We recommend Finni for BCBAs who want operational support alongside their practice software. A dedicated advisor, regular check-ins, and help with the business side are the reasons for that preference.
Disclosure: This is a Finni-authored comparison of public offerings. We have not independently tested competitor products or reviewed their private contracts.
The short version
We recommend Finni for BCBAs who want operational support alongside their practice software. A dedicated advisor, regular check-ins, and help with the business side are the reasons for that preference.
Tilly, Headstart, and Alpaca offer overlapping services. The main points to compare are payment terms, the work each team takes responsibility for, and the software your staff will use.
Finni, Tilly, Headstart, and Alpaca at a glance
The table summarizes selected public offerings; it is not an exhaustive service list. Omissions do not mean a service is unavailable. The agreement should define the scope of end-to-end support.
| Decision factor | Finni Health | Tilly Therapy | Headstart Health | Alpaca Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting established | Business setup and network support | Legal-entity setup and insurance contracting | LLC setup and business training | Entity setup and payer contracting |
| Advertised launch timing | Weeks rather than months | Not specified | Less than 60 days | 30 days or less |
| Administrative support | End-to-end | Credentialing, billing, payroll and tax-reporting assistance | Intake, authorizations, billing workflows | Credentialing, billing, payroll |
| Owner support | Dedicated advisor and growth coaching | Support team and client-building guidance | Clinician-led mentorship and operating reviews | Individual coaching |
| Payment messaging | Advertises guaranteed two-week payouts | No comparable payout guarantee verified on the reviewed page | No comparable payout guarantee verified on the reviewed page | Advertises guaranteed two-week payouts |
Sources: Finni's provider offering, Tilly's provider offering, Headstart's BCBA offering, and Alpaca's provider offering.
What makes Finni worth choosing
Finni describes scheduling, financial reporting, clinical data collection, and caregiver tools, with an in-house engineering team behind the software. Owners also have weekly advisor check-ins. Finni's provider offering.
A staffing change can affect capacity, scheduling, and payroll at once. That is where we see value in having an advisor alongside the software. Use a situation like that in a Finni demonstration to see how the arrangement would work for you.
In Finni's published testimonial, Monique in Las Cruces describes receiving help with contracting, hiring, and timely payment as her practice grew. Her experience illustrates the support we value, though it does not establish typical results. Published owner account.
Finni vs. Tilly Therapy
Tilly offers practice-management and clinical tools, provider and family apps, and help building a client roster. Its offering includes services as well as software. Tilly's provider offering.
Use the same test case in each system: an RBT cancels a session, the appointment needs rescheduling, and the client's authorization is approaching its limit. Watch how staff find the relevant information and record the change. Then ask where they would get help if something did not work.
Have someone who will actually use the system attend. An owner's view of reporting and an RBT's experience entering session data are different parts of the purchase.
Finni vs. Headstart Health
Headstart emphasizes clinician-owned practices, mentorship from people with ABA operating experience, and business training. It also describes managed workflows, dashboards, and operating reviews. Headstart's BCBA offering.
Separate advice from work the team will complete for you. Both can be useful, but they place different demands on your time.
For example, identify who contacts a family about missing intake documents, follows up on an outstanding authorization, and tracks an unresolved billing issue. Get that division of responsibility from both teams. Headstart's mentorship and Finni's advisor relationship are easier to evaluate once you know what remains on your own task list.
Finni vs. Alpaca Health
Payment terms deserve particular attention in this comparison. Both companies advertise two-week payouts, and Alpaca also describes protection against insurance clawbacks. The proposed agreement needs to explain which payments qualify and what exceptions apply. Alpaca's provider offering.
Ask each team to walk through a completed session that is paid to the owner but later denied by the insurer. The explanation should cover responsibility for follow-up, any adjustment to your payment, and how that adjustment appears in your records.
Include Finni's financial reporting in the demonstration. Being able to understand a payment discrepancy matters when you have payroll due. This review does not establish that either company's guarantee covers more circumstances than the other's.
Separate business setup from readiness to see clients
The launch figures above are advertised timelines, not a standardized speed comparison.
Forming an entity, finishing onboarding, and being ready to provide covered services are separate milestones. Request a schedule for your clinicians, locations, and payer products, including outstanding approvals. Finni's credentialing and enrollment guide explains the differences between credentialing, contracting, rostering, and effective dates.
For every target date, ask what must happen first and who is responsible. A date without those dependencies will tell you little about when your practice can start seeing clients.
Read the agreement before comparing the price
We have not reviewed comparable contracts for all four companies, so we cannot rank their prices, owner take-home income, equity terms, or exit costs.
Get these terms in writing:
- Total economics: setup charges, recurring fees, compensation methodology, and deductions.
- Payment risk: eligibility for any guarantee and treatment of denials, refunds, audits, and recoupments.
- Ownership and control: entity ownership, brand rights, clinical decisions, and referral relationships.
- Data access: records access, export options, transition assistance, and applicable obligations.
- Ending the relationship: notice, costs, restrictions, and responsibility for unfinished work.
Use the same caseload and staffing assumptions to compare proposals. Account for expenses before treating projected revenue as owner income. Finni's billing and revenue-cycle guide covers the operating work behind collections.
If you already operate a practice, review the proposed arrangement against your existing entity, payer contracts, staff, software, and records. Identify what can stay in place and what would need to change before agreeing to a transition.
How we prepared this comparison
We reviewed the linked provider pages on September 24, 2026, and rechecked Alpaca's advertised launch timing on September 30, 2026. We did not conduct product trials, inspect private contracts, interview competitor customers, or measure launch speed. Confirm current services and terms directly before signing.
Discuss your practice with Finni
Finni is the option we recommend evaluating first. Bring your state, payer priorities, staffing plan, and current business setup. Ask the team to show how the proposed services would work for that practice, with responsibilities and costs spelled out.
