Rula vs Alma for therapists
Choosing where to practice? What Rula's and Alma's own pages tell clinicians, side by side: how you work with each, what each charges you and keeps, what each says about pay, credentialing and malpractice, each fact linked to the page that says it.
With both Rula and Alma, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Rula is free to join. Alma charges $125 a month, or $1,140 a year, and keeps nothing from private-pay sessions. Neither publishes what it pays per session. Rula credentials you with insurers and says timelines vary by state and payer; Alma credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 45 days. Neither provides malpractice insurance: you carry your own policy with either.
Rula vs Alma: the short version
One line each. Open a platform for every fact it states.
| Platform | How you work with it | Contractor or employee | Cost to you | Pay it publishes | Insurance credentialing | Licenses | Open clinical roles today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rula | Own practice, it bills | Independent contractor (1099) | Free | No figure published | Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 0 |
| Alma | Own practice, it bills | Your own practice | $125 a month, or $1,140 a year | No figure published | Credentials you (up to 45 days) | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | No public job board found |
Rula vs Alma, fact by fact
Each platform in its own words, from its pages for providers, its provider help center and its own job postings. Where a platform's pages are silent, we say so.
How you work with it
Contractor or employee
Cost to you
Private-pay sessions
Rula
Its pages do not say.Pay
When you are paid
Insurance credentialing
Clients
Schedule and caseload
Malpractice insurance
In person
What it provides
Requirements
Where
Benefits
Alma
Its pages do not say.Licenses
Alma
Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.The rate neither page prints
Rula and Alma print no per-session rate: what you are paid depends on your license, your state and the client's insurer. Medicare's schedule is public, so it is the reference point to ask against.
| Session | LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCs | Psychiatric NPs, PAs | Psychologists, psychiatrists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90837 (60 minutes) | $125.25 | $141.95 | $167.00 |
| 90834 (45 minutes) | $85.43 | $96.82 | $113.90 |
Computed from CMS's fee schedule files and the shares in CMS's mental health booklet. Medicare adjusts every amount for where you practice, and commercial insurers set their own rates. Medicare rates in your state
Rula vs Alma for therapists: questions, answered
- Rula vs Alma for therapists: what is the difference?
- With both Rula and Alma, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Rula is free to join. Alma charges $125 a month, or $1,140 a year, and keeps nothing from private-pay sessions. Neither publishes what it pays per session. Rula credentials you with insurers and says timelines vary by state and payer; Alma credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 45 days. Neither provides malpractice insurance: you carry your own policy with either.
- Who pays more, Rula or Alma?
- Rula: Rula prints no pay figure. Alma: Alma does not publish what it pays or reimburses per session. Ask each for the rate for your license, state and insurers, in writing, before you sign. For reference, Medicare's 2026 national amount for a 60-minute session (90837) is $125.25 for an LCSW, LMFT or LPC, $141.95 for a psychiatric nurse practitioner and $167.00 for a psychologist or psychiatrist, before the adjustment for where you practice.
- Is Rula or Alma cheaper for therapists?
- Rula: Rula says joining and using it is completely free, with no minimum hours or caseload. The only deduction found is optional: in Wingspan, Rula's payout tool, an Instant payout deducts a fee while a Standard payout is free. Alma: Alma charges clinicians a monthly membership fee, printed on its blog as $125/month or $1,140 annually. Alma's pricing blocks offer annual billing at 25% off and say fees are subject to state sales tax, and a separate promotional landing page shows a first-year special. New members are told they get complimentary months while onboarding. Alma's FAQ says it takes no cut of your fee from visits with cash-pay clients: the income from cash-pay clients stays with you, and it charges only the membership fee.
- How does credentialing work at Rula and Alma?
- Rula: Rula runs credentialing and payer enrollment and credentials you under its group contracts even if you are already in-network on your own. You must keep your license, NPI, liability policy and CAQH profile current; re-credentialing happens about every 3 years. Rula's sign-up page says most therapists are credentialed and see their first client in 3 weeks or less, while its FAQ says payer timelines vary by state and payer. Alma: Alma collects your materials, submits them to payers and credentials you under Alma's Tax ID, even if you are already credentialed on your own. Credentialing can take up to 45 days after Alma receives the completed onboarding form.
- How often do Rula and Alma pay therapists?
- Rula: Paid every other Friday by direct deposit through Wingspan, for sessions in the previous two weeks. Alma: Alma says members can choose a weekly or bi-weekly payout schedule, and its insurance page lists a weekly payout schedule.
- Are Rula and Alma therapists contractors or employees?
- Rula: Rula's therapists are 1099 independent contractors who operate as their own business, with no employer-provided benefits. Alma: Alma says the practice stays yours.
- Do Rula or Alma provide malpractice insurance?
- Rula: Contractor therapists must carry their own professional liability insurance, a minimum of $1M per occurrence and $3M aggregate for non-prescribing therapists, renewed annually, as an individual policy. Alma: Members must carry their own professional liability insurance, $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate, covering the license they practice under.
- Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join Rula or Alma?
- Alma does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Rula's pages do not say.
- Can you see clients in person through Rula or Alma?
- Rula: Providers can opt in to see patients in person through Rula if they already have an office with an address. Rula also offers discounts on rented therapy rooms in California and Virginia. Alma: Alma lists rates for both teletherapy and in-person visits, and can add your physical office as a credentialed location.
Know when Rula or Alma changes its pay or terms
We re-check what every platform pays, charges and requires each month. When one changes, you get one short email saying what changed and where.
Paid AI-training work for clinicians
AI companies hire licensed clinicians as remote contractors to write and grade mental-health material for their models: 8 roles open today, at $45 to $155 an hour as posted.
Building your own practice instead?
The Practice Academy, from Practice of the Practice, is a paid membership with courses, coaching and a community for therapists starting or growing a private practice. Referral link: OnlineTherapy.me earns a fee from Practice of the Practice if you join through it. It never changes what these pages report about any platform.
Spending evenings on notes?
Blueprint is AI software for therapists that drafts progress notes, treatment plans and client letters, and handles claims and eligibility; it runs alongside the EHR you already use or as its own all-in-one EHR. Referral link: OnlineTherapy.me earns a fee from Blueprint if you join through it. It never changes what these pages report about any platform.