Sessio vs. Paperbell

Sessio and Paperbell are both built for independent coaches, and both replace a pile of separate tools with one place to run your practice. They just put their weight in different spots.

Paperbell is built around selling and booking coaching: a website, packages, payment plans, contracts, and client self-scheduling. Sessio is built around the coaching itself: structured session notes, a clear view of each client, and a calm workspace for the hours you spend with clients and on their behalf.

This page lays out the differences plainly, including where Paperbell is the better choice.

Paperbell details checked October 20, 2026. Features and prices can change, so check paperbell.com for their current plan.

The short answer

Choose Paperbell if clients find you online and book and pay on their own. If you sell packages, use payment plans, or need clients to sign contracts before they start, Paperbell handles that well.

Choose Sessio if most of your work happens with ongoing clients, and you want better session notes, simpler scheduling and billing, and a lower monthly cost. Sessio is $29 a month. Paperbell is $97.

Side by side

Where Paperbell is stronger

Clients can book themselves. Paperbell lets clients pick a time from your availability and pay in the same step. For coaches who get new clients from their website or social media, this saves a lot of back-and-forth. Sessio does not offer client self-booking today.

More ways to sell. Paperbell supports session packages, subscriptions, payment plans spread over several months, pay-what-you-want pricing, and digital downloads. Sessio's client payments are simpler: you bill for completed sessions.

Contracts and a client portal. Clients can sign agreements and find their sessions and files in one place. Sessio has neither.

A full website. If you don't have a site yet, Paperbell can be your website. Sessio gives you a public coach profile, which works best alongside a site you already have.

Track record. Paperbell launched in 2020, and more than 5,000 coaches use it. Sessio is newer.

Where Sessio is stronger

Notes for every session. Each session in Sessio gets its own note, written in the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward) or as free text. When you open a client before your next session, you see what happened in each meeting in order. Paperbell lets you add a timestamped note for each session, private or shared with the client. Those notes sit on the client profile. They are not a GROW write-up attached to the session itself.

About a third of the price. Sessio is $29 a month or $290 a year. Paperbell is $97 a month or $970 a year. On the annual plans, that difference is $680.

Recurring sessions that behave. Set a client up weekly or biweekly, end the series on a date or after a set number of sessions, and change one session or every session after it. Each one syncs to your Google Calendar.

Sessio Room. A calm, full-screen display to share with clients during sessions. It's free for anyone, with or without a Sessio account.

A quieter workspace. Sessio is designed to stay out of your way. Your dashboard shows what matters today, and the rest waits until you need it.

Pricing

Sessio: One plan. $29 a month or $290 a year. Includes every feature, 2 GB of file storage, and a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Client payments go through your own Stripe account, and Sessio takes no cut. Stripe charges its standard processing fees.

Paperbell: One plan. $97 a month or $970 a year. Includes every feature. There is a 7-day trial with no credit card, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. Messaging and SMS are not included in the trial week. Client payments go through Stripe or PayPal, and Paperbell takes no cut either. Subscriptions and payment plans run on Stripe. Your payment processor charges its standard fees.

Which one fits you

If your week is mostly new clients booking and paying online, Paperbell is probably the better fit, and we'd rather tell you that now.

If your week is mostly the same clients coming back, and what you want is to remember where each one left off, keep your schedule straight, and get paid without fuss, Sessio was built for you.

Questions

Can I use Sessio with a booking tool like Calendly?

Yes. Many coaches keep their booking tool for discovery calls and use Sessio for everything after a client signs on.

Can I move my clients from Paperbell to Sessio?

You can add your existing clients to Sessio and start taking notes on day one. Your past notes can be copied into each client's record.

Is Sessio for therapists?

No. Sessio is built for life coaches and is not designed for licensed mental health practice. It isn't HIPAA-compliant.

Does Sessio have a free plan?

There's no free plan, but the 14-day trial includes everything and doesn't need a credit card. Sessio Room is free for anyone.