ICANotes vs Owl Practice
Owl Practice scores 7.0/10 vs 6.5/10. Best for: Canadian psychologists and therapists who want an EHR built for their regulatory and billing requirements without paying US-centric software prices.
Owl Practice scores higher overall at 7.0/10 vs 6.5/10. Buy Owl Practice if you are a Canadian therapist or psychologist who needs PIPEDA compliance and Canadian billing built in from day one. Skip it if you are US-based or want a large user community with plenty of third-party resources.
ICANotes
Owl Practice Rank
#37 of 41
Rank
#28 of 41
Features
16/18
Features
15/18
Starting at
$35/mo
Starting at
$25/mo
User reviews
3.8/5 (130)
User reviews
4/5 (72)
What they cost
| ICANotes | Owl Practice | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $35 /mo | $25 /mo |
| Free trial | 0 days | 14 days |
| Number of plans | 5 | 4 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Owl Practice looks cheaper at $25/month vs $35/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.
Where ICANotes wins
- Point-and-click note builder genuinely reduces documentation to 2-3 minutes per session, which users consistently confirm in reviews
- Over 100 built-in clinical assessments with automatic scoring and trend tracking tied directly to treatment plans
- E-prescribing with EPCS and lab integration on the Prescribing plan, so psychiatrists can handle everything in one system
- Part-time pricing starts at $35/mo for clinicians with lighter caseloads, which is rare in behavioral health EHRs
Where Owl Practice wins
- Built specifically for Canadian mental health professionals. PIPEDA/PHIPA compliance, Canadian billing codes, and provincial insurance requirements are all native, not bolted on
- Measurement-based care tools on the Pro plan let you track client outcomes with standardized assessments, which most competitors charge extra for or skip entirely
- Admin staff accounts are free. You only pay per clinician who sees clients, which saves real money in a group practice
- APA-endorsed, which gives it credibility if you are a psychologist looking for something vetted by your professional association
Where ICANotes falls short
- Interface looks like it was built in the 1990s and has not had a visual refresh, which multiple Capterra reviewers call out
- No native mobile app, so mobile access requires Microsoft Remote Desktop or a browser, which is clunky
- Telehealth is a $10/mo per user add-on, not included, and the $99 activation fee on prescribing plans adds up
- Appointment scheduler is reported as slow by multiple reviewers, with lag when booking or rearranging sessions
Where Owl Practice falls short
- Small review count (72 on Capterra). The user community is much smaller than SimplePractice or TherapyNotes, so you will find fewer tutorials and forum answers
- No mobile app. Managing your schedule between sessions means logging into a browser
- Insurance claims cost $0.25 each and eligibility checks $0.15 each on top of your monthly fee. Those per-transaction costs add up if you file 100+ claims a month
- The introductory pricing ($25/month for Starter) jumps significantly after the promo period, so check the regular rates before committing
Who is each product built for?
ICANotes
Target: 1-30 clinicians
Buy ICANotes if speed of documentation is your top priority and you will trade a modern interface for 3-minute progress notes. Skip if you care about design, need a mobile app, or want telehealth included.
Owl Practice
Target: 1-10 clinicians
Buy Owl Practice if you are a Canadian therapist or psychologist who needs PIPEDA compliance and Canadian billing built in from day one. Skip it if you are US-based or want a large user community with plenty of third-party resources.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ICANotes | Owl Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance & Security | ||
| HIPAA compliant | ||
| Telehealth / video sessions | ||
| Secure messaging | ||
| Scheduling & Clients | ||
| Online scheduling | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Intake forms / assessments | ||
| Automated reminders | ||
| Clinical | ||
| Progress notes / documentation | ||
| Treatment plans | ||
| E-prescribing | ||
| Outcome measures / assessments | ||
| Billing & Payments | ||
| Insurance billing / claims | ||
| Payment processing | ||
| Superbill generation | ||
| Automated billing | ||
| Platform | ||
| Group practice support | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Integrations / API | ||
Common questions
Owl Practice scores 7.0/10 vs ICANotes's 6.5/10 in our ranking. Owl Practice is the better pick for 1-10 clinicians. ICANotes is better if you need behavioral health clinicians who dread documentation and want to cut note-writing time from 30 minutes to under 5 minutes per session.
ICANotes starts at $35/month. Owl Practice starts at $25/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-04-01.
ICANotes: No free trial. Owl Practice: Yes, 14-day free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
ICANotes covers 16 of 18 features we track. Owl Practice covers 15 of 18. ICANotes has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.
No, ICANotes does not have a mobile app. Owl Practice does not have one either.
Yes. The main effort is migrating your data (customer lists, job history, invoices). Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both. Most healthcare practice management tools can import CSV data. Ask both vendors about migration support before you sign.
The bottom line
Pick ICANotes if...
Behavioral health clinicians who dread documentation and want to cut note-writing time from 30 minutes to under 5 minutes per session.
Pick Owl Practice if...
Canadian psychologists and therapists who want an EHR built for their regulatory and billing requirements without paying US-centric software prices