Starting a practice
Headway vs. Rula: Which is best for your practice?
Deciding between Headway and Rula? Let’s break down the key differences and benefits to discover which is right for your mental health practice.
December 5, 2025
7 min read
Running a therapy practice means balancing meaningful clinical work with time-consuming admin tasks, from credentialing and billing to scheduling and documentation. For many providers, partnering with a third-party platform can ease the burden, streamline workflows, and expand access to new clients. But with several national networks offering support and referrals, choosing the best fit can feel overwhelming.
There’s no single platform that works for every provider. Each offers its own unique mix of features, support, and flexibility. The best choice often depends on your goals, specialty, and preferred workflow. Understanding the differences in platforms can make the decision far clearer.
This guide compares two major insurance-based therapy networks: Headway and Rula. By reviewing their key similarities and differences, you’ll be better equipped to determine which platform aligns with your practice goals.
Key takeaways
- Rula is a nationwide network that matches clients with in-network therapists and handles credentialing and admin. It’s best for providers seeking a structured, outcomes-focused workflow with steady support.
- Headway is a large insurance-accepting provider network that streamlines credentialing, billing, and scheduling. It’s best for providers seeking fast onboarding, efficient workflows, and strong practice-growth tools.
- Both Rula and Headway simplify insurance-based practice, but Headway offers a broader network reach, while Rula is known for its high referral volume.
- One important distinction is autonomy vs. structure: Rula requires exclusive use of their EHR and templates, while Headway lets providers choose what works best for them.
An overview of each platform
For a deeper understanding of the differences between Headway and Rula, get acquainted with their key features.
A look into Headway
Headway aims to expand access to affordable, high-quality mental health care nationwide by removing the barriers that typically make accepting insurance so difficult for clinicians. By streamlining the insurance process for behavioral health providers, the platform makes it easier for clients to find in-network care that matches their preferences, needs, and budget. Today, Headway partners with tens of thousands of providers across all 50 states and works with dozens of major insurance plans.
Clients can browse Headway’s network using detailed filters — including location, specialty, insurance coverage, and therapeutic approach — to connect with a provider who feels like the right fit. Providers on the platform offer virtual therapy as well as medication management.
For clinicians, Headway offers several meaningful advantages. Joining is free, with no membership fees or hourly requirements, making it a low-risk way to grow a practice. The platform also takes on administrative tasks like credentialing, billing, documentation support, and scheduling, allowing providers to spend more time delivering care. While documentation templates are built in, Headway allows providers to use the methods that work for them.
Headway offers clear, reliable biweekly payouts and hands-on onboarding, including individualized support during the credentialing process. Once onboarded, clinicians also gain access to free continuing education and other professional resources.
A look into Rula
Rula is a national behavioral health network designed to make it easier for clients to access in-network mental health care. By managing some of the administrative barriers of insurance-based practice, such as credentialing, billing, and patient-matching, Rula also aims to help clinicians focus more on care and less on logistics. The platform works with major commercial insurers and supports therapists and psychiatric providers throughout the United States. It’s known for its high client referral volume.
The platform matches clients with licensed professionals who meet their needs, whether they need virtual therapy, in-person sessions in select locations, or medication management. The company’s care model is built around measurement-based outcomes, so clients and clinicians can track progress over time. Rula requires exclusive use of their EHR and templates for all providers.
Providers who join Rula pay no membership fee. The platform handles key tasks like insurance enrollment, scheduling, and submitting claims. Rula also offers biweekly payment and covers clinicians for last-minute cancellations or claim denials. The platform provides professional development resources, such as clinical consultations and access to podcast-based continuing education. Reimbursement rates and credentialing timelines vary by state and other factors, but Rula aims to simplify entry into insurance-based practice.
Practice in-network with confidence
Simplify insurance and save time on your entire workflow — from compliance and billing to credentialing and admin.
Are the benefits the same for therapists and prescribers?
Both Headway and Rula offer support for both therapists and prescribing providers, including insurance credentialing, billing support, and patient referrals. But there are some key differences in how each platform supports prescribers.
Headway offers the same core infrastructure to prescribers and therapists: free onboarding, biweekly payments, scheduling tools, and integrated documentation. Its prescriber experience is relatively streamlined, with more flexibility in creating your workflow.
Rula takes a more structured approach to working with psychiatrists. It highlights guaranteed biweekly payments, compensation for no-shows and a care model built around measurement-based outcomes that are integrated into its EHR. It also emphasizes clinical support through case consultations, which may appeal to prescribers looking for extra clinical support.
Headway’s lighter-touch model may appeal to prescribers who value flexibility, autonomy, and fast on-boarding across multiple states.
| Feature | Rula | Headway |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free to join | Free to join |
| Credentialing | Fully handles insurance credentialing for therapists, allowing credentials in multiple states in as little as 21 days | Fully handles insurance credentialing for therapists, allowing credentials in multiple states in as little as 30 days |
| EHR features | Built-in EHR features with scheduling, assessments, note-taking to support payer requirements | Built-in EHR features with scheduling, assessments, note-taking to support payer requirements |
| Pay schedule | Pays all providers every other Friday | Pays all providers every two weeks |
| Resources | Podcast CEU course | Up to 150 hours of free continuing education courses through Headway Academy |
So, which one’s right for you?
The best third-party therapy platform for you depends on personal factors, such as your business goals, workflows, and the areas you need the most support in. Keep these factors in mind as you choose between Headway, Rula, and other options on the market.
Best for private practice
If your goal is to start or scale a private practice, Headway can help you do it effectively and efficiently. Without the stress of credentialing and billing — and with the support of a robust EHR that offers compliant documentation tools — you can focus on investing in your clients (without extra overhead costs that can add stress to your business).
Best for flexibility and autonomy
If you value flexibility and clinical autonomy, Headway helps you grow your business and connect with clients, without interfering in your clinical workflows. See clients on your terms, while ensuring credentialing, billing, and other admin tasks never slow you down.
Best for psychiatrists wanting additional support
If you’re a prescriber seeking additional clinical support, Rula could be a good option for you. The platform offers a more structured psychiatry workflow, integrated outcome measures, and access to case consultations that can help guide complex medication management.
In the end, it’s all personal preference
Remember: There’s no one-size-fits-all option when it comes to a partner in growing or supporting your therapy business. Some therapists or prescribers will prefer one tool over another depending on their area of expertise and other personal factors, so it’s important to do your research and understand the key factors that differentiate Headway and Rula.
Note: Content about Rula has been sourced from publicly available information on rula.com.
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, let Headway take care of the rest
Headway’s goal is to ease administrative burden for all therapy providers, from counselors and social workers to prescribers. By making the credentialing process fast and easy, providers can start seeing clients ASAP, without the stress of juggling frustrating admin tasks with clinical care. Along with handling insurance claims and ensuring you get paid twice a week — even if clients don’t show up — Headway simplifies compliance with payer requirements through automated workflows and documentation built into its EHR. The best part? Headway is completely free, so you can focus more on investing in your clients than worrying about overhead as you grow your therapy practice.
Expand your practice with Headway
Headway makes it easier for mental health providers to grow their practice by removing the administrative barriers that come with accepting insurance. With free credentialing, simplified billing, and a built-in scheduling and documentation system, you can focus on delivering great care while Headway handles the operational lift. Providers also benefit from a steady flow of in-network referrals, transparent biweekly payouts, and one-on-one onboarding support to help you get up and running quickly. Whether you want to expand into new states, increase your caseload, or streamline your workflow, Headway offers the tools and support to help your practice thrive.
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.
© 2025 Therapymatch, Inc. dba Headway. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
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