Updated October 2026

The best practice management software for doulas

Doulas need contracts and intake, on-call scheduling, payment plans that span a pregnancy and, more and more often, a way to bill Medi-Cal, Medicaid or insurance. Here’s how six tools compare.

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The short answer

If you bill Medi-Cal or Kaiser in California: PracticeLite, which checks the Medi-Cal doula codes, XP modifier and visit limits before each claim goes out. For a doula-specific tool with Medicaid claims: Doulado ($29/month on Premium). If you’re private-pay only and want polished proposals and contracts: HoneyBook or Dubsado.

HoneyBook and Dubsado are general small-business tools, not health records systems. If you’ll store health information or bill insurance, choose a tool that signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).

At a glance

SoftwareBest forStarting priceMedi-Cal / insurance billing
PracticeLiteDoulas and doula groups billing Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal plans or KaiserFree; $19/mo unlimitedYes: $19/mo add-on with Medi-Cal doula rules built in
DouladoDoulas who want a tool made only for doulas$19/moYes, on Premium ($29/mo): Medicaid and private insurance claims, eligibility, ERAs
Practice BetterDoulas who also run classes, courses or wellness programs$35/mo (10 clients)Superbills from Professional; claims through a Claim.MD integration
HealthiePerinatal practices that bill insurance and run programs$19/mo (10 clients)CMS-1500s from Essentials; e-claims through Claim.MD (from $30/mo)
HoneyBookPrivate-pay doulas who want polished proposals and contracts$29/mo billed yearlyNo
DubsadoPrivate-pay doulas who want deep workflow automation$335/yrNo

Competitor prices are published list prices from doulado.com/pricing, practicebetter.io/pricing, gethealthie.com/pricing, honeybook.com/pricing, dubsado.com/pricing, checked October 5, 2026, before promotions, taxes and paid add-ons unless noted. Vendors change prices; check their pricing page before you decide. Plans don’t match feature for feature, so check that the plan you pick covers what you use.

How we compared

We make PracticeLite, so read this list knowing that. We’ve tried to be useful anyway: every tool below is a reasonable choice for someone, prices come from each vendor’s own pricing page, and each entry lists real strengths and real drawbacks, ours included. We looked at:

  • Contracts, intake forms and birth-preference paperwork.
  • Scheduling for prenatal and postpartum visits, plus on-call coverage for births.
  • Packages, deposits and payment plans.
  • Whether you can bill Medi-Cal, Medicaid or private insurance from the app.
  • Whether it’s built for health information (HIPAA) and what that costs.

1. PracticeLite

Best for doulas and doula groups billing Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal plans or Kaiser

Pricing: Free for up to 5 active clients. Practice is $19/month for unlimited clients and SMS reminders. Insurance Billing is $19/month with 50 eligibility checks and 50 claims included. Doula groups use Practice Pro ($39/month, $29 per extra doula).

Strengths

  • Claims built from your logged visits with the Medi-Cal doula codes, XP modifier and pregnancy or postpartum diagnosis; limits checked before you send.
  • An enrollment tracker for Medi-Cal, each Medi-Cal managed care plan and Kaiser.
  • Real-time eligibility checks; paper claims printed and mailed for payers that need them.
  • For doula groups: on-call shifts and time off, backup doulas on each client’s care team, and earnings per doula.

Watch out for

  • Fewer business-side tools than HoneyBook or Dubsado (no proposals or lead pipeline).
  • No contraction timer or birth-specific planners.
  • The doula-specific claim checks cover Medi-Cal today; other insurers are billed through the general clearinghouse network.

PracticeLite for doulas →

2. Doulado

Best for doulas who want a tool made only for doulas

Pricing: Starter is $19/month with unlimited clients. Premium is $29/month and adds HIPAA (a BAA), claims submission, teams, booking pages, video appointments and client texts. Agencies get custom pricing. Annual plans get two months free.

Strengths

  • Designed around doula work: contracts, intake forms and preference worksheets.
  • Claims to Medicaid and private insurers, with eligibility checks and ERAs, on Premium.
  • Team features and a network directory for agencies.

Watch out for

  • HIPAA compliance and claims need Premium.
  • Booking pages, video visits and client texts also need Premium.

3. Practice Better

Best for doulas who also run classes, courses or wellness programs

Pricing: Starter $35/month (10 clients), Professional $69 (300 clients), Plus $99 (unlimited). Lower when billed annually.

Strengths

  • Programs and courses, useful for childbirth education classes.
  • Telehealth, client portal, packages and a client mobile app.

Watch out for

  • Not doula-specific.
  • 10 clients on Starter is tight for a busy doula.

PracticeLite vs Practice Better, in detail →

4. Healthie

Best for perinatal practices that bill insurance and run programs

Pricing: Core $19 (10 clients), Essentials $49 (250 clients), Plus $129 (unlimited), Group from $149.

Strengths

  • Charting, programs and telehealth in one HIPAA-compliant system.
  • Scales up to multi-provider perinatal practices.

Watch out for

  • Not doula-specific, so no doula code checks.
  • Claims need a separate Claim.MD account.

PracticeLite vs Healthie, in detail →

5. HoneyBook

Best for private-pay doulas who want polished proposals and contracts

Pricing: Starter from $29/month billed yearly; Essentials $59/month ($49 billed yearly). Free trial.

Strengths

  • Beautiful proposals, contracts with e-signatures, invoices and payment plans.
  • Lead capture, scheduling and automations for a growing private-pay business.

Watch out for

  • Built for creative and service businesses, not health records.
  • No insurance or Medicaid billing.

6. Dubsado

Best for private-pay doulas who want deep workflow automation

Pricing: Starter $335/year and Premier $525/year billed annually. Start free; scheduling and automated workflows need Premier.

Strengths

  • Highly customizable forms, contracts, invoices and payment plans.
  • Automated workflows for inquiries, onboarding and follow-up.

Watch out for

  • Scheduling and automations need Premier.
  • Not built for health records, and no insurance or Medicaid billing.

Questions

What software can doulas use to bill Medi-Cal?

PracticeLite builds Medi-Cal doula claims from your logged visits, with the doula codes, XP modifier and matching diagnosis, and checks Medi-Cal’s visit limits before you submit. It also tracks your enrollment with Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal managed care plans and Kaiser. Insurance Billing is a $19/month add-on. Doulado’s Premium plan also submits Medicaid claims.

Do doulas need HIPAA-compliant software?

If you bill insurance or Medicaid, you’re a covered provider and the software holding your clients’ health information should sign a Business Associate Agreement. Private-pay-only doulas aren’t always covered by HIPAA, but many still prefer software built for health records.

What’s the best free software for doulas?

PracticeLite’s Free plan covers up to 5 active clients with scheduling, email reminders, intake forms, notes, a client portal and online payments. Dubsado also lets you start free.

What’s the best software for a doula collective or agency?

Look for shared intake, on-call scheduling and backup coverage. PracticeLite Practice Pro ($39/month plus $29 per extra doula) has a shared request page, on-call shifts, backup doulas on each client’s care team and earnings per doula. Doulado offers custom agency pricing.

More comparisons

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