ABA Data Collection Software: Features and the Top 7 Platforms

ABA data collection software is the app your RBTs use during an ABA therapy session to record trials, counts, durations and behavior as they happen. It turns that data into graphs, and most platforms put it straight into the session note.

The platforms differ most in offline capture, which decides whether an app keeps recording when it loses its signal in a client's home. They also differ in whether billing runs in the same system and in how they charge.

This article will help you choose the best ABA data collection software for your ABA practice.

Key takeaways

• Offline capture varies the most: Some apps save data on the device and sync it later, and others need a connection. Test any app in airplane mode before you sign.
• Billing is usually in the same system: Most platforms here can run data collection and billing together. Hi Rasmus connects to a separate billing system instead.
• Check export terms early: Export terms and fees differ by company, so ask for a sample export of one client's graphs, notes and program history before you commit.
• Alpaca Health handles the admin too: Its platform covers data collection and progress tracking, and its team takes care of credentialing, billing and payroll. If you own or want to open an ABA practice, see how Alpaca Health works.

What is ABA data collection software?

It's the software that holds the clinical record of each ABA therapy session, filled in by your RBT on a phone or tablet while the session happens. Your RBT scores discrete trials, frequency counts, durations, interval data, task analysis steps and ABC data (antecedent, behavior, consequence) without paper data sheets or a clicker. The ABC entries also help you work out the function of a behavior.

The BACB Ethics Code (2.17) asks you to graph your data and use it to decide whether to continue, change or end services. Look for software that updates the graphs after every session, so you aren't making decisions from last week's data.

Some platforms also run scheduling and billing for your ABA practice in the same system. Others focus on clinical work and connect to separate ABA practice management software for claims and authorizations.

Any company that stores client health information for you is a business associate under HIPAA, the federal health privacy law. That includes the company behind an online spreadsheet or form you use for session data. Guidance from HHS says you and that company must sign a business associate agreement (BAA), the contract that sets out how the company must protect that data. Don't put client data into any tool until you've signed one.

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How does ABA data collection software work?

Your RBT records each ABA therapy session's data on a phone or tablet, and the software puts that data into graphs and a session note. Once the note is signed, platforms with billing turn it into a claim.

1. You build the programs: You set targets, measurement types, prompt levels and mastery criteria, often from a template, so a toileting task analysis doesn't start from scratch.
2. Your RBT runs the session: The RBT opens the client's programs on a phone or tablet and scores each trial, count, timer or ABC entry.
3. The note pulls in the data: Most platforms place the data in a note template, and the RBT adds a narrative and collects signatures for the session note.
4. You review the graphs: Once the data syncs, you check the graphs, change phases and sign off on notes.
5. Billing turns sessions into claims: Each signed session becomes a line on a claim in platforms with billing, so every billed unit traces back to its data.

Your RBTs spend more time in the session screen than anyone else, so give their experience the most weight when you test a platform. For example, an RBT scoring trials on a client's living room floor needs quick one-handed entry, while your billing staff mostly see the finished claim.

The BACB requires each RBT to be supervised for at least 5 percent of their service hours each month. Clean session data gives you something concrete to review in those supervision meetings.

The signed note also matters when an auditor reviews your claims. When the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited Colorado's Medicaid ABA payments, it sampled 100 client-months, each covering one client's claims for one month. All 100 had improper or potentially improper claim lines. The OIG then asked the state to give providers clearer guidance on signatures and on what session notes must show.

What are the most important features of ABA data collection software?

The most important features are the data types, graphs and notes your RBTs use in every ABA therapy session, plus offline capture for when the signal drops.

• Data types: The app should record discrete trials, frequency and rate, duration, interval, task analysis and ABC data, mixed in one program when you need it.
• Graphs that update live: Each data point should land on the graph as it's recorded, so it's ready for the visual analysis you do in supervision.
• Offline capture: Data should save on the device when the signal drops and sync later without gaps or duplicates.
• Session notes in the same app: The note should pull in the session's data and signatures, so nobody retypes numbers.
• Billing in the same system: Ask how signed sessions reach billing and who fixes them when a sync fails.
• Mobile apps: Check whether staff get an installed iOS and Android app or a browser page, and which one works offline.
• Price at your caseload: Work out the price for your current number of learners or staff, then add setup fees and add-ons.

If your RBTs mostly work in homes or the community, weigh offline capture and the mobile app first.

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What are the top 7 ABA data collection software platforms?

The top 7 ABA data collection software platforms are Alpaca Health, CentralReach, Motivity, Rethink Behavioral Health, Raven Health, Hi Rasmus and AlohaABA. The table below compares the top platforms on features such as session notes, billing, mobile apps and starting price.

Alpaca Health is listed first because it comes with credentialing, billing and guaranteed payouts as one partnership, and the other six platforms are software subscriptions. Ensora Health is left off because its website no longer lists its ABA products, which included the data collection app once called Catalyst.

Prices in the table come from each company's own website in October 2026. Quote-based means the company doesn't publish a price.

1. Alpaca Health

Alpaca Health is a platform and an admin team in one, built for BCBAs who own their ABA practice or want to open their own. Data collection and progress tracking sit on the same platform as AI session notes, scheduling and insurance billing, and you get all of it through one partnership.

Key features:

• Data collection and progress tracking: Your RBTs record session data, and you track each client's progress against the treatment plan in the same place.
• AI session notes: An AI notetaker drafts session documentation, and AI tools help you write treatment plans.
• Apps for staff and families: Your staff work in the provider apps, and families get their own mobile app.
• Credentialing and billing done for you: Its team credentials you under insurance contracts it already holds, then handles claims, denials and collections.

Pros:

• One record from session to claim: Session data, notes and claims live in one system, so you don't have to connect two products.
• Data ownership: Your ABA practice owns its client records, treatment plans and session data.
• Predictable cash flow: Payouts arrive every two weeks, even if an insurer delays, denies or claws back a payment.
• No software fees: You pay no software fees, and private-pay clients run through the platform at no extra charge.

Cons:

• Partnership only: A standalone tool will fit better if you only want software seats or already have billing and credentialing handled.
• Five states: It works with ABA practices in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii and Michigan.
• One-year term: The agreement runs for one year, and you can end it early with 90 days' notice and no termination fee.

Best for: A BCBA who owns, or wants to open, an ABA practice and wants data collection, billing and credentialing in one partnership.

2. CentralReach

CentralReach is an ABA software platform that runs intake, scheduling, data collection, billing and collections in one system. Its homepage says 4,000 ABA and multidisciplinary practices use its software. Data collection runs in its CR Mobile app.

Key features:

• Offline mobile app: CR Mobile for iOS and Android works offline and syncs when staff reconnect.
• Structured notes: Staff complete notes in the app with built-in structure, and the app tracks electronic visit verification (EVV), a record of when and where each visit took place.
• AI note drafts: NoteDraftAI, sold as an add-on, turns session data into a narrative draft for the RBT to review.

Pros:

• Works with a weak signal: Offline capture with automatic sync suits in-home and community sessions.
• Fewer handoffs: Data, notes, billing and collections all run in CentralReach, so you don't need a second product.
• Startup version: CR Essentials is a separate CentralReach product for startup and small ABA practices.

Cons:

• No public price: CentralReach doesn't publish prices, and its pricing policy charges for active seats (user licenses) against the number of seats you commit to.
• Yearly increases: The same policy lets CentralReach raise subscription fees by up to 7 percent each year, and the increases compound.
• Paid data exports: CentralReach bills data import and export projects by the hour, with a two-hour minimum.

Best for: A growing ABA practice that wants offline data collection and billing in one large system.

3. Motivity

Motivity is an ABA platform whose core product is data collection, with practice management as a second module for scheduling and billing. The National Institute of Mental Health funded its development through federal research grants.

Key features:

• Live graphs: Graphs update as the RBT records, so a supervising BCBA can watch the data during the session.
• Flexible programs: You can customize phases, prompts and measurement types, and start from more than 1,000 program templates.
• Auto-filled notes: Session data lands in the note automatically, and caregivers sign on the same device.

Pros:

• Published price: Data collection is listed at $26 per learner per month on Motivity's pricing page in October 2026, and the plan with practice management is $50 per learner.
• Any device: It runs in any browser and in apps for iOS and Android.
• Free export window: Its pricing page says you can export your data at any time, and you get a free period to export everything if you close your account.

Cons:

• No offline mode described: Motivity's FAQ says the app works like the browser version with no syncing required, so test it on a weak connection.
• Billing costs extra: You need the practice management module for scheduling, billing and authorizations.
• Twelve-month standard term: Its standard agreement runs 12 months, and it also offers a month-to-month option.

Best for: An ABA practice that puts program design first and wants a published per-learner price.

4. Rethink Behavioral Health

Rethink Behavioral Health, which brands itself as RethinkBH, is an ABA platform that runs scheduling, billing and data collection in one system. Its data collection comes with more than 1,500 customizable treatment plan and intervention templates, each with video-based training.

Key features:

• Offline mobile app: The iOS and Android app works offline and syncs session data when it reconnects.
• Many data types: It records frequency and rate, duration, opportunity-based, interval, ABC and task analysis data.
• Full edit history: Every edit or deletion is stamped with the time and the staff member, and it never overwrites the original entry.
• Session Note AI: It drafts a clinical narrative from finalized session data plus a few details your staff add.

Pros:

• Large program library: Ready-made templates mean you don't write every program from scratch.
• VB-MAPP built in: You can complete the VB-MAPP in the platform and pull recommended goals into the treatment plan.
• Parent portal: Caregivers can view progress and sign off on session notes in their own portal.

Cons:

• No public price: Its site says pricing depends on the number of users, modules and services.
• Preloading for offline notes: To write notes offline, staff preload sessions ahead of time, so plan for a day without a signal.
• No built-in video: RethinkBH doesn't include native telehealth tools, so remote sessions need a separate video app.

Best for: An ABA practice that wants a big program library and offline mobile data collection.

5. Raven Health

Raven Health is an ABA platform built around mobile data collection that works without a signal, and it runs scheduling and billing in the same system. On its managed billing plan, Raven Health's own team files your claims and follows up on them, so you don't need your own biller.

Key features:

• Offline capture: RBTs record trials, prompts and behavior events with no signal, and the app syncs later.
• Version history: Staff capture notes and electronic signatures in the app, and every program edit is saved as a new version.
• AI session summaries: The app turns session data into a written narrative for the note.

Pros:

• Published price: The standalone plan is listed at $29 per learner per month on Raven Health's pricing page in October 2026. A $500 implementation fee covers setup and moving your data.
• Managed billing option: The Premium plan has Raven Health run your billing for 5 percent of monthly claims paid, billed month-to-month.
• Unlimited users: Every plan includes unlimited RBT and BCBA users.

Cons:

• Annual commitment: The standalone plan needs a one-year commitment and doesn't include claims submission.
• Credentialing costs extra: Credentialing is an add-on at $200 per insurer, charged for the practice and for each BCBA.
• Data types to confirm: Its site lists skill acquisition and behavior events, so ask about interval and task analysis data.

Best for: A small ABA practice with many in-home sessions that needs offline capture and a published price.

6. Hi Rasmus

Hi Rasmus is an ABA platform built around program design, data collection and supervision. It has its own scheduling tool and connects to a separate practice management system for billing.

Key features:

• Wide range of data types: It supports discrete trials, target sets, task analyses, interval, duration, rate and ABC data in one program.
• Video scoring: Supervisors can score data from uploaded session videos and leave time-stamped feedback.
• Group sessions: One staff member can run sessions for several learners at once in the browser version.

Pros:

• Works offline: Its site says it can keep collecting data when the device is offline.
• Premium supervision tools: Premium licenses add a live supervision mode, audit trails for session notes and automatic session summaries.
• Program uploads: Its site says you can upload programs from your current platform when you switch.

Cons:

• No billing module: You'd pair it with a practice management system such as AlohaABA or Lumary to bill.
• No public price: It sells client and staff licenses but doesn't publish dollar prices.
• Two products to run: You'll pay for and learn two systems, and your notes reach billing through an integration.

Best for: An ABA practice that wants deep program customization and supervision tools and already runs billing in another system.

7. AlohaABA

AlohaABA is ABA practice management and billing software that now offers its own clinical data collection. It still connects to outside data collection tools such as Hi Rasmus and Motivity if you'd rather keep one of those.

Key features:

• Real-time data collection: It records skill acquisition, behavior reduction and ABC data in real time.
• Graphs and programs: Core graph types are built in, and programs hold targets, mastery criteria and generalization probes.
• Documentation templates: Its site says its pre-built documentation templates match insurance requirements.

Pros:

• Published price: Data collection is listed at $10 per client per month, marked down from $12, on AlohaABA's pricing page in October 2026.
• Billing in one place: Scheduling, billing, payroll and authorizations run in the same system.
• No implementation fee: Its pricing page says there's no implementation fee, and it offers a 30-day trial at no cost.

Cons:

• Tied to its practice management: You can only buy data collection with AlohaABA Practice Management, which is listed at $29.99 per staff member per month.
• Newer product: The data collection tool is newer than its billing software, so ask for references from ABA practices that use it.
• Offline and apps not described: Its site doesn't describe offline capture or a dedicated data collection app, so test both.

Best for: An ABA practice that's already on AlohaABA for billing and wants data collection in the same system.

What should you test before switching ABA data collection software?

Before you switch, test offline capture, data exports and program history yourself, because a company's website won't show you what happens when a tablet loses its signal.

• Airplane-mode test: Run a mock session in airplane mode with discrete trials, a duration timer and an ABC entry, then reconnect and check that each trial landed on the graph once.
• Program history: Ask whether mastery dates, phase changes and baselines move over as live data or as static files, because a static PDF won't let you extend a trend line.
• Sample export: Ask for an export of one test client's graphs, raw data, notes and program history, and open it outside the company's software.
• Edit history and IOA: Check that the app shows who changed each data point. It should also let a second observer score the same session, so you can measure interobserver agreement (IOA), which is how closely two observers' data match.
• Record retention: Keep a full export or read access to the old system for as long as you must keep client records. That period is generally set by state law, and the HIPAA Privacy Rule doesn't set one for medical records.
• Small pilot: Move one or two clients first and compare the graphs from both systems before you move everyone else.
• Staff training: Teach the new app with behavioral skills training, which means instructions, modeling, practice and feedback, until each RBT can run a session alone.

Ask each company what happens when two people edit the same record while one of them is offline. Get the company's answers on exports and record access in writing before you sign.

How can Alpaca Health help with data collection in your ABA practice?

Alpaca Health gives your RBTs one platform for recording session data, and its AI notetaker drafts session notes in the same place. You track each client's progress against the treatment plan there too. Treatment plans, session data and claims stay in one record, and your ABA practice owns it.

Private-pay clients run through the same platform at no extra charge, so every client's data sits in one place. Families get their own mobile app, and you can message them through the platform. Its team also credentials you under the insurance contracts it already holds and handles claims, denials and payroll, with payouts every two weeks.

If you'd like to see your own programs and session notes on the platform, book a demo with our team.

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Frequently asked questions about ABA data collection software

What is the best ABA data collection software?

Alpaca Health is the best fit if you own your ABA practice and want credentialing and billing handled too, because data collection comes with its partnership. For software only, Raven Health, CentralReach and Rethink Behavioral Health work offline for in-home sessions, and Motivity publishes its price. If you'd like that partnership for your ABA practice, you can book a demo.

How much does ABA data collection software cost?

Published prices start at $10 per client per month for AlohaABA's data collection, which also requires its practice management plan at $29.99 per staff member. Motivity lists $26 per learner per month, Raven Health lists $29 per learner per month plus a $500 setup fee, and CentralReach, Rethink Behavioral Health and Hi Rasmus quote each practice. Ask each company for the full first-year cost at your caseload, and if you're opening a new ABA practice, budget it with your other startup software.

Can ABA data collection software work without internet?

Yes, several can. CentralReach, Rethink Behavioral Health and Raven Health describe offline capture that syncs when the device reconnects, and Hi Rasmus says it can keep collecting data offline. Motivity's FAQ says its app works like the browser version with no syncing required, so run an airplane-mode test on any app before you commit.

Do I need separate software for data collection and billing?

No. CentralReach, Rethink Behavioral Health, Raven Health and AlohaABA can run data collection and billing in one system, and Motivity adds billing through its practice management module. Hi Rasmus is the exception, so if you choose it, you'll need a billing system or one of the revenue cycle management companies that file claims for you.

Is there free ABA data collection software?

None of the standalone tools here lists a permanently free plan. Rethink Behavioral Health gives members of its start-up community a free sandbox account for testing, and AlohaABA offers a 30-day trial at no cost. Any free app that stores client data still needs a signed business associate agreement with your ABA practice.