Therapy Visibility, the studio that publishes this guide, competes with every option below, so we have an interest here. We list ourselves last. To keep this fair, every price, term and quote comes from each company’s own pages, we rank no one, and where we could not confirm something we say so. This compares what the companies publish. We did not buy or use any of them. See also how much a therapist website costs and our upcoming guide to DIY, freelancer or agency websites.
How do the options compare at a glance?
Of the services we checked that build and host the site for you, TherapySites has the lowest monthly price, the studios charge the most up front, and the contract and exit terms differ more than the prices.
Prices checked October 23, 2026. Prices are in US dollars as each company’s page lists them, except where noted, and tax may apply. First-year totals are our own arithmetic: the setup or design fee plus 12 months at the monthly price.
| Option | Setup or design fee | Monthly price | First year (our arithmetic) | Contract length | Domain if you leave | Design and content if you leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TherapySites Core and Advantage | $199 one time1 | Core $69; Advantage $99, which adds SEO 1.01 | $1,027 and $1,387 | Most month to month; some promotions commit you for several months; 12-month minimum if your service agreement says so23 | Yours if you registered it; owned by TherapySites if it bought it, until you pay $152 | You own what you added; TherapySites owns the content it provides2 |
| Brighter Vision Start and Grow | $100 setup fee4 | Start $99; Grow $179; Flourish $349 with no setup fee4 | $1,288 and $2,248 | One-year initial term unless your order says otherwise; monthly-plan term not confirmed5 | You fully own it; no release fees4 | You own your content; data may be deleted after termination5 |
| Empathysites | $1,499 (Design) or $2,499 (Write & Design)6 | $976 | $2,663 and $3,663 | Not stated | Registered in your name7 | Content yours; design owned by Empathysites and licensed while you stay67 |
| Credible by Design | Solo from $3,500; group from $7,5008 | Optional care plans at $295, $795, or from $1,4958 | From $7,040 for a solo site with 12 months of entry-level care (its figure)9 | Care plans run month to month10 | Stays in your name8 | You own the platform and the content10 |
| Designed by Thrive | $3,000 for a six-page Squarespace template; $6,000 for a nine-page custom Squarespace site11 | None listed; the Squarespace subscription appears to be separate11 | The fee, plus Squarespace | Not stated | Connects your domain; ownership not stated11 | Not stated |
| Therapy Visibility Foundations | $499 one-time design fee | $149; $119 billed annually | $2,287 billed monthly; $1,927 billed annually | Month to month with no minimum; annual billing renews unless you cancel | In your practice’s name; one you already own can stay with your registrar | Domain, photos, logo and content come back free; design and code are licensed while you subscribe |
On TherapySites’ Core plan the monthly price lists domain management, hosting, SSL, live support, scheduling and email accounts.1 Brighter Vision’s Start lists a design team build, support, one domain, hosting and SSL, and Grow adds four email addresses and a social media tool.4 Empathysites’ fee covers hosting, security, backups and unlimited updates, one request at a time.6 Designed by Thrive’s page does not state a currency, and the studio is in Toronto. Brighter Vision’s page also has a Yearly toggle labeled “Pay Yearly & Save!”, but we could not read the yearly prices.4
Promotions change what you pay, so ask for the price after any offer ends. On October 24, 2026, Brighter Vision’s pricing page showed a sale: Start at $79 a month (list $99), Grow at $143 (list $179) and Flourish at $279 (list $349), with the $100 setup fee waived on Start and Grow. It gave no end date or term for the offer,4 so the table uses the list prices. Its Fall 2025 sale offered a code to “save $30/month” for the first year and waived setup fees.12 TherapySites’ FAQ says some promotional offers commit you to several months of service.2
What do the contracts and exit terms say?
Read the contract, not the price page, because both template services allow a minimum term that depends on your order.
- TherapySites. Its FAQ says “most of our contracts are month-to-month” but that, depending on the promotion you chose, “you may be committed to several months of service.”2 Its terms say “Twelve (12) month minimum commitment required if stated in your service agreement,” that “all fees and charges are nonrefundable,” and that if you cancel “you are still responsible for all fees associated with the remaining duration of your service agreement.” Contracts renew automatically until you submit an Online Cancellation Form, and a form received after the 16th is billed for the following month.3
- Brighter Vision. “Unless otherwise stated in the Online Order the initial term will be for one year,” and the order then renews for periods of the same length. Either party can end it with “2 business days written notice prior to the end of the then current Term.” It may also change fees on notice, which “may be in the form of an invoice.”5 Monthly subscribers get no refunds, and an annual subscriber who leaves before the first draft is built is refunded minus the setup fee, the first month and a $100 cancellation fee.4 We could not confirm whether a monthly order carries the one-year term, so ask.
- The studios. Credible by Design says its care plans “run month to month.”10 Empathysites’ pages do not state a contract length, and Designed by Thrive’s page states no contract terms.611
What happens to my domain, content and design if I leave?
It depends on whose name is on the domain and who owns the design, and the services answer differently.
- TherapySites. A domain you already owned stays yours, but “if we purchase a domain name for you, it will be owned by TherapySites, but at any time we can transfer the domain to your ownership for a fee of $15.” You own the content you added, and if your subscription ends “you may no longer use the content provided by TherapySites.”2 Its terms say that after termination it has “the right to delete all data, files, or other information that is stored in your account,” that it has “no obligation to store, maintain or provide you a copy of any content,” and that you are “encouraged to archive your Content regularly and frequently.”3 The editor is its own system and “not compatible with hand-coded HTML or CSS files,”2 and we found no export of the finished site.
- Brighter Vision. “You still fully, 100% own your domain name. And we do not charge any release fees.”4 You own your content, but after termination it “may deactivate the applicable Customer account(s) and delete any data therein.”5 We could not confirm an export or whether you can take the design.
- Empathysites. “Your design is licensed to you while you are on our platform,” and if you cancel “you can download your content to use elsewhere, though the design, image pack, and structure are not transferable.”6 Its help center says you are listed as the domain’s registrant, that it will “fully cooperate” in moving the domain, and that “you may not re-create your website design elsewhere.”7
- Credible by Design. “You own the domain, the platform, the content, and every connected account. We document access and provide an offboarding package if the engagement ends.”10
- Designed by Thrive. The page does not say who owns the finished site, so ask before you sign.11
Do these services handle health information in their forms?
Not by default: both template services point you to a paid add-on or tell you to keep health details out of forms. TherapySites lists “HIPAA-compliant” in Core’s features, but its FAQ says that term “refers to our innovative website editor,” and that every contact form carries a disclaimer that “strictly advises against submitting protected health information (PHI) through forms.”2 Its secure emails and forms add-on starts at $15 a month.1 Brighter Vision’s terms list storing data “regulated by the HIPAA Privacy Rules” among the things you may not do on its services; HIPAA email and forms come from Hushmail add-ons starting at $14.99 a month, and Flourish includes the forms.54 Credible by Design’s page for private healthcare practices says it connects your existing systems with health details kept out of website forms.13 Our guide on what a therapy contact form should ask covers the choice. This is not legal advice; for your own setup, ask the company in writing, your professional association’s ethics or legal line, or an attorney.
What does a custom website from a studio or freelancer cost?
The three studios we checked start at $1,499 to $3,500 up front, and what “custom” means differs between them. Empathysites builds ten pages “on the template you choose, customized to your fonts, colors, logo and photos.”6 Designed by Thrive sells a six-page Squarespace template for $3,000 and a nine-page “custom Squarespace website” for $6,000, and passes on 25% off your first year of Squarespace as a partner benefit.11 Credible by Design quotes solo sites from $3,500, group sites from $7,500 and custom platforms “typically from $15,000.”8 Its own cost guide tells buyers to ask for “domain renewal, hosting, email, scheduling software, and other recurring charges to be listed.”9
What should I ask before I sign?
Send these eight questions to each company and keep the written answers.
- What is the price after any promotion, and when does the promotion end?
- What is the contract length, and does my monthly price carry a minimum term?
- How do I cancel, by what date, and what would I still owe if I left in month 3 or month 13?
- Whose name is on the domain registration, and what does it cost to move it?
- Which content and files can I take with me, and in what format?
- Do I own the design and code, or is it licensed to me while I pay?
- Will you sign a business associate agreement, and for which features?
- Which recurring costs, such as hosting, email, scheduler and domain renewal, are in the price, and which are billed separately?
Which option fits which practice?
If price decides it, TherapySites Core is the cheaper fit than ours: $199 plus $69 a month is $1,027 in the first year, against $1,927 for our Foundations plan billed annually. The rest depends on what you want to own and how much you want to hand over.
- You want the lowest monthly price among the template services we checked. TherapySites Core, if you are comfortable with the contract and domain terms above.
- You want a design team and a published domain-ownership statement. Brighter Vision’s Start is $1,288 in the first year at its list price, and less while its sale runs; confirm the term first.
- You want a studio to build the site and keep looking after it for a monthly fee. Empathysites is $2,663 in the first year for its Design package, and ours is $1,927 billed annually. In both, the design is licensed rather than owned.
- You want to own the platform and will pay more up front. Credible by Design says you own the domain, the platform and the content, with solo sites from $3,500.
- You want to edit your own pages. None of these fit. A builder costs less; see our guides to website builders for therapists and to Squarespace, Wix and WordPress.
What do we do differently?
We design a custom site of up to 10 pages for your practice alone, “with no templates, page builders or pre-written copy,” for a one-time $499 design fee that is refundable for 60 days or until you approve a design direction. Foundations is $149 a month, or $119 a month billed annually, and includes hosting, security and upkeep, up to 30 minutes of edits a month and Search and AI basics. Email, booking subscriptions and other third-party fees are separate. Monthly billing has no minimum term. Annual billing is paid in advance, renews unless you cancel, and is not refunded if you leave partway, though we refund unused months if you close or retire your practice. We give at least 60 days’ notice of any price change. Your domain, photos, logo and content stay yours; the design and code are ours, licensed to you while you subscribe, as Empathysites’ are. A domain we register is in your practice’s name. If you leave, we send your content and page addresses within 10 business days and keep your site online for 30 days. Our sites collect no health information, so there is nothing for us to sign a BAA for. The full wording is on our pricing and terms pages.
When is Therapy Visibility the wrong choice?
We are the wrong choice if price decides it, because TherapySites Core and Brighter Vision Start cost less in the first year. We are also the wrong choice if you want to edit your own pages, because our sites are hand-built and have no editor to log in to. If you need more than 10 pages, are a larger group practice or need custom integrations, those get a separate proposal. And if you want to own the design and code outright, a studio whose contract says you own the platform fits better; Credible by Design’s page says that, and ours are licensed rather than owned.
Questions therapists also ask
Can I keep my domain if I leave TherapySites?
Yes if you registered it yourself and connected it. TherapySites says that with an existing domain “you can use it with TherapySites and retain ownership,” and that it charges no fees for externally registered domains. A domain it registered for you is owned by TherapySites until you pay the $15 transfer fee.2
Is a promotional price the one I will keep?
Not necessarily. Brighter Vision’s terms let it change fees on notice,5 and TherapySites’ FAQ says a promotion can commit you to several months.2 Ask in writing what the price is when the offer ends. Our own price changes need at least 60 days’ notice, and an annual price stays fixed for the year you have paid.
Do I own a website a studio builds for me?
Only if the contract says so. Empathysites says the design belongs to it and is licensed to you,7 Credible by Design says you own the platform and the content,10 and Designed by Thrive’s page does not say.11
Where to start
Pick the two or three that fit your budget, send them the questions above, and compare the written answers, including what you would owe if you left in month 3 and in month 13. If you would rather have a custom site built and looked after for one monthly price, find the plan that fits your practice: compare plans and pricing.
If you want a site built and kept for you, see website design for therapists.