When you’re deciding to start therapy, the safest and most effective strategy is to work with a licensed psychiatrist or therapist. The challenge, however, is finding a practitioner who understands your problems, takes your insurance, and has availability based on your schedule.
Platforms like Grow Therapy and Talkiatry address these challenges for individuals seeking care. Nonetheless, using a mental health platform is still a significant investment in time and money. We’re here to help you cut through the noise and compare your options so you can find the right platform for your needs.
Key takeaways
- Grow Therapy offers a wider range of services, including therapy and medication management, with both virtual and in-person options.
- Talkiatry specializes in psychiatry, offering medication-focused care through virtual appointments with many MD-level providers.
- The right platform depends on your needs, such as preferred appointment format, provider type, insurance coverage, and budget.
Grow Therapy vs. Talkiatry at a glance
| Grow Therapy | Talkiatry | |
| Pricing model | Pay-per-session | Pay-per-session |
| Medication management | ✔ | ✔ |
| Accepts insurance | ✔ 100+ plans | ✔ 60+ plans |
| Offers cash-pay options | ✔ | X |
| Range of specialties offered | ✔ 135 specialties, including counseling for couples, children, and teens | X Only psychiatry, 11 specialities within psychiatry |
| Virtual and in-person sessions available | ✔ Virtual or in-person; nights and weekend availability | X Virtual only; no availability on nights and weekends |
| Digital tracking tools | ✔ Progress monitoring, AI journal | X |
What is Grow Therapy?
Grow Therapy is an online therapy platform delivering high-quality in-person and virtual therapy and medication management. The platform connects clients, therapists, and insurance providers, making scheduling, facilitation, and billing simple and accessible to all. Additionally, Grow Therapy offers a wealth of educational therapy guides and AI-assisted tools to help each client navigate their unique mental health journey.
Grow Therapy pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| • Therapy and prescribing on one platform • Easy-to-use filtering and search functionality to find care • In-person and virtual sessions available; night and weekend appointment availability • Average pricing is $21 and transparent on the homepage • Works with 100+ insurance companies | • Cash pay rates vary by provider • In-person availability depends on location |
With Grow Therapy, clients can quickly and easily find a therapist and/or prescriber without the lengthy screening questionnaires or waitlists. The platform offers both virtual and in-person sessions, with in-person availability expanding nationwide as Grow’s network of 25,000 vetted providers continues to expand.
Grow Therapy providers include licensed therapists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) who deliver high-quality mental health and psychiatric care. While some clients may specifically seek MD-level psychiatrists, Grow’s network ensures that clients can connect with qualified professionals trained to diagnose, prescribe, and provide therapy across a range of needs.
What stands out is Grow Therapy’s mission to make mental health care affordable and accessible. With average session costs around $21 after insurance coverage, which is lower than most online therapy platforms, Grow ensures that cost isn’t a barrier to care. The platform partners with more than 100 healthcare plans, including Medicare and Medicaid in select states, giving millions of individuals access to therapy through their insurance. For those without insurance, Grow also offers a cash-pay option per session, allowing clients to continue receiving care during challenging transitions without committing to expensive monthly subscriptions or losing access to vital mental health support.
What is Talkiatry?
Talkiatry is an online psychiatry platform that connects patients with psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners for virtual evaluations, medication management, and ongoing care. It focuses solely on psychiatric treatment, offering convenient telehealth appointments for conditions like anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Talkiatry pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| • A lot of availability of providers with medical degrees • Option to schedule a call with a care coordinator • Average pricing per session with insurance is $30 | • Long intake process before you can start searching for psychiatrists • Virtual-only appointments • Listings don’t specify if the provider is in the state where the patient resides • No service for people who don’t have insurance |
Getting started on the Talkiatry platform requires an assessment before clients can view psychiatrist options. To begin, users verify their email address and provide personal details, including a phone number, home address, and emergency contact. This involves completing multiple screens, which may be challenging for clients seeking timely support.
Talkiatry appointments are available for those with an in-network insurance plan. The platform does not offer out-of-pocket options, so users need to confirm coverage with their specific provider before starting care. All appointments are virtual, and while provider matches appear to use the client’s address, some listings may not always correspond by location.
In its provider listings, Talkiatry includes a large number of psychiatrists with medical degrees (MDs). The platform also offers care coordinators who can assist users in matching with psychiatrists and navigating the initial setup process.
Compare Grow Therapy vs. Talkiatry features
Both Grow Therapy and Talkiatry stand out for their broad insurance coverage and pay-per-session pricing models. These features make it easier and more affordable to find in-network providers, which is a factor that’s often frustrating when searching through insurance databases or individual practice websites. Paying per session also mirrors traditional mental health care, giving clients flexibility without the commitment or cost of a subscription.
However, each platform structures these benefits differently. Our breakdown below explains which may better fit your budget, insurance, and navigation preferences.
Vast insurance acceptance
Both platforms have partnered with a staggering list of health insurance companies. They cover most of the household names that dominate the insurance market. For a primer, check out our health insurance overview.
The platform’s coverage lists do not completely overlap, though. The smaller the health insurance company is, the less likely it is to be covered by both platforms. Here’s a breakdown of some companies covered only by Grow Therapy or only by Talkiatry.
Grow Therapy
Covered on Grow Therapy and not on Talkiatry:
- All Savers
- Ambetter Health
- AvMed
- Blue Care Network
- Evernorth
- GTEB
Talkiatry
Covered on Talkiatry and not on Grow Therapy:
- Allegiance Benefit Plan Management Inc.
- Benefit Administrative Systems
- Detego Health
- Emi Health
- Firefly
Pay-per-session model
Both Grow Therapy and Talkiatry use a pay-per-session model, but their average prices and user experiences differ.
Grow Therapy
Grow Therapy features a pay-per-session model, keeping care flexible and affordable. The platform highlights an average cost of about $21 per therapy session after insurance, with some paying as low as $0, making it one of the most affordable options for insured clients. Patients can use Grow Therapy’s cost estimate calculator to preview what they’ll pay ahead of time based on their insurance. The booking process is fast and straightforward, allowing clients to browse providers before entering detailed personal information.
Talkiatry
Talkiatry lists in its frequently asked questions that most visits cost $30 or less after insurance, though the exact amount depends on each individual’s insurance coverage.
At this exact price point, twice-monthly sessions would total about $720 per year, or $360 annually for monthly visits, making Grow Therapy the more affordable option. However, Talkiatry’s comprehensive intake process may appeal to clients who prefer to complete insurance and clinical details upfront, while others may find it time-consuming or overwhelming.
How to choose the right therapy platform
If you’re looking for a single platform to find care that begins quickly, prioritizes therapy and medication support, and makes billing stress-free, Grow Therapy offers an all-in-one experience. If your goal is to connect solely with a psychiatrist or if you don’t mind using separate platforms for therapy and psychiatry, you’ll need to decide whether Grow Therapy or Talkiatry better fits your needs.
Both platforms partner with high-quality providers and a wide range of insurance companies, but the best choice may depend on your priorities. Consider these factors as additional comparisons to keep in mind:
- Average cost per session
- User experience and ease of booking
- Convenience and accessibility
- Insurance acceptance
- Educational resources and support tools
- Provider credentials and specialties
If you’re looking to see how Grow Therapy stacks up to other mental healthcare platforms, explore our comparisons to learn more:
- Grow Therapy vs. Alma
- Grow Therapy vs. Betterhelp
- Grow Therapy vs. Headway
- Grow Therapy vs. Online-Therapy.com
- Grow Therapy vs. Rula
- Grow Therapy vs. SonderMind
- Grow Therapy vs. Talkspace
Frequently asked questions
Similar to Grow Therapy, there are many reasons to believe Talkiatry is a trustworthy service. In the footer of their website, the Talkiatry team claims they are FSA/HSA-approved and HIPAA-compliant. Dozens of insurance companies trust Talkiatry with the care of their members. Their Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Georgia Gaveras, DO, is a triple-board certified psychiatrist with decades of experience.
The main differences between Grow Therapy and Talkiatry are:
1. Type of care offered: Grow Therapy provides access to both therapy and medication management, while Talkiatry focuses exclusively on psychiatry.
2. Average session cost: The average session on Grow Therapy costs about $21 after insurance, compared to around $30 on Talkiatry.
3. Appointment format: Grow Therapy offers both in-person and virtual sessions, whereas Talkiatry is fully virtual.
4. Provider credentials: Talkiatry features more psychiatrists with medical degrees (MDs), while Grow Therapy’s network includes a broader range of providers, including licensed therapists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNPs).
It depends on what you want to prioritize. If you value affordability, flexibility, and convenience, Grow Therapy is likely the better choice because it offers both therapy and psychiatry, virtual and in-person sessions, and an easy, streamlined booking process. If you prefer working with a psychiatrist who holds a medical degree (MD) or are focused solely on medication management, Talkiatry may be the right fit.