Top 8 mental health EHR platforms in 2026: a side-by-side comparison

In 2026, the best systems are designed around how therapists, psychiatrists, and behavioral health teams actually work. A top mental health EHR brings everything together in one place: clinical documentation built specifically for therapy and psychiatry, built-in assessments, treatment planning, scheduling, billing, and secure communication. It reduces admin work through AI-powered documentation and intelligent workflows, supports measurement-based care so clinicians can track outcomes over time, and meets strict privacy and compliance standards like HIPAA.

Just as important, it feels easy to use. Whether you are a solo therapist or running a multi-location practice, the right EHR adapts to your workflows instead of forcing you to change how you deliver care. In this guide, we compare some of the leading mental health EHR platforms in 2026, including blueBriX, to help you understand which tools truly support modern mental health care and which ones simply check basic boxes.

To make this comparison practical, we break down each EHR based on the features that matter most in real-world mental health settings, from clinical documentation and outcome tracking to AI-driven efficiency, security, and practice management. The goal is not to crown a one-size-fits-all winner, but to clearly show where each platform excels and which types of practices they are best suited for. This way, you can quickly identify the EHR that aligns with your clinical focus, practice size, and long-term growth plans.

1. blueBriX

blueBriX is a behavioral-health-first EHR designed for organizations that manage complex mental health and substance-use care. Instead of adapting a generic medical EHR for therapy or psychiatry, blueBriX is built around real behavioral-health workflows, including structured assessments, group therapy, care coordination, and strict regulatory requirements like 42 CFR Part 2.

What sets blueBriX apart is its ability to combine deep clinical documentation, telehealth, billing, and compliance reporting into a single unified platform. This makes it especially strong for organizations delivering whole-person, program-driven, or value-based behavioral health care.

Key features that stand out

• Specialty-specific clinical tools: blueBriX supports mental-health-specific documentation and assessments such as PHQ-9, GAD-7, MDQ, CAGE, C-SSRS, and SDOH, embedded directly into the patient chart. Treatment plans, goal tracking, and configurable progress notes are built in, with alerts that help clinicians stay aware of safety concerns and care-plan changes. Group therapy workflows, including participant lists and individual progress notes, are also natively supported.
• AI orchestration with vendor-agnostic flexibility and built-in governance: blueBriX acts as an open AI orchestrator, allowing organizations to plug in native or third-party AI agents without being locked into a single vendor. Its vendor-agnostic architecture future-proofs clinical workflows while enabling dynamic AI composability. At the same time, blueBriX includes in-built governance that separates AI suggestions from platform validation, enforcing a unified trust layer across all agents. This ensures consistent compliance, auditability, and clinical safety, whether intelligence comes from blueBriX or external models, so organizations can innovate with AI while maintaining centralized control and accountability
• Telehealth and patient engagement: The platform includes built-in telehealth with unlimited virtual visits, secure video sessions, and support for group therapy. HIPAA-compliant messaging and patient portals enable ongoing communication, reminders, and engagement between visits, which is critical for continuity of care in behavioral health.
• Multi-payer and multi-location operations: blueBriX supports organizations operating across multiple clinics, programs, and payer contracts within a single unified platform. Teams can manage location-specific workflows, centralized scheduling, shared patient records, and payer-specific billing rules while maintaining consistent documentation and reporting standards. This makes it easier for growing behavioral health organizations to scale across regions, coordinate care between sites, and handle complex reimbursement models without fragmenting data or workflows
• Compliance, billing, and specialty workflows: blueBriX is designed to meet the needs of substance-use and regulated programs, with 42 CFR Part 2-compliant workflows, consent management, and confidentiality controls. E-prescribing, claims management, and mental-health-specific billing tools are part of the same system, reducing reliance on multiple vendors.
• Analytics, reporting, and care coordination: The platform offers real-time analytics and reporting tailored for CCBHCs, value-based care models, and grant-funded programs. Care teams can track outcomes, manage cohorts, and generate compliance reports while coordinating care across providers and programs using standardized data exchange.

Who blueBriX works best for

blueBriX is best suited for community mental health centers (CMHCs), substance-use disorder and dual-diagnosis programs, CCBHCs, and larger behavioral-health organizations that operate across multiple providers, services, or locations. It is also a strong fit for psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed therapists, and case managers working in team-based or program-driven environments where documentation depth, compliance, and reporting matter as much as ease of use.

Who should consider other options

blueBriX is powerful, but it is not the right choice for every practice.

• Solo therapists or very small private practices: For single-clinician setups or tiny practices with minimal admin needs, blueBriX can feel too complex. Simpler EHRs focused on basic notes, scheduling, and billing are often easier and more cost-effective.
• Low-volume or short-term therapy practices: Clinics that only offer brief therapy and do not require advanced reporting, group therapy, or substance-use workflows may not fully benefit from blueBriX’s depth.
• Practices seeking a generic medical EHR: Organizations that want one broad EHR for both primary care and behavioral health, especially those already standardized on large general-purpose systems, may find blueBriX more specialized than they need.
• Budget-constrained startups or pilot programs: Very early-stage clinics with limited budgets or IT resources may find lighter-weight EHRs easier to adopt initially.

Bottom line: blueBriX stands out as a top mental health EHR for organizations delivering complex, multi-program behavioral health care. It shines where compliance, coordination, analytics, scale, and multi-location operations matter, while also offering integrated revenue cycle management (RCM) services to support billing, claims, and reimbursement workflows end to end. This makes blueBriX especially strong for growing organizations that want both clinical and financial operations unified in one platform, though it may be more than necessary for small or simple therapy practices.

2. Valant

Valant is a cloud-based EHR built specifically for mental and behavioral health practices, combining clinical documentation, practice management, billing, and telehealth into one integrated platform. It is designed to help therapists, psychiatrists, and multi-provider clinics streamline daily workflows while supporting outcome-driven care and long-term practice growth.

Key features that stand out

• Specialty-focused clinical tools: Valant includes built-in therapy notes, treatment plan templates, and outcome-based assessments tailored to behavioral health. These tools support structured documentation and help clinicians track patient progress over time using standardized workflows.
• E-prescribing and medication management: For psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners, Valant offers e-prescribing, medication tracking, and safety checks, making it easier to manage prescriptions directly within the EHR.
• Practice management and billing: The platform integrates scheduling for individual and group therapy, claims management, insurance verification, and revenue reporting. This unified approach helps reduce administrative overhead while improving billing visibility and operational efficiency.
• Telehealth and patient engagement: Valant provides secure virtual visits along with a patient portal, online booking, automated reminders, and secure messaging. These features support continuity of care and help practices reduce no-shows while improving patient engagement.
• Analytics and reporting: Customizable dashboards and reports allow practices to monitor clinical outcomes, operational performance, and compliance-related metrics, supporting data-informed decision-making across the organization.

Who Valant works best for

Valant is a strong fit for mental and behavioral health clinics of all sizes, from solo providers to larger multi-provider organizations. It works particularly well for psychiatrists, PMHNPs, psychologists, and licensed counselors who need robust documentation, e-prescribing, and outcome tracking in one system. It is also well suited for group-therapy-heavy practices and multi-location clinics that benefit from centralized scheduling, standardized templates, and shared progress tracking across teams.

Who should consider other options

While Valant offers a comprehensive behavioral health platform, it may not be ideal for every practice.

• Practices already standardized on a general-purpose EHR: Organizations embedded in large hospital systems or broad medical EHR platforms may face integration challenges and may not fully benefit from Valant’s specialty-specific workflows.
• Budget-constrained startups or pilot programs: Early-stage clinics seeking a lightweight, low-friction setup may prefer starting with a simpler mental health EHR before committing to a full-suite platform.

Bottom line: Valant is a strong choice for growing behavioral health practices that want a specialty-built EHR with clinical depth, integrated billing, telehealth, and analytics. It shines in structured, outcome-focused environments, but may feel like too much system for very small or low-volume practices that only need the basics.

3. SimplePractice

SimplePractice is a cloud-based, all-in-one EHR and practice management platform built primarily for mental and behavioral health providers. It brings scheduling, documentation, billing, telehealth, and secure communication together in a clean, user-friendly interface, making it especially popular among solo clinicians and small-to-mid-sized practices.

Key features that stand out

• Integrated scheduling and telehealth: SimplePractice offers online booking, calendar sync, automated reminders, and built-in video sessions for both individual and group therapy. These tools support virtual and hybrid care models while helping reduce no-shows and scheduling friction.
• Clinical documentation: The platform includes customizable SOAP notes, treatment plan builders with goal tracking, progress notes, discharge summaries, and outcome measurement tools. Documentation workflows are straightforward and geared toward everyday therapy use rather than highly specialized clinical programs.
• Billing and payments: SimplePractice provides claims management, insurance verification, super-bills, and online payment collection within the same system. This makes it easier for small practices to manage revenue without relying on multiple tools.
• Client portal and communication: Clients can complete intake forms, sign consent documents, share files, and communicate securely through the portal. Secure messaging supports ongoing engagement between sessions.
• User-friendly design: One of SimplePractice’s biggest strengths is its intuitive layout, mobile-friendly access, and fast onboarding. Many clinicians choose it specifically because it feels easy to learn and quick to use.

Who SimplePractice works best for

SimplePractice is an excellent fit for solo practitioners and small-to-mid-sized group practices (typically up to about 10 providers) that want an easy-to-use, all-in-one platform. It works particularly well for therapists, counselors, and psychologists who prioritize clean design, straightforward documentation, and strong scheduling and telehealth tools. It is also well suited for hybrid or fully virtual practices that rely heavily on online booking, video sessions, and secure client communication.

Who should consider other options

While SimplePractice excels at simplicity, it may not meet the needs of more complex organizations.

• Larger clinics or multi-location organizations: Practices with 15+ providers often find SimplePractice’s reporting and advanced billing capabilities too limited for enterprise-style operations.
• Practices needing deep analytics or highly customized reporting: Organizations that depend on granular performance dashboards, outcome analytics, or complex compliance reporting may outgrow SimplePractice’s current reporting features.
• Psychiatry-heavy practices with advanced medication workflows: Clinicians who require robust e-prescribing tools or complex medication management dashboards may prefer a more psychiatry-focused EHR.

Bottom line: SimplePractice is a strong choice for small and growing mental health practices that want a streamlined, well-designed system for scheduling, notes, telehealth, and billing. It shines in simplicity and usability, but may feel limiting for larger organizations or clinics with advanced reporting, billing, or psychiatry-specific needs.

4. TherapyNotes

TherapyNotes is a web-based EHR and practice management platform built specifically for mental and behavioral health professionals. It brings scheduling, documentation, billing, telehealth, and a client portal into one streamlined system, making it especially popular with solo clinicians and small-to-mid-sized practices that want an all-in-one solution without heavy customization.

Key features that stand out

• Integrated scheduling and task management: TherapyNotes includes calendar scheduling, recurring appointments, automated reminders, and a built-in to-do list that tracks incomplete notes and upcoming deadlines. This helps clinicians stay organized without relying on external task tools.
• Clinical documentation and treatment planning: The platform supports progress notes, intake forms, treatment plans, discharge summaries, and unlimited document storage, all tailored to therapy-first workflows. Documentation is structured but simple, making it easy to maintain consistent clinical records.
• Billing and payments: TherapyNotes offers claims submission, insurance verification, super-bills, and secure payment processing with card-on-file support, allowing small practices to manage revenue directly inside the platform.
• Telehealth and client portal: HIPAA-compliant video visits are paired with a branded client portal where patients can schedule appointments, complete forms, and access records. This supports hybrid and virtual care models while keeping communication centralized.
• TherapyFuel AI: TherapyNotes also provides AI-assisted note drafting from session summaries or transcripts, along with support for generating treatment-plan goals and objectives, helping clinicians reduce documentation time.

Who TherapyNotes works best for

TherapyNotes is an excellent fit for solo practitioners and small-to-mid-sized group practices (typically 1 to 10 providers) that value ease of use and quick onboarding. It works particularly well for therapists, counselors, and psychologists focused on talk therapy who want a straightforward system for notes, scheduling, billing, and telehealth without complex configuration. It is also well suited for hybrid or virtual-first practices that rely on online booking, video sessions, and secure client communication.

Who should consider other options

While TherapyNotes is strong for smaller practices, it may not scale well for more complex organizations.

• Large or multi-location clinics: Enterprise-style organizations often find TherapyNotes’ reporting, bulk editing, and team management tools too limited for high-volume, multi-site operations.
• Practices needing deep analytics or advanced automation: Clinics that depend on highly customizable dashboards or sophisticated workflow automation may outgrow TherapyNotes’ current capabilities.
• Psychiatry-heavy practices with advanced medication workflows: Clinicians who require robust e-prescribing or complex medication management features may prefer a more psychiatry-oriented EHR.

Bottom line: TherapyNotes is a strong choice for small and growing mental health practices that want a clean, easy-to-use platform for scheduling, documentation, billing, and telehealth. It shines in simplicity and day-to-day usability, but may feel limiting for larger organizations or clinics with advanced analytics, automation, or psychiatry-specific needs.

5. NextGen Behavioral Health

NextGen Behavioral Health is a comprehensive, cloud-based EHR and practice management suite designed for behavioral health and human services organizations that operate across multiple programs and care settings. It brings mental health, primary care, substance use, and social services data into a unified patient record, making it a strong option for organizations focused on whole-person, integrated care.

Key features that stand out

• Whole-person, integrated care records: NextGen combines behavioral health, primary care, oral health, and human services data into a single longitudinal chart. This supports coordinated care across clinics, residential facilities, and community-based programs, especially for organizations managing I/DD, crisis intervention, and long-term treatment.
• Clinical and operational workflows: The platform includes therapy notes, treatment plans, e-prescribing, medication administration records (eMAR), and residential-specific tools like shift notes and bed-board management. These features support multidisciplinary teams working across diverse care environments.
• Advanced reporting and compliance: NextGen offers pre-built reports for UDS, CMS, MIPS/MACRA, value-based programs, and state requirements, along with customizable dashboards for outcomes tracking and reimbursement monitoring. This makes it well suited for regulated, publicly funded, or performance-driven organizations.
• Interoperability and care coordination: Strong integration with HIEs, payers, and external systems supports team-based care. Secure messaging and mobile documentation tools help clinicians and case workers collaborate across settings while keeping records synchronized.
• Practice management and revenue cycle: Scheduling, eligibility checks, claims management, revenue-cycle workflows, and patient engagement tools like self-scheduling, reminders, and virtual visits are built into the same platform, supporting large-scale operational needs.

Who NextGen Behavioral Health works best for

NextGen is best suited for large behavioral health organizations, CMHCs, and multi-program providers managing a mix of outpatient therapy, SUD services, crisis care, residential treatment, and I/DD programs. It is also a strong fit for integrated care environments that combine primary care and behavioral health and need a unified record to support whole-person care across clinics and community settings. Organizations running state-funded, value-based, or grant-driven programs benefit from its robust compliance reporting and performance analytics.

Who should consider other options

While NextGen offers powerful enterprise capabilities, it is not ideal for every practice type.

• Solo therapists and very small private practices: For single providers or tiny clinics, NextGen’s scale, complexity, and cost often outweigh the benefits. Simpler EHRs are usually a better match.
• Practices with basic documentation needs: Clinics that only require straightforward notes, scheduling, and billing may find NextGen over-engineered for their workflows.
• Organizations with limited IT resources or tight budgets: Implementation and ongoing support typically require dedicated technical and administrative capacity, which can be challenging for smaller or early-stage programs.

Bottom line: NextGen Behavioral Health is a strong choice for large, multi-program behavioral health and integrated care organizations that need enterprise-grade reporting, interoperability, and whole-person coordination. It shines in complex, regulated environments, but may feel too heavy for small or low-volume practices looking for a simpler mental health EHR.

6. ClinikEHR

ClinikEHR is a modern, cloud-based EHR built specifically for mental and behavioral health practices. It combines clinical documentation, practice management, billing, and telehealth into a single AI-assisted platform, making it appealing to small-to-mid-sized clinics that want specialty-focused functionality without the complexity of enterprise-grade systems.

Key features that stand out

• AI-powered documentation: ClinikEHR offers AI-assisted note drafting and smart templates that help reduce charting time while maintaining clinically rich, compliant documentation. This is especially useful for clinicians looking to minimize admin burden without sacrificing detail.
• Mental-health-specific workflows: The platform includes therapy notes, treatment plan builders, goal tracking, and outcome measurement tools tailored to behavioral health care. These features support structured clinical workflows while remaining flexible enough for different care models.
• Integrated practice management: Scheduling, appointment reminders, claims management, insurance verification, and online payment processing are built into the same system, allowing practices to manage clinical and administrative tasks from one interface.
• Telehealth and client engagement: ClinikEHR supports secure video visits, patient portals, digital intake forms, and secure messaging, making it well suited for hybrid and virtual-first practices that rely on ongoing client communication.
• Team-based and multi-role support: Role-based access and shared client records enable therapists, psychiatrists, case managers, and peer staff to collaborate within a unified care view, supporting coordinated treatment across disciplines.

Who ClinikEHR works best for

ClinikEHR is a strong fit for small-to-mid-sized mental health and community mental health teams that want a full-featured yet manageable EHR. It works particularly well for therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists who value AI-assisted documentation, telehealth, and integrated billing in an intuitive platform. It is also well suited for nonprofit or grant-funded clinics that need outcome tracking, reporting, and compliance-ready documentation without the overhead of enterprise platforms.

Who should consider other options

While ClinikEHR offers a balanced feature set, it may not be ideal for every organization.

• Very large, multi-location systems or enterprise CMHCs: Organizations operating at scale may find ClinikEHR’s reporting depth and integration ecosystem less mature than established enterprise vendors.
• Solo practitioners with minimal needs: Clinicians who only require basic notes and scheduling may not fully benefit from ClinikEHR’s AI and team-based tooling, making simpler EHRs more cost-effective.
• Organizations already locked into major EHR platforms: Practices standardized on large vendors may face integration challenges and may not gain enough incremental value to justify switching.

Bottom line: ClinikEHR is a strong choice for small-to-mid-sized behavioral health practices seeking an AI-assisted, specialty-built EHR that balances power with simplicity. It shines for growing teams and community clinics, but may not be the best fit for very large systems or practices that only need lightweight scheduling and documentation.

7. OmniMD Mental Health EHR

OmniMD Mental Health EHR is an all-in-one, cloud-based platform built specifically for psychiatry and behavioral health practices. It combines clinical documentation, telepsychiatry, billing, and analytics into a single system, with a strong focus on complex psychiatric workflows, outcome-based care, and compliance-ready records.

Key features that stand out

• Psychiatry-centric clinical tools: OmniMD provides DSM-5 and ICD-10-CM integrated templates, structured psychotherapy notes, psychometric scoring, and longitudinal progress charts. These tools support care for chronic conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, helping clinicians track symptoms and treatment response over time.
• Outcome measurement and analytics: Built-in outcome measurement highlights relapse risk, adherence gaps, and early warning signs. Dashboards connect clinical outcomes with billing performance and care-model effectiveness, supporting data-driven treatment decisions.
• Telepsychiatry and patient engagement: The platform includes secure telepsychiatry, automated reminders for therapy sessions and medication checks, group-session coordination, and engagement tools designed to reduce stigma while improving continuity of care.
• Billing and revenue-cycle support: OmniMD offers psychiatry-specific billing workflows, claims scrubbing, payer anomaly detection, and audit-ready documentation aligned with evolving behavioral health reimbursement requirements.
• 42 CFR Part 2 compliance and confidentiality controls: Built-in safeguards protect psychiatric and substance-use records, with consent management and crisis-intervention scheduling that maintain strict confidentiality without slowing authorized access.

Who OmniMD Mental Health EHR works best for

OmniMD is best suited for psychiatrists, PMHNPs, and psychiatry-focused practices managing complex, long-term mental health conditions that require robust medication management and outcome tracking. It is also a strong fit for behavioral health clinics and CMHCs that want a unified system for psychiatry, therapy, and case management with solid compliance and reporting capabilities. Hybrid and telepsychiatry-heavy practices benefit from its secure video visits, automated symptom monitoring, and adherence analytics.

Who should consider other options

While OmniMD offers deep psychiatry functionality, it may not be ideal for every practice type.

• Solo therapists or very small practices: Clinicians who only need basic notes, scheduling, and billing may find OmniMD’s psychiatry-focused feature set and pricing more than they require.
• Organizations already standardized on another large EHR: Practices embedded in other enterprise platforms may face integration challenges and may not gain enough incremental value to justify switching.

Bottom line: OmniMD Mental Health EHR is a strong choice for psychiatry-driven and medication-heavy behavioral health practices that need outcome measurement, telepsychiatry, and compliance-ready workflows in one platform. It shines in complex psychiatric environments, but may feel too heavy for small therapy practices or clinics with simpler clinical and billing needs.

8. ICANotes

ICANotes is a web-based EHR built specifically for behavioral health and psychiatry practices, with a strong emphasis on fast, structured documentation and clinically detailed charting. It is best known for its menu-driven, click-to-chart approach, which allows clinicians to generate comprehensive, audit-ready notes quickly while maintaining consistency across providers and care settings.

Key features that stand out

• Structured, click-to-chart documentation: ICANotes uses menu-driven templates for SOAP, BIRP, DAP, group therapy, case management, and discharge summaries. Clinicians select clinically relevant options that automatically generate detailed narrative notes, helping reduce typing while supporting compliance and audits.
• Treatment planning and goal tracking: The platform includes structured treatment plan builders with progress tracking across individuals, couples, families, and group therapy. These tools integrate well with case management workflows and support outcome-focused care.
• Psychiatry and medication management: ICANotes offers integrated e-prescribing, including EPCS, PDMP checks, medication history tracking, and psychiatry-specific templates. It also supports workflows used in residential and inpatient behavioral health settings, including eMAR-style documentation.
• Telehealth and patient engagement: HIPAA-compliant telehealth supports both individual and group sessions. Patients can complete intake forms, exchange documents, send secure messages, and make online payments through the built-in portal.
• Reporting, dashboards, and care coordination: The system includes KPI dashboards, outcome-tracking reports, referral management, and task tracking to support coordination across providers and levels of care, especially in team-based environments.

Who ICANotes works best for

ICANotes is a strong fit for psychiatrists and small-to-mid-sized psychiatry practices that need efficient charting, robust medication management, and telehealth in one platform. It also works well for therapists, psychologists, and social workers who prefer structured, template-driven documentation and need strong treatment plan and outcome-tracking tools. Residential, inpatient, and multi-level behavioral health programs benefit from its shift-based documentation, medication workflows, and integrated team coordination features.

Who should consider other options

While ICANotes offers powerful clinical depth, it may not be the right fit for every practice.

• Very small or solo practices with minimal needs: Clinicians who only need basic notes and scheduling may find ICANotes more complex than necessary.
• Practices that prefer free-text, narrative charting: Providers who strongly favor open-ended, free-form documentation may feel constrained by the menu-driven, click-to-chart approach.

Bottom line: ICANotes is a strong choice for psychiatry-heavy and documentation-intensive behavioral health practices that value speed, structure, and clinical detail. It excels in complex care environments, but may feel rigid or overly detailed for small, low-volume practices or clinicians who prefer a more free-form charting style.