Rula vs Grow Therapy for therapists
Choosing where to practice? What Rula's and Grow Therapy'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 Grow Therapy, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Both are free to join; Grow Therapy keeps 5% of private-pay sessions. Neither publishes what it pays per session. Rula credentials you with insurers and says timelines vary by state and payer; Grow Therapy credentials you with insurers and says it takes an average of 5-7 days (first payor); some payors take 2+ months and some beyond 6 months. Neither provides malpractice insurance: you carry your own policy with either.
Rula vs Grow Therapy: 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 |
| Grow Therapy | Own practice, it bills | Independent contractor (1099) | Free | No figure published | Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 0 |
Rula vs Grow Therapy, 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
Grow Therapy
Its pages do not say.Licenses
Grow Therapy
Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.The rate neither page prints
Rula and Grow Therapy 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 Grow Therapy for therapists: questions, answered
- Rula vs Grow Therapy for therapists: what is the difference?
- With both Rula and Grow Therapy, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Both are free to join; Grow Therapy keeps 5% of private-pay sessions. Neither publishes what it pays per session. Rula credentials you with insurers and says timelines vary by state and payer; Grow Therapy credentials you with insurers and says it takes an average of 5-7 days (first payor); some payors take 2+ months and some beyond 6 months. Neither provides malpractice insurance: you carry your own policy with either.
- Who pays more, Rula or Grow Therapy?
- Rula: Rula prints no pay figure. Grow Therapy: Grow prints no rate schedule publicly. 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 Grow Therapy 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. Grow Therapy: Grow says providers do not pay subscription fees, and its onboarding page says partnering has no fees or minimum visit requirements. Grow's payment policy for cash-pay appointments pays providers what the client paid, minus a 5% processing fee.
- How does credentialing work at Rula and Grow Therapy?
- 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. Grow Therapy: Grow handles credentialing and payor enrollment, adding you to its group contracts so you bill insurance through Grow; the enrollment does not transfer if you leave. Credentialing with Grow averages 5 to 7 days for your first payor. Further payors can take 2+ months to submit and some run past 6 months. You need at least one in-network payor before you are invited to the platform.
- How often do Rula and Grow Therapy pay therapists?
- Rula: Paid every other Friday by direct deposit through Wingspan, for sessions in the previous two weeks. Grow Therapy: Payouts start every Friday morning (ET) by direct deposit via Stripe, arriving in 1 to 3 business days.
- Are Rula and Grow Therapy therapists contractors or employees?
- Rula: Rula's therapists are 1099 independent contractors who operate as their own business, with no employer-provided benefits. Grow Therapy: Providers join as independent 1099 contractors and set their own schedule.
- Do Rula or Grow Therapy 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. Grow Therapy: You must carry individual professional liability insurance, generally at least $1 million per incident and $3 million aggregate (lower limits for NPs in CA and FL; $500k/$1.5M for NPs, MDs and DOs in IN and MDs and DOs in PA), with a certificate listing you as named insured. Grow recommends CPH Insurance.
- Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join Rula or Grow Therapy?
- Grow Therapy does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Rula's pages do not say.
- Can you see clients in person through Rula or Grow Therapy?
- 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. Grow Therapy: You can accept in-person sessions as well as virtual ones and set which days clients can book each.
Know when Rula or Grow Therapy 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.