Surrogate Alternatives vs. ConceiveAbilities: Choosing the Right Agency for Your Family
Surrogate Alternatives and ConceiveAbilities, a surrogacy and egg donation agency founded in 1996, share several structural strengths. Both use independent third-party escrow. Both accept approximately 5% of surrogate applicants. Both are founder-led agencies with decades of experience.
The differences are in matching speed, founder experience, cost structure and track record transparency. Some families prefer a structured matching methodology with a fixed all-in price. Others prefer a founder-led agency built by someone who lived the surrogacy journey, with no waitlist, profiles within days and a lower published cost range. This page lays out the differences so intended parents can decide which model fits their family.
Surrogate Alternatives
- Founder-led since 1998 by a former surrogate
- No paid or unpaid waiting lists
- Independent third-party escrow via SeedTrust
- Fixed agency fees with a line-item breakdown
ConceiveAbilities
- Fixed All-In Program price of $197,500
- Matching Matters® program, 2-4 months to confirmed match
- Independent, bonded escrow funded before transfer
- Founded 1996, led by CEO Nazca Fontes
(SeedTrust)
Surrogate
acceptance
Founder-led
How Matching Speed, Cost and Track Record Compare
Surrogate Alternatives has helped bring more than 4,000 babies into the world since 1998. ConceiveAbilities reports having managed "thousands of pregnancies" since 1996 but does not publish a specific baby count. Both agencies have nearly three decades of continuous operation, accept approximately 5% of surrogate applicants and support LGBTQ+ families and single intended parents.
The core differences are matching speed, founder experience, cost structure and track record transparency. Surrogate Alternatives moves families into profile review within days at a published fixed cost breakdown. ConceiveAbilities uses a structured multi-month matching program at a single all-in price.
SAI's Founder Built Surrogate Alternatives From Personal Surrogacy and Egg Donation Experience
Both agencies are founder-led, which is a meaningful signal in an industry where many agencies operate under professional management teams. Surrogate Alternatives is family-owned and founder-led by Diana Olmeda, a two-time surrogate, five-time egg donor and author of The Surrogacy Blueprint. Diana's surrogacy and egg donation resulted in the birth of 10 children. Diana continues to lead Surrogate Alternatives today. Surrogate Alternatives was built by someone who has personally lived the surrogacy journey from multiple perspectives.
Surrogate Alternatives' team includes current and former surrogates, so intended parents and surrogates work with people who have firsthand experience, not just administrators.
Nazca Fontes founded ConceiveAbilities in 1996 and continues to lead ConceiveAbilities as CEO. ConceiveAbilities describes Fontes as a long-time thought leader in modern family building with more than 25 years in the industry. Diana's leadership comes from living the journey herself.
SAI Families Start Reviewing Profiles Within Days, Not Months
Surrogate Alternatives does not operate paid or unpaid waiting lists. Intended parents begin reviewing curated surrogate profiles within days, based on compatibility rather than a structured timeline. Only about 5% of surrogate applicants move forward after screening, allowing Surrogate Alternatives to prioritize quality, safety and compatibility in every match.
ConceiveAbilities uses its Matching Matters® program, which takes approximately 1-2 months to identify and vet a surrogate, followed by another 1-2 months to meet and finalize the match. ConceiveAbilities reports a 97% first-match acceptance rate. Both agencies prioritize compatibility over speed. The difference is timeline: Surrogate Alternatives moves families into profile review within days while ConceiveAbilities' process takes 2-4 months from consultation to confirmed match.
How Cost Compares Between the Two Agencies
A typical surrogacy journey with Surrogate Alternatives costs $150,000 to $200,000. ConceiveAbilities' All-In Program costs $197,500. At the top of Surrogate Alternatives' range, the two agencies cost roughly the same. At the lower end, Surrogate Alternatives' starting range is approximately $47,500 less than ConceiveAbilities' fixed price.
ConceiveAbilities' All-In model bundles agency fees, surrogate compensation, legal and escrow coordination, surrogate medical coverage and travel into one fixed price. Surrogate Alternatives uses fixed agency fees with a detailed cost breakdown and no surprise agency fees, so intended parents understand exactly what each component funds.
Surrogate Alternatives offers a lower starting cost with line-item transparency. The right choice depends on whether a family values a single bundled price or a detailed breakdown of each cost component.
Both Agencies Protect Client Funds Through Independent Escrow
Surrogate Alternatives requires all client funds to be held through SeedTrust, an independent third-party escrow provider. Surrogate Alternatives never holds or controls escrowed funds at any point. ConceiveAbilities also requires independent, bonded third-party escrow funded before embryo transfer, with milestone-based disbursements and online account visibility. Both agencies follow this best practice.
Independent escrow is not just an industry norm. In New York, it is state law. The Child-Parent Security Act, effective February 15, 2021, requires that a surrogate's compensation be held in escrow with an independent escrow agent, and it requires the state to license surrogacy matching programs operating there. Intended parents outside New York can use this framework as a benchmark for what a well-structured escrow arrangement looks like.
Talk With Surrogate Alternatives About Your Journey
Intended parents who want a founder-led agency built by someone who lived the surrogacy journey, with no waitlists, profiles within days and independent third-party escrow can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with Surrogate Alternatives. An agency director walks intended parents through the full surrogacy process and answers all questions about medical, legal and financial requirements before intended parents and surrogates sign any agreements.
Surrogate Alternatives has been building families since 1998. The right agency is the one whose process, values and cost structure match what matters most to your family.
Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with Surrogate Alternatives.
