Guide · updated October 18, 2026
Headway vs Grow vs Rula for NPs: rates, fees and pay, compared
What insurers list for each platform's billing group, how each one pays you, fees, and where each operates. Sourced and dated.
Disclosure. NP Link is made by NP Collaborator, which has a business partnership with Headway. We wrote this comparison from public insurer price files and each platform's own public pages, list platforms A–Z, and link every claim so you can check it. Facts as of October 18, 2026; platforms change terms often.
The short version
- Widest coverage in our data: Headway, with listed 99214 rates in 13 states across 12 insurers.
- Highest median listed 99214: Headway at $134.30 (the median of its insurer-state cells).
- Highest median listed psychiatric intake (90792): Headway at $198.09.
- Rate visibility: all three show providers their rates in a portal. Headway's and Rula's public help pages don't ask clinicians to keep rates confidential; some Grow clinicians report a confidentiality clause.
- Fees and protection differ: Grow has no fee to join; Headway adds a $9.99 fee only on new marketplace clients (rolling out late 2026); Rula pays a flat per-visit amount and pays for no-shows and denied claims.
What a "listed rate" means here. Each platform bills insurers as its own group. The listed rate is what the insurer lists for that group in its price file, an estimate of what the platform is paid. It is not what the NP is paid, and the difference is not all kept by the platform (it also pays for billing, credentialing, software and support).
Listed rates, side by side
Cells = insurer-state pairs with the platform's listed rate and a solo-NP median from 5+ groups. "vs solo NP" = median of each cell's listed rate vs the solo-NP median in the same cell.
| Code | Platform | Cells | States | Insurers | Median listed | vs solo NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99214 | Grow Therapy | 14 | 6 | 9 | $125.41 | +12% |
| 99214 | Headway | 41 | 13 | 12 | $134.30 | +17% |
| 99214 | Rula | 16 | 6 | 9 | $117.91 | +5% |
| 90792 | Grow Therapy | 14 | 6 | 9 | $190.47 | +11% |
| 90792 | Headway | 42 | 14 | 12 | $198.09 | +16% |
| 90792 | Rula | 16 | 6 | 9 | $175.42 | +1% |
| 90833 | Grow Therapy | 14 | 6 | 9 | $77.03 | +14% |
| 90833 | Headway | 42 | 14 | 12 | $73.78 | +13% |
| 90833 | Rula | 17 | 7 | 10 | $75.39 | +13% |
How each one pays you
Grow Therapy
- How it pays you: Its own per-session rate, shown in the provider portal. No fee to join. [1]
- When: Weekly: payouts start Friday mornings via Stripe; insurance invoices are due by Thursday 7 PM ET. [2]
- Platform fee: None to join found in its help center. [1]
- Rate confidentiality: Some clinicians describe a confidentiality clause; we could not read the contract. [1]
- Posted NP pay: PMHNP posts: $72–$205/hr (Indiana, contract); $120–$161/hr (California). Seen Oct 5, 2026. [3]
Headway
- How it pays you: You see your rates in the portal (Settings → Billing → See rates); Headway says it keeps a small percentage of each session payment. [4]
- Platform fee: $9.99 per held session, only for new clients who found you on Headway's marketplace. Not charged for clients you bring (direct link), existing clients, health-system referrals or no-shows. Rolling out state by state; Headway's help center says it starts November 2026 and completes by the end of 2026. You can turn off marketplace visibility. [5]
- Rate confidentiality: Its public help pages don't ask providers to keep rates confidential. [6]
- Posted NP pay: PMHNP post (Pennsylvania): up to $193/hr, paid bi-weekly. Seen Oct 5, 2026. [7]
Rula
- How it pays you: A flat amount per visit, whatever the insurer pays Rula; Rula says pay is set from its payer contracts and passes increases on. [8]
- When: Bi-weekly on Fridays, with a preliminary invoice the Monday before. [9]
- Payment protection: Paid for client no-shows, late cancellations and denied claims, if notes are done within 48 hours. [10]
- Rate confidentiality: We found no public confidentiality rule for clinicians. [8]
- Posted NP pay: California post: $80 per 99213/99214/99215, +$40 for the 90833 add-on, $120 for a 90792 intake. [11]
Every 99214 cell
Listed rate for each platform's billing group, by state and insurer, next to the solo-NP typical rate. "—" = not listed with that insurer there, or too little data.
| State | Insurer | Grow Therapy | Headway | Rula | Solo NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | — | $106.94 | $94.50 |
| California | Ambetter | $156.34 | — | $163.78 | $102.45 |
| California | Cigna | $157.32 | $144.50 | $125.00 | $90.33 |
| California | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | $114.62 | $114.62 |
| California | Oscar Health | $129.31 | $134.30 | $114.62 | $114.62 |
| Colorado | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $102.25 | — | $86.35 |
| Colorado | Cigna | — | $144.50 | — | $82.79 |
| Colorado | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $109.17 |
| Florida | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $97.85 | — | $88.74 |
| Florida | Ambetter | $162.73 | — | — | $119.22 |
| Florida | Cigna | $157.32 | $144.50 | — | $80.56 |
| Florida | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $109.17 |
| Florida | Oscar Health | $121.21 | $118.50 | — | $109.17 |
| Illinois | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $90.82 | — | $81.26 |
| Illinois | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois | $123.25 | $123.25 | $123.25 | $123.25 |
| Illinois | Cigna | — | $144.50 | — | $116.00 |
| Illinois | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $109.17 |
| Illinois | Oscar Health | — | $134.30 | — | $114.62 |
| Michigan | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $98.41 | — | $97.95 |
| Michigan | Cigna | — | $144.50 | — | $89.57 |
| Michigan | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $109.17 |
| New Jersey | Aetna (CVS Health) | $115.37 | $81.45 | $86.70 | $53.25 |
| New Jersey | Cigna | $157.32 | $144.50 | $123.00 | $93.57 |
| New Jersey | Horizon BCBS NJ | $107.66 | $138.33 | $133.44 | $133.44 |
| New Jersey | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $114.62 |
| New Jersey | Oscar Health | $125.54 | $134.30 | $121.21 | $114.62 |
| New York | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $97.01 | — | $97.85 |
| New York | Cigna | — | $144.50 | — | $97.20 |
| New York | Empire BCBS | — | $83.16 | — | $78.54 |
| New York | Optum Behavioral Health | — | $134.30 | — | $120.08 |
| New York | Oscar Health | — | $134.30 | — | $120.08 |
| North Carolina | Ambetter | — | — | $125.44 | $110.03 |
| North Carolina | Cigna | — | — | $123.00 | $78.81 |
| Ohio | Ambetter | — | $91.49 | — | $91.49 |
| Pennsylvania | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $98.41 | — | $93.66 |
| Pennsylvania | Highmark | $107.98 | $108.16 | — | $110.85 |
| Pennsylvania | Oscar Health | — | $134.30 | — | $109.17 |
| Pennsylvania | UPMC Health Plan | $125.28 | $139.32 | — | $125.28 |
| Tennessee | BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | — | $94.92 | $94.92 | $91.12 |
| Texas | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $97.01 | $94.50 | $99.31 |
| Texas | Ambetter | — | $83.25 | — | $87.41 |
| Texas | BCBS of Texas | $86.64 | $87.39 | $80.93 | $90.75 |
| Texas | Oscar Health | — | $134.30 | $113.63 | $109.17 |
| Washington | Ambetter | — | $138.86 | — | $130.15 |
| Wisconsin | Aetna (CVS Health) | — | $102.53 | — | $82.25 |
| Wisconsin | Cigna | — | $144.50 | — | $79.02 |
Which fits you?
- You want the most insurers and states: check where each platform is listed in your state above; in our data Headway is listed in the most states and insurers.
- You want a predictable per-visit amount and no-show protection: Rula's flat rate and payment protection are built for that.
- You want no platform fee: Grow has no fee to join; Headway's $9.99 applies only to new marketplace clients, not clients you bring.
- Whatever you choose: compare the platform's pay with what insurers list for solo NPs in your state, and use the fee calculator to see what a per-session fee costs a year.
See every platform by state Check my rate
Sources
- https://help.growtherapy.com/en/articles/9680785-view-your-payor-rates
- https://help.growtherapy.com/en/articles/5574668-payout-earnings-faq
- https://talents.vaia.com/companies/grow-therapy/remote-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-pmhnp-21392496/
- https://headway.co/resources/headway-vs-alma
- https://help.headway.co/hc/en-us/articles/54117060370068-Understanding-the-marketplace-service-fee
- https://help.headway.co/hc/en-us/articles/8465814515348-Rates-and-agreements
- https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/licensed-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-headway-ny-JV_KO0,53_KE54,64.htm?jl=1010194266897
- https://therapistsupport.rula.com/hc/en-us/articles/22399884208795-Your-pay-rates
- https://therapistsupport.rula.com/hc/en-us/articles/22409679040539-Rula-therapist-payments-guide
- https://www.rula.com/psych-provider-sign-up/
- https://talents.vaia.com/companies/rula-health/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-pmhnp-remote-39894283/
- Insurer Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files, 2026 Q4, processed by NP Link (platform billing groups matched by tax ID and organization NPI).
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