Grow Therapy is a solid way to see a licensed therapist or prescriber for your normal insurance cost, by video or in person, and Grow says clients pay about $21 a session on average with insurance. Its weak spots are billing and support: bills arrive weeks after a session, a missed or late-cancelled session can cost up to $200, and its Better Business Bureau profile shows an F rating, driven largely by unanswered complaints. It suits people with commercial insurance, Medicare Advantage, or a Medicaid plan in a state Grow lists.
Grow is not a subscription app. You book sessions with a licensed provider and pay your plan’s usual cost for each one. For this review we went through Grow’s website, provider search, client help center, App Store listing, and Better Business Bureau profile.
What Grow Therapy is
Grow is a network of licensed therapists and prescribers who, in its help center’s words, run their own private practices on Grow’s platform. Grow handles credentialing, insurance billing, and claims, and lists providers in its directory. It says it has more than 26,000 providers and, on its App Store listing, more than 1 million clients served.
Therapists include licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists. Psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners handle medication. Grow serves adults, couples, families, children, and teens; in most states a parent or guardian books for a minor.
How Grow Therapy works
1. Search. Choose talk therapy or medication management, your state, and your insurance, or “Cash” to pay yourself. Each profile shows the provider’s license, years of experience, accepted plans, cash rate, and a star rating from client surveys.
2. Book. Pick a time on the provider’s calendar, add insurance and payment details, and accept Grow’s policies. Grow says most clients start within two days.
3. Use the client portal. You complete intake forms, join video sessions, and message your provider there. Messaging opens once you book, and Grow says providers typically reply within one to three business days. Interpreters in more than 35 languages, including American Sign Language, cost nothing extra.
4. Switch if the fit is wrong. Rematching is unlimited, but switching does not cancel your sessions with your current provider, so cancel those yourself to avoid late fees.
Grow’s AI tools are optional. Session recaps are automatic AI summaries for adults in individual video sessions, and they run only if both you and your provider opt in. “Coach” is an AI chat in the iPhone app that your therapist can see unless you turn on private mode; Grow does not offer it to Kaiser members or in Illinois, Maine, or Nevada, and says it is not a crisis tool.
What insurance Grow Therapy takes
Commercial plans. Grow’s client help center says its providers accept a wide variety of health insurance, depending on your region. Its other pages give plan counts that do not match, so we do not repeat one. Its provider help center lists national contracts with Aetna, Cigna, IBX, and UnitedHealthcare/Optum, plus state plans. Confirm your coverage with your insurer. Some employer EAPs work for talk therapy, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Medicare. Grow’s provider help center says it works mainly through managed care plans rather than billing Medicare or Medicaid directly. It lists Medicare Advantage plans in 42 states and DC, but what it calls “state Medicare” only in California, Florida, and Texas. Grow’s insurance search matches: it lists plain “Medicare,” separate from Medicare Advantage, only in those three states, so traditional Medicare appears to work only there.
Medicaid. Grow says you can use Medicaid “as long as we are contracted in your state.” Its provider help center lists Medicaid managed care plans in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia, plus Connecticut’s state Medicaid program, and says Florida enrollment for providers is on hold. Grow’s insurance search does not fully match that list (it shows no Iowa Medicaid plan, for example), so choose your state and exact plan in the search to confirm. Grow says most clients with Medicaid pay little or nothing out of pocket. Our guide to online therapy that takes Medicaid compares every option.
Veterans and military. Grow says veterans whose care comes through its VA partnership are fully covered while an authorization from their VA medical center is active. TRICARE does not appear in the insurance list on Grow’s website.
Video and in-person sessions
Video sessions run on Grow’s own platform in a browser or the iPhone app. In-person care depends on the provider, and profiles say where someone sees clients. Your provider must be licensed in the state where you are during each session, so mention travel ahead of time. For couples in different states, the provider must be licensed in both.
Psychiatry and medication management
You can use medication management without being in therapy at Grow. Appointments must be booked 24 to 48 hours ahead, and follow-ups are often about monthly. Grow says a prescription is not guaranteed at the first visit and that not every prescriber can prescribe controlled substances, such as some ADHD medications, so message the prescriber first if you need to continue one. Request refills a week before you run out.
What Grow Therapy costs
With insurance, you pay your plan’s copay, coinsurance, or deductible amount. Grow says sessions cost $21 on average with insurance and some clients pay $0. Your card is typically charged three to four weeks after a session, once your insurer processes the claim, with an email 36 hours before each charge.
Without insurance, each provider sets a cash rate, shown on their profile before you book, and Grow says it offers sliding-scale options too. For deductibles and worked examples, see our Grow Therapy cost guide.
Cancellation and no-show fees
Grow asks for 24 hours’ notice. A no-show means not joining within 15 minutes of the start time. Your provider sets the fee, up to $200, and shows it in the “Worry-free booking” section when you book. Insurance does not pay it.
Cancel through the client portal, because Grow warns that texts or personal emails may not be logged. Emergency waivers are reviewed case by case, and disputes must be raised within 30 days. If your provider does not show up, you are not charged.
The downsides
A poor BBB record. As of October 2026, Grow Therapy’s Better Business Bureau profile shows an F rating and no BBB accreditation. BBB’s reasons: 31 complaints in three years (3 in the last 12 months), and no response to 28 of them; the other 3 are resolved. The largest groups are service or repair (11) and billing (8). Its 11 customer reviews average 1.09 out of 5. Published complaints mostly describe charges that differed from an estimate, disputed cancellation fees, slow refunds, and trouble reaching support. BBB notes that company size matters, and Grow reports more than 10 million sessions, but so many unanswered complaints is a real concern.
Bills can surprise you. Grow says checking your benefits gives an estimate, not a guarantee, and a deductible can make early-year sessions cost more than your usual copay. There are no payment plans, though you can push an eligible charge back by up to 16 days.
Support runs through the portal. The support team works weekdays, 9 AM to 8:30 PM Eastern, through a help widget after you log in, with chat and callbacks once the support bot hands you off. Outside the portal, Grow lists phone lines only for new bookings and rematching, plus a contact form if you cannot log in.
Fees and availability vary by provider. Each clinician sets their own cancellation fee, cash rate, and openings, and some work by video only.
- Uses your insurance, with an average of about $21 a session (per Grow)
- Medicaid managed care plans in 11 listed states
- Medicare Advantage plans in most states
- Therapy and medication management on one platform
- Video sessions, plus in-person care with some providers
- Profiles show cash rates and client ratings
- Unlimited rematching
- F rating at the BBB, with 28 of 31 complaints unanswered
- Insurance bills arrive three to four weeks after a session
- Missed or late-cancelled sessions can cost up to $200
- Support is reached mainly through the logged-in portal
- Traditional Medicare only in California, Florida, and Texas
- TRICARE is not in its insurance list
- iPhone app only; none on Google Play
Who Grow Therapy suits
Choose Grow if you have a commercial plan or Medicare Advantage, you have a Medicaid managed care plan in a state Grow lists, or you want therapy and medication management in one place.
Look elsewhere if you have traditional Medicare outside California, Florida, or Texas, you have TRICARE, you want messaging-based therapy, or you want billing help without going through a logged-in portal.
Grow Therapy vs SonderMind, Headway, Alma, and Rula
| Platform | Insured cost (company figure) | Medicaid | Self-pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow Therapy | About $21 average | Managed care plans in 11 listed states | Set by each provider |
| SonderMind | About $25 average copay | Not accepted | Published rates by state |
| Headway | $20 to $50 for most clients | Select managed care plans | Not open to new clients |
| Alma | About $20 average | No standalone Medicaid | Set by each therapist |
| Rula | About $15 average | Select managed plans in some states | $150 per session |
SonderMind vs Grow Therapy. Both bill insurance per session and offer therapy and psychiatry by video or in person. SonderMind fits traditional Medicare or TRICARE West better, and Grow fits Medicaid, which SonderMind does not accept. See our SonderMind review.
Headway vs Grow Therapy. Headway works the same way, but new clients need active, accepted insurance to book, while Grow also lists self-pay rates on its providers’ profiles. See our Headway review.
Alma vs Grow Therapy. Alma is also a directory of private-practice clinicians who take insurance, and many offer sliding-scale rates. It has billing complaints of its own, covered in our Alma review.
Rula vs Grow Therapy. Rula reports a lower average insured cost, about $15, and takes Medicare and Medicare Advantage, plus Medicaid in select states. See our Rula review.
Talkspace or BetterHelp vs Grow Therapy. Both are weekly subscriptions with messaging if you pay out of pocket, which Grow does not offer. Talkspace says most insured members have a $0 copay and gives a $15 average, and self-pay plans start at $69 a week. BetterHelp charges $70 to $100 a week without insurance and does not take Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE. Our guide to online therapy that takes insurance compares more options.
How it scores
Mindkindly’s ratings come from hands-on use against our five-criterion framework. Grow does well on price-to-value for insured clients, with a low average cost by its own figures, no subscription, and Medicaid in some states. Search filters, client ratings, and unlimited rematching help personalization, and care comes by video or, with some providers, in person, though the app is iPhone only. It loses points for its BBB record, portal-first support, late bills, and provider-set fees of up to $200. The weighted result is 7.9 out of 10.
If cost is the barrier
Community mental health centers often accept Medicaid and charge based on income; you can search for one on FindTreatment.gov. SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, confidential, open 24/7, and can point you to local low-cost treatment. Your employer’s EAP may also cover a few free sessions.
Common questions
Is Grow Therapy legit? Yes. It works with licensed clinicians, bills major insurers, and reports more than 10 million sessions. Its BBB record is poor, though, so keep copies of estimates and billing messages.
Does Grow Therapy take Medicare? It lists Medicare Advantage plans in 42 states and DC, but traditional Medicare only in California, Florida, and Texas, according to its provider help center and insurance search.
Can I message my Grow therapist? Yes, through the portal after you book. It is not messaging therapy, and it is not for emergencies.
Does Grow Therapy have an app? Yes, for iPhone, rated 4.8 out of 5 from about 10,800 App Store ratings in October 2026, though it is not available to minors. On Android there is no app, so you use the website and join sessions in Chrome.
The bottom line
Grow Therapy is a practical, insurance-first way to find a therapist or prescriber, with a low average cost by its own figures and Medicaid in listed states. Its weaknesses are late bills, provider-set fees of up to $200, and many unanswered BBB complaints. Confirm your coverage, note each provider’s cancellation fee, and keep records.
Sources
- Grow Therapy: homepage and insurance search
- Grow Therapy: how it works
- Grow Therapy: therapy through Medicaid
- Grow Therapy: for providers
- Grow Therapy: practice policies
- Grow Therapy Help Center: how to find a provider
- Grow Therapy Help Center: understand provider qualifications
- Grow Therapy Help Center: insurance coverage FAQ
- Grow Therapy provider help center: Medicaid and Medicare availability by state
- Grow Therapy Help Center: authorized charging practices
- Grow Therapy Help Center: no-show and late cancellation fees
- Grow Therapy Help Center: dispute a charge and request a refund
- Grow Therapy Help Center: verification of benefits FAQ
- Grow Therapy Help Center: get started with medication management
- Grow Therapy Help Center: what to expect from medication management
- Grow Therapy Help Center: Grow Therapy telehealth
- Grow Therapy Help Center: receiving telehealth across state lines
- Grow Therapy Help Center: couples or family therapy
- Grow Therapy Help Center: enroll a minor in therapy
- Grow Therapy Help Center: contact your provider
- Grow Therapy Help Center: get rematched with a new provider
- Grow Therapy Help Center: contact the support team
- Grow Therapy Help Center: using your EAP benefits
- Grow Therapy Help Center: your VA authorization
- Grow Therapy Help Center: provider ratings and reviews
- Grow Therapy Help Center: AI session summaries
- Grow Therapy Help Center: iOS mobile app FAQ
- Grow Therapy on the App Store
- Better Business Bureau: Grow Therapy profile
- Better Business Bureau: Grow Therapy complaints
- Better Business Bureau: Grow Therapy customer reviews
- SonderMind: insurance coverage
- Headway: frequently asked questions
- Headway Help Center: using insurance on Headway
- Headway Help Center: private pay for clients
- Alma: average insured cost
- Alma: FAQ
- Alma Support: why Alma does not participate with your plan
- Rula: online therapy
- Talkspace
- BetterHelp: insurance coverage
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- FindTreatment.gov (SAMHSA)
One important note: if you are in crisis or considering harming yourself, please reach out now. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Immediate human support is available.