Mental Health App Development 2025 | Features, Costs and Monetization

Every year, the demand for mental health app development grows, and it has grown more significantly due to the impacts of Covid-19. More and more people have resolved to use stress relievers and meditation apps to get through their day at home. However, given the delicate nature of the issues that these apps address, creating one is no easy task. In this article, we will share our knowledge and experience gained from creating our previously developed mental health app.

If you’re thinking about doing something similar or are a start-up owner who just happens to be interested in mental health app development, keep reading for tips, recommendations, and obstacles.

1. Mental Health App Market Overview

The state of mental health in America in 2023 is pretty concerning. According to Mental Health America:

• 21% of adults are experiencing mental illness – equivalent to 50 million Americans. 
• 55% of adults with a mental illness in the United States require treatment that is currently unmet.
• 16% of youth report suffering from one or more major depressive episodes in the past year, equivalent to 2,7 million people. But 60% of them didn’t receive proper treatment. 
• According to statistics, people suffering from mental health disorders constituted 20.6% only among US citizens.
• Depression leads to mental health illnesses in 3,8% of the population, and the figures are about to increase as people’s concern about psychological issues have risen by over 28% in Europe and the US.
• Cost is one of the key reasons people couldn’t access mental health services. 

On a global look, the statistics are also raising great attention:

• 322 million people worldwide live with depression (The Zebra). 
• Almost 800 million people are suffering from mental health disorders.
• The number of women who experience depression is twice the rate of men.

The pandemic has pushed individuals even more into a mental health crisis. Many people have had to deal with depression, anxiety, stress, or any other mental health problems when they have to stay home for a long period of time without interacting with the outside world.

Also according to an article from PRNewswire The mental health app development revenue will grow by 23.7% between 2019 to 2027.

Why Are Mental Health Apps So Popular Today?

Mental health has been at the forefront of the public’s attention in recent years. And the pandemic has only contributed to our already high levels of anxiety. According to Kaiser Family Foundation research, the number of adults in the United States suffering anxiety and/or indicators of depression doubled during the epidemic.

While the importance of mental health is becoming more widely recognized, many people are still hesitant to seek help from a therapist. There are numerous reasons for this:

• People cannot afford long-term treatment.
• Individuals can’t see a therapist regularly due to a lack of time.
• A lack of flexibility and the need to rearrange one’s schedule prevents the person from accommodating sessions.
• Finding a decent therapist is a difficult task.
• Some countries have limited access to therapists.
• Societies still view counseling as something only for “crazy” people and “lost causes.”
• People fear being found out and mocked for having a mental illness.
• An apprehension that a therapist will withhold mental health information.
• Many people feel awkward discussing profoundly intimate problems with a stranger.

Most of these concerns are addressed, at least in part, by mobile apps. Mental health app development provides greater flexibility and reduces the need to travel to a therapist’s office. Additionally, it’s also easier to hide trips to a counselor using an app than in person. The fact that individuals can have online sessions allows them to feel more relaxed in sharing their information. Not only that, these apps help people access treatment at a more affordable cost.

All of the above reasons explain why mental health app development is necessary for society.

2. Types of Mental Health Apps

Mental health is a broad topic, and no software can pretend to cover everything there is to know about it. Any software, whether an app or a website, should not do so – too much information and functionality do any service, be it an app or a website, clumsy and difficult to use.

Instead, it’s more practical for both users and developers to create mental health apps that fall into several categories. Customers benefit from categorization since it allows them to identify suitable solutions more quickly. The following types can be used to categorize mental health apps:

2.1. Mental Disorder Apps

Mental disorder apps are designed specifically for users fighting severe illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Apps of this kind usually use proven treatment methods, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), mood monitoring, mindfulness, and cognitive skills training.

Digital psychological help providers have significantly changed the mental health niche, offering alternatives to traditional therapy appointments or clinical treatment. Many patients can now feel free and secure with a 24/7 online doctor on their smartphones. Profound medical monitoring and live person–therapist communication make treatment easy for both parties.

Mobile health apps like MoodTools, MoodKit, Talkspace, and Happify are believed to provide valuable opportunities for dealing with depression. These are excellent examples of mental health app development as they were designed with the help of therapists and coaches.

2.2. Mental Self-Improvement Apps

Self-improvement apps aim to check general psychological health and relieve slight problems like stress, anxiety, negative thinking, frustration, and bad habits. These apps bet on meditation techniques or connect users with psychologists to ensure proper self-care solutions.

a. General Mental Health Apps

General-purpose apps specialize in maintaining users’ self-care through mood control and successfully implementing healthy habits. Mental health app development can include varied features in these products, such as specified questions, community features, and checklists.

The best examples of creating a mental health app for this purpose are What’s Up and 7 Cups of Tea.

For $150 per month, 7 Cups offers customers self-care guides, 24/7 chat with volunteers, and confidential communication with licensed specialists. Simultaneously, the What’s Up app provides a variety of self-care activities to help people cope with stress, anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions.

b. Apps for Addiction Recovery

Fighting bad habits on one’s own can become an unbearable load, so many people need external help to healthier their lives. Apps supporting addiction recovery provide trackers, helpful info, daily reminders, meditations, sharing experiences, and a supportive community. Good mental health apps for addiction recovery include Twenty-Four Hours a Day, Quit That!, and Squirrel Recovery.

c. Stress and Anxiety Apps

Stress, frustration, and anxiety stand among the most common problems modern people experience. Thus apps helping to tackle these issues are in high demand. With numerous relaxation techniques and effective motivational plans, services guarantee positive results that make their users feel comfortable again. The best applications to overcome stress are CBT Thought Record Diary, Mind Shift, Stop, Breathe & Think, and Smiling Mind.

Educational resources	Online libraries offering mental health-related materials; self-assessment apps
Mental health trackers	Apps that track users’ emotions sleep patterns, habits, and symptoms.
General-purpose self-help apps	Stress and moderate anxiety apps, as well as meditation and mindfulness apps
Mental disorder self-help apps	Apps aimed towards reducing the symptoms of one or more common mental illnesses.
Teletherapy apps	Apps that transfer treatment sessions from offline to online
Therapy supplement apps	When a therapist is involved, trackers and self-help applications are used to treat problems (and can provide therapists access to a user’s data).
Apps connecting patients	Apps resemble social networks or forums where persons with mental illnesses can share their stories and connect with others.

3. Steps To Develop Mental Health Apps

We’ve developed a tried-and-true method for creating a mental health app throughout the years. Here are the major steps to take from an idea to a successful launch, along with specific cautions to be aware of in the mental health app development market.

Step 1: Discovery Phase

When developing a mental health app, having a clear vision of the type of app you want to make is critical. You can start by answering the following questions:

• Is mental health the primary issue that the software addresses, or is it a side issue?
• Will your software cater to a specific user group?
• Will your app focus on a specific mental health issue, or will it be a general-purpose software that assists people in maintaining a healthy mind?
• Will you make a stand-alone app or one that works in conjunction with in-person therapy?
• What kind of app do you have in mind? Do you want to build a digital library, an assessment app, or an app that actively helps patients with features like meditation, mood tracking, and self-confidence affirmations? Or are you planning to develop a teletherapy app?

Who is the intended audience for your app? You must understand your target audience to find the market fit. Specific mental health concerns are more prevalent in certain demographics. A mental health app development initiative targeting children, teenagers, the elderly, LGBTQ+ individuals, or immigrants will differ from one aimed at the broader public.

Step 2. Conduct Competitor & Market Research

With approximately 20,000 mental health apps available in app stores, the mental health app development field presents fierce competition. One of the most important steps in developing a mental health app is to examine how others have succeeded and failed. Studying the most successful applications in your sector, as well as those that did not make it, can yield valuable insights.

You can use competitor analysis to identify the best and worst practices in your niche.

Step 3. Create A Detailed Plan

A business plan summarizes the study you did to develop your mental health app. Writing a comprehensive business plan will assist you in visualizing what you want to build and how you want it to function. This will lessen trial-and-error mistakes, speed up time to market, and reduce the cost of your mental health app development.

Step 4. Find The Right Developers

If you’re building an app from scratch, you’ll need to hire:

• Android and/or iOS developers
• Server-side developer
• UI/UX designer
• Quality assurance specialist
• Project manager

You can find separate freelancers or hire a software outsourcing company. However, keep in mind that medical apps are challenging in ways that require more than technical knowledge. Legal dangers, health authorities’ requirements, and expert recommendations are specific to the mobile app sector, particularly in the healthcare field. This is why we advocate enlisting the help of experts who have worked on health-related apps before. Considering healthcare app ideas or existing healthcare solutions can also inspire innovative features.

However, keep in mind that medical apps are challenging in ways that require more than just technical knowledge. There are legal dangers specific to mobile apps in the IT healthcare solutions sector and recommendations from health experts, and requirements from health authorities. This is why we advocate enlisting the help of experts who have worked on health-related apps before.

Step 5. Build An MVP

Launching a minimum viable product (MVP) allows you to complete the following objectives:

• Save costs
• Acquire your first users
• Test the application on users who aren’t developers
• Earn early revenue
• Enhance brand recognition before the full launch

Because an MVP is a condensed form of an app, it is less expensive and faster to develop, and launching your app with the promise of expanding and upgrading it can help you make income and establish your brand online. If you have your own practice, this money can develop further, and online recognition can lead to offline clients.

However, the most significant advantage of an MVP is the opportunity to get honest feedback from users who are interested in the app. When developing an app to assist people with mental problems, feedback is even more vital. A disruptive UX or sluggish performance will be even more of an issue for users who come to your app to feel calmer than it would be for the average user in other sorts of apps.

Step 6. Monitor & Analyze Performance

After launching your app, whether it is an MVP or a full product, you’ll need to continuously update and improve it to stay relevant. For your mental health app development, analyzing user engagement numbers will allow you to prioritize features based on what keeps users returning.

Using features like behavioral health app design can help in creating personalized experiences that retain users.

Step 7. Marketing Campaign

It’s difficult to exaggerate the value of marketing in terms of app performance. To attract users, you’ll need to advertise your mental health app wisely, even if it’s one-of-a-kind — perhaps it takes an original approach or offers a unique combination of features.

There are a number of ways to market your mental health mobile app, but we have narrowed them down the some of the most significant:

• Social media advertising
• App store optimization
• Content marketing on your company’s blog and on third-party platforms
• Press coverage in relevant publications
• Hiring influencers to advertise your app
• Noticeable presence on social media and mental health forums

Your marketing team will assist you in selecting a suitable strategy and marketing channels for optimum exposure based on the behavior and expectations of your target audience.

Step 8. Continue To Update Your App

Any app that does not receive upgrades and updates and those that do not keep up with advances and trends will eventually become obsolete. That’s why it’s critical to keep track of your mental health app’s performance, make data-driven improvements, and roll out updates to keep users engaged after it’s launched.

4. Mental Health App Features

Some of the elements listed below may be more significant than others, depending on the type of mental health app you’re creating.

Feature	Description
Onboarding	Guide users through the app step by step; consider using animated assistants to enhance engagement.
User Profile	Provide shortcuts to user data, progress, frequently used features, and settings in a user profile.
Settings	Allow users to customize their experience (notifications, themes, etc.) for a tailored feel.
Notifications	Use push notifications for reminders and gentle prompts to engage users.
Meditation	Include audio for guided or unguided meditation to support relaxation.
Mood Tracking	Enable users to log moods for managing disorders and understanding triggers.
Journaling	Offer journaling features as a relaxing activity often associated with mood tracking.
Sleep Tracking	Provide a tracker for sleep issues, allowing users to document sleep patterns and potential causes.
Medication Reminders	Add customizable reminders for users to take their medications.
Trigger Checkers	Allow users to note triggers that lead to anxiety or depressive episodes for better coping strategies.
In-app Support	Incorporate human assistance rather than chatbots for a more empathetic support experience.
Community Features	Facilitate peer support to help users feel less alone during their mental health journey.
Gamification	Implement games to distract users but avoid competitive elements that may induce stress.
Affirmations	Provide inspiring quotes and affirmations to uplift users’ spirits.
Favorites	Allow users to bookmark favorite features for quick access, improving user experience.
Matching Patients & Therapists	Enable connections between users and therapists based on issues, qualifications, and availability.
Dashboard For Therapists	Create a separate dashboard for therapists, possibly as a different app, to manage patient interactions.
Sharing	Allow mood and activity sharing on social media to foster community support and belonging.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning	Use AI to personalize activities and content based on user behavior and preferences.
Admin Panel	Include an admin panel for content management and monitoring user activities, typically as a web page.

5. How Much Does It Cost To Develop Mental Health App?

In this article, we’ve shown you a variety of mental health-related apps. And it would be a lie to claim that there is a single price that applies to all of them. However, we can provide estimates for development timelines and required specialists, which are the two aspects that have the most impact on costs.

The team you’ll need to develop a mental health app consists of:

• Project manager
• UI/UX designer
• Android developer
• iOS developer
• Backend developer
• 2–3 quality assurance specialists

A mindfulness app with extensive features like monitoring, analysis, audio content, and a bespoke admin panel, in our experience, can take a year to develop and cost anywhere from $80,000 to $150,000. However, we’re talking about an entire app, not an MVP.

A simplified self-assessment app can be constructed in two to five months (depending on the complexity of the evaluation) and will thus be much less expensive.

For a more accurate analysis of your financial requirements, consider consulting with healthcare app development companies that can provide insights into healthcare app development costs.

Using custom health app development strategies throughout the development process can enhance the app’s overall effectiveness, catering directly to the needs of your target audience.

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