a GoodTherapy alternative for therapists asking what the fee actually buys

last updated august 18, 2026

GoodTherapy's honest pitch is the bundle: a directory listing plus, on higher tiers, unlimited continuing education — $30.95/mo for the Basic listing, $40.95/mo with CE, $49.95/mo with live webinars and practice-management tools. if you'd buy the CE anyway, the math can work. but strip the CE out and you're paying Psychology Today money for a directory with a fraction of Psychology Today's traffic. Resolv is a different kind of alternative: no CE library, no directory tiers — a live community focused on interpersonal conflict where answering real questions builds visible reputation. resolv is $29/month, and the first 50 founding therapists get their first year free. choose GoodTherapy if the CE bundle genuinely offsets the fee. choose Resolv if what you actually need is a channel that produces client relationships.

GoodTherapy vs Resolv Social

GoodTherapyResolv Social
listing feeBasic $30.95/mo; Premium $40.95/mo (adds unlimited CE); Pro $49.95/mo (adds live CE + practice tools)$29/mo — first year free for the first 50 founding therapists
what the fee buysdirectory listing; higher tiers add CE and tools, not better placementcommunity access, profile with reviews, consultation inbox, directory listing
how you stand outa static profile in a smaller directorypublic answers to real questions — expertise demonstrated, not claimed
continuing educationunlimited homestudy CE on Premium and Pro — the real differentiatornone — Resolv is not a CE provider
cut of your session feesnonenone — never a percentage of your revenue
audience todayestablished domain, but traffic far below Psychology Todaysmaller, growing community focused on interpersonal conflict

why therapists look for a GoodTherapy alternative

two complaints dominate. the first is referral volume: GoodTherapy's consumer traffic is meaningfully below Psychology Today's, so therapists paying similar money report fewer inquiries — 'fewer referrals than PT for similar money' is the recurring line in therapist communities. the second is the tier structure, which has shifted repeatedly and confuses even members: the natural assumption is that paying more buys more visibility, but Premium and Pro buy CE courses and practice tools, not better directory placement. your $49.95/mo profile surfaces exactly like a $30.95/mo one. that's a defensible design — but if you signed up for referrals and skipped the CE, you're holding the weakest version of the deal: a static listing in a mid-traffic directory at above-PT prices.

to be fair to GoodTherapy

the bundle logic is real. unlimited homestudy CE at the Premium tier costs $10/mo over the Basic listing — most therapists spend more than $120/yr on CE, so if you use the library, the directory listing is effectively discounted or free. membership standards (degree and licensure guidelines) thin the field compared to PT's everyone-in approach, and the ethics-forward brand attracts a segment of consumers who chose it deliberately. it's a long-established domain with genuine organic traffic. GoodTherapy isn't a bad product — it's a CE subscription wearing a directory, and it works best for therapists who evaluate it that way.

what Resolv does differently

Resolv is a peer-support community focused on interpersonal conflict — relationships, family, roommates, the situations people are actually losing sleep over. consumers post real questions; experts answer. your marketing asset isn't a directory paragraph, it's a public track record of actually helping people — every answer attached to your profile, with reviews and a consultation inbox. GoodTherapy's ethics-forward positioning and Resolv's model actually rhyme: both bet that trust, not ad placement, wins the client. the difference is where trust comes from. on GoodTherapy it's an ethics pledge and membership standards you point to. on Resolv it's answers a prospective client can read.

other alternatives worth considering

the honest field: Psychology Today ($29.95/mo) has the most traffic, full stop — if raw referral volume is your goal, it's still the default test. Zencare ($59–69/mo + $130 setup) is the boutique option for private-pay practices in major metros. TherapyDen has a free tier (limited — no on-site search visibility anymore) and the strongest identity-based filters. Mental Health Match ($39/mo, 60-day free trial) sends matched inquiries instead of list traffic. for CE specifically — if that's the part of GoodTherapy you'd miss — standalone CE providers frequently beat the bundle on price and course quality, so price that separately before letting CE anchor your directory decision. and if your real need is insurance billing, that's Alma or Headway, a different category entirely.

who should stay on GoodTherapy

keep GoodTherapy if you actually use the CE library — the bundle math is legitimate when the courses replace spending you'd do anyway. keep it if it's producing inquiries in your market; a working channel beats a theoretical one. and keep it if the ethics-pledge association matters to your positioning and your clients mention it. just audit one thing annually: whether you're on a tier whose extras you use.

who should list on Resolv

Resolv fits if you specialize in couples, family, or relational conflict — that's what our community discusses all day. if you're paying GoodTherapy for the directory alone and the referrals aren't coming. if you like writing and explaining — the CE-inclined, education-minded therapist GoodTherapy attracts is exactly the kind of person who does well answering questions publicly. and if you want founding status: the first 50 therapists who claim a listing get their first year free, then $29/month.

what Resolv won't do for you

read this before signing up: we don't offer CE credits, we don't bill insurance, we don't credential you, and we don't have an EHR. our consumer audience is currently smaller than GoodTherapy's, let alone Psychology Today's. we're a new platform — early experts are making a small time-bet on a growing community, not buying guaranteed referral volume. if the CE bundle is why you're on GoodTherapy, Resolv doesn't replace that; it replaces the part of the fee that was supposed to bring you clients.

switching (or just adding)

there's nothing to migrate — your Resolv profile takes about 15 minutes: credentials, specialties, bio. one caution if you cancel GoodTherapy: CE course access ends with membership, so complete any in-progress courses and download certificates first. the low-risk path: claim a founding listing on Resolv now — free for the first year — keep GoodTherapy through your current cycle, and compare where inquiries actually come from. if the answer is 'neither, but the CE was worth it,' downgrade to the CE-only subscription and stop paying for the listing.

common questions

How much does GoodTherapy cost for therapists in 2026?

Three tiers: Basic at $30.95/mo (~$333/yr), Premium at $40.95/mo (~$443/yr, adds unlimited homestudy CE), and Pro at $49.95/mo (~$537/yr, adds live CE webinars and FrontDesk practice-management tools). Higher tiers add CE and tools — not better directory placement. A CE-only subscription without a listing is also $30.95/mo.

Is GoodTherapy worth it for therapists?

If you use the bundled CE, often yes — the Premium tier effectively discounts education you would buy anyway. As a pure referral channel, it is harder to justify: traffic is well below Psychology Today’s at a similar or higher price. Judge the directory and the CE as separate purchases.

What is the best alternative to GoodTherapy?

For maximum referral traffic, Psychology Today. For private-pay practices in major metros, Zencare. For the smallest year-one budget, TherapyDen’s free tier and Resolv’s founding cohort (first year free, then $29/mo). For matched inquiries, Mental Health Match. For the CE you would lose, standalone CE providers often beat the bundle. Resolv is the option if you want to build visible reputation instead of renting another static listing.

Does Resolv offer continuing education like GoodTherapy?

No. Resolv is a community and directory, not a CE provider. If GoodTherapy’s CE library is the part you value, keep it or replace it with a standalone CE subscription — Resolv replaces the client-acquisition side, and its founding tier is free for the first year (then $29/mo).

Can I use GoodTherapy and Resolv together?

Yes. They do different jobs — GoodTherapy is a listing plus CE; Resolv is a community where answering questions builds reputation and generates consultation requests. Resolv’s founding tier is free for the first year, so running both costs nothing extra in year one. Measure which produces.

your reputation layer, free for your first year

$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 spot

two 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