We tested TheraNest firsthand to see how well it supports behavioral health professionals. With features for documentation, scheduling, billing, and practice management, it’s a flexible option for solo and small group practices. Unlike many EHRs, TheraNest charges based on active clients rather than clinicians, making pricing unique. Plans range from $41–$98+ monthly, with a 21-day free trial.
TheraNest At a Glance
Pros & Cons of TheraNest
- Great customer service with one-on-one support
- 21-day free trial with no credit card requirements
- Robust training and ongoing learning support
- Great additional content including client resources
- Limited forms and templates library is missing many essential document types
- Extensive customization may take a lot of time and training
- Caseload-based pricing may become expensive for practices with large caseloads
Preview TheraNest
After testing TheraNest extensively over the past few years, we’ve found it to be a very flexible EHR for behavioral health providers. It offers tools for client management, scheduling, billing, and documentation, with a pricing model based on active clients rather than clinicians. Plans range from $41 to $98+ per month, and new users get a 21-day free trial.
TheraNest’s best strength is customization—it allows practices to build their own forms, workflows, and templates. However, that level of flexibility comes with a learning curve, and its preloaded template library is more limited than some competitors. That said, TheraNest’s customer support is responsive, and its training resources are among the best we’ve seen.
If you’re looking for an EHR with more built-in automation, SimplePractice offers a highly polished experience. For a very customizable yet simpler alternative, My Best Practice provides strong clinical documentation features with an affordable flat-rate pricing model. Both are worth considering if TheraNest’s complexity or pricing structure doesn’t quite fit your needs.
SimplePractice’s EHR for therapists has everything you need to run your practice easily and efficiently. From booking and scheduling to insurance billing, SimplePractice does it all.
My Best Practice is an EHR designed by therapists to support therapists using evidence-based treatments. From online booking to note taking to insurance billing, My Best Practice makes running your practice easy. Starting at just $39 per month.
Detailed Review of TheraNest
We’ve tested TheraNest across multiple software updates, exploring its customizable forms, scheduling, documentation, and billing. While impressively flexible, it has a slightly larger learning curve than some alternatives. Pricing is based on active caseload size, making it affordable for small practices but more costly for high-volume providers. The 21-day free trial lets you explore its features, and additional practitioners can be added at no extra cost.
Review our scoring criteria for EHRs, EMRs, and PMS for therapists.
Review our complete editorial policies here.
Client Management & Intake
TheraNest makes it easy to manage client records, with a well-structured intake process and deeply customizable forms. Adding a new client is straightforward—once basic details are entered, you’ll have access to a full profile where you can track personal information, insurance details, billing, and much more.
One unique aspect of TheraNest is its Cases system, which organizes client documentation into separate groupings. Each client can have multiple cases, allowing for distinct sets of notes, treatment plans, and assessments. This setup is particularly helpful for clients with evolving needs or different areas of focus over time.
One of TheraNest’s standout features is its Dynamic Forms, which offer intuitive drag-and-drop customization. This feature makes it easy to build tailored intake forms that can be shared through the client portal at any point during treatment. Once submitted, signed forms are automatically added to the client’s chart, reducing administrative work.
While TheraNest offers robust customization for most forms, the standard intake and diagnosis form is surprisingly rigid. Unlike progress notes and other documentation, it’s not part of the Dynamic Forms builder and doesn’t allow much customization. That said, the form is functional and covers essential intake details without unnecessary complexity. It may not break new ground, but it gets the job done efficiently and integrates smoothly into the workflow.
TheraNest’s interface can feel a little less intuitive at first compared to some competitors, with certain menus and labels requiring a bit of adjustment. But once you get used to it, the flexibility and depth of customization more than make up for the initial learning curve.
Given its strong form customization, organized intake workflow, and improved flexibility, we’re bumping TheraNest’s rating in this category up to 4.5 out of 5 stars. While My Best Practice still leads the pack in overall ease of use for documentation, TheraNest has become a top choice for clinicians who want full control over intake and client documentation.
Scheduling & Calendar
TheraNest’s scheduling system has improved a bit since I last used it, with a more intuitive interface and better customization options. The drag-and-drop functionality makes rescheduling seamless, and availability settings now allow clinicians to fine-tune their schedules, separating easily between telehealth and in-person sessions. Time zone management is also well-implemented, ensuring clients always see appointments in their local time–something a lot of EHRs don’t exactly do well.
The client portal remains a valuable feature, enabling self-scheduling based on set clinician availability and offering HIPAA-compliant messaging and digital intake forms. Each subscription includes one client portal license, with additional licenses available for $6 monthly per therapist. Automated appointment reminders are included via email, with optional SMS and phone reminders available for $0.10 each.
TheraNest’s improvements make it easier to manage complex availability, leading us to update our rating to 4.5 out of 5 stars in this category.
Treatment Planning & Notes
TheraNest has made some decent strides in its treatment planning and notes system, though it still leans more toward strong customization rather than offering a wealth of pre-built options. Out of the box, it comes with only two pre-made note templates: a standard note and a SOAP note. While these work fine as a foundation, creating additional templates requires some upfront effort. Fortunately, the Dynamic Forms creator allows for deep customization, making it easy to build templates that fit your workflow—if you’re willing to put in the time.
Treatment plans are noticeably more rigid compared to the flexible note system. Instead of using the Dynamic Forms builder, they follow a standardized structure where you can add as many goals as needed but have limited control over the template itself. It’s functional, but I expected more customization given how flexible the rest of TheraNest is. For those who want a more structured approach with ready-to-go templates, TheraNest offers Wiley Practice Planners as an add-on ($25 per provider per month), which provides 1,000+ pre-written progress notes, treatment plans, and other documentation tools.
Given the improvements to customization and the unique way TheraNest organizes client records, we decided to raise its score in this category from a 3 to a 4 out of 5. It may take some initial setup time, but for clinicians who want a truly tailored documentation system, TheraNest offers plenty of flexibility.
Telehealth
TheraNest’s built-in telehealth platform is a seamless extension of its EHR, eliminating the need for third-party integrations. Clients can join sessions directly through the client portal, making access simple and easy. Your clients are filtered into a waiting room for you to allow into your room when you’re ready.
At $12 monthly per clinician for individual telehealth and $25 monthly per clinician for group telehealth (up to 20 participants), pricing is reasonable, though it is an add-on rather than being bundled into the core plan.
The platform itself is well-designed and offers all the essential features you’d expect from a modern telehealth system. It includes screen sharing, in-session chat, customizable backgrounds, and a virtual waiting room. Therapists can also mute participants, disable video feeds, and mirror their own video, giving it a decent level of control for sessions.
While it’s not as feature-rich as some dedicated telehealth solutions, it does the job well and feels like a natural extension of TheraNest’s workflow. Given its recent improvements and added functionality, we’ve decided to increase TheraNest’s telehealth score from a 3 to a 4 out of 5 in our review.
Insurance Billing
TheraNest makes insurance billing fairly straightforward, offering both self-service claims submission and a fully managed billing option for those who prefer hands-off processing. The platform allows you to bill private-pay clients, generate superbills, and submit electronic claims directly to in-network insurance payors. Claim costs range from $0.17 to $0.23 per claim, with higher volumes lowering the price per submission.
For those who prefer not to manage insurance claims themselves, TheraNest offers a Managed Billing service that handles everything from submissions to denials and resubmissions. While pricing isn’t publicly listed, the service boasts a 96% success rate for claim payouts, making it a strong option for practices that want to streamline revenue management.
Given TheraNest’s solid billing tools, flexible user permissions, and the option for managed billing, we’re maintaining its 4 out of 5 stars rating in the insurance billing category.
Client Payment Methods, Collection, and Processing
TheraNest’s payment processing system has come a long way since we first tried it, now powered by Stripe for a smoother and more reliable experience. The platform offers an integrated billing dashboard, making it easy to manage invoices, superbills, and payments all in one place.
Clients can conveniently pay their bills online through the client portal, reducing administrative work for practitioners. TheraNest also supports batch invoicing and bulk payments, allowing you to process multiple transactions at once—something that’s particularly useful for high-volume practices.
With these improvements, TheraNest now offers a streamlined and efficient billing experience, earning it 4 out of 5 stars in our rating for client payment methods and processing.
Practice Management & Reports
TheraNest provides a solid suite of practice management and reporting tools, offering 25 downloadable reports covering key areas like no-show rates, invoices, demographics, and referrals. The system makes it easy to manage staff roles and permissions, ensuring that everyone has the right level of access based on their responsibilities.
While the reporting features are thorough and useful, they’re about on par with what we’ve seen in other EHRs—helpful, but not groundbreaking. That said, for practices that rely on regular performance tracking, TheraNest provides plenty of data to work with in an easy-to-navigate format.
With its strong approach to practice management and reporting, we’ll maintain TheraNest’s 5 out of 5 rating in this category.
Customer Service & Training
TheraNest excels in customer support and training, offering a wealth of resources to help practitioners get comfortable with the platform. The help center includes pre-recorded webinars, video tutorials, and an FAQ section, and live training webinars are available at no extra cost—even during the free trial.
One standout feature is that TheraNest assigns each new user a personal customer service representative upon signup. Within minutes of creating an account, I was contacted by a rep who offered to schedule a call and walk through the setup process step by step. This kind of hands-on support is a huge plus for practitioners who don’t want to troubleshoot issues alone.
Beyond that, TheraNest encourages users to schedule a 15-minute onboarding call with a Therapy Brands specialist—these calls are typically available within one business day, and there’s no limit to how many you can schedule. We found the specialists knowledgeable and helpful, making onboarding a smooth process.
With its responsive support, thorough training materials, and direct customer assistance, TheraNest earns a 5 out of 5 stars in this category.
Add-On Service: “White Glove” Training
For larger or more complex practices, TheraNest offers one-on-one “White Glove” training for $150 per hour. These sessions can be recorded for future reference and tailored to specific practice needs, making them a good option for teams that require customized EHR training.
Cost & Pricing Plans
TheraNest follows a caseload-based pricing model, meaning your monthly cost depends on the number of active clients rather than the number of practitioners. Costs range between $42 – $98+ monthly. This can be cost-effective for small solo practices, but scales up quickly for larger caseloads. Here’s the details:
- Up to 30 active clients – $42 monthly; $460 annually
- Up to 40 active clients – $54 monthly; $589 annually
- Up to 50 active clients – $65 monthly; $707 annually
- Up to 80 active clients – $98 monthly; $1,072 annually
- 80+ active clients – Custom pricing (varies based on volume)
TheraNest does not charge per provider, so group practices can add multiple clinicians and admin staff at no additional cost—which is a major plus compared to EHRs that require paid provider licenses. Annual subscriptions net you 15% off the normal price.
Add-On Pricing
While the base subscription includes EHR, scheduling, and billing, some features require an extra fee:
- Telehealth (1:1 sessions) – $12/month per therapist
- Group Telehealth (up to 20 participants) – $25/month per therapist
- Client Portal (secure messaging & self-scheduling) – First license free, then $6/month per additional therapist
- Wiley Practice Planners – $25/month per therapist
- Electronic Insurance Claims – $0.17 – $0.23 per claim (tiered pricing based on volume)
Accept Insurance & Get Client Referrals
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User Reviews
Overall, TheraNest receives positive feedback, with many users praising its ease of use and efficiency. However, some recent reviews express concerns about changes since its acquisition by Therapy Brands. It’s worth noting that the total number of available reviews is relatively small, so these opinions may not fully reflect the broader user experience.
Software Advice | 4.4 out of 5 Stars | 994 reviews
Positive reviews in the last few months have emphasized how efficient and easy TheraNest is to use, especially compared to some other alternatives.
Negative reviews are mostly focused around isolated incidents with billing and customer service that don’t seem to translate to the wider software. However, some users noted it would be nice to see AI integrated into the system in useful ways.
Trustpilot | 3.9 out of 5 Stars | 211 reviews
Positive reviews focus on TheraNest’s ease of use and straightforward workflows.
Negative reviews recently mention a perceived dip in quality since Therapy Brands took over, with concerns about occasional software instability. However, this issue doesn’t appear consistently across reviews and may be dependent on individual user experiences.
SimplePractice’s EHR for therapists has everything you need to run your practice easily and efficiently. From booking and scheduling to insurance billing, SimplePractice does it all.
My Best Practice is an EHR designed by therapists to support therapists using evidence-based treatments. From online booking to note taking to insurance billing, My Best Practice makes running your practice easy. Starting at just $39 per month.
Alternatives & Competitors
While TheraNest offers a strong mix of customization and affordability, it’s not the only EHR solution for mental health professionals. Some practices may find its caseload-based pricing appealing, while others may prefer a system with a more intuitive interface or built-in marketing tools.
SimplePractice
TheraNest and SimplePractice both offer strong EHR solutions, but they take different approaches. SimplePractice is more intuitive out of the box and includes built-in marketing tools like a website builder and therapist directory, while TheraNest prioritizes deep customization and flexible documentation. Pricing structures also differ—SimplePractice uses tiered pricing ($49 – $99 monthly), while TheraNest bases costs on caseload size (starting at $42 monthly), which can be more affordable for smaller practices.
For a deeper breakdown, check out our full SimplePractice review and our comparison of TheraNest versus SimplePractice.
Pros & Cons
- Beautiful, modern interface
- Helpful automation features
- Intuitive calendar
- Professional website builder
- Relatively expensive, compared to competitors
- May not be customizable enough for large practices
TherapyNotes
TheraNest and TherapyNotes take different slightly approaches to practice management. TherapyNotes is more structured with a fixed pricing model ($59 – $69+ monthly), making it predictable for most practices. TheraNest, on the other hand, charges based on caseload size, which can be more cost-effective for small practices but expensive for larger ones.
While TherapyNotes excels in ease of use and structured workflows, TheraNest offers deeper customization, particularly for documentation and intake forms.
For a full breakdown, check out our TherapyNotes review or our comparison of TherapyNotes versus TheraNest.
Pros & Cons
- One-month free trial; no credit card required
- Telehealth platform is included for free
- Telehealth platform supports up to 16 participants
- Supports e-prescriptions
- No mobile app available
- Cannot add client information in batches
- Limited reporting capability
- Customization in some areas is lacking
History & News
- Year Founded: 2013
- Founder: Shegan Otulana
- Headquarters: Birmingham, Alabama
TheraNest was established in 2013 by Shegun Otulana. He founded TheraNest as a practice management software “designed for practitioners, psychologists, social workers, and counselors, to assist, manage and build their practices.”2
TheraNest ultimately became one brand within the Therapy Brands umbrella, which Otulana founded in 2017. Therapy Brands now also has separate EHR services for substance use recovery and applied behavior analysis, as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. In 2022, Therapy Brands completely rebranded the service under the Therapy Brands label along with its other offerings to help limit confusion around the different services available.8
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TheraNest HIPAA-Compliant?
TheraNest is fully HIPAA-compliant. “All data is encrypted and stored securely using Amazon Web Services. TheraNest performs continuous data backups and all data in the EHR are also encrypted”.1 This means a practitioner or practice owner will not be held liable for a patient’s data that is being stored by TheraNest.
Can I import my own note templates or create custom forms in TheraNest?
Practitioners are unable to import note templates in TheraNest. Practitioners can, however, create note templates and forms using the Dynamic Form builder. Depending on the template, this can be a time-consuming process.
How Do I Cancel My TheraNest Subscription?
Practitioners can easily cancel their subscription at any time without needing to speak to a live person, by going to the “Organization” tab under “Manage My Subscription.” Practitioners can also cancel their subscriptions via the live chat feature or by calling customer support.
Does TheraNest Offer Refunds?
Yes, TheraNest does offer refunds for unused portions of annual and monthly memberships that have been paid for in advance. Please visit TheraNest Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more information.
Does TheraNest Work on a Phone?
Yes. While TheraNest does not offer a mobile app for download, the browser-based web app is able to be used on mobile devices.
Does TheraNest Record Sessions?
No. TheraNest will not record audio or video from telehealth sessions.6
Is TheraNest Cloud-Based?
Yes. TheraNest uses a cloud-based web app, which means a user can access their account from any device, from wherever they are located.7
Who Is the Parent Company of TheraNest?
The parent company of TheraNest is Therapy Brands.
Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.
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TheraNest (n.d.) Common questions, answered., https://theranest.com/faq/
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Innovation and Technology: Two Decades In, Birmingham Home For TheraNest’s Otulana – And His Muse. (2019, April 5). Birmingham Business Alliance, https://www.birminghambusinessalliance.com/regional-news-1/otulana
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Software Advice (n.d.). What are TheraNest users saying about the software?, https://www.softwareadvice.com/medical/theranest-profile/reviews/
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Capterra (n.d.) Comparing 2 Mental Health Software Products TherapyNotes vs TheraNest, https://www.capterra.com/mental-health-software/compare/130400-118981/TheraNest-Mental-Health-vs-TherapyNotes-com
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GetApp (n.d.) TherapyNotes vs. TheraNotes Comparison, https://www.getapp.com/healthcare-pharmaceuticals-software/a/theranest/compare/therapynotes/
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TheraNest (n.d.) Telehealth Overview, https://theranest.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051491692-Telehealth-Overview
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TheraNest (n.d.) Practice Management Software, https://theranest.com/features/therapy-practice-management/
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Perrin, M. (May 2, 2022). Why we rebranded the company. TherapyBrands. Retrieved from: https://therapybrands.com/blog/why-we-rebranded-the-company
We regularly update the articles on ChoosingTherapy.com to ensure we continue to reflect scientific consensus on the topics we cover, to incorporate new research into our articles, and to better answer our audience’s questions. When our content undergoes a significant revision, we summarize the changes that were made and the date on which they occurred. We also record the authors and medical reviewers who contributed to previous versions of the article. Read more about our editorial policies here.
Author: Matthew Church, MS (No change)
Medical Reviewer: Melissa Boudin, PsyD (No change)
Primary Changes: Updated pricing range from $39-$91+ monthly to $41-$98+ monthly. Used TheraNest again and updated all ratings based on most recent experience. Fact-checked and reviewed all information; updated where necessary to improve factual accuracy and readability. Improved clarity and readability throughout the article. Added more screenshots of our experience using the platform.
Author: Matthew Church (No change)
Reviewer: Melissa Boudin (No change)
Primary Changes: Added article summary block, new format for editorial rating, and all related page features.
Author: Matthew Church (New author)
Reviewer: Melissa Boudin (New medical reviewer)
Primary Changes: Rewritten multiple sections for brevity, concision, and accuracy. Updated style.
Author: Sandra Calzadilla
Medical Reviewer: Melissa Boudin
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