Heard vs Traktion vs GreenOak: Accountants for Therapists Compared

If you are a private practice therapist searching for an accountant who actually understands therapy, the three names that come up are Heard, Traktion Accounting, and GreenOak Accounting. Heard is a software-first platform with the lowest entry price and the most automation. Traktion is a hands-on human team that handles bookkeeping, tax, and CFO work for solo practices and small group practices. GreenOak is the established firm with the longest track record in the niche and the broadest service menu.

The right pick depends on whether you want a self-serve platform, a human team that knows therapy private practice cold, or a senior CFO advisor for a growing group practice. The breakdown below compares each option, real client reviews, and which type of therapy practice each firm fits best.

Heard vs Traktion vs GreenOak: side-by-side comparison

What matters	Heard	Traktion	GreenOak
Model	Software platform with bookkeeper support	Hands-on human team, one main point of contact	Established firm with multiple advisors
Best fit	Solo therapists who want self-serve and lowest cost	Solo + small group practices that want a real accountant relationship	Established + scaling group practices needing CFO depth
Bookkeeping	Automated, software-led categorization	Human-reviewed monthly, therapy-specific chart of accounts	Custom monthly bookkeeping packages
Tax filing	Personal and business returns included on most plans	Personal and business returns, S-corp election support	Tax planning, filing, and compliance
Financial coaching / CFO	Limited to platform tools and dashboards	Built-in: forecasting, cash flow, profitability analysis	Dedicated CFO services for scaling practices
Payroll	Yes, in-platform	Available, integrates with major payroll providers	Available via partner integrations
Support model	Messaging portal, 24-48 hr response window	Direct contact with the team, no ticket queues	Assigned advisor
Typical client	New / solo private practice, <$200K revenue	Solo to 5-clinician practices, $100K-$1M revenue	$500K+ revenue practices and group practices scaling up
What clients praise	Convenience, one platform for everything	Mebea takes the time to explain, hands-on coaching	Deep mental-health niche expertise

Is Heard accounting worth it for therapists?

Heard works best for solo therapists who want a low-cost, self-serve platform and do not need a human accountant relationship. The convenience and pricing are real strengths. The trade-off shows up in customer service: reviews on Trustpilot and Reddit consistently flag slow response times through the messaging portal and difficulty reaching a human when something goes wrong.

What Heard offers

• Bookkeeping: Automated categorization and reconciliation of expenses inside the Heard platform.
• Tax services: Quarterly estimates, payment reminders, and filing of personal and business returns.
• Payroll: In-platform processing for practices with employees.
• Financial reporting: Dashboards covering revenue, expenses, and tax estimates.
• S-corp guidance: Help filing as an S-corporation and setting a reasonable salary. See the S-corp tax calculator for a quick estimate before you decide.

What real clients say about Heard

Heard’s automation makes it appealing for therapists who want hands-off financial management. Some clients praise the convenience:

I like that Heard focuses on accounting for therapists. They understand the typical expenses that can be deducted.

Not every experience is positive. A Trustpilot reviewer wrote:

I do NOT recommend. Disappointing and frustrating experience. Over five months, I was met with disappointment after disappointment. There is no way to get in touch with anyone outside of their messaging portal, and responses do not come within the promised 24-48 hours. The final straw was when they failed to file my 2022 taxes, even though I provided all the required information.

Heard is a fit if you want convenience and are comfortable with a software-led model. If you need a real accountant relationship or expect to grow into a group practice, the limits will show up fast.

How does Traktion compare to Heard for therapy practices?

Traktion is the hands-on alternative. Instead of a platform with a messaging portal, you get a direct relationship with Mebea and the team. They handle bookkeeping, tax filing, payroll integrations, and the financial coaching most software-led services do not include. The result is a one-stop shop that scales with you from solo practice through to a small group practice.

What Traktion offers

• Bookkeeping for therapists: Human-reviewed monthly, with a chart of accounts built for private practice. See the full bookkeeping for therapists service.
• Financial coaching: Personalized advice to help you grow your practice and understand your numbers.
• Forecasting and budgeting: Forward-looking cash flow modeling so you can plan with confidence.
• Tax filing and S-corp support: Personal and business returns, plus S-corp election and reasonable salary analysis.
• Profitability analysis: Deep dives into your financials to uncover opportunities for growth and cost savings.

What Traktion clients say

I recently had the pleasure of working with Mebea, the owner of Traktion Accounting, and I cannot recommend him and his team highly enough. I came to him with unresolved issues from my previous accountant, and Mebea was incredibly helpful and insightful in sorting everything out. He went above and beyond in every way, taking the time to explain things clearly and making sure I understood everything. His expertise and dedication were evident throughout the entire process.

Kerri Torres, Google review

If you value a real human relationship and want someone to help you understand your numbers while growing your practice, Traktion is built for that. The team works with therapists as their main client base, so the conversations stay grounded in private practice realities like insurance panel transitions, 1099 vs W-2 therapists, and EHR overhead.

What does GreenOak Accounting offer therapists?

GreenOak Accounting is the most established firm in the therapist accounting niche. They specialize in serving mental health professionals, which means the team understands the operational and financial dynamics of group practices, multi-site practices, and high-revenue solo practices.

What GreenOak offers

• Monthly accounting: Custom packages covering bookkeeping and financial reporting.
• CFO services: Compensation analysis, forecasting, and expansion planning for practices looking to grow.
• Tax assistance: Planning, filing, and compliance support.
• QuickBooks support: Setup, troubleshooting, and ongoing help.
• Profit First methodology: Cash-allocation system that ensures owners get paid consistently.

GreenOak fits practices that need senior advisory depth and are already past the $500K revenue mark. For solo practices in the first few years, the pricing and scope can be more than the practice actually needs.

How much do accountants for therapists cost?

Therapy practice accounting typically ranges from $150 to $1,500+ per month depending on whether you need just bookkeeping, full bookkeeping plus tax, or CFO-level advisory.

• Software-led platforms: Start around $150-$250 per month for bookkeeping plus basic tax, often packaged as flat annual pricing.
• Human-led bookkeeping and tax: Typically $400-$900 per month for solo practices, depending on transaction volume and whether business returns are included.
• CFO-level advisory: Usually $1,000-$2,500+ per month for group practices needing forecasting, profitability analysis, and growth planning.

For an apples-to-apples comparison, ask each firm exactly what is included: monthly bookkeeping, personal tax return, business return, S-corp election support, payroll setup, and any one-time onboarding fees. Pricing only matters once the scope is the same.

Which accountant should solo private practice therapists use?

Solo therapists in private practice typically fall into one of two buckets: brand-new and price-sensitive, or established and ready for a real accountant relationship. The right pick depends on which bucket you are in.

• If you are in your first 1-2 years of solo practice and want the lowest-cost option to stay compliant, Heard is the cheapest entry point.
• If you are past the first year, billing $100K+ per year, and tired of doing your own books, Traktion is built for you. The human relationship pays for itself once you have S-corp questions, tax planning needs, and want someone who knows your numbers.
• If you are scaling toward six figures of profit and considering hiring, either Traktion or GreenOak will handle it. The choice comes down to whether you want a tight-knit team you can call (Traktion) or a larger firm with multiple advisors (GreenOak).

Which firm is best for group therapy practices?

Group practices need more than bookkeeping. The financial picture includes multiple clinicians (W-2 employees or 1099 contractors), insurance billing reconciliation, EHR subscription costs, payroll, and tax planning across owners and the entity itself.

Heard is generally not the right fit for group practices: the platform is designed for solo practitioners and starts to break down once you add multiple clinicians and entity-level complexity. Traktion handles small group practices (2-5 clinicians) inside its standard service model, including 1099 contractor tracking and S-corp owner pay analysis. GreenOak is the best fit for established group practices ($500K+ revenue) that need CFO-level forecasting and want a larger firm structure.

Frequently asked questions about accountants for therapists

Is Heard accounting legit?

Heard is a legitimate, funded company that has served thousands of therapists since 2019. The complaints in public reviews focus on customer service responsiveness and the limits of automated bookkeeping, not on the legitimacy of the service.

Do therapists need a specialized accountant?

Yes, in most cases. A specialized therapist accountant knows the specific deductions that apply to private practice (CEU costs, supervision fees, EHR subscriptions, professional licensing), the tax mechanics of insurance billing, and the difference between W-2 and 1099 therapists in a group practice. A generalist accountant can do the work but usually misses deductions and rarely advises on private practice growth questions.

When should a solo therapist switch from Heard to a human accountant?

Most therapists outgrow a software-led platform once one of three things happens: revenue passes about $100K per year, you are seriously considering an S-corp election, or you start hiring associate clinicians. At any of those points, the value of a human accountant who knows your numbers tends to exceed the price difference.

How much should a therapist pay for monthly bookkeeping?

Solo therapists typically pay $200-$600 per month for monthly bookkeeping done by a human team, depending on transaction volume and whether tax filing is bundled in. Software-only options can run lower; CFO-level packages run higher.

Can an accountant help me decide whether to file as an S-corp?

Yes. A therapist-specialized accountant can run the math on whether an S-corp election would save you money once you factor in payroll tax savings, reasonable salary requirements, and the additional filing costs. Traktion includes this analysis in its standard service. You can also run a rough estimate yourself using the S-corp tax calculator before booking a call.

Until next time.

Common Questions

Quick answers to questions therapy practice owners ask us most often.

What is the best accountant for therapists in private practice?

The right accountant depends on practice stage and complexity. Heard fits solo therapists who want a software-first, lower-cost option. Traktion is built for solo and group therapy practices that want hands-on relationship-based accounting plus year-round tax planning. GreenOak focuses on financial coaching and is best paired with a separate accountant for the books and tax work.

How is Heard different from a real CPA firm?

Heard is a software platform with bookkeeping support, designed primarily for solo therapists. It is not a CPA firm and does not offer the same level of strategic tax planning, S-corp election analysis, or financial reporting that a relationship-based CPA firm like Traktion does. Heard works best for therapists who want a low-touch, software-driven experience.

Should a group therapy practice use Heard, Traktion, or GreenOak?

Group therapy practices typically outgrow Heard quickly because the platform is designed for solo therapists. A firm like Traktion or a similar relationship-based accounting partner usually fits group practices better because group practice accounting requires clinician compensation modeling, multi-1099 or W-2 reporting, partnership and S-corp tax planning, and CFO-level reporting that software alone cannot deliver.

How much do accountants for therapists cost?

Pricing varies widely. Heard runs roughly $150 to $300 per month for solo therapists. Relationship-based accountants like Traktion typically range from $400 to $1,500 per month for solo practices and $1,500 to $4,000+ for group practices, depending on services included. Financial coaches like GreenOak typically charge $200 to $700 per month and do not include bookkeeping or tax filing.

What should a therapist look for in an accountant?

Five things matter most: therapy-practice industry knowledge, year-round availability (not just at tax time), proactive planning instead of reactive cleanup, clear pricing with no surprise bills, and strategic depth on S-corp elections, reasonable compensation, and owner take-home math. Avoid firms that only call you in March.