SimplyHRA vs Take Command: Which ICHRA Platform is Best for Your Business?

TL;DR

SimplyHRA and Take Command are two of the leading options in the ICHRA administration market. The choice boils down to your budget, company size, and how much hand-holding your team actually needs.

Key Takeaways

• Different HRA administration philosophies: SimplyHRA emphasizes speed, automation, and the self-service experience, whereas Take Command offers high-touch, consultant-led workflows.  
• Built for different company sizes: SimplyHRA is specifically engineered from the ground up for startups and small-to-midsize teams, while Take Command's complete toolset is more suited for large groups with enterprise-level healthcare needs.
• Pricing differences: SimplyHRA operates using a fixed pricing model of exactly $29 per employee per month, while Take Command uses a multi-layered structure that scales with platform fees and custom enterprise tiers.

Adopting an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is an excellent way to escape unpredictable group health insurance premiums.

It's simple: You set fixed reimbursement allowances while employees choose their own healthcare and eligible medical expenses.

This whole system can be set up, managed, and tracked within a single platform.

Just remember that picking the wrong administration platform can quickly replace your insurance premium headaches with massive software fees and demanding administrative workflows.

SimplyHRA and Take Command are two of the leading solutions on the market, but they approach ICHRA setup and management differently.

Here is a comparison to help you choose the right platform for your company's needs, budget, and administrative bandwidth:

SimplyHRA vs Take Command: Quick Comparison

Comparing SimplyHRA vs Take Command

Here's a quick look at the features, advantages, and potential downsides of both SimplyHRA and Take Command:

SimplyHRA Overview

SimplyHRA is a software-first ICHRA platform that's specifically engineered to strip the complexity and hidden costs out of defined contribution models.

At the heart of the platform is the user-friendly, self-service interface built for small and midsize businesses. It leverages automation to replace traditional, slow-moving timelines with a drag-and-drop administration dashboard.

SimplyHRA Pros

• 100% transparent, predictable pricing with zero hidden fees
• Cross-platform, intuitive interface designed for modern users
• Hands-off compliance and paperwork management
• Personalized onboarding support

SimplyHRA Cons

• Strictly an ICHRA-only platform

Take Command Overview

Take Command is a time-tested HRA or Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense (CHOICE) arrangement platform. It centers its value proposition around a high-touch, managed service for large companies.

Unlike SimplyHRA, which specializes in ICHRA, Take Command enables administration for both ICHRA and QSEHRA. It also offers a tailored toolkit for managing multi-state operations and complex, tiered corporate benefits.

Take Command Pros

• Enterprise tools built for companies with 500+ employees
• Hands-on, human-led setup and onboarding support
• Deep carrier network across the individual Marketplace
• Intuitive visual management and tracking software

Take Command Cons

• Multi-layered pricing that includes monthly platform fees
• Steeper learning curve compared to SimplyHRA

1. ICHRA Setup & Launch Timelines

An HRA administration platform should first and foremost streamline the ICHRA setup and launch timelines.

Here's how SimplyHRA and Take Command perform in this regard:

SimplyHRA

As a software-first solution, SimplyHRA makes it possible for prepared employers and plan administrators to launch an active plan on the exact same day.

The platform is designed to make ICHRA setup and administration as straightforward as possible, kicking things off with a guided, visual configuration process. Just enter your company's details, create your first ICHRA employee class, and start your onboarding.

While SimplyHRA provides everything you need to launch your ICHRA plan in one day, the implementation timeline takes into account your preparation in terms of allowance models and compliance readiness.

The good news is, you can always schedule a 1:1 consultation with the SimplyHRA team for assistance in setting up a compliant ICHRA plan. Also, feel free to read our step-by-step ICHRA setup guide to make sure your setup process goes as smoothly as possible.

Take Command

Take Command relies on a structured, consultant-driven implementation process involving multiple strategy calls and advisor reviews.

This high-touch approach ensures complex organizations get a tailored ICHRA plan that's accurately mapped to their corporate structure.

While this approach ensures an effective, ACA-compliant ICHRA plan administration, the advisor-dependent workflow naturally extends your timeline. This may require several days to a few weeks, depending on the size and complexity of your workforce.  

2. Administration & Compliance Automation

A good ICHRA administration platform simplifies monthly compliance, data validation, and reimbursement management. Its efficiency is tied not just to software capabilities, but also to the overall UI design.

SimplyHRA

SimplyHRA automatically handles all compliance-related paperwork once you set up your ICHRA account. This includes creating your plan documents, tax documents, employee notices, and ACA-ready reports.

The platform also automatically cross-references employee premium receipts for eligibility, tracks shifting affordability thresholds, and generates real-time reimbursements as well as payroll deductions in real time. Employees only need to initiate a reimbursement request via the desktop or mobile app and upload the required documents (i.e., invoices).

To access your plan's compliance documents, just head to the centralized document manager. Easily switch between plan years to find the exact files you need.

Take Command

Take Command relies on a combination of human-driven support workflows and real-time reporting via the dashboard to manage compliance. And while the platform provides Section 105 legal documentation and structured tracking, administrators must download monthly payroll registries to manually map reimbursements through their payroll software.

You can find your documents by logging into your Take Command member portal and navigating to the "Documents" tab. This includes your ICHRA Employee Notice, Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), Summary Plan Description (SPD), and so on.

3. Pricing

A lot of businesses consider cost predictability as one of the reasons to switch to ICHRA. As such, it's important for your ICHRA platform to have clear and transparent pricing.

SimplyHRA

SimplyHRA uses a completely transparent and straightforward pricing model, charging a flat $29 per active employee per month. The platform also eliminates barriers to entry by removing setup costs, implementation fees, and base monthly subscriptions.

The fixed PEPM pricing model ensures you only pay for exactly what you need. This perfectly matches the needs of agile small businesses, startups, and rapidly scaling teams that want predictability while avoiding overpayment for un-enrolled staff in your HR roster.

Take Command

First and foremost, Take Command also presents a clear and somewhat transparent pricing to small teams. Published pricing starts at $25+ per employee per month for QSEHRA administration and $40+ per employee per month for ICHRA administration, with custom pricing for larger teams.

The starter plan for small employers comes with core features and services unlocked. However, it's only available if you have fewer than 50 employees.

For larger employers (50 or more employees) in need of a dedicated client success manager, custom affordability reports, and autopay functionality right out of the box, Take Command offers custom PEPM pricing in addition to a $100+ monthly platform fee.

4. Employee Onboarding & Support

Assisting employees through the transition from a traditional group plan is one of the major roadblocks in ICHRA adoption. But with the right administration platform, any company, regardless of size, can breeze through this step.

SimplyHRA

SimplyHRA treated employee onboarding as an autonomous, self-service experience built directly into the platform.

Employers only need to fill in their employees' details, including their full legal name, class designation, and email address. This grants employees immediate access to their SimplyHRA dashboard, where they can pick their health plans, review ICHRA documentation, and set up their virtual card.

This intuitive, tech-forward UI design minimizes the internal HR strain.

Apart from the guided, step-by-step process, employees can also rely on the built-in AI assistant in case they have questions regarding their dependents, individual coverage options, enrollment, and ongoing reimbursement requests.

Take Command

In terms of employee onboarding and support, Take Command takes a heavily personalized approach. The platform combines individual shopping portals with live, dedicated support.

Their system is backed by specialized enrollment experts who can directly assist team members with plan comparisons, carrier limitations, and local provider matching.

This high-touch model streamlines the transition for multi-tier workforces and corporate teams. Take Command also offers a library of human-curated resources, including onboarding webinars, orientation videos, and articles to encourage and accelerate self-learning for large groups.

5. Additional Features

At this point, it should be evidently clear that SimplyHRA and Take Command have different approaches in terms of ICHRA implementation, management, and support.

To make sure you pick the right platform for your business, you need to evaluate secondary utilities, software integrations, and other defining features.

SimplyHRA

As a software-first platform, SimplyHRA promises high expandability and scalability through future updates. More importantly, the tool supports a growing library of third-party integrations wth HRIS systems and reputable payroll providers, including ADP, Deel, and Gusto.

Its biggest advantage over other ICHRA management platforms, however, is the modern, cross-platform UI design. The team also constantly communicates with clients to obtain valuable feedback on how to improve certain features and the app's real-world usability.

Take Command

A fundamental difference between SimplyHRA and Take Command is that the latter also supports the setup and concurrent management of Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) plans. This is a different type of HRA designed specifically for small groups (fewer than 50 Full-Time Equivalent employees).

Similar to ICHRA, QSEHRA also offers tax-advantaged healthcare reimbursements and predictable costs for employers. The main difference is that QSEHRA should offer the same benefits or blanket coverage to all enrolled employees.

Final Words

When choosing between SimplyHRA and Take Command, the decision really boils down to the size of your company, your budget, and your team's preferences in terms of control and the ICHRA administration experience.  

SimplyHRA makes the most sense for startups and small-to-midsize businesses looking to get an ICHRA program up and running as soon as possible — without adding significant overhead. Its straightforward pricing model also allows for predictable costs, while the intuitive UI eliminates friction from the onboarding process and the HR team's day-to-day tasks.

On the other hand, Take Command may be the stronger choice for organizations managing larger or more complex workforces.

Sure, it comes with a monthly platform fee on top of PEPM costs, which can be expensive for smaller teams. But that additional charge is negligible to companies with hundreds of employees, layered reimbursement arrangements, or a need for more robust compliance guidance.

The bottom line is, while you can't go wrong with either option, SimplyHRA and Take Command serve two slightly different markets.

Fortunately, you can experience both platforms firsthand before you commit long-term.

To see what the modern ICHRA administration experience looks like, reach out to us here and schedule a personalized demo or ask us about anything HRA-related.

Note: Competitor pricing and feature details are summarized from public sources as of July 2026 and may change. Always confirm current pricing directly on each provider’s website.