SOLUTIONS
Custom app or platform for therapy practices
Most therapy practices don't need a native app first — a custom website or web platform usually covers it. When a therapy practice does need real logged-in workflows, a platform starts from $16,000 one-time or $1,399/mo for 24 months at Nabee Studio; a native app from $25,000 or $2,099/mo. We'll tell you honestly which tier fits after one scoping pass.
Be honest: a therapist almost never needs a native mobile app, and building one first would be a mistake. Your clinical records, secure messaging, and telehealth already live in an EHR like SimplePractice or TherapyNotes — rebuilding that in an app you'd have to maintain and pass through app-store review makes no sense for a solo or small group practice.
The rare case for a platform is a group practice or clinic that wants a logged-in referral portal for partner physicians, a supervised-clinician management layer, or a proprietary program clients work through between sessions. That's genuine platform territory (from $16,000 one-time or $1,399/mo for 24 months). For everyone else, a custom website with secure intake covers it — start there, and grow into logged-in workflows only when a real one appears.
The reality for most therapy practices
Directory dependence eats margin and control
Psychology Today, TherapyDen, and insurance panels all charge monthly and rank you next to competitors. You can't control how you're presented, and a client who found you there thinks of the directory as their referrer — not you. When your listing lapses, your pipeline stops.
Intake is a paperwork bottleneck
New clients arrive to a stack of PDFs — intake questionnaire, consent, HIPAA notice, credit card authorization, telehealth agreement. Printing, scanning, and re-keying that into your EHR burns the first session's admin time and creates errors. Half of clients forget to bring completed forms.
Phone tag over insurance and availability
The most common questions — 'do you take my insurance,' 'are you accepting clients,' 'do you offer evening telehealth' — get answered one voicemail at a time. During sessions you can't pick up, so warm leads go cold before you call back.
What does it cost?
One scoping pass, one fixed number — no hourly billing. Most therapists need a trustworthy site with secure consult requests and intake — not a logged-in platform — since the EHR already owns clinical records.
- Website — from $4,500 one-time (standard from $7,500), or $499/mo for 24 months with the Maintenance Plan and hosting included.
The monthly plan totals somewhat more than paying up front — that's the honest trade for spreading the cost and having us operate everything for two years. Details in the payment plan guide and on the pricing page.
Start a project — one scoping pass, a fixed number within one business day.
Related: Custom website for therapy practices · Business automation for therapy practices · Booking system for therapy practices · Nabee for therapy practices · website cost guide
Common questions
- Does a therapy practice need a mobile app?
- Usually not first. A well-built website or web platform covers most needs without app-store friction. A native app makes sense when push notifications, offline use, or device features are central — see our app vs website guide.
- What does an app or platform cost?
- A web platform is from $16,000 one-time or $1,399/mo for 24 months with updates and maintenance included; a native app from $25,000 or $2,099/mo. Fixed prices after one scoping pass.
- How long does it take to build?
- Most platform builds ship in two to three months. Tight scoping — a clear core first version — is what keeps both the timeline and the price down.
- Can we start with a website and grow into a platform?
- Yes, and it's usually the right order. A custom website built by the same team becomes the foundation — accounts, data, and workflows get added when the business is ready.