Best therapist directories and top online directories for therapists in 2026
For most US therapists the best directory to pay for first is still Psychology Today (29.95 USD a month, the largest patient audience). The best second listing depends on your practice: GoodTherapy or Zencare for private pay clinicians who want vetting, TherapyDen or Inclusive Therapists for a cheaper listing with strong identity filters, and NearbyTherapy for a License verified local profile that already exists from your NPI record. Insurance networks such as Headway, Alma and Grow Therapy are a different product and fill hours through insurance, not a listing.
Top therapist directories compared by cost
Prices come from each company's own page where it publishes one, and from independent reviews where it does not. Directory prices change often, so confirm the figure on the signup page before you pay.
| Directory | What it costs a clinician | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology Today | 29.95 USD a month flat, no contract | Reach in every state, the default first listing |
| GoodTherapy | Reported at about 30.95 to 49.95 USD a month, reduced rate for new practices | Clinicians who value an ethics focused, vetted directory |
| Zencare | Reported at about 59 to 98 USD a month plus a setup fee of about 130 USD | Private pay practices in metro areas, profile with video |
| Inclusive Therapists | 29 to 119 USD a month depending on practice size, 90 day trial | Clinicians serving BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and disabled clients |
| TherapyDen | Basic profile at no charge, premium reported at about 10 to 30 USD a month | A low cost second listing with detailed filters |
| Mental Health Match | Paid subscription, reported at roughly 25 to 39 USD a month | Clinicians who want patients matched by a questionnaire |
| NearbyTherapy | 24 USD a month billed yearly or 49 USD monthly | A verified local listing built from your NPI record |
What makes a therapist directory worth paying for
We looked at four things, in this order.
- Patient reach in your market. A directory only works if patients in your city search on it. This matters more than anything else on the list.
- Cost per inquiry, not cost per month. A 60 USD directory that sends four inquiries a quarter beats a 30 USD one that sends none.
- Profile quality controls. Filters for fee, insurance, modality and identity help the right patients find you and keep the wrong ones from writing.
- Trust signals patients can see, such as a vetting step or a license check shown on the profile.
Heard's 2025 Financial State of Private Practice report found that referrals and word of mouth were the most common source of new clients at 38 percent, followed by Psychology Today at 35 percent and other online directories at 16 percent. That is a useful reality check. Directories are a large share of new clients, and one directory carries most of that share.
Psychology Today, the best first listing for most therapists
Psychology Today has the biggest audience and ranks for a huge range of Google searches like "therapist near me". For 29.95 USD a month with no contract you get a profile, a protected phone number, call tracking and teletherapy fields. Its weakness is crowding. In New York, Los Angeles or Chicago a new profile without a clear niche can sit hundreds of results deep.
Our guide to Psychology Today listing cost covers what the fee includes and how to tell if it pays off, and the page on Psychology Today alternatives compares it with the rest of the market.
GoodTherapy and Zencare for private pay practices
GoodTherapy is one of the older paid directories, with a stated ethics focus, a vetting step and a large article library that brings patients in. It is smaller than Psychology Today, so inquiries depend heavily on your city. The full comparison is on our GoodTherapy alternative page.
Zencare interviews each clinician before listing and adds professional photos and a short intro video. It costs the most on this list, and its audience is concentrated in a smaller set of metro markets. Therapists who do well there report fewer inquiries that are closer to a booked first session. We compared it directly in Zencare vs Psychology Today.
TherapyDen, Inclusive Therapists and Mental Health Match
TherapyDen is the cheapest paid option. A basic profile has no charge but does not show in search, and premium visibility is reported at about 10 to 30 USD a month. Its filters for small insurance plans and identity are good, its audience is small. Our page on TherapyDen vs Psychology Today goes through the trade off.
Inclusive Therapists focuses on affirming care for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and disabled clients. Plans run from 29 to 119 USD a month depending on how many clinicians need profiles, with a 90 day trial and reduced rates for some providers. If that is the community you serve, patients there are often a strong match.
Mental Health Match asks patients a short questionnaire and suggests clinicians based on the answers. It is a paid subscription, and the published monthly figure has varied between sources, so check it at signup.
NearbyTherapy, a verified listing that already exists
NearbyTherapy is built from the federal NPPES NPI registry, so if you have an NPI with a behavioral health taxonomy, a basic listing for you is already live. Claiming it adds your statement, fees, insurance and specialties, and puts your profile into the filters patients use.
- A License verified badge after we compare your NPI, license number and state with NPPES and your state board.
- Inquiries by email, released only after the patient confirms their own address.
- No star ratings or reviews, so no testimonial issues under most ethics codes.
- Flat pricing with no setup fee and no share of session fees: Solo is 24 USD a month billed yearly or 49 USD monthly.
All plans are on the therapist directory listing page. Practices can put every clinician on one invoice with a group practice directory listing.
Headway, Alma and Grow Therapy are not directories
These companies credential you with insurance plans and send you insurance clients, which can fill a caseload fast. Headway and Grow Therapy charge clinicians no subscription. Alma charges a monthly membership, 125 USD month to month or less on an annual plan according to its provider page. In return you are paid at the network's negotiated insurance rates.
They solve a different problem. If you take insurance, a network may fill weekday hours faster than any directory, and a directory then only needs to cover your private pay slots. If you are private pay only, a network does not help.
Which therapist directory should I join first
Start with one directory that has reach in your city, almost always Psychology Today. Then add one second listing matched to your practice, and give both three months.
- New practice with open hours now: Psychology Today plus NearbyTherapy or TherapyDen.
- Private pay in a big metro: Psychology Today plus Zencare or GoodTherapy.
- Serving a specific community: Psychology Today plus Inclusive Therapists.
- Mostly insurance: an insurance network plus one directory for private pay slots.
Before you pay, search your own city and specialty on each directory as a patient would and count the profiles ahead of yours. Then ask every new client where they found you. A two question client intake survey sent before the first session makes that tracking automatic, and after a quarter you will know which listing to keep. The guide to marketing for therapists covers the profile details patients read first.
What is the best therapist directory
Psychology Today is the best first directory for most US therapists because it has the largest patient audience in every state, at 29.95 USD a month with no contract. The best second directory depends on your practice: Zencare or GoodTherapy for private pay, Inclusive Therapists for affirming care, TherapyDen or NearbyTherapy for a lower cost.
Are therapist directories worth it
Yes, for most private practices. Directories are among the largest sources of new clients after referrals, and one weekly private pay client pays for a year of almost any listing. A directory is not worth renewing if a complete profile brings no inquiries in three months.
How many therapist directories should I be on
Two or three is enough for most solo clinicians: one with wide reach and one or two matched to your niche. More listings mean more profiles to keep current. Drop any listing that has not produced an inquiry after a full quarter with a complete profile.
What is the cheapest therapist directory
TherapyDen is the cheapest paid option, with a basic profile at no charge and premium reported at about 10 to 30 USD a month. NearbyTherapy costs 24 USD a month billed yearly with a License verified badge. Insurance networks like Headway charge no subscription but pay insurance rates.
Is Psychology Today the best directory for therapists
It is the best for reach, which is what most therapists need first. It is not always the best for inquiries per dollar in crowded cities, where a new profile can sit far down the list. Many clinicians keep it and add a smaller directory where they appear on the first screen.