BestNotes alternative: per-user pricing vs a program plan

What BestNotes is built for

BestNotes sells one behavioral health EHR with a CRM built in, in two editions (Classic and the newer Fresh, each with its own help center). Its addiction treatment EHR page describes residential programs across ASAM levels 3.1 to 3.7, detox, eating disorder treatment and adolescent residential, as well as outpatient. From its own pages:

• eMAR. Its medication management page and help center describe scheduled medication passes grouped by pass time, PRN doses, refused or missed doses with a reason, and each pass signed by the staff member. That is a residential need Cima doesn't cover.
• E-prescribing with EPCS for controlled substances, as an add-on.
• CRM for referral and admissions tracking in the same product as the chart.
• ASAM Criteria tools (CO-Triage and Continuum) as add-ons, and outcome measures such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7.
• Claims through partners. Its billing capabilities article says the work on existing claims (edits, printing, status checks) is done in partner billing software; partners named include CollaborateMD, Availity, EZClaim and ClaimMD.
• Security and Part 2. BestNotes says it supports 42 CFR Part 2 and holds a SOC 2 Type 2 report.

BestNotes' published prices, line by line

Published prices are rare among program EHRs, and BestNotes deserves credit for them. Two of its pages disagree by a dollar: the home page lists $59, $25 and $13 per user, while the older pricing page and billing FAQ list $58, $24 and $12. We use the home page's figures; ask BestNotes which applies to you.

Line	BestNotes published price	Where it's listed
Users 1 to 10	$59 per user a month	Home page
Users 11 to 100	$25 per user a month	Home page
Users over 100	$13 per user a month	Home page
Setup	$100 one time, non-refundable	Home page, billing FAQ
E-prescribing (DrFirst)	$800 per provider a year, plus a $150 one-time setup per user	Pricing page
AI clinical notes (Videra Health)	$49 per user a month	Pricing page (another BestNotes page calls AI documentation included; ask)
ASAM CO-Triage / Continuum	$144 / $504 per user a year	ASAM guide
Claims via CollaborateMD	From $0.38 a claim (first 1,000 a month), plus a monthly provider fee from $58 for one or two active providers	CollaborateMD pricing
Term	Month to month; e-prescribing and ASAM add-ons paid yearly	Billing FAQ

The model is per user: every login counts, whether it's a counselor, a nurse, a biller or the front desk. Cima counts clinicians only. That one difference drives most of the comparison below.

A worked month: the same program on each

An example, not an average: an outpatient IOP with four clinicians, a biller and a front-desk coordinator (six logins), about 20 clients, sending 300 claims a month, no e-prescribing. BestNotes figures are its published list prices above; Cima figures come from Cima's price list.

Line	BestNotes	Cima EHR
Software	6 users × $59 = $354	Program plan $399 + 3 added clinicians × $39; biller and front desk free
300 claims	300 × $0.38 = $114, plus CollaborateMD's provider fee (from $58) and any remittance fees on its list	300 claims with ERAs at 30¢ + 20¢, included in the total
AI note drafting	$49 per clinician if you use the listed add-on: 4 × $49 = $196	Included
Monthly total	About $526 without AI notes, or about $722 with them, before remittance fees	$666.00, everything above included
One time	$100 setup	No setup fee

How to read it honestly:

• On software alone, BestNotes costs less for this team. Six users at $59 is less than Cima's Program plan with three added clinicians. A small program with few logins and no AI add-on can come out ahead on BestNotes.
• Claims and AI change the total. With claim fees and the provider fee in, BestNotes still comes out lower in this example. Add the AI notes add-on for four clinicians and Cima comes out lower. Which is cheaper for you depends on your claim volume and how many clinicians want AI drafting.
• Growth works differently. On BestNotes each new login adds $59 until user 10, then $25. On Cima a new clinician adds $39 and non-clinical staff add nothing, but the plan covers up to 25 clients in the program.
• Residential needs change the answer entirely. If you need an eMAR, Cima isn't an option at any price.

Run your own numbers with the EHR cost worksheet, and see the per diem billing guide for how many claims a program month really produces.

BestNotes vs Cima, criterion by criterion

Rows follow our IOP and PHP EHR buyer's checklist. "Ask BestNotes" means we didn't find it on a public page. The four-vendor IOP EHR comparison has the same rows for other vendors.

Criterion	BestNotes	Cima EHR (Program plan)
Levels of care	Residential 3.1 to 3.7, detox, eating disorder, adolescent residential, outpatient	PHP, IOP and OP only, each with its own day and week hours and per diem code
Medication administration	eMAR with scheduled passes, PRN, refusals, staff signatures	No med pass. Medication list, allergies, single doses given in the office
E-prescribing	Add-on, with EPCS	Not live yet
Admissions	CRM in the same product	No CRM; eligibility checks at 30¢; separate Quick VOB
Group notes	Group and individual notes; ask to see each client's own entry	Topic and summary once, each client's own entry tied to a plan goal, one PIN signs all; entries 80% alike are stopped
Attendance and per diem	Ask how billable hours become a per diem claim	Hours from signed notes; one per diem charge per day that meets its hours; short days flagged
Claims	Through a partner (CollaborateMD, Availity, EZClaim, ClaimMD); claim edits and status in the partner's software	Built in: 837P, or 837I with revenue codes and type of bill; payments from ERAs post to each claim
Utilization review	ASAM add-ons for level-of-care decisions; ask to see a continued-stay review	Continued-stay review on Today 5 days before the last authorized day, ASAM dimensions 1 to 6 required
Who pays per login	Every user	Clinicians only; billing and front desk free
Term	Month to month; some add-ons yearly	Month to month; 30 days' notice of a price change
Leaving	CSV export on request or after cancelling, for up to 3 months; archive option	Full export any time, including during the trial; readable at least 90 days after cancelling

Who each fits

If you run…	Lean toward	Why
Residential, detox or adolescent residential	BestNotes	eMAR, residential levels and published prices. Cima has no residential levels.
An outpatient program with prescribers on staff today	BestNotes, until Cima's e-prescribing is live	E-prescribing with EPCS is available now as an add-on.
A small outpatient program, few logins, claims handled by an outside biller	Price both; BestNotes may be lower	Per-user pricing favors a small team that doesn't send claims from the EHR.
A PHP/IOP/OP program billing per diem in-house, with support staff	Cima, after you've scored both	Per diem claims from documented hours, 837I and UR in one place, and free logins for billing and front desk.
A new outpatient program, not open yet	Cima, or either after a demo	Cima Consulting's IOP / PHP Program Launch includes six months of Cima EHR.

Where Cima falls short, plainly: no residential levels, no medication pass, e-prescribing and lab orders not live yet, no admissions CRM, no built-in video, no Columbia screen (PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are built in), and a 25-client limit on the Program plan. See Cima for IOP and PHP for what it does do.

Leaving BestNotes: the export and the archive

BestNotes documents its exit process, which makes a switch easier to plan:

• Cancelling: a System Administrator with a verified email cancels from Settings, Account Details, per its cancellation guide. The billing FAQ lists no cancellation fee on the month-to-month plan.
• The export: a set of CSV files, available on request to BestNotes Support or after cancellation, for up to 3 months before the database is deleted. Its export guide walks through downloading, unzipping and checking the files, then emailing BestNotes to delete its copy.
• The archive: the billing FAQ describes keeping an archived database readable by one user for $57 a month.
• The claims partner is separate. If you bill through a partner, tell BestNotes Support and the partner you're stopping; cancelling the EHR doesn't end that service.

Before you cancel, check that the CSVs open and that you have each current client's latest plan, intake and releases as documents. CSV rows aren't a readable chart, and you must keep records for years: in Texas, see how long to keep records. Part 2 records keep their protections in storage; the 42 CFR Part 2 rules still apply to an archive.

If you move: a program cutover

1. Request the export from BestNotes Support while your account is active, and keep the old system until your last claims are paid.
2. Import the client list into Cima from the client CSV: names, dates of birth, contact, insurance and diagnoses. The preview flags rows to fix before anything is saved.
3. Set up the Program settings: each level's hours and per diem code, 837P or 837I with revenue codes and type of bill, groups and facilitators (codes in the IOP and PHP billing codes guide).
4. For current clients, enter level of care, open authorization and treatment plan, and upload key documents to the Files tab.
5. Enroll for ERAs with each payer, 1 to 3 weeks each, since claims now go from Cima instead of your partner.
6. Cut over on a Monday. The full two-week plan is in switching EHRs.

Questions

How much does BestNotes cost?

BestNotes' home page lists $59 per user a month for users 1 to 10, $25 for users 11 to 100 and $13 above 100, plus a one-time $100 setup fee, month to month. Its older pricing page lists $58, $24 and $12. E-prescribing, AI notes, ASAM tools and claims through CollaborateMD are priced separately.

Is BestNotes cheaper than Cima for an IOP?

On software alone, often yes for a small team, because BestNotes charges per user and Cima's Program plan starts at $399. Once claims, the claims partner's provider fee and AI drafting are added, the totals can flip. Price your own team, claim volume and add-ons on both.

Does BestNotes do insurance billing?

Through partners. Its help center says claim edits, printing and status checks happen in partner billing software, naming CollaborateMD, Availity, EZClaim and ClaimMD. CollaborateMD's published fees start at $0.38 a claim plus a monthly provider fee.

Can I get my data out of BestNotes?

Yes. BestNotes provides CSV exports on request or after cancellation, for up to 3 months, and offers a one-user archive for $57 a month according to its billing FAQ.

Does Cima have an eMAR?

No. Cima records a client's medication list, allergies and single doses given in the office, but has no scheduled medication pass. If you need an eMAR, choose a residential EHR.

Sources

1. BestNotes: home page (pricing); Our Pricing; Billing FAQ; CollaborateMD pricing; Addiction Treatment EHR; Medication Management; ASAM level tracking. Read October 2026.
2. BestNotes help center: Electronic claims and insurance billing; Cancel your subscription; Data export; eMAR patient management. Read October 2026.
3. eCFR, 42 CFR Part 2.
4. Cima EHR: Program plan, claims, import and export (alturaops server/solo), and the prices on cimaehr.com/pricing.

BestNotes is a trademark of its owner, named here only to compare published facts. Prices change; check BestNotes' live pages. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it. More one-to-one comparisons: Kipu, Sunwave and Lightning Step and Alleva.