last updated august 18, 2026
no single directory replaces Psychology Today's traffic, but several beat it on cost, fit, or what you actually get for the money. Headway and TherapyDen are free to start. Alma bundles insurance billing for a flat $125/mo. Zencare is the premium boutique play. GoodTherapy bundles CE. Mental Health Match matches instead of lists. Resolv (that's us — new, and we'll be honest about it) is $29/mo, free for the first year for the first 50 founding therapists, and builds reputation through a live community instead of a static listing.
| platform | cost (2026) | model | best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headway | free (keeps ~10–15% of insurance reimbursements) | insurance billing + directory | testing insurance work, part-timers |
| Alma | $125/mo ($1,140/yr) | insurance billing membership + directory | steady insurance caseloads, community |
| Zencare | $59–69/mo + $130 setup | vetted premium directory | private-pay in major metros |
| GoodTherapy | $30.95–49.95/mo (3 tiers) | directory + continuing education | therapists who'd buy CE anyway |
| TherapyDen | free (limited) / ~$30/mo premium | inclusive directory | values-aligned, zero-budget |
| Mental Health Match | $39/mo or $375/yr (60-day trial) | algorithmic matching | pre-qualified inquiries |
| Resolv | $29/mo — first year free for the first 50 founding therapists | community + reputation + directory | conflict/couples specialists, early adopters |
Psychology Today is still the biggest directory (~80,000 listings, $29.95/mo) and its SEO dominance is real. but three complaints keep coming up in therapist communities: referral volume has dropped sharply for many longtime subscribers since 2024, the directory is so crowded that profiles can't differentiate, and the listing is passive — you pay, you wait, you hope. if your PT ROI has gone flat, the answer usually isn't "cancel everything." it's diversification: run one or two channels that fit your practice model and measure which ones produce.
five things decide whether a platform earns its fee. cost structure — flat fee (predictable) vs. a percentage of reimbursements (scales with volume) vs. free. what the fee actually buys — a listing, billing infrastructure, matching, or reputation. your practice model — insurance-heavy practices need Alma/Headway-style billing, private-pay practices need marketing reach, niche practices need fit. saturation in your market — every directory's value is local, and a channel that's dead in Austin can be alive in Omaha. and effort required — passive listings vs. platforms that reward participation.
Headway costs you nothing directly: it credentials you (typically 4–8 weeks), bills insurers, guarantees biweekly pay, and keeps a prenegotiated cut of reimbursements — not published, but consistently reported around 10–15%. its directory puts you in front of insurance-seeking clients, which is a different (and often larger) pool than directory browsers. strengths: zero fixed cost, guaranteed cash flow, free EHR, and in some states its negotiated rates beat what you'd get direct. weaknesses: the cut exceeds Alma's flat fee once you're above roughly 14–16 sessions/week; you don't hold the payer contract (2024's Optum cuts hit platform therapists up to 30% overnight); support is chat-only, and client-side billing errors are the most common complaint. choose Headway if you're testing insurance work or run a lighter caseload.
Alma flips Headway's model: $125/mo (or $1,140/yr), and you keep 100% of every reimbursement. it requires credentialing with at least one of Aetna, Cigna, or Optum, and layers on things Headway doesn't: peer consultation groups, CEUs, a Slack community, and a more polished EHR/telehealth stack. third-party comparisons put Alma's payout rates modestly (1–5%) above Headway's. strengths: predictable cost, higher effective take-home at volume, real professional community. weaknesses: $125/mo stings at low volume; same no-leverage problem when payers cut rates; its directory alone won't fill a caseload. choose Alma if you run 14+ insurance sessions a week or want the community and CE layer.
Zencare runs $59–69/mo depending on location plus a one-time $130 setup — which includes a professional photo and video shoot. every member is vetted by interview, so the directory reads curated rather than exhaustive. strongest in major metros (NYC, Boston, LA), and skews private-pay. strengths: genuinely better-looking profiles, higher-intent clients, less spam than open directories. weaknesses: 2–3x PT's price for far less traffic; weak outside big metros; still a static listing at the end of the day. choose Zencare if you're private-pay in one of its strong cities and want the production value.
GoodTherapy sits closest to PT's model: three tiers — Basic $30.95/mo, Premium $40.95/mo (adds unlimited homestudy CE), Pro $49.95/mo (adds live CE webinars and practice-management tools) — with membership standards that thin the field. note the higher tiers buy CE and tools, not better directory placement. traffic is meaningfully below PT's. strengths: CE bundling makes the fee do double duty; less crowded; ethics-forward brand. weaknesses: fewer referrals than PT for similar money; confusing tier structure; static listing. choose GoodTherapy if you'd pay for CE anyway and want a second listing for cheap effective cost.
TherapyDen made its name as the free, progressive PT alternative. important 2025–2026 change: free profiles no longer appear in TherapyDen's own search results — you get a shareable, Google-indexed profile page, one state only. on-site search visibility now requires premium, pay-what-you-can from about $30/mo. strengths: still the cheapest real option; best identity-based search filters anywhere; goodwill in the community. weaknesses: modest traffic; the free tier's headline benefit was removed; not a primary channel for most. choose TherapyDen if your practice centers marginalized communities or your budget is zero.
Mental Health Match replaces list-browsing with an intake quiz and algorithmic matching — you receive inquiries with context attached. $39/mo or $375/yr (up from ~$25/mo previously), with a 60-day free trial, no card required. strengths: better-fit inquiries; the trial makes testing free; you see client context before responding. weaknesses: a fraction of PT's traffic — in many markets, matches are rare; the price nearly doubled recently. choose Mental Health Match if the 60-day trial produces matches in your market. if it doesn't, you've lost nothing.
full disclosure: this is our platform, and it's the newest thing on this list. Resolv is a peer-support community focused on interpersonal conflict — relationships, family, roommates. therapists list in the directory and, more importantly, answer real questions from real people. every answer builds a public track record attached to your profile, with reviews and a consultation inbox. strengths: $29/month, with the first year free for the first 50 founding therapists; expertise is demonstrated, not claimed; we never take a cut of your session fees; purpose-built audience for couples/family/conflict specialists. weaknesses — honestly: we're new. our consumer audience is much smaller than Psychology Today's. we don't bill insurance, don't credential, and have no EHR, and referral volume is unproven. listing here is a low-cost bet on a growing community, not a guaranteed pipeline. choose Resolv if you work with relational conflict, like writing, and want one of the 50 founding seats while they're open.
insurance-based practice at low volume: Headway (free), plus keep or test one directory. insurance-based practice with a full caseload: Alma. private-pay in a major metro: Zencare, plus a Resolv founding listing (first year free). need CE anyway: GoodTherapy. smallest year-one budget: TherapyDen's free profile + a Resolv founding spot (first year free) + a Google Business Profile (also free, also underrated). couples/family/conflict specialist: Resolv first — it's literally what our community is about — alongside whatever currently produces. and if PT still works for you: keep it. add free channels and measure.
It depends on your practice model. For insurance billing, Headway (free, percentage-based) or Alma ($125/mo flat). For private-pay marketing, Zencare. For the smallest year-one cost, TherapyDen and Resolv’s founding cohort — first year free for the first 50, then $29/mo. There is no single directory with PT’s traffic — diversify and measure.
Yes. Headway is free to therapists (paid from the insurance side), TherapyDen offers a limited free profile, Mental Health Match has a 60-day trial, and Resolv’s first 50 founding therapists list free for a year (then $29/mo). A Google Business Profile is also free and frequently outperforms paid directories.
Not reflexively. Check your last 12 months of intake sources. If PT produced clients, keep it. If it produced zero, you are paying roughly $360/yr for hope — redirect it to a channel you can measure.
On the therapist-marketing side, yes — but we are honest that we are early. Resolv competes on model (reputation and engagement vs. a static listing), not yet on audience size. The first 50 founding listings are free for a year, so the test costs only time.
$29 a month, and the first 50 founding therapists get their first year free. no contracts, never a percentage of your session fees, and a waitlist once those 50 seats are claimed.
claim your founding expert spottwo fields, about a minute. the app itself is live and public — check it first if you'd rather look before you sign anything: app store · google play