SonderMind vs Headway for therapists
Choosing where to practice? What SonderMind's and Headway'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 SonderMind and Headway, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. SonderMind is free to join. Headway is free to join, but charges $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026, and keeps 2.95% of private-pay sessions. SonderMind prints pay from $70-$88 per hour in its own job postings; Headway publishes no pay figure. SonderMind credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 120 business days to be fully credentialed in the additional plans; Headway credentials you with insurers and says it takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months to be approved. SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. Headway requires your own policy.
SonderMind vs Headway: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SonderMind | Own practice, it bills | Contractor or employee, by role | Free |
| Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 132 |
| Headway | Own practice, it bills | Your own practice | Free to join; $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026 | No figure published | Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 8 |
SonderMind vs Headway, 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
SonderMind
Its pages do not say.Pay
SonderMind
SonderMind prints hourly pay in its own contract job postings, one per state for therapists. Therapist ranges printed run from $70-$88 per hour to $111-$157 per hour depending on the posting's location, and the postings say rates are based on license type, session location and session types. Psychiatrist postings print hourly figures, mostly 'up to' amounts, from $230 to $330 per hour, and PMHNP postings print 'up to' $200 to $248 per hour. Two W-2 postings in Los Angeles print annual base salaries. Postings are live as of 2026-10-13 and can change or be removed.- $70-$88 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Huntsville, Alabama)
- $86-$106 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Anchorage, Alaska)
- $70-$92 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Tempe, Arizona)
- 61 more figures
When you are paid
Insurance credentialing
Clients
Schedule and caseload
Malpractice insurance
In person
What it provides
Requirements
Where
Benefits
Headway
Its pages do not say.Licenses
SonderMind
Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.The rate Headway does not print
Headway prints 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
SonderMind vs Headway for therapists: questions, answered
- SonderMind vs Headway for therapists: what is the difference?
- With both SonderMind and Headway, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. SonderMind is free to join. Headway is free to join, but charges $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026, and keeps 2.95% of private-pay sessions. SonderMind prints pay from $70-$88 per hour in its own job postings; Headway publishes no pay figure. SonderMind credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 120 business days to be fully credentialed in the additional plans; Headway credentials you with insurers and says it takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months to be approved. SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. Headway requires your own policy.
- Who pays more, SonderMind or Headway?
- SonderMind: SonderMind prints hourly pay in its own contract job postings, one per state for therapists. Headway: Headway 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 SonderMind or Headway cheaper for therapists?
- SonderMind: SonderMind's therapist job postings say clinicians pay no fees or membership charges and that the tools and resources are free. Headway: Joining is free, but Headway's help center announces a $9.99 service fee on every appointment with a new client who found you through its marketplace (its matching, its ads, its booking team, a connected health plan or health system, or its AI integrations such as ChatGPT), starting state by state in November 2026 and in every state by the end of 2026. The fee applies to insurance and private-pay sessions for as long as you see that client, and is deducted from your payout; clients you add yourself, clients who book through your direct link, and clients who reach your profile on their first visit from a search engine (not an ad) carry none. Headway's payout for a private-pay session deducts 2.95% of your session rate for payment processing and its cost of supporting the session. There is no fee when the client pays by bank account.
- How does credentialing work at SonderMind and Headway?
- SonderMind: SonderMind credentials you with its payers and lists you under its TaxID and group NPI; you agree to be credentialed with all eligible insurance partners. Approval into the SonderMind network automatically gives you credentials with its delegated networks in your state, and other plans can take up to 120 business days. This FAQ was last updated 2023-12-19; the join page says in-network care 'within weeks'. Headway: Headway credentials you itself with insurers through its own payer agreements; credentialing you completed on your own with a carrier is not honored through Headway. Headway's help center puts the wait for approval at anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months, and up to 8 weeks more for insurers to add you to their systems before you are paid.
- How often do SonderMind and Headway pay therapists?
- SonderMind: Bi-weekly pay for completed sessions and no-shows in each pay period; SonderMind says it does not wait for insurance claims to process before paying. Headway: Paid twice a month, on the 15th and the last day of the month.
- Are SonderMind and Headway therapists contractors or employees?
- SonderMind: SonderMind's clinician postings are mostly contract roles: its therapist, psychiatrist and PMHNP postings are listed as contract, and a psychiatrist posting says 'contract position (1099)'. Headway: You keep your own practice; Headway's pages describe providers keeping their practice in one place on Headway and do not describe them as its employees.
- Do SonderMind or Headway provide malpractice insurance?
- SonderMind: SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. This legal FAQ was last updated 2024-01-29. Headway: Every provider must buy their own professional liability insurance; minimum limits vary by state and license type. Headway does not require being named an additional insured.
- Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join SonderMind or Headway?
- SonderMind does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Headway's pages do not say.
- Can you see clients in person through SonderMind or Headway?
- SonderMind: Sessions can be in person or by telehealth, but SonderMind does not provide office space; therapists secure their own location for in-person sessions. Headway: You can see clients in person at an office location you list on Headway, as well as by telehealth. In-person visits in a client's home are not supported.
Know when SonderMind or Headway 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.