TidyCal for therapists and counselors
Let new clients book the first call at 11pm, when they finally decide to
A setup for a solo counselor: a free 15-minute consult, 50-minute sessions with ten minutes to breathe in between, and a weekly slot clients keep. Read the HIPAA note below before you start.
Free plan with no time limit. No card needed.
TidyCal is the best scheduling app for therapists and counselors who charge for their time. Clients pay when they book, with packages and subscriptions on the Free plan, and Individual Lifetime is $29 once. Pick Acuity Scheduling if you need a signed HIPAA BAA, gift certificates or a waitlist, and Calendly if you run inbound sales on Salesforce or HubSpot. TidyCal does not sign a HIPAA BAA. If your practice needs one for scheduling, Acuity Premium does.
First, the HIPAA question
TidyCal is a scheduling tool, not a health record system, and TidyCal does not sign HIPAA business associate agreements (BAAs). If your practice needs a BAA from its scheduling tool, TidyCal is not the right fit, and we would rather tell you now. If you are not sure what your rules require, ask your compliance advisor. Either way, keep booking questions to scheduling details and keep clinical information in your records system.
The 4 best scheduling apps for therapists and counselors
I make TidyCal, so it's listed first. Each tool below says what it does better than us.
| # | Tool | Best for | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TidyCal Best value | Solo pros who charge for their time | $29 once |
| 2 | Acuity Scheduling | Appointment businesses with intake forms | $20/mo |
| 3 | Calendly | Sales teams on Salesforce or HubSpot | $10/seat/mo |
| 4 | Cal.com | Developers who want open source | Free, Teams $12/user/mo |
01
Best value
Best for: solo pros who charge for their time
- Price
- Free plan. Individual Lifetime is $29 once. Pro is $12 a month or $99 a year.
Free plan with paid bookings, packages and subscriptions. $29 once if you want more.
02
Best for: appointment businesses with intake forms
- Price
- No free plan, a 7-day trial. Starter is $20 a month ($16 billed yearly).
Strong intake forms, gift certificates and a waitlist. No free plan, from $20 a month.
03
Best for: sales teams on Salesforce or HubSpot
- Price
- $10 per seat a month on Standard, billed yearly ($12 monthly). The free plan is one event type.
Familiar to clients. The free plan is one event type and payments need Standard at $10 per seat a month.
04
Best for: developers who want open source
- Price
- Free for one user. Teams is $12 per user a month, billed yearly.
Open source with a generous free plan. Team features are $12 per user a month, billed yearly.
A simple practice setup
Here is how a solo counselor might set it up. The practice is made up; the settings are real.
| Booking type | Length | Price | Type | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free 15-minute consultation | 15 min | Free | Free | A quick phone call to see if you are a good fit. |
| Individual session | 50 min | $140 | Paid | The classic 50-minute hour, plus 10 minutes for notes. |
| Weekly session (12 weeks) | 50 min | $140 | Recurring | Same day and time every week, booked once. |
Example prices. Charge what you charge.
What a week looks like
- Monday 9:00
- Open your hours for the week. You set them once; they repeat.
- Tuesday, 10:47pm
- Someone who has been thinking about it for a month books the free consult. You find out in the morning.
- Wednesday
- Consult call. They book the 12-week series on the spot, Thursdays at 5pm.
- Every Wednesday at 5pm
- The 24-hour reminder goes out for Thursday. The 1-hour one goes out Thursday at 4pm.
- Friday
- Nothing. Nobody emailed you to reschedule because the link lets them do it.
Settings we would use
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Session length | 50 minutes | The standard clinical hour. |
| Buffer | 10 minutes | Notes, water, a breath. Nobody can book into it. |
| Minimum notice | 24 hours | No surprise same-day intakes. |
| Reminders | 24 hours and 1 hour before | On by default, every plan. |
| Cancellation | Allowed until 24 hours before; fee after that (Lifetime and Pro) | Say it in the booking description too, so nobody is surprised. |
Keep the booking form short
Two questions. Scheduling details only.
- Best phone number to reach you On: Free 15-minute consultation
- Do you prefer in person or online sessions? (In person / Online / Either) On: Free 15-minute consultation
Do not ask why they are seeking therapy on a booking form. Ask on the consult call.
Offer the free consult by phone, not video. It is 15 minutes, people are nervous, and a phone call is the lowest bar to clear.
Other things that help
Text reminders (US and Canada)
Text reminders for clients with US or Canadian numbers, on Agency Lifetime and Pro. Handy for clients who never read email.
Agency Lifetime and ProPaid bookings with Stripe or PayPal
If you are private pay, take payment when the session is booked through Stripe or PayPal.
Free planCancellation and no-show fees
Charge a late-cancel or no-show fee automatically instead of having the awkward conversation.
Lifetime and Pro plansWhat TidyCal costs
Free, $0
Most of the setup above. Group classes, approvals, cancellation fees, booking limits and automatic video links need a paid plan. Not a trial.
Individual Lifetime, $29 once
Pay one time through AppSumo. Adds group bookings, custom reminders, automatic Zoom and Google Meet links, and 10 calendars.
Pro, $12/mo or $99/yr
All of it, with no TidyCal branding, unlimited calendars and team scheduling with no seat fees.
Stripe and PayPal charge their usual processing fees on paid bookings. On the Free plan, Stripe bookings also carry a 1% TidyCal platform fee. See payment fee details. Compare every plan.
How we checked
Every competitor price comes from that company's own pricing page, read on September 30, 2026, at the billing period shown next to it. Tools with no published price we could verify carry no dollar figure. The ranking is for therapists and counselors who take bookings and charge for some of them. Nobody paid to be on this list. TidyCal's prices come straight from the plans we sell, so they match what you will pay, and the 1% platform fee on Stripe bookings is the live rate.
Questions therapists and counselors ask us
Is TidyCal HIPAA compliant?
TidyCal does not offer a HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA). If your practice requires one for its scheduling tool, TidyCal is not the right fit. Check with your compliance advisor about what your practice needs.
Can clients book the same time every week?
Yes. A recurring booking type lets a client pick a day and time once and book the whole series. Recurring bookings are on every plan, including Free.
Can I leave time between sessions?
Yes. Set buffer time on a booking type and TidyCal blocks those minutes between bookings, so the next client cannot book into your break.
Can I charge a late-cancellation fee?
Yes, on the Lifetime and Pro plans. You can control whether clients can cancel and charge a fee for cancellations and no-shows.
Can clients reschedule on their own?
Yes. The confirmation email has a reschedule link, so clients can move a session without emailing you. On the Lifetime and Pro plans you can stop reschedules inside a set window, like 24 hours.
Do clients need an account to book?
No. Clients click your link, pick a time and enter their name and email.
Keep reading
Copy this setup in about 10 minutes
Make the booking types above, paste your questions in, share the link. Free to start.
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