7 Best Online Therapy Platforms Reviewed by Mental Health Experts

BetterHelp offers an online therapy subscription with a wide selection of therapists, a process that makes it easy to switch providers, and useful extra features like a digital journal. In our survey, BetterHelp users were happier with their therapist matches compared to other platforms.

• Four live therapy sessions monthly.
• Message your therapist anytime.
• Digital journal.
• Group sessions and webinars.
• Financial assistance program available.

• Individual therapy on BetterHelp: $260–$360 per month.

BetterHelp says that it has more than 30,000 licensed therapists on the platform. Our Handbook Team tester went through the therapist matching and switching process to find out how easy it was for users to find a good therapist fit. Here are a few of the features we found that can help you find the right therapist:

• A therapist-matching questionnaire that considers your gender identity, sexual orientation, areas of focus, and therapist expectations.
• Ability to chat with your therapist to get to know their approach before booking an appointment.
• Easy process to switch therapists anytime.
• Ability to choose a new therapist based on a list of matches.

Our tester was especially impressed by the bonus features you can explore to support your therapy journey outside of interactions with therapists. “It’s cool that you can keep a journal and choose whether or not to share it with your therapist,” said one tester. “You can also set goals with your therapist, and there are so many classes to choose from to supplement your experience.”

A BetterHelp subscription also includes:

• A digital journal
• Group sessions and webinars
• Worksheets (assigned by your therapist)

What other users are saying

In our October 2023 survey of online therapy users, BetterHelp users had the highest satisfaction rates with their therapists. Eighty-six percent of respondents rated their therapists as good or very good—that’s almost 9 out of 10 BetterHelp users we surveyed.

Finding a therapist you feel comfortable with can help you get the most out of your therapy sessions. “Having a good rapport with your therapist and being provided with a safe, non-judgmental space is a critical part of the therapeutic process,” explains GinaMarie Guarino, therapist and founder of Psychpoint in New York City. “Feeling seen, understood, and accepted without judgment creates a space for healing, so it is very important to feel seen by your therapist.”

It’s worth checking if Talkspace is in-network with your insurance plan. If you’re covered, you could find Talkspace a more affordable online therapy or psychiatry option. We liked its detailed therapist profile features, and that messaging therapy is included with all plans.

• Messaging included with all plans.
• Four live sessions in plans with video therapy.
• Plan with workshops to learn new skills.
• Couples therapy, psychiatry, and teen therapy available.
• Accepts insurance.

• Messaging therapy: $276 per month.
• Video + messaging therapy: $396 per month.
• Video + messaging + workshops: $436 per month.
• Couples therapy: $436 per month.
• Psychiatry: $299 for initial evaluation, $175 for each follow-up session.

Talkspace is one of the few online therapy platforms that accept insurance. Its providers are in-network with major insurance plans such as Aetna, Cigna, and Optum, and our testers found it easy to find out how much you’ll have to pay for therapy on the platform without having to sign up for an account first.

Our Talkspace tester had a similar experience to our BetterHelp tester with finding the right therapist fit. The platform matches you with therapists in your state according to your concerns and gender preferences. When switching therapists on Talkspace, you can see a detailed profile of your therapist matches. Therapist profiles included information such as:

• Name.
• License information.
• Video introduction.
• Short biography.
• Areas of focus.
• Experience level.
• Therapist availability, including working days, upcoming time off, and times they’re most likely to be active on the platform.

We liked that the provider profiles had enough details to help our tester choose a therapist who supported their concerns and had availability that worked for their schedule.

Talkspace also provides psychiatry services. Though its out-of-pocket fees for psychiatry and medication management can add up, Talkspace psychiatry can still be a cost-effective option if you have an in-network insurance plan.

What other users are saying

About one in two of our October 2023 survey respondents (49 percent) paid for online therapy using their insurance coverage. Without insurance, Talkspace had the highest per-session costs for its Video + Messaging Therapy plan at $99. However, if covered, a Talkspace session could cost as low as a $22 copay per session (for Carelon members, according to the Talkspace website).

We found that if Talkspace verifies your coverage, but its providers aren’t in-network with your insurance plan, the platform will still offer a discount of $120 off your first month.

We want to highlight that the New York City Health Department offers free mental health support for New York City teens on Talkspace through a program called NYC Teenspace. As of this writing, teens ages 13 to 17 can get Talkspace’s Video + Messaging Therapy plan for free until they turn 18. Teens can sign up for the platform with their parents’ permission and have access to the Talkspace Go app, which has interactive lessons and exercises for teens.

Online-Therapy.com includes an abundance of features with each membership to help you work on what you learn in therapy. These features are all informed by CBT to support you in changing behaviors or patterns. However, your experience may vary depending on how your therapist uses them in your sessions, and you might have to seek them out for yourself.

• Unlimited messaging included with every plan.
• Couples therapy available.
• Yoga and meditation videos.
• Digital journal and worksheets.
• Financial aid program available.

• Basic (messaging only): $200 per month.
• Standard (messaging and one live session per week): $320 per month.
• Premium (messaging and two live sessions per week): $440 per month.
• Couples therapy: $440 per month.

We found that Online-Therapy.com offers the most resources outside of therapy for you to learn about behavioral change and, more importantly, to put it into practice. In addition to unlimited messaging and the option for live sessions with your therapist, the platform includes lessons with worksheets, a digital journal, an activity planner, yoga videos, and meditation videos with all their plans.

Online-Therapy.com specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a treatment approach that identifies unhelpful patterns of thinking or behavior, teaches people coping skills, and encourages a shift to more helpful behaviors and thoughts. We liked that the platform’s therapists are trained in delivering CBT, and its resources are geared toward helping individuals stay accountable to their goals for behavioral change.

CBT is well-researched in treating individuals with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and addictions. Ling Lam, a licensed therapist and academic lecturer at Santa Clara University, explains that one of CBT’s strengths is how it leverages intentional practices like the activities assigned outside of therapy sessions. “I think journaling, CBT worksheets—these are important parts of any therapy, CBT or not.”

Since CBT relies heavily on your own initiative in making the changes, we recommend Online-Therapy.com if you are ready to make changes and could benefit from the many resources the platform offers to support your therapy goals.

Our Online-Therapy.com tester had to switch from their first provider match because of poor availability. They found it easy to switch but didn’t find many provider options once they searched for therapists with expertise in a certain area. Although our tester had a positive experience with the provider they chose, this clinician didn’t mention the extra resources like the worksheets and digital journal, and our tester had to explore these for themselves.

What other users are saying

Online-Therapy.com offers financial aid for those who qualify. Our tester found the application and approval process quick and straightforward. In our focus group of online therapy users, one participant told us, “I had to apply for financial aid on Online-Therapy.com to actually get the plan I’m currently on, which was 30% off. It was really a good deal for me.”

Sesame can quickly connect you to online therapy and psychiatry services with same-day appointments, but provider availability can vary by location. Its pay-per-session structure can make online therapy more accessible for flexible budgets.

• Therapists and psychiatrists on the platform.
• Couples therapy sessions available.
• Pay-per-session visits.
• Offers medication delivery for certain prescriptions.
• Same-day appointments available.

• Pay per session: Session costs vary by provider and location.

Sesame Care, or Sesame, is a telehealth platform that has providers with same-day availability and an easy signup process that quickly connects you to mental health care. We know how important it is to get mental health care when you need it. According to one survey, the national average wait time for therapy services is 48 days, almost seven weeks. Getting an appointment with a psychiatrist can take even longer.

Online therapy on Sesame can also be a good choice if you prefer to browse and choose from a therapist based on their profiles instead of getting matched with one. We liked that Sesame has clear provider profiles and availability schedules so you can choose the best provider for you.

However, the number of licensed providers available on Sesame varies by location. Depending on your state, you may have a different level of choice regarding provider availability. For example, as of this writing, users in Vermont can choose from 11 providers, whereas users in Alaska only have two providers to choose from.

Our tester found it easy to search for a variety of online mental health care providers in their area using Sesame. Providers are organized according to the services they offer, including online mental health consults, online couples therapy sessions, online therapy sessions for new patients, prescription refills, and online psychiatry consults. Each provider’s profile includes a schedule of the earliest available appointment times. Sesame also features a tool to filter your results for providers you can see within two hours, though this was only available on the mental health consult and prescription refill options for our tester.

What other users are saying

When searching in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a Sunday night, our tester found online mental health consult and prescription refill appointments available that same night, some in under an hour. There were five providers in our tester’s area for therapy appointments, and one had open appointment times the next day. The others had appointments available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday that week. While only one provider was listed for online psychiatry consults in the area, they had appointments available the next morning starting at 10:00 a.m.

It can be hard to commit to a monthly subscription if your budget changes from month to month. Sesame can be a good choice if you want a no-frills experience with live online therapy sessions. Appointments are booked and paid per session, so you’re not locked into a monthly subscription. But since you’re only paying for provider sessions, the platform doesn’t offer extra mental health resources like digital journals or extra learning. Sesame does offer post-visit messaging with certain providers. This feature is only available with providers who choose to participate and is limited to four days of messaging after your visit for $19.

We liked that Brightside integrates therapy and psychiatry on one platform. The care coordination and customer service were responsive and helpful, and its providers are in-network with some insurance plans, including Medicare Part B.

• Lessons included with membership.
• Unlimited messaging with your providers in every plan.
• Accepts insurance.
• Plans for psychiatry and therapy.

• Psychiatry: $95 per month.
• Therapy: $299 per month.
• Psychiatry + therapy: $349 per month.

For some, a combination of therapy and psychiatry can be more beneficial than just therapy alone. While psychiatrists can prescribe and help you manage medication, therapists cannot. But, having both a psychiatrist and a therapist can mean coordinating your appointments between two separate offices. Brightside Health, or Brightside, is an online mental health platform that offers a plan that combines therapy and medication management through psychiatry. We liked that Brightside integrates mental health providers on one platform, and you can message your providers anytime.

Your provider’s notes can be shared with any other providers on the platform, so switching therapists or between your therapy or psychiatry providers is a seamless experience.

Similar to Talkspace and BetterHelp, our testers found that Brightside first matches you with a provider. If you want to switch providers, you’ll have to request one through customer service, which may give you a few therapist bios to choose from. We didn’t like this process as much as being able to view provider profiles ourselves, but we still liked having the choice. Testers were able to switch providers at any time and found Brightside customer service very helpful in the matching process.

What other users are saying

We had a positive experience with the platform’s app, particularly the tracking and learning features that came with their Brightside subscription. One tester found the library of self-care videos helpful to watch in between sessions to work on managing their anxiety and stress.

“The app is such a great feature,” said the tester. “It has charts that help you track your anxiety and stress levels and offers easy access to book and join appointments. It also has a Resources section with short self-care videos to help develop tools to manage feelings and resources for crisis situations if needed.”

Brightside providers are in-network with some insurance plans, including Medicare Part B. However, we found it a bit of a hassle to sign up for an account first to see whether our plan was in-network.

ReGain offers couples therapy and extra learning sessions for partners in the form of group webinars. We found the webinar topics to be wide-ranging and scheduled often enough for busy couples to be able to attend.

• Platform specializes in relationship therapy.
• Separate logins for you and your partner.
• Shared chat room with therapist.
• Separate digital journals for individual reflection.
• Group webinars for learning relationship skills.

• ReGain: $260–$360 per month.

ReGain is BetterHelp’s platform specifically for relationship therapy. It offers live therapy sessions for couples and a running schedule of group webinars called “Classes.” We liked the webinars because partners can learn more about relationship skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and parenting, which can make therapy more effective.

Our testers liked that they were able to get an appointment quickly (within one to three business days) and that most therapists on the platform had evening hours. This was convenient timing for testers who work and have children. Testers put their children to bed and logged on to do therapy at 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The first therapist one testing couple was matched with was not a good fit, but the second therapist was a great fit. The testers noted that both of them felt heard and that the therapist provided some interesting ideas to help them reconnect.

Though its plan costs are in the same range as BetterHelp, a ReGain subscription gives you and your partner access to four monthly live sessions and unlimited group sessions. You and your partner each have a separate login and digital journal, but you have a shared chat room with your therapist.

What other users are saying

We learned that group-based resources were important to people seeking relationship therapy online. In our October 2023 survey, about one in three ReGain users felt that group-based activities (e.g. group therapy, workshops, or support groups) were essential to their online therapy experience.

Experts explain that group learning can help you feel more prepared to take advantage of your therapy sessions. “If clients were better prepared and informed, then therapy would be more effective,” says Lincoln Stoller, a professional counselor and founder of Mind Strength Balance in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. “Most new clients don’t know what to expect [from therapy] and have not organized themselves.”

Classes are interactive, meaning attendees can ask questions and participate in discussion periods along with the lessons. There is often more than one class scheduled in a day, and they’re organized under the following topics:

• Anxiety & Depression
• Skill Building Series
• Relationships
• Wellness
• LGBT
• Grief
• Trauma
• Anxiety
• BetterHelp
• Anger Management
• Substance Abuse

Zocdoc has a detailed search tool with filters to help you find a provider you’re comfortable with and who accepts your insurance. Though the platform shows provider availability, you’ll still need to wait for the provider to confirm your appointment through email, which can add to your wait.

• Individual therapy, psychiatry, and couples therapy providers available.
• Pay-per-session visits.
• See provider appointment availability without having to sign up.
• Same-day appointments available.
• Search for providers using 14 filter categories.

• Pay per session: Session costs vary by provider and location.

We liked Zocdoc because its provider search tool was one of the easiest for our testers to use and filter for the right provider for them. You may be looking for a provider of a certain gender identity, who speaks a certain language, or who is in-network with your specific insurance plan.

Our testers found it easy to get started with Zocdoc. Unlike the other online therapy platforms we researched, you don’t have to sign up for an account to use the search tool. For therapy, Zocdoc asks a few questions about your location and the type of therapy you’re looking for. You can filter your search results further using the following categories:

• Preferred appointment date.
• Preferred appointment time.
• Visit reason.
• Specialty.
• Distance (If you’re looking for in-person therapy).
• Type of visit (Whether it’s a virtual video visit or an in-person visit).
• Gender.
• Patient age range.
• Modality (Couples, individual, family, or group therapy).
• Provider ethnicity.
• Provider languages spoken.
• Provider sexual orientation.
• Provider faith.
• Treatment approaches.

Although providers on Zocdoc may also have same-day availability, we found that the time to confirm your appointment wasn’t as quick as on Sesame. After making an appointment through Zocdoc, the provider reaches out (typically via email) to confirm your appointment again. Because of this extra step, we found that sometimes providers weren’t available at the requested appointment times as shown on the platform.

What other users are saying

Zocdoc was the only one of our top platforms that had a way to filter providers by both sexual orientation and ethnicity. We think it’s important to have the ability to choose a provider that makes you feel seen and comfortable sharing your experiences.

In our October 2023 survey, online therapy users indicated that affordability, positive reviews, and insurance coverage were among the top deciding factors when choosing an online therapy platform. We found it helpful that provider profiles displayed information such as user reviews, in-network insurance plans, and whether providers offered sliding scale fees. But we also noticed that not all providers have their out-of-pocket fees on their Zocdoc profiles.