As a coach, choosing the right software for your practice can make or break your ability to stay organized, grow consistently, and deliver great experiences for your clients. If you’ve been searching for an all-in-one solution, chances are you’ve come across Paperbell. But is it really the best fit for your business?
Let’s break it down together—and look at an alternative that may actually be more aligned with your needs: Simply.Coach. This post offers a detailed review of Paperbell, highlighting its features, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to Simply.Coach. If you’re trying to decide whether to commit to Paperbell—or wondering if there’s something more suitable—this guide will help you make that call.
What Is Paperbell and What Does It Offer?
Paperbell is a lightweight coaching tool that offers the basics:
- Scheduling and payment integrations
- Package setup
- A basic client portal
- Contract signing and email automation
On the surface, it seems like a helpful tool if you’re just starting out. But once you begin taking on more clients, offering group programs, or working with organizations, you may find yourself running into limits pretty fast.
There’s little support for goal-setting, tracking progress over time, managing multiple stakeholders, or scaling your operations beyond 1:1 sessions. That’s where things begin to feel less like coaching—and more like admin work.
Key Features Offered by Paperbell
Paperbell aims to handle all the behind-the-scenes tasks that come with running a coaching business. Here’s a breakdown of what it includes:
- Client scheduling: Paperbell includes a built-in booking tool that lets clients schedule sessions directly based on your availability. It syncs with your Google Calendar, supports time zones, and lets you avoid double-booking without the need for external scheduling apps.
- Automated emails and contracts: You can create standard onboarding flows with pre-session reminders, digital contracts, and custom emails. These go out automatically, saving you the hassle of manually chasing paperwork or sending reminders.
- Payment integration: Paperbell connects with Stripe, so clients can pay online when they book. It supports global payments, recurring billing, and upfront package pricing.
- Basic client portal: Clients can log in to access their session history, notes, forms, and shared files. While functional, it’s fairly minimal and not highly customizable.
Paperbell Pricing: Is It Worth It?
Let’s talk about Paperbell pricing, since cost is often a deciding factor.
Paperbell offers two flat-rate plans:
- Monthly: $57/month
- Annual: $47.50/month (billed as $570/year)
There’s no free plan, but you can use the platform completely free with one active client. This is useful if you want to explore the tool before committing to a subscription.
However, Simply.Coach offers an even more affordable solution, starting at just $9/month. It’s designed to be budget-friendly while providing all the essential tools you need for your coaching business. Plus, Simply.Coach offers a 14-day free trial, so you can test out the platform risk-free and see how it fits your needs.
With Simply.Coach, you get full access to features like client management, scheduling, payments, and much more, without worrying about hidden fees or upsells. As your business grows, Simply.Coach scales with you, offering advanced tools for tracking client progress, team management, and client engagement.
Pros and Cons Based on Paperbell Reviews
To keep things fair, let’s look at what real users are saying in paperbell reviews, and where the platform shines—or falls short.
Pros:
- Easy setup: You can go from sign-up to client-ready in under an hour. The interface is clean and simple.
- All-in-one basic solution: If you’re just getting started, Paperbell saves you from juggling five different tools.
- Great for selling time: If you mainly sell packages of sessions, Paperbell handles everything from booking to billing.
- Support team: Users often praise the responsiveness of their support team.
Cons:
- Limited customization: You can’t brand the client experience heavily or tweak workflows much. What you see is mostly what you get.
- Basic coaching tools: There’s no built-in goal tracking, progress analytics, or customizable client dashboards.
- Solo-focused: There’s no team management or role-based access, which makes it tough to scale beyond solopreneur coaching.
In short, Paperbell works well for early-stage solo coaches, but if you want more advanced tools or plan to grow into a team-based model, it might not get you there.
Paperbell vs. Simply.Coach: A Comparison
To help you decide if Paperbell is right for you, let’s compare it to a more robust platform like Simply.Coach—which is also built specifically for coaching businesses, but with more flexibility and depth.
Client experience and progress tracking
Paperbell gives clients a portal for booking and file access, but progress tracking is limited. Simply.Coach offers personalized client workspaces where you can set SMART goals, assign actions, and share notes and resources in a structured format. Clients can track their own progress between sessions, which supports accountability and clarity.
Scheduling and reminders
Both platforms offer calendar integrations and automatic reminders. However, Simply.Coach also supports pre-session forms, post-session follow-ups, and nudges for overdue actions, giving you more touchpoints to keep clients engaged.
Payments and contracts
Both platforms offer Stripe integration and contract management. The difference is in flexibility—Simply.Coach lets you handle session-based billing, package-based billing, and subscriptions, with options for discounts, coupons, and auto-renewals. Paperbell is more rigid, centered on package sales.
Business scalability
While Paperbell is tailored for solo coaches, Simply.Coach, on the other hand, supports both solopreneurs and teams. It offers admin controls, team-based coaching management, and stakeholder integration for corporate coaching contexts.
Customization and branding
Simply.Coach lets you fully customize your client-facing experience, from branded dashboards to structured journeys. Paperbell is more generic in appearance and less customizable.
In summary, if you want deeper features and room to grow, Simply.Coach gives you more control and long-term scalability.
Should You Choose Simply.Coach for Your Coaching Practice?
If you’re seeking an all-in-one comprehensive coaching solution to streamline your workflow and improve client experiences, Simply.Coach is the ideal and best choice for you.
Choose Simply.Coach if:
- You’re a solo coach or part of a team and need a platform that supports both individual and group coaching.
- You want to offer a personalized, branded experience to your clients, with customizable workspaces and client journeys.
- You need advanced features such as goal tracking, action item assignments, and outcome measurement to drive client success.
- You want a solution that grows with you—whether you’re working solo or scaling your coaching business into a team-based model.
Look no further if:
- You’re looking for a platform that combines scheduling, payments, contracts, and client management with the flexibility to adapt to your unique coaching style and client needs.
- You plan to expand into group programs or corporate coaching and need a platform with tools for both individual and team management.
- You need in-depth progress tracking and client engagement features to ensure your clients are always on track and feeling supported.
Simply.Coach offers a comprehensive solution with more flexibility and scalability, giving you the control to evolve as your coaching business grows. Start today with Simply.Coach and experience how it can enhance your coaching practice.
Conclusion
Not all coaching platforms are created equal, and what works for one coach may not suit another. Paperbell is a simple, clean option that covers the basics—scheduling, payments, contracts, and some light automation. If that’s all you need, it might serve you well.
But if you’re looking for a system that goes deeper—into progress tracking, stakeholder feedback, team-based coaching, and client engagement—it’s worth exploring alternatives. Platforms like Simply.Coach are built to support coaches across every stage of growth.
Want to see how Simply.Coach stacks up in more detail? Schedule a demo today.
