Alma vs. Grow Therapy: Which Online Therapy Platform is Right for Me?

Alma vs. Grow Therapy for finding a therapist

If you’re looking for a therapist, both Alma and Grow Therapy can help connect you to qualified clinicians — but there are some notable differences between the two platforms. Overall, Grow Therapy may be ideal for you if you’d like to book a first session as soon as possible, while Alma is probably the best choice if you’re looking for a therapist who fits your needs.

Waffling between the two? Below is a quick feature comparison, followed by a deep dive into how the platforms compare.

Size of provider network

When it comes to helping people find the perfect therapist, platforms like Alma and Grow Therapy require a large network to be useful. The more providers in the system, the greater the chances you’ll be able to find one who ticks all the boxes when it comes to your needs and preferences.

Size of provider network: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma’s network currently includes more than 21k+ providers across 50 states, whereas Grow Therapy includes 12k+. Both platforms are growing quickly, which means these numbers are likely to continue rising.

When searching for therapists in different states across insurance plans, Alma consistently turns up more providers. For example, a randomly selected search for a therapist in Arizona who accepts Aetna insurance and specializes in treating anxiety turns up 117 therapists on Grow Therapy and 745 in Alma.

Search filters

How do you find the right therapist for you from a pool of hundreds? It’s all about the number of filters. Just like when you’re searching for shoes on Zappos, the more filters a platform offers, the more likely you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Search filters: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Both Alma and Grow Therapy allow you to start your search from their homepages, but to access the best search experience — i.e. the most filters — on either platform, select “Find a Therapist” from the top nav bar.

Grow Therapy starts with a MadLibs style sentence where you feel in 3 “blanks” to indicate your location, insurance, and the type of issue you’re looking to address. You’re then shown a list of providers who fit that criteria.

From there you can filter between virtual, in-person, and hybrid; talk therapy and medication management; and treatment methods (aka therapeutic approach). If you select “more filters,” you can narrow down by gender, ages treated, identities (ranging from religious to gender), languages and availability (i.e. days of the week and AM vs. PM).

Alma offers two different ways to search their directory. You can either browse or select “help me find care” for a more guided search experience (see below).

Guided search

A guided search experience uses a questionnaire-style format to help direct you toward a shorter list of therapists who are likely to fit your specific needs. This can feel like a more human experience and can introduce you to modalities of therapy that you might not be aware of.

Guided search: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

At this time, Grow Therapy does not offer a guided search. Alma’s guided search first prompts you to select up to three areas that you’d like to focus on during therapy. The list of menu items here is comprehensive and ranges from specific mental health conditions to relationships, learning and development, and physical health and well-being.

Next, you can select the therapeutic approach you’d like your provider to take, or select “I’m not sure yet.” “Popular options” include cognitive and behavioral therapies and insight-oriented therapies, with brief descriptions of each. A list of more approaches includes trauma-focused therapies and mindfulness-based therapies.

Additional questions cover preferences related to your therapist’s identity, including gender identity, faith, and race. The end-result is a shortlist of providers who are likely to be a solid match for you.

Provider profiles

Now comes the most rewarding or disappointing part of the process — when you see a list of profiles for therapists who fit your criteria. Profiles are where things get personal. Finally, there’s a face and extensive bio, so you can start to imagine whether or not you could work with this person.

Provider profiles: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Both Alma and Grow Therapy’s therapist profile pages include a Q&A, with some questions standard across profiles. Responses are written by the therapists, which gives you a sense of their voice and personality, and what they want to emphasize about their practice.

Because Alma’s search process includes more filters, the information you see about the therapist is more tailored – for example you see a confirmation that they take your insurance vs. a list of accepted insurances.

On the therapist’s profile page, Alma also includes their cash-pay rates, a tool to check your estimated costs if you’re using insurance, and whether or not the therapist uses a sliding scale for people who can’t afford the full price of cash-pay sessions.

Grow Therapy profiles include a larger photo, which is nice, and terms that the therapist has selected to describe themselves like “warm” and “open-minded.” Overall, the profiles on both platforms are informative and inviting. Alma comes out ahead in terms of personalization.

Consultations

A consultation — usually provided free of charge — is an opportunity to meet with a therapist and be sure you “click” before scheduling a paid visit. Even though it takes more effort, it can help to have consultations with a few providers so you can compare your options and choose what’s best for you.

Consultations: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Within a therapist’s profile on Alma, there is a button to “request a consultation” as the next step. The form to request a consultation asks for basic information and a few sentences about what brings you to therapy. It also states when a response from the therapist can be expected, typically within 2-3 days. Consultations are almost always free through Alma.

Unlike Alma, Grow Therapy does not offer consultations. Instead you’re prompted to book a first session. In order to book, Grow Therapy requires insurance/payment information, email address, and mailing address.

Whether you’re on a budget or just want to be sure you like a therapist before committing to a first session, a consultation makes a lot of sense. Alma clearly comes out ahead in this category.

Pricing

No one wants to pay for therapy out of pocket if they don’t have to. On average, an in-person, cash-pay session ranges from $100 to $250, while online cash-pay sessions are $85 to $135.

For those with insurance, co-pays can be as low as $5. Some therapists offer to bill on a sliding scale so that people who might not otherwise afford therapy can get quality care.

Pricing: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Both Alma and Grow Therapy make it easy to find in-network providers and then offer a tool where you can enter your member ID number and see your estimated costs per session. Of course, what you’ll actually pay will depend on your co-insurance, whether you have a deductible, and if you’ve met that deductible (when in doubt, call your insurance to check).

Provider profiles on Alma and Grow Therapy also list cash-pay rates, so if you’re paying out-of-pocket, you’ll know what to expect.

One point of difference is that Alma’s therapist profiles also indicate if a provider offers a sliding scale for people who can’t afford their cash rate.

Alma vs. Grow Therapy for finding a therapist: The bottom line

Overall, Alma’s therapist search is more detailed, and the guided search makes it easy to narrow down your list of providers from thousands to a handful, depending on your location.

Alma’s search filters are more detailed, and also include helpful descriptions of different therapeutic approaches. Alma also has a much larger network of therapy providers, giving you more options to explore and choose from, and the free consultations help ensure a good fit.

Grow Therapy wins out when it comes to fast booking, though it has fewer providers to choose from. One of the platform’s best features is that you can see exactly when a provider has upcoming openings in their schedule.

Both platforms are a huge improvement over searching through insurance or using Psychology Today. Ready to find a therapist who fits your needs? Get started with Alma.

Alma vs. Grow Therapy: Which Is the better platform for therapists?

Alma and Grow Therapy offer robust EHR tools and functionality designed to increase practice efficiency for busy clinicians so they can focus on providing care to their clients. Both platforms support evidence-based treatment planning, symptom monitoring, streamlined client intake, and secure data management. Additionally, they offer features to simplify insurance billing, clinical documentation, and building a thriving caseload to elevate your practice.

As the premiere platform for mental health clinicians, Alma offers faster insurance credentialing and payouts as well as more holistic support for your career and practice.

Insurance credentialing and claims processing

Credentialing not only proves that a clinician is qualified to see patients and has the education and background that they claim to have, it also enables clinicians to see patients who are in-network with specific insurance providers. Getting independently credentialed with insurance plans in one or more states is labor-intensive for clinicians and can take months.

Submitting insurance claims is also an ongoing challenge for clinicians and dealing with clawbacks can be especially time-consuming.

Platforms like Alma and Grow Therapy can make both credentialing and claims processing faster and easier.

Insurance credentialing and claims processing: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma allows providers to get credentialed within ~45 days (3x faster than individual payer applications) and offers significant support with multi-state credentialing. Alma also makes it easy to accept clients anywhere you’re already licensed.

Alma handles all of the insurance paperwork, from the eligibility checks conducted before every appointment to seamless claims submissions. Alma members also enjoy fast payment — issued within just two weeks.

Getting credentialed at Grow Therapy can take longer, on average 2 to 5 months. Grow Therapy also offers multi-state licensing support and hassle-free claims submission and processing, with payment for insured clients taking up to 3 weeks.

While Grow Therapy does complete a single benefits eligibility check for clients, it does not offer the ongoing eligibility checks provided by Alma.

Client intake process

The clinical intake process is a critical first step in the provider-client relationship. It allows clinicians to get a headstart by quickly getting up to speed on their client’s health status, laying the foundation for a successful relationship.

Client intake process: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma offers a simple and streamlined client intake process. Ready-to-send intake forms include consent forms, a notice of privacy practices, a clinical intake questionnaire, and key assessments. Alma members are currently able to customize consent forms and will soon also be able to customize the intake questionnaire. Clients complete all forms within Alma’s secure portal.

Grow Therapy provides a similar suite of standardized intake forms, though they are not able to be customized at this time.

Clinical assessments

Clinical assessments serve as a source of truth for providers in two ways. They not only enable them to objectively diagnose clients who may be experiencing a variety of symptoms, they also offer clinicians an avenue to understand how these symptoms change over time.

Clinical assessments: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Providers value being able to measure client progress, but many don’t consistently reassess clients with heightened symptoms. With everything else going on, it can be challenging to remember to send assessments at the proper intervals.Alma solves this issue with customizable automatic reassessments. Providers can set up assessments to be sent to clients via the portal at a frequency of their choice. If any results indicate heightened or at-risk symptoms, clinicians receive a notification. Alma members can also visualize client progress over time with an easy-to-use graph.

Grow Therapy currently offers several digital assessments for providers: the PHQ-9, the GAD-7, a QOL questionnaire, the CAGE-AID substance use, and a Therapeutic Alliance assessment to evaluate the provider-client relationship. By default, all measures are re-sent every three appointments, with the exception of the Therapeutic Alliance assessment. As with Alma, clinicians have the option to adjust this frequency.

Grow Therapy also offers a graph that allows clinicians to view a client's progress over time.

Treatment plans

Writing treatment plans from scratch eats up time that you could be using to meet more patients or work on growing your business. Alma and Grow Therapy each offer different options for treatment plans.

Treatment plans: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma offers Wiley Treatment Planners. You start by identifying the presenting problems (or diagnoses). From there, you can select different behaviors, goals, objectives, and interventions associated with that diagnosis. This allows you to customize the treatment plan based on the client’s needs and progress.

For Alma members, Wiley Treatment Planners are seamlessly integrated within the portal alongside progress notes and client intake. This allows you to spend less time navigating paperwork in different places so you can invest more time into providing care.

Grow Therapy offers a treatment plan template. Grow Therapy members can access this treatment plan and update it as often as necessary to ensure the interventions are still appropriate for the client’s needs.

Insurance payouts

Nobody wants to wait months to be paid for their work. And as any therapist will tell you, dealing with insurance can be a major pain.

Insurance payouts: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma handles all of the paperwork, from eligibility checks to claims submissions, with payment within two weeks of each appointment.

Processing successful cash payments with Grow Therapy takes less time (about a week), but insurance claims typically take two to three weeks to process. Like Alma, Grow Therapy takes care of any issues with claims.

HIPAA-compliant telehealth

Although many people prefer meeting their therapist face to face, giving the option to do telehealth sessions opens you to more potential clients. But you need a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform to do this; the ones you use for everyday video calls with family and friends often don’t cut it.

HIPAA-compliant telehealth: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Both Alma and Grow Therapy members have a HIPAA-compliant telehealth video platform included in membership at no extra cost.

Secure documentation

Clinicians must store client paperwork in a secure, HIPAA-compliant location, and need an easy solution for documentation management and transfer.

Secure documentation: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Both Alma and Grow Therapy store client paperwork in a HIPAA-compliant portal, and make it easy for clinicians to export their documentation if they ever choose to leave the platform. In addition, Alma offers secure AI progress notes, while Grow Therapy is partnering with OpenAI to create AI-enabled summaries for certain providers.

Growing your practice

Joining an online therapy platform doesn’t guarantee that your business will take off. Some platforms offer better exposure to help you grow your business

Growing your practice: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Broadened exposure through Alma’s directory helps you get referrals and build your caseload. Their marketing team also uses social media, partnerships, insurance directories, and more to get your profile in front of more qualified potential clients.

Grow Therapy offers to cover the cost of its member profiles on different directories and sites. They also use various advertising efforts to attract prospective clients to providers.

Continuing education

Most licensed mental health professionals are required to take continuing education (CE) to ensure they stay on top of the latest research and continue to broaden and deepen their expertise. Earning CEs can be both time-consuming and costly. Platforms like Alma and Grow Therapy aim to make it easier and more affordable for providers to fit CE into their schedules and budget.

Continuing education: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma’s Education Center, which is accredited by the APA, NASW, and NBCC boards, offers free continuing education to the majority of its therapist members. Live and on-demand courses are offered on a range of theoretical orientations and focus on a diverse mix of presenting concerns and client populations.

Grow Therapy works with external partners PESI, Violet, and Triad to offer qualifying providers free CEU opportunities.

Community support

Many therapists work alone, which can leave you feeling isolated or turning to Google for advice. It’s far better to talk to fellow clinicians who have been in your shoes and who can address your specific needs. That’s where forums, workshops, and other resources can make a difference. You can get qualified advice without having to leave your office.

Community support: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma clinicians gain access to a members-only platform, where they can take advantage of peer consultation groups, clinical interest groups, and identity groups. They’re also able to grow their practice by setting up exclusive partnerships for referrals, and enjoy exclusive access to expert-led webinars and workshops.

Members of Grow Therapy are invited to join their community, where they can connect with other providers for advice and support and also attend networking events and expert talks.

Pricing for clinicians

Services like Alma and Grow Therapy can help clinicians save a significant amount of time and money building and maintaining their practice, but it’s important to consider their cost and determine whether it’s worth the benefits. Understanding how these platforms make money can also factor into decision making.

Pricing: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?

Alma collects a membership fee of $125/month or $1,140 annually directly from its clinician members. Because Alma is dependent on clinicians to run their business, they are committed to creating a seamless, high-quality member and client experience. Alma partners with members when building tools and features and makes ongoing improvements based on their feedback.
Free to join for clinicians, Grow Therapy does not rely on membership fees or member satisfaction for income, and instead makes money through its partnerships with insurance companies.

The bottom line for therapists

Alma and Grow Therapy’s EHR tools can increase practice efficiency for providers while freeing them from timely administrative tasks so they can focus on providing care to their clients.

While Alma and Grow Therapy are similar in a number of ways, Alma stands out as the premiere solution for providers due to faster credentialing and payouts, access to Wiley Treatment Plans and AI-assisted progress notes, in-platform continuing education, and a more holistic approach to supporting clinicians.