and where SimplyTelehealth does things differently. Then you can decide what actually matters for how you run your practice.
Both Platforms at a Glance
Doxy.me
Doxy.me has been around for years and earned a massive user base, especially in behavioral health. The killer feature is the free tier. Solo providers get basic video visits at zero cost. It's browser-based, HIPAA-compliant, and patients don't need to download a single thing. If all you need is simple video calls and you don't want to spend money, it works.
SimplyTelehealth
SimplyTelehealth started from a different premise: not every patient visit should be a video call. You get three visit types out of the box, video, phone dial-in, and SMS text visits. Every plan includes full practice branding (your logo, your colors) and patient self-scheduling. One plan, $29/month per provider, everything included. No feature tiers to decode.
Feature Comparison
Here's how they stack up side by side.
| Feature | Doxy.me Free | Doxy.me Pro ($35/mo) | SimplyTelehealth ($29/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video visits | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone dial-in | No | No | Yes |
| SMS text visits | No | No | Yes |
| Patient account needed | No | No | No |
| Custom branding | No | Limited | Full (logo + colors) |
| Scheduled visits | No | Yes | Yes |
| Patient self-booking | No | No | Yes |
| Embeddable widget | No | No | Yes |
| Calendar invites | No | Yes | Yes |
| Waiting room | Basic | Custom | Branded |
| HD video | Standard | HD | HD |
Where Doxy.me Wins
I'm not going to pretend Doxy.me doesn't have real advantages. It does.
- Free is free. If you're a solo provider watching every dollar, Doxy.me's free tier is legitimately useful. You can run a functional telehealth practice without paying a cent. That's a huge deal when you're just starting out or running lean.
- Everyone knows it. Doxy.me has been around longer and has a massive community. Ask your colleagues what they use for telehealth and there's a solid chance they'll say Doxy.me. That familiarity matters. There's comfort in using what everyone else uses.
- Battle-tested at scale. More years in the market means more bugs squashed, more edge cases handled, and more proof that the thing works under pressure. Doxy.me has earned that trust.
If you're a solo provider doing video-only visits and cost is the deciding factor, Doxy.me's free plan is genuinely a solid pick. No asterisks.
Where SimplyTelehealth Wins
SimplyTelehealth exists because video-only platforms leave real gaps in how practices actually operate.
- Three visit types, not just one. Video is great. But it's not always what the situation calls for. A med check doesn't need a full video setup. A quick follow-up works fine over SMS. SimplyTelehealth gives you video, phone dial-in, and text-based visits on every plan. Doxy.me, even on paid tiers, is video only.
- Your brand, not ours. Your logo, your colors, your waiting room. Patients see your practice, not some third-party platform. Doxy.me locks most branding behind paid plans, and even then the customization is pretty limited.
- Patients book themselves. Drop an embeddable widget on your website and patients schedule their own visits. No phone tag, no email chains. Doxy.me doesn't offer self-scheduling or a booking widget on any plan.
- One price, everything included. $29/month per provider. That's it. No feature gates, no "upgrade to unlock" moments. You never have to wonder if the thing you need is on the free plan or the paid plan because there's only one plan.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Doxy.me if:
- You're a solo provider and budget is the top priority
- Video-only visits cover everything you need
- You want a free option with zero commitment to start
- You don't care about practice branding or patient self-scheduling
Choose SimplyTelehealth if:
- You want phone and SMS visits alongside video
- Your practice brand should be front and center for patients
- You run a multi-provider practice and want predictable pricing
- You want patients booking through your website without staff involvement
- You'd rather have one plan with everything than navigate feature tiers
There's no universally right answer. It depends on what your practice actually needs day to day. A solo therapist doing video-only sessions has completely different requirements than a three-provider medical practice handling follow-ups over the phone.
Making the Switch
If you're on Doxy.me right now and curious about SimplyTelehealth, switching is way simpler than you'd think.
- No data migration. Telehealth platforms don't store patient medical records. Your EHR stays exactly the same. You're really just changing where the call happens.
- Five minutes to set up. Create your account, upload your logo, set your availability. Done. You can be running visits the same day.
- Zero friction for patients. They get a new link. Since neither platform requires a patient account, they click it and they're in. That's it.
You don't have to go all-in either. A lot of providers run SimplyTelehealth alongside their existing setup to test how phone and SMS visits work for their patient base before switching over completely. Low risk way to find out if it's a better fit.