Yes. You can open an account from Canada, and many Canadian practices run on it. There is no block and no waiting list.

The things to know before you do are not about whether it works. They are about where your records live and what parts of it were built for a country you do not practise in. SimplePractice publishes both plainly on its own support site, which makes this an easier decision than most.

Three facts, from that page. Its data servers are in the United States. Its electronic insurance claim submission only works with US insurers. And on Canadian privacy law it points you to your own legal advisor rather than making a claim.

If none of those three is a problem for your practice, the rest of this page is optional reading.

Where your records are held

SimplePractice's support page states it directly:

All of our data servers are located and backed up in the United States.

That is not, by itself, a rule violation. Neither PIPEDA nor Ontario's PHIPA requires health information to be stored inside Canada. Records held in another country remain subject to Canadian law and to your obligations as the person responsible for them.

What it does mean is that the responsibility sits with you rather than with the vendor. On whether it satisfies Canadian privacy law, SimplePractice says it is "fully HIPAA compliant" and that "Each provider is responsible for complying with the compliance regulations that apply to their location". It goes on:

we encourage you to consult with a legal advisor to make sure that you're complying with all of the regulations that are applicable to your practice.

Read that as written. It is an accurate statement about where the duty lands, not an evasion — but it is also the answer to "is this alright for my College?", and the answer is that they are not the ones who can tell you.

The step they recommend, which most people skip

The same page describes what Canadian practices actually do about it:

some practices make sure they're in compliance by including a disclaimer in their practice's consent documents, informing clients that the protected health information (PHI) associated with their practice is stored in the United States.

If you use it, put that in your consent form. It costs one sentence, it is the vendor's own recommendation, and it is the first thing that will be asked for if anyone ever reviews your practice.

Check with your College as well. Requirements differ by province and by profession, and a national generalisation is worth very little here.

What does not work from Canada

Electronic insurance claims. SimplePractice states that electronic claim submission "is a feature that's only available for use with United States insurance companies." You can still create claims and add Canadian payers, but the claim has to be submitted outside the system.

For most Canadian therapists this matters less than it sounds, because clients usually submit to their own insurer or extended health plan. If you direct-bill, check carefully — it is the feature most likely to be assumed and not there.

Consent and intake templates. The built-in templates are written to US requirements. Their own guidance is to "carefully review them and adjust as needed to reflect the legislation and requirements applicable to your area." Treat every supplied template as a starting draft, not a Canadian form.

Online payments work, with a different setup path — a Canadian business is asked for its Business Number, and payouts run on a delayed schedule compared to US accounts.

Where the Canadian alternatives differ

If the US server location is the sticking point, the two Canadian records systems are the obvious comparison. Owl Practice publishes that it is "Built in Canada" with "All data stored in Canada". Jane is Canadian and prices in Canadian dollars.

That is a real difference, and for some practitioners it is the whole decision — particularly anyone whose College guidance is cautious about cross-border storage, or who would rather answer the question with a sentence than with a disclaimer.

It is not automatically the better choice. If SimplePractice fits how you work and the consent-form line is acceptable to you and your College, staying put is a perfectly defensible answer.

The three things to settle before you sign up

Whether your College has anything to say about storing records outside Canada. Whether you direct-bill, and if so how claims will actually get submitted. Whether you are willing to add the disclaimer line to your consent documents.

Settle those three and the rest is a normal software decision.

The one it will not solve

Records software of any nationality does not give you a phone line. The messaging inside it is a portal or an automated reminder, not a number a client can call or text. If part of why you are shopping is that clients keep reaching your personal phone, that is a separate purchase in every case.

About Rivet

Rivet is a Canadian practice line built for therapists — a separate number for calls, texts and voicemail, with video sessions and clinical tools in the same place. Your data stays in Canada, and transcription runs on Rivet's own hardware rather than a third-party AI service.

One plan, $65 CAD a month, everything included. Fourteen-day trial, no card.

See what's included · Start the trial