Collective vs. Heard: Which Back Office Fits Your Practice?

Heard's whole pitch is specialization. It's built around the reality of running a therapy or wellness practice, categorizing continuing education, liability insurance, supervision fees, and EHR software the way a therapist actually spends money, rather than adapting generic small-business categories to fit. For a solo therapist whose practice is straightforward- see clients, bill privately or through insurance, no other income streams- that specificity can be a real advantage.

Collective doesn't build therapy-specific categorization into its bookkeeping. What it offers instead is depth in a different direction: S Corp election mechanics, reasonable salary guidance, and a back office built for solopreneurs regardless of industry. If your practice is genuinely just a therapy practice, Heard's focus may serve you better on the day-to-day bookkeeping side. If you're a therapist who also teaches workshops, sells a course, consults, or supervises other clinicians as separate income, or would like the flexibility to add these income streams as an offering in the future, Collective's more general solopreneur model may fit the fuller picture of your business better than a platform built around a single practice type.

Heard’s entry-level plans undercut Collective’s on upfront cost, but a closer look at what’s included reveals key differences in value. Heard’s top tier, built for S Corps and group practices, runs at $299/month (or $255/month billed annually). By comparison, Collective’s all-in-one S Corp plan is $349/month (or $296/month billed annually), while offering broader built-in service.

Where it’s worth reading the fine print is in features and add-ons. Heard’s Premium plan offers payroll setup and management (which is an S Corp compliance requirement) as an add on feature. In contrast, Collective bundles full entity setup/S Corp election, ongoing bookkeeping, payroll, tax planning, and business tax filing into a single predictable monthly fee.

Once a therapist elects S Corp status, the same reasonable salary requirement applies as it would for any other solopreneur. The IRS doesn't have a separate standard for private practice owners. Heard's Premium plan includes “S corp election guidance and support.” Collective's S Corp tier pairs S Corp Election Filing (IRS Form 2553) with payroll and dedicated support for setting that salary number. All from a team that works with S Corp owners across industries rather than one specific field.

Heard is a software-first platform: automated categorization backed by a bookkeeping team, with messaging and phone support included across plans. Reviews of the actual support experience are mixed, some therapists report a genuinely smooth, hands-off experience, others report slower or less personal support than expected. Collective pairs an embedded AI assistant with a human team, and a dedicated advisor is included as part of the S Corp tier rather than something to evaluate case by case.