Alma
paid
$125/month
Billing & Insurance · Comparison
Alma
Headway
Alma vs Headway for therapists
Editorially reviewedUpdated May 2026
The short answer
Two large insurance credentialing platforms competing on the same therapists. Headway is free to join and credentials in 30 days; Alma is $125/mo and credentials in ~45 days but reportedly pays 1-5% higher per session. Both cover all 50 states and now include built-in telehealth. The pick depends on whether you want low fixed cost (Headway) or higher per-session revenue with community resources (Alma).
Skip both if
Skip both if you primarily see Medicare or Medicaid clients neither platform supports those payers at scale. Skip Headway specifically if your priority is the highest possible reimbursement rate; the platform has historically cut rates for Optum-affiliated plans.
At a glance
The differences that matter
Side-by-side facts. Rows where the two tools differ meaningfully are highlighted.
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | $125 / mo | $0 / mo |
| Pricing model | paid | free |
| HIPAASame | Yes | Yes |
| Free trialSame | No | No |
| Target usersSame |
|
|
| Key features |
|
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| Integrations |
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Alma
- Pricing from
- $125 / mo
- Pricing model
- paid
- HIPAA
- Yes
- Free trial
- No
- Target users
- solo practice
- Key features
- Insurance credentialing
- Claims filing
- Client referrals
- Community
- Integrations
- SimplePractice
Headway
- Pricing from
- $0 / mo
- Pricing model
- free
- HIPAA
- Yes
- Free trial
- No
- Target users
- solo practice
- Key features
- Insurance credentialing
- Claims filing
- Fixed pay schedule
- Built-in EHR-lite
- Integrations
- SimplePractice
- Stripe
Pricing
What you actually pay
Starting prices and what they include. The cheaper tool is not always the better value.
Headway
free
$0/month
$125/mo less than the other
Honest assessment
Where each tool wins and loses
Based on hands-on testing. Both tools have real weaknesses worth knowing before you commit.
Alma
What works well
- Combines billing + marketing
- Community and peer support
- Predictable monthly cost
Where it falls short
- Monthly membership not for everyone
- Geographic coverage limited
Headway
What works well
- Free to therapists
- Removes credentialing friction
- Predictable pay schedule
Where it falls short
- Takes a percentage of insurance reimbursement
- Limited to in-network payors
In depth
The longer breakdown
Both platforms exist because direct insurance credentialing is painful, multi-month, and varies wildly by payer. They solve this by credentialing you under their group contract and handling claims, payouts, and patient matching.
Headway: free to join, credentialing in as little as 30 days, 48,000+ providers, available in all 50 states. Includes up to 150 hours free CEUs via Headway Academy and built-in telehealth (in limited release as of mid-2025).Investors include UnitedHealthcare/Optum and Cigna relevant because rate-setting may be influenced.
Alma: $125/mo membership (or $1,140 annually), credentialing in ~45 days, 21,000+ providers, all 50 states. Built-in telehealth, clinician community, professional development resources. Per multiple 2025-2026 sources, Alma's reimbursement rates are reportedly 1-5% higher than Headway's. Multi-state CAQH credential management is a real differentiator for therapists licensed in 2+ states.
On revenue math: if you see 20 insurance clients/week at an average $150 session rate, a 3% rate difference is roughly $360/mo in extra revenue. Alma's $125/mo fee pays for itself at that volume. At lower volumes Headway wins on net.
On the platform-disenchantment risk: both Headway and Alma cut Optum rates in late 2024, generating significant therapist pushback. Some therapists are leaving these platforms entirely to credential directly. If you go this route, treat the platform as a starting point not a long-term home and credential directly with 1-2panels in parallel as you build caseload.
On caseload mix: Headway focuses on commercial insurance. Alma supports a wider mix including some self-pay tracking. Both exclude Medicare/Medicaid.
Recommendations
Pick by what your practice looks like
Different practices need different tools. Here is how the choice changes based on your situation.
Solo practice
Headway. Free to join, fast credentialing, no monthly fee. The lowest-risk way for a solo therapist to test accepting insurance without commitment.
Group practice
Alma. Better at multi-state CAQH credential management and multi-provider workflows. The $125/mo per-clinician is offset by higher reimbursement rates.
Specialty focus
Alma. The clinician community, professional development resources, and 150-hour CEU library through Alma membership benefit specialty practitioners more than Headway's referral-only model.
Take it for a spin
Try them
Both tools offer free trials. The fastest way to confirm a fit is to run one real session through each.
Keep reading
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About this comparison
Editorially reviewed
This comparison was hands-on tested by our editorial team. Both tools were used on real workflows for a minimum of two weeks before this comparison was published.
- Last verified
- May 26, 2026Re-verified quarterly
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Some listings on Mytherapist Tools are paid placements, clearly labeled. Paid placement does not buy editorial recommendation. Our top picks are chosen on merit.