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Headway vs Grow Therapy: Which is best for your practice?

Deciding between Headway and Grow Therapy? Let’s break down the key differences and benefits to discover which is right for your practice.

May 9, 2025 • Updated on August 18, 2026

By the Headway Editorial Team • Clinically reviewed by the Headway Clinical Team

6 min read

By the Headway Editorial Team • Clinically reviewed by the Headway Clinical Team

Modern therapists are forced to wear many hats, juggling logistical tasks like credentialing, billing, and scheduling along with providing care. Given those demands, the right partner is everything for a provider looking to expand their practice. Therapists who wish to reach new patients and improve their daily operations have no shortage of mental health platforms and software providers from which to choose — and while it’s wonderful to have options, it can also be overwhelming to read reviews and figure out which one is right for your unique situation. 

Of course, there’s no single “best” option, as different platforms may work for different people or practices. That said, it’s helpful to understand the key differences among major players on the market so you can compare and contrast for yourself. This article will review common questions about the differences and similarities between Headway and Grow Therapy, so you can decide which is the best fit for you.

Key insights

1

Both Headway and Grow Therapy are free to join, partner with major insurance plans, and assist providers with crucial yet time-consuming administrative tasks like credentialing, billing, and scheduling.

2

Through Headway, providers can get credentialed and begin seeing patients in as little as two to four weeks, while Grow Therapy’s credentialing and enrollment process can take significantly longer — in some cases, two months or longer.

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A look into Headway

Headway’s mission is to increase access to affordable, high-quality mental health care across the U.S. It does so by making it easy and painless for behavioral health providers to accept insurance — which in turn makes it easy for prospective clients to find an affordable clinician who meets their unique needs. Today, Headway boasts the largest network of insurance-accepting providers in the U.S., working with more than 80,000 providers and 100 top insurance plans.

Prospective clients can search for providers using many different filters, from the state in which a provider practices and the insurance plans they accept to the mental health concerns they specialize in treating and the therapeutic modalities they employ. Headway providers practice in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and offer both talk therapy (either virtually or in-person) and medication management.

For providers, there are many benefits to joining Headway.

  • It’s completely free to join, giving providers a cost-effective and streamlined way to grow their practices — without signing on to recurring membership fees or minimum hour commitments.
  • Headway helps providers navigate headaches like credentialing, scheduling, documentation, and billing, so they can focus on offering great care while still enjoying consistent and competitive bi-weekly compensation.

When a new provider joins Headway, they can get credentialed to see patients in multiple states in as little as two to four weeks and receive one-on-one support throughout the onboarding process. Once providers are up and running, they also have access to perks like free continuing education resources and a robust EHR that includes documentation templates, an integrated telehealth platform, and much more.

A look into Grow Therapy

Like Headway, Grow Therapy links prospective clients with in-network providers in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. Clients can search by a provider’s location, accepted insurances, personal characteristics, areas of expertise, treatment styles, and more. Grow Therapy providers offer both talk therapy and medication management, and services are available virtually or in-person. The company also operates its own built-in, HIPAA-compliant telehealth and messaging platform, as well as a community portal.

Grow Therapy’s provider network is smaller than Headway’s. It works with about 26,000 behavioral health professionals, compared to more than 80,000 who are listed on Headway. Just like Headway, it’s free for providers to join Grow Therapy and the company assists with administrative tasks including credentialing, booking, and billing. Grow Therapy says the average credentialing process is complete in days, but adds that it can take two months or longer for some insurers, meaning potentially long wait times for providers getting started with the platform.

Are the benefits the same for therapists and prescribers?

Headway and Grow Therapy each support the needs of both talk therapists and prescribers. The platforms offer similar benefits for therapists and prescribers, including free marketing and the ability to reach clients in all 50 states; assistance with logistics like credentialing, booking, and billing; access to EHRs; and the freedom to practice and accept insurance in multiple states.

FeatureHeadwayGrow Therapy
PricingFree to joinFree to join
InsuranceWorks with 100+ top insurance plansAccepts many major insurance plans
CredentialingFully handles insurance credentialing for therapists, allowing credentials in multiple states in as little as 30 daysHelps providers with credentialing, but it can take two months or longer
EHR featuresBuilt-in EHR features with templates for note-taking and complianceOffers an EHR
Pay schedulePays therapists every two weeksPays therapists every week
ResourcesUp to 150 hours of free continuing education courses through Headway AcademyOffers free CEUs and manages profiles on Psychology Today to generate referrals for providers

So, which one’s right for you?

Your unique needs, as well as those of your practice, should determine whether you ultimately pick Headway, Grow Therapy, or another option on the market. Keep these factors in mind as you make your final decision.

Best for private practice

Headway and Grow Therapy both offer benefits to providers in private practice, but Headway stands out for its free and flexible platform, fast credentialing process, and attentive and personalized onboarding assistance. It’s a comprehensive, all-in-one tool for providers in private practice.

Best for new therapists

Therapists just starting out will benefit from the exposure that comes with joining Headway’s sizable provider network, which now includes more than 48,000 professionals who accept insurance. Headway’s fast credentialing process also makes it quick and easy for new providers to get up and running in only about a month, even if they wish to see patients in multiple states or accept multiple insurance plans.

Best for providers who take insurance

There’s a reason Headway has the largest network of insurance-accepting providers in the U.S.: the platform makes it easier than ever for providers to join and work with dozens of the nation’s top insurance plans, offering benefits for clinicians and clients alike.

In the end, it’s all personal preference

Therapists are as unique as the clients they see. What works well for one provider may not be the right fit for another, and that’s OK. Deciding which platform is the best option all depends on a provider’s personal needs, preferences, and areas of expertise.

How does Headway compare to other options?

Want to learn more about other therapy platform options so you can find the one that’s right for you? Explore our other comparison articles below.

Focus on providing care and let Headway do the rest

Providers who have Headway on their side get to focus on what they do best: caring for patients. Working with Headway is like having a personal assistant guiding you through every aspect of growing and managing your practice, without any financial or time commitments.

Headway takes tasks like marketing, credentialing, scheduling, and billing off of providers’ plates, and streamlines their day-to-day work with resources like free EHR features, documentation templates, and continuing education resources — all without charging a cent to join the nation’s largest network of insurance-accepting providers. Those benefits allow providers to focus on treating patients, with the confidence that nothing will fall through the cracks.

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This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.

© 2026 Therapymatch, Inc. dba Headway. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

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