What’s the Catch?

A Note from Allia’s Founders

Allia is free, and you’re skeptical.

And honestly, the mental health industry is very much a place where being suspicious of free things makes sense. Therapists have been burned too many times by platforms that promise support but nickel-and-dime them, or by systems that claim to make their lives easier but bury them in admin work, or by payors who refuse to raise rates while paying lip service to “access”.

So when we tell you that Allia is free - fully, permanently, no-limits free - we know the next question is inevitably, what’s the catch?

We want you to know that there isn't one. Not in the way you’re thinking. We won’t show ads. We’re not selling data or training AI to replace you. You won’t find hidden fees. And there won’t be bait-and-switch where we suddenly start charging once you’re dependent on the platform.

Allia is free because we believe the cost of running a mental health practice in this unwieldy industry shouldn’t fall on individual therapists. The systems you work within demand a lot from you, like compliance, documentation, efficiency, and outcomes, but they rarely invest in you. We want to change that dynamic.

The truth is we're not in this to take advantage of providers. Our plan is to build something better than what's currently available.

The plan relies on a few basic strategies.

First, there’s strength in numbers.

Independent mental health providers are scattered across thousands of different systems, making it nearly impossible to negotiate better terms with insurers, advocate for higher reimbursement rates, or leverage shared resources. By uniting providers on a single, powerful platform, we can change the equation. A strong network of clinicians is valuable—not just to insurers, but to policymakers, researchers, and the healthcare system at large. Allia exists to consolidate that strength and use it to benefit clinicians, not extract from them.

Second, systems will pay for efficiency and lower costs.

The mental health system is full of inefficiencies that can be easily fixed with the right tools. For example, therapists spend up to 30% of their time on documentation (yes, we’re mad about it too). These inefficiencies in mental health care cost billions annually, and fixing them benefits everyone. Allia streamlines documentation, improves diagnostic accuracy, and reduces administrative burdens, making mental health care more efficient—and more affordable. When systems run more smoothly, everyone wins.

Third, mental health companies should only win when therapists win.

When mental health care is more effective and efficient, it saves insurers and large health systems money—fewer ER visits, fewer inpatient stays, better long-term outcomes. Instead of taking money from clinicians, we’ll partner with insurers to advocate for higher reimbursement rates and outcome-based incentives. Therapists who use Allia will keep 100% of their current rates, plus the additional revenue from better-negotiated reimbursements. Allia will eventually take a small percentage only on the uplift—not a cent from what you’re already making.

Fourth, our tools are so good, bigger players pay for them.

While Allia is free for individual therapists, larger organizations (think clinic chains with 1,000+ providers) may pay for advanced features like white-labeling, custom workflows, and enterprise-level analytics. These funds help keep the core platform free for independent providers.

Finally, we’re going to back it up with science.

We’re already partnering with academic research organizations to measure the real-world impact of Allia. By proving that better tools lead to better outcomes, we can push insurers and policymakers to invest more in mental health care and in the clinicians delivering it.

So why should you trust us?

Not because we say so, but because our success is tied to yours. The more providers who use Allia, the stronger our case to insurers for better reimbursement rates. The more data we can (anonymously, securely) aggregate, the better we can prove that quality mental health care is worth real investment. We don’t plan on making money by squeezing therapists, we hope to only make money by getting you paid more for the work you already do.

And if you’re wondering if Allia will ever charge therapists, here’s our answer:

No. Not in a year, not in five years. Not when we hit a certain user threshold. Not when we launch new features. The only way we grow is if you grow. And you should hold us to that.

This is the bet we’re making: that a platform designed to help therapists thrive, not extract from them, can succeed. That therapists, given the right tools, will rally behind something built in their best interest.

We’re here to build that future. And we hope you’ll build it with us.

Amie, Andy, & Saroosh
Co-Founders, Allia