Gale vs. Grow Therapy: Free to Join, But Who Holds the Contract?
Summary
Grow Therapy charges providers no monthly fee and credentials them fast — but under Grow's group contracts, and it keeps an undisclosed spread between what the insurer pays and what the provider receives. If you leave Grow, your enrollment does not transfer. Gale bills on contracts the provider holds under their own NPI, and earns one flat 3.5% all-in per paid transaction — only on claims that pay, and $0 in a zero-collection month.
By Gale Editorial · Updated 2026-07-08. Every figure cited to a dated source. How we write.
Grow Therapy pricing as cited: Free to join; no monthly fee to providers. Grow earns an undisclosed spread/percentage between the insurer's reimbursement and the provider's payout — the fee split is not disclosed to providers. Provider payouts settle weekly via Stripe. Provider-reported per-session payouts run ~$70–$120+ for standard psychotherapy codes as of 2025–2026 (Grow provider help center; BellMedEx, accessed 2026-07-02) [1][2][3]
Where Grow Therapy may be the better fit
- —Fastest path onto insurance panels: Grow reports an average of ~5–7 days to credential with an initial payer [1] — far faster than the 90–180 days a solo provider spends credentialing independently [8]. A therapist launching from scratch can be billing insurance in about a week.
- —Built-in patient acquisition: Grow's consumer directory and client-matching actively route new patients to listed providers [7]. Gale has no referral channel.
- —Done-for-you insurance billing and benefits handling: Grow submits claims, verifies benefits, and pays weekly with no billing staff to hire [3][4]. A provider who does not want to run any billing infrastructure gets it handled.
- —Immediately available and proven: Grow is a live, scaled service with 17,000+ providers and bundled live AI notes and telehealth [5][6]. Gale is pre-commercial on synthetic data as of mid-2026.
- —Medicaid/Medicare and broad multi-state reach: Grow's group contracts extend into government payers and a wide set of states that are cumbersome to credential into individually [4].
What Grow Therapy charges providers
Grow Therapy is free for providers to join — no monthly subscription and no upfront credentialing fee 1Ref 1Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026).Enrollment and Credentialing FAQ.Providers are credentialed under Grow's group contracts; enrollment status does not transfer outside of Grow; average initial credentialing ~5–7 days, additional payers can take 2+ months3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays. It makes money the way Headway and Alma do: it credentials providers under its own group contracts with payers, receives the insurer payment, and remits a portion to the provider. The difference between the two — Grow's spread — is not disclosed to providers 2Ref 2Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026).Payout & Earnings FAQ.Grow pays providers a per-session payout after claims process; the fee split between Grow and the provider is not disclosed; payouts settle weekly via Stripe3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays.
Grow does not publish a percentage. It communicates what a provider takes home instead. Provider-reported payouts as of 2025–2026 fall roughly in these ranges by CPT code 3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays:
- 90791 (diagnostic intake): ~$100–$160+ per session
- 90834 (45–50 min psychotherapy): ~$70–$100+ per session
- 90837 (60 min psychotherapy): ~$80–$120+ per session
These vary by payer, state, and license. Because the fee split is not shared, a provider generally cannot reconcile their payout against the insurer's contracted rate without requesting a rate sheet from Grow's provider-success team 2Ref 2Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026).Payout & Earnings FAQ.Grow pays providers a per-session payout after claims process; the fee split between Grow and the provider is not disclosed; payouts settle weekly via Stripe3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays. Payouts settle weekly via Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays 3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays.
The contract-ownership question
Grow's credentialing FAQ is explicit: enrollment adds the provider to Grow's group contracts, and "your enrollment status won't transfer outside of Grow" 1Ref 1Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026).Enrollment and Credentialing FAQ.Providers are credentialed under Grow's group contracts; enrollment status does not transfer outside of Grow; average initial credentialing ~5–7 days, additional payers can take 2+ months. Providers join as 1099 contractors; the payer panels are tied to Grow's tax ID, not the provider's 4Ref 4Supanote Editorial (2026).Headway vs Grow Therapy: A Provider's Guide to Choosing the Right Platform.Both platforms free to join, revenue from a percentage of insurance reimbursement; 1099 contractor model with panels tied to platform tax ID (do not transfer); Grow pays weekly; Grow often requires clinical notes documented in-platform to support claims and audits. If a provider leaves, in-network status with Grow-managed payers does not follow them — they re-credential directly, which for a fresh individual application typically runs 90–180 days per carrier 8Ref 8PriceItHere editorial (2026).Medical Billing Service Cost: What Practices Pay in 2026.Independent individual credentialing typically takes 90–180 days per carrier.
Gale's model is the inverse. The clinician holds their own CAQH profile, their own NPI, and their own payer contracts; Gale acts as a billing agent under that existing authority. If a provider stops using Gale, the contracts, the NPI relationships, and the billing history stay with the provider. Gale tracks licensing and credentialing deadlines end-to-end, but never auto-attests — every attestation is reviewed and signed by the provider.
How Gale earns instead
Gale is practice-management software. The software is free — no subscription, no setup fee, no implementation charge.
Gale earns one flat 3.5% all-in per paid transaction, applied only to claims that collect. If a claim is denied and not recovered, Gale earns nothing on it. In a month with no collections, Gale's fee is $0. This is a scenario, not a guarantee: the absolute fee depends on your collections, payer mix, and denial rate.
For context, independent medical-billing services typically charge 5–10% of net collections 6Ref 6CareCloud Editorial (2025).Medical Billing Services Cost in 2025.Typical third-party medical billing service percentage-of-collections rate is 5–10%, varying by specialty, claim complexity, and volume. Gale's fee is a flat 3.5% of what the claim actually collects rather than a cut of your gross, and settles provider-direct via Stripe Connect — Gale does not hold or advance float. The key contrast with Grow is not the headline "free to join," which both share, but transparency and ownership: Gale's fee is itemized against a known cost and applies only to paid claims, and the provider holds the payer relationship.
AI notes, telehealth, and the built-in features
Grow launched AI-assisted clinical documentation on February 20, 2025 — ambient listening that drafts structured notes for the provider to audit and approve, plus AI visit summaries for clients 5Ref 5Grow Therapy / PR Newswire (2025).Grow Therapy Launches AI-assisted Clinical Tools to Enhance Client and Provider Experience.Published February 20, 2025; Grow launched AI-assisted ambient clinical notes and AI visit summaries; more than 17,000 providers in network at launch; encrypts data and does not retain raw transcripts long-term; requires therapist and client consent6Ref 6CareCloud Editorial (2025).Medical Billing Services Cost in 2025.Typical third-party medical billing service percentage-of-collections rate is 5–10%, varying by specialty, claim complexity, and volume. At launch Grow reported more than 17,000 providers in its network 5Ref 5Grow Therapy / PR Newswire (2025).Grow Therapy Launches AI-assisted Clinical Tools to Enhance Client and Provider Experience.Published February 20, 2025; Grow launched AI-assisted ambient clinical notes and AI visit summaries; more than 17,000 providers in network at launch; encrypts data and does not retain raw transcripts long-term; requires therapist and client consent. The AI tools are bundled and work inside Grow's telehealth and provider portal; Grow says it encrypts data and does not retain raw transcripts long-term 5Ref 5Grow Therapy / PR Newswire (2025).Grow Therapy Launches AI-assisted Clinical Tools to Enhance Client and Provider Experience.Published February 20, 2025; Grow launched AI-assisted ambient clinical notes and AI visit summaries; more than 17,000 providers in network at launch; encrypts data and does not retain raw transcripts long-term; requires therapist and client consent6Ref 6CareCloud Editorial (2025).Medical Billing Services Cost in 2025.Typical third-party medical billing service percentage-of-collections rate is 5–10%, varying by specialty, claim complexity, and volume. One trade-off reviewers note: Grow's AI summarization is tied to a structured note type, and Grow often requires clinical notes to be documented in-platform to support claims and audits 4Ref 4Supanote Editorial (2026).Headway vs Grow Therapy: A Provider's Guide to Choosing the Right Platform.Both platforms free to join, revenue from a percentage of insurance reimbursement; 1099 contractor model with panels tied to platform tax ID (do not transfer); Grow pays weekly; Grow often requires clinical notes documented in-platform to support claims and audits.
Gale bundles the Jefferson AI scribe at $0/month. It drafts SOAP notes for provider review; audio is deleted after transcription, with an on-device option that keeps audio local. Gale's records are the provider's, exportable, not locked to a note format required for a group-contract audit trail.
Gale is pre-commercial. As of mid-2026 it runs on synthetic demonstration data only — no real patient claims, no live payer contracts, no settled payments. Grow is a live, scaled commercial service. A clinician who needs to bill insurance this month should not choose Gale on that basis today.
What a review of Grow's own public provider directory shows
Gale reviewed 2,646 unique provider profiles published on Grow Therapy's public directory (growtherapy.com), collected in July 2026 across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The review used only the structured data Grow server-renders on its own directory and profile pages, and excludes the paginated search endpoint Grow's robots.txt disallows — so this is the front-facing directory Grow surfaces to prospective clients, not its full roster, which Grow's own listings report to be far larger 9Ref 9Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026).Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.).Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5). Read as aggregates about Grow's public provider base, three things stand out.
Self-pay cash prices are patient-facing, and sit above the insurance payouts discussed earlier. These are the per-session rates a client without applicable coverage is quoted — not the insurance-reimbursement payout a provider receives, which is the separate, undisclosed-spread figure covered above. Across the sample the median self-pay cash price was $140 (mean $148). In the two largest states it ran higher: California at a $160 median (mean $174, n=259) and New York at a $150 median (mean $172, n=191) 9Ref 9Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026).Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.).Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5). A listed cash rate frequently exceeding the reported ~$70–$120 insurance payout for the same psychotherapy codes 3Ref 3BellMedEx Editorial (2026).Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes.Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays is the same spread, seen from the client's side.
Nearly every listed provider also accepts insurance. Of the 2,644 profiles that list any payment method, all 2,644 accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; cash-only listings were effectively absent from the directory sample 9Ref 9Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026).Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.).Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5). This is consistent with the insurance-first model described above — Grow's directory exists to route insured clients to in-network providers.
The directory skews to common outpatient presentations and a mix of therapists and prescribers. Anxiety appears on 91.5% of profiles and depression on 81.8%, followed by coping skills (51.9%) and trauma/PTSD (51.5%) 9Ref 9Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026).Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.).Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5). By credential, the most frequent licenses are PMHNP (25.4%), LCSW (25.1%), and LPC (18.1%) — a roughly even split between prescribing psychiatric nurse practitioners and master's-level talk therapists, reflecting that Grow enumerates both talk-therapy and medication-management providers. Median experience across the sample was 10 years (mean 11.5) 9Ref 9Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026).Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.).Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5).
Common questions
Keep reading
How Practice Software Charges: Flat Fee vs. Percentage of Collections vs. Network Rake · Free EHR: What "Free" Really Means (and the Catch to Watch For) · AI Medical Scribe, Included — No Monthly Fee · Medical Billing & Claims: Pay Only When You Get Paid · Revenue Cycle Management for Solo and Small Practices · Insurance Credentialing, Tracked End-to-End (Never Auto-Attested) · How to Get Credentialed With Insurance: A 2026 Guide · Own Your Insurance Contracts: Portability for Independent Clinicians · How to Start a Private Practice: The 2026 Checklist · EHR + AI Scribe for Therapists and Counselors · EHR + AI Scribe for Psychiatry and Psychiatric NPs · Gale vs Headway: Keep Your Rate, Keep Your Contracts · Gale vs. Alma: The Real Cost of Membership and the Insurance Spread · Gale vs SimplePractice: An Honest Comparison · Gale vs athenahealth: An Honest Comparison · Gale vs Freed: Bundled Scribe vs Scribe-Only
Run your practice on Gale
The software is free. Gale earns one flat 3.5% all-in per paid transaction — only on transactions that actually pay. No subscription, no setup fee, no network cut.
Start or manage a practice →References
- 1.Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026). Enrollment and Credentialing FAQ. help.growtherapy.com. link ✓Providers are credentialed under Grow's group contracts; enrollment status does not transfer outside of Grow; average initial credentialing ~5–7 days, additional payers can take 2+ months
- 2.Grow Therapy Provider Help Center (2026). Payout & Earnings FAQ. help.growtherapy.com. link ✓Grow pays providers a per-session payout after claims process; the fee split between Grow and the provider is not disclosed; payouts settle weekly via Stripe
- 3.BellMedEx Editorial (2026). Grow Therapy Reimbursement Rates by State, Session, and CPT Codes. BellMedEx. link ✓Grow is free to join, no monthly fee; undisclosed fee split/spread on insurance; provider payout ranges by CPT (90791 ~$100–160+, 90834 ~$70–100+, 90837 ~$80–120+); weekly Stripe direct deposit, typically Fridays
- 4.Supanote Editorial (2026). Headway vs Grow Therapy: A Provider's Guide to Choosing the Right Platform. supanote.ai. link ✓Both platforms free to join, revenue from a percentage of insurance reimbursement; 1099 contractor model with panels tied to platform tax ID (do not transfer); Grow pays weekly; Grow often requires clinical notes documented in-platform to support claims and audits
- 5.Grow Therapy / PR Newswire (2025). Grow Therapy Launches AI-assisted Clinical Tools to Enhance Client and Provider Experience. PR Newswire. link ✓Published February 20, 2025; Grow launched AI-assisted ambient clinical notes and AI visit summaries; more than 17,000 providers in network at launch; encrypts data and does not retain raw transcripts long-term; requires therapist and client consent
- 6.CareCloud Editorial (2025). Medical Billing Services Cost in 2025. CareCloud. link ✓Typical third-party medical billing service percentage-of-collections rate is 5–10%, varying by specialty, claim complexity, and volume
- 7.Grow Therapy (2026). Paying for therapy guide: What does it cost and how does it work?. growtherapy.com. link ✓Grow is subscription-free and pay-per-session for clients; with insurance sessions typically $0–$50; self-pay/sliding-scale sessions most often $75–$200; accepts 100+ health plans
- 8.PriceItHere editorial (2026). Medical Billing Service Cost: What Practices Pay in 2026. priceithere.com. link ✓Independent individual credentialing typically takes 90–180 days per carrier
- 9.Gale Editorial (first-party analysis) (2026). Aggregate review of Grow Therapy's public provider directory (2,646 profiles, 50 states + D.C.). Gale — analysis of growtherapy.com public directory. link ✓Gale's own computed aggregates over 2,646 unique Grow Therapy provider profiles collected July 2026 from Grow's server-rendered public directory/profile pages (robots.txt-compliant; the disallowed provider-search pagination endpoint is not called, so this is the front-facing directory sample, not Grow's full roster): median self-pay cash price $140 overall (mean $148), $160 median CA (n=259), $150 median NY (n=191) — patient-facing self-pay rate, not insurance-reimbursement payout; 2,644 of 2,644 payment-listing profiles accept at least one insurance plan alongside cash; top specialties anxiety 91.5%, depression 81.8%; top credentials PMHNP 25.4%, LCSW 25.1%, LPC 18.1%; median 10 years experience (mean 11.5)
https://www.gale.care/for-providers/compare/grow-therapy · 9 sources. Competitor details are cited to dated public sources and maintained as they change; figures are estimates, not commitments. Synthetic demonstration.