Best Online Therapy: Which service is right for you?

Our lives have shifted online more and more over the past couple of decades, affecting how we socialize, how we buy and sell goods, how we work, and, now, how we access healthcare. As telehealth continues to gain popularity, your options for accessing healthcare online are only growing.

Perhaps no area of healthcare is better positioned for this new frontier than therapy. For many people, online counseling sessions with a trusted therapist prove just as helpful as in-person sessions.1 2 Companies have developed intuitive app and website experiences that make access easy, and you can’t beat the convenience of therapy from the comfort of home or wherever you happen to be.

But as your options expand, the question becomes clear: which online therapy program is best for you? Our team has thoroughly tested the companies and services they provide. In this guide, we’ll share the pros, cons, and all the details you’ll need in order to decide which one is best for you.

For those of you in a hurry, here’s a quick summary before we dive into the details.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

For this guide to the best online therapy services, our team spent over 200 hours conducting hands-on testing and research of multiple providers across the competitive landscape. We purchased plans, attended sessions, utilized customer support channels, and tried out all of the features. Our team also read dozens of scientific articles and studies about online therapy and its effectiveness to bring you the most accurate information possible.

Additionally, this review, like all medical-related content on this website, was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board.

There are four basic criteria we looked at when evaluating online therapy providers: the quality of therapy you receive, the services offered, how much it costs, and the guarding of your information.

In these criteria, it’s worth mentioning that if BetterHelp is chosen as the winner, then the same applies to Regain and Teen Counseling, as both services are owned and operated by BetterHelp.

Quality of therapy

Winner: BetterHelp

If you’re new to the world of online therapy, or counseling in general, you’re likely curious about whether or not a service is worth your time and money. Typically, when you go to see a therapist in person, you’re able to check their credentials and read up on their experience and specialties beforehand. Thankfully, the same applies to the therapists from all of our recommended services, too.

BetterHelp (and Regain and Teen Counseling), Talkspace, and Hims and Hers are all very transparent about how educated and experienced your therapist is. When you get assigned a therapist, or have the opportunity to select one, depending on the platform, you’ll be able to read up on their degree, background, years of experience, specializations, the types of therapy they utilize, and usually a small introductory bio.

BetterHelp stands out in this regard, though, due to how stringent its requirements are for its therapists; only 15% of potential therapist candidates end up being hired. All of our recommended services require board-approved clinical licenses and at least a master’s degree. But experience requirements are where the options start to differ a bit:

• BetterHelp requires a three-year, 1,000-hour minimum.
• Talkspace has no requirement but states the average is about nine years.
• Hims and Hers require a minimum of two years working as a fully licensed independent practitioner in clinical practice.

Talkspace’s nine-year average may sound like the best of the bunch at first glance, but that’s an average — you could get a therapist with 15 years of experience or with only one year. We personally prefer the minimums set by BetterHelp, Hims, and Hers, with BetterHelp’s 1,000-hour requirement pushing it into the winner’s spot.

To learn even more about BetterHelp’s therapist requirements, you can check out our full review.

Services

Winner: Talkspace

Choosing a winner in this category was difficult — all of our options have a nice variety of services to suit a wide range of people. However, Talkspace just barely won due to its psychiatry offering. Hims and Hers also have a psychiatry service, but it currently has far fewer medication treatment options available than Talkspace. We delve further into these medication differences under the “Online psychiatric services” section.

However, BetterHelp definitely has Talkspace beat when it comes to live sessions. With BetterHelp, everyone receives live sessions, and they can be conducted in a variety of ways — video chat, messaging, or over the phone. With Talkspace, you can only get live sessions if you subscribe to the second or third tier of available plans; the least expensive option only includes messaging five days a week with no live sessions. And, if you do start a plan that has live sessions, you can only have them over video or text, not the phone.

So, ultimately, BetterHelp is a very close second in terms of services offered; if the company introduces psychiatry someday, then it’ll likely become our new top choice here.

Cost

Winner: BetterHelp

In terms of cost, BetterHelp is — by far — the least expensive of our top picks for online therapy. The chart below offers a quick breakdown of how our recommendations compare (for therapy, not psychiatry, which has its own cost breakdown in the dedicated psychiatry section).

BetterHelp’s standard price is $90 per week, but if you mention your financial status isn’t the best in the intake questionnaire, you’ll be offered the reduced-fee discount of $65 per week. And if that’s still too much, you can apply for financial aid — the maximum amount of aid will lower your weekly cost down to $48.75 per week.

If you don’t qualify for aid, but $65 is too expensive, you can use our code INNERBODY to save an additional 20% to bring your weekly cost down to $52 (only $3.25 more than the lowest possible cost).

Unlike BetterHelp, Talkspace offers three different tiers of membership:

• Messaging Therapy plan ($69 per week): This tier doesn’t include live sessions, but you can contact your therapist five days a week using asynchronous messaging (video, text, or audio).
• Video + Messaging Therapy plan ($99 per week): This plan adds live video sessions to the previous tier’s offerings.
• Video + Messaging + Workshops plan ($109 per week): This plan includes everything from the other two, but adds weekly workshops.

And Hims and Hers have an interesting way of going about therapy — you can only purchase sessions à la carte, there’s no subscription involved. Every therapy session is $99.

For psychiatry costs, Hims and Hers beat Talkspace by a long shot, offering three months of treatment for $147 compared to the other’s $299-$824. We go into further detail about these costs in the dedicated online psychiatry section later on.

Guarding your information

Winner: Talkspace

All of our recommendations take your information seriously, but the approaches differ a bit. No matter which service you use, your therapist will be held to the same laws and rules that an in-person mental health professional would be. The differences lie more in the platforms themselves, not the therapists.

BetterHelp, uniquely, allows you to remove your messages at any time, but Talkspace allows something similar if you end up swapping therapists and want to start fresh. Hims and Hers don’t have a back-and-forth messaging platform for you to regularly communicate with your therapist (outside of urgent questions), so this feature doesn’t apply.

The biggest differences in this criterion come from how requests for information removal are handled:

• BetterHelp will wipe your health record and related information within 24 hours of your request, but all other data is retained for ten years.
• Hims’ and Hers’ policy notes that your medical records are retained for seven years. And, while you can request the removal of your info, the company explicitly states that the removal excludes your medical information.
• Talkspace allows you to fill out a form and make a removal request, stating that the service will only retain your info for “as long as your account is active” (meaning only as long as you use its services).

The chart below breaks down how our top recommendations for online therapy compare in a few vital ways, such as cost, session types, insurance, and more.

With BetterHelp, Regain, and Teen Counseling, it’s worth mentioning that if you qualify for a reduced-fee discount during sign-up based on your responses, your cost will be $65 per week. And, on BetterHelp, you can take an additional 20% off using coupon code INNERBODY — this makes your weekly cost $52. If you require financial aid for any of these three services, the lowest price in the chart ($48.75) is the cost with the maximum amount of aid.

Thanks to intuitive interfaces on their websites and apps, along with advances that make messaging in all formats easy — text, phone, and video — you should expect online therapy to be a rich and valuable experience. As long as you feel comfortable using your digital devices, you should be just fine accessing the therapy services with any of our top choices in this guide.

Though the specifics vary slightly from company to company, generally the process for getting started with online therapy follows a basic pattern:

1. Fill out an intake questionnaire with details about your medical history, what you’re looking for in a counselor, your preferences, and so on.
2. Create your account, which requires your email and a password.
3. Choose a plan (if applicable) and pay for the service.
4. Get matched to a counselor and start therapy.

Generally, these companies make the process very straightforward. Where they differ is in the details within these steps, such as:

• Membership options
• Pricing structure, if insurance is accepted, and whether or not financial aid is available
• Whether or not you have to use your real name, or if you can use a pseudonym (some people may feel more comfortable using a nickname)

Once you’re a member, the best companies give you the opportunity to:

• Message your counselor as often as you’d like, with pretty fast turnaround times
• Schedule a live session, if you wish
• Switch counselors easily if you aren’t satisfied
• Message in whichever format you prefer — text, voice message, or video

While we share all of the pertinent details from our testing of these online therapy services, there are important considerations for you to make in order to identify the best therapy for you. Ultimately, this choice is a personal one, and here are some of the main factors to consider.

Do you need your therapist to prescribe medication?

It’s often possible to access this type of care in a convenient way today, but keep in mind that most therapists can’t prescribe medication. You’ll usually either need a primary care physician or a board-certified psychiatrist to obtain a prescription medication. Some of these online therapy services provide a medication option, but many don’t. If you’re not sure if you need medication, it may be worth discussing with a therapist first.

Some of our top recommendations — Talkspace, Hims, and Hers — do offer both options. If you’re curious about medication, then, for convenience, it may be best to choose one of these services, discuss your unique needs with a therapist, and then add on psychiatry if necessary.

Your preferred mode of communication

For some people, nothing compares to face-to-face communication. Other people, however, are more accustomed to text and email and find just as much value from these modes of communication.

Online therapy can be extremely beneficial for people with busy schedules. It can also be an attractive option if you live in a more rural area with limited accessibility to providers. But if voice and face-time are your preferred mode of communication and you find yourself frustrated about using written messages with people in your life, then this is very important when comparing online therapy services. It could affect your costs, and help you identify which service is likeliest to suit your needs.

Talkspace, for example, only offers live sessions in its second and third membership tiers; the least expensive option is asynchronous messaging only. Your therapist will respond five days a week, but if you’re looking to have live interactions with them, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the higher tiers. However, this could be a great option for those who may be uncomfortable with direct interaction,3 such as patients with social anxiety.4

Preferred devices and app vs. website

No matter your preferences in this case, all of our recommended services are easily accessible through either your computer or via an app on your phone. And all of the apps are available on both iOS and Android devices.

It’s worth mentioning that even though Regain and Teen Counseling are owned by BetterHelp, they do have separate apps. And the Hims and Hers apps are divided based on the service you’re using (either Hims or Hers).

Your budget

With in-person counseling costing up to $225 per session, on average, you may be wondering if online therapy prices are the same, more, or less.5

The good news is that online therapy can often save you money compared to traditional therapy services. But a misunderstanding about the price structure or billing schedule of an online service can cause headaches. Budget is a very important consideration, whether you intend to get online therapy for just a few weeks or as an ongoing member for possibly a year or longer — everyone’s therapy needs are different.

Our least expensive recommended therapy service is BetterHelp, with costs as low as $48.75 per week with the maximum amount of financial aid. And if you don’t qualify for financial aid, you can still save 20% off using our coupon code, INNERBODY.

Do you prefer group or individual therapy?

This is a matter of personal preference. Some people feel they gain the most from a guided group therapy session and the camaraderie, support, and unexpected learning and growth that can occur. Others find the process uncomfortable and counterproductive and wouldn’t enjoy opening up in the ways that they do in a one-on-one session with a therapist. Some benefit from a combination of both.

BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Hims and Hers all offer some form of group sessions; BetterHelp has “Groupinars,” Talkspace has group workshops (at its highest-tier membership), and Hims and Hers offer free support groups. Also, if you choose Regain for couples counseling, you can choose to either have individual sessions or invite your partner.

For most people who seek therapy from a counselor, the goal is to establish a trusting and beneficial relationship with a counselor who can provide therapy in a comfortable, one-on-one setting. A multitude of possible challenges and goals can motivate you to seek this therapy.

In the growing telehealth industry, few medical services are as well suited to virtual care as therapy. With vast networks of highly qualified counselors spanning the spectrum of specialties, our top picks offer a convenient way to find that ideal therapist and benefit from the help they can provide.

Our recommendation: BetterHelp

Both BetterHelp and Talkspace are solid choices for most people, but right now we’re slightly more impressed by BetterHelp.

You’ll find qualified therapists from either service, but we believe BetterHelp wins overall. Our reasoning for this boils down to a few things:

• Flexibility in how you use the service, once you’re a member. BetterHelp gives you a bit more flexibility to choose how you want to communicate with your counselor (text, video, phone). Talkspace doesn’t currently offer phone sessions.
• Pricing. BetterHelp (and Regain and Teen Counseling) are much more affordable than Talkspace.
• Affordability of live sessions. We strongly believe that live sessions with a counselor are very important when it comes to online therapy. Even for those who think they can derive just as much value from messaging, it’s hard to replace live interaction with your therapist. In this category, BetterHelp outshines the competition by including a weekly live session for everyone as opposed to charging extra by locking them behind more expensive plans.

To be clear, we were very pleased by Talkspace’s counseling as well during testing, but BetterHelp edges it out right now.

Our testers found that the flexibility of BetterHelp’s session types (such as having an audio-only option) made therapy feel easier and as though you could “do it from anywhere.” They also found that additional tools, like worksheets, could be beneficial in teaching patients how to see concerns from various perspectives while also teaching them how to pinpoint and avoid certain triggers or stressors.

Check out our full BetterHelp review for more details.

Talkspace

Talkspace is a very close second to BetterHelp for the best overall online therapy, in our book. We slightly preferred its sign-up process and also the app.

Talkspace’s counselors have the same credentials as BetterHelp’s, and the pricing can be comparable to BetterHelp if you’re willing to forgo live sessions. If you are somebody who greatly prefers texting, then Talkspace would likely serve you very well. But it should also be a good choice for people who want live sessions but find Talkspace’s group workshops or psychiatry to be enticing options.

While our testers found the therapy they received from Talkspace to be high quality, they weren’t fans of the scheduling options available. One tester noted that they weren’t able to have a same-day session with their therapist and needed to wait several days. Additionally, most live session slots were in the early or mid-afternoon, making it difficult for people working 9-to-5 jobs to see their therapist. If you’re comfortable with (or prefer) asynchronous therapy via chat, however, then Talkspace should still be a great option.

You can learn more about the company, its services, and price structure with our full Talkspace review.

Hims and Hers

While Hims and Hers are likely more well-known for their hair, skin, and sexual health services, both platforms also offer therapy and psychiatry. The services aren’t as robust as what you’d find from Talkspace and BetterHelp, but they could be a good option for some people, particularly if you’re already using Hims or Hers for other reasons.

Our testers found therapy through Hims and Hers to be an interesting experience. While BetterHelp and Talkspace are typically for long-term treatment, the à la carte way of purchasing single sessions (or a weekly or monthly bundle) through Hims and Hers feels more suited to those seeking treatment for short-term concerns.

The therapist selection can be quite slim for some (one of our testers only had two options), and changing therapists isn’t nearly as smooth as with BetterHelp or Talkspace. When one of our testers booked a session with a therapist, and then decided to cancel and swap to a new therapist, the next session they booked was with the initial therapist. Otherwise, though, the sessions felt high quality and personalized — and they lasted 50 minutes (about 20 minutes longer than a typical session through BetterHelp or Talkspace).

To learn more about Hims and Hers, you can check out our full reviews of both platforms.

Some people greatly prefer a group format, often due to the availability of peer support and a feeling of not being alone in their struggles. All of our recommendations offer some form of online group session.

Our recommendation: BetterHelp

BetterHelp’s group sessions, which are called “Groupinars” (group webinars), are available for all members. You can sign up to join a live session of your choice once per week, and topics range from wellness and relationships to grief, anxiety, and even BetterHelp itself. Our testers appreciated the wide range of topics and the fact that, if you miss the session you signed up for or want to review something, you’ll receive a link in your email to watch the entire presentation.

Additionally, some BetterHelp therapists offer group sessions for all of their patients to join. If you’re experiencing scheduling difficulties and can’t find a good time to meet one-on-one with your therapist some weeks, then attending their group session and discussing it over messaging afterward could be a good alternative to fill in any gaps.

Talkspace

Talkspace offers group workshops for those who subscribe to its most expensive subscription plan (the Video + Messaging + Workshops plan). These workshops are held Monday through Thursday every week and fall into one of three categories:

• Parenting
• Individuals
• Couples

Like BetterHelp, the topics of the sessions in these categories can vary widely. For example, the parenting session one week may be about supporting LGBTQIA+ children, then about postpartum depression the following week. But, while these group workshops can be a valuable addition to your Talkspace plan, we wish the company would allow every member to attend instead of only those who can afford the most expensive plan.

Hims and Hers

In Hims and Hers group therapy sessions, you can talk in a structured and professionally-guided atmosphere about issues that confront you, along with people who have similar experiences.

• It’s totally free to try.
• You can obscure your identity as much as you’d like, turning off your camera and using an alias.
• Learn from peers as well as the mental health professional guiding the session.

Our testers tried Hims and Hers group therapy sessions at a time when it seemed like the companies were trying to phase them out — there were only a couple of sessions available, and no other participants in the groups (other than the session leader, who was always very kind and knowledgeable).

However, not too long after that, the platforms both began to offer a host of new session topics ranging from coping skills and men’s mental health awareness to dealing with loneliness and family stress. We’re pleasantly surprised to see these offerings expand again and believe they could be beneficial to those who want to give them a try.

Right now, you can explore Hims and Hers group therapy sessions for free. The group therapy sessions are shared between Hims and Hers, and they’re typically held Tuesday through Friday.

The same benefits and conveniences in individual online therapy exist for couples counseling. As a society, we’ve not done the best job of making couples feel comfortable seeking counseling in order to find good ways to improve the health of their relationship. The good news is that, until we totally destigmatize counseling and mental health services in our culture, couples counseling online offers a highly convenient and discreet alternative to traditional formats.

You and your partner can enjoy a rich and beneficial counseling experience online, without leaving your home.

Our recommendation: Regain

Regain, owned by BetterHelp, is our top choice right now for online couples counseling.

The list below explains why we chose Regain as our recommendation for couples counseling:

• Quality: Regain’s counselors are all properly licensed and certified.
• Price: $65-$90 per week (or $48.75 with financial aid) for generous, user-friendly correspondence with your counselor. A single session in a traditional setting is, on average, double this amount. And the price doesn’t change, whether it’s just you or you and your partner receiving therapy.
• Message the way you want: Video, phone, text, email messaging — the choice is yours.
• Session format: You can have your live sessions over video, phone, or chat.
• Device flexibility: Use any device you want in order to send messages or attend sessions.
• Comfort: You can use any nickname you’d like. Regain doesn’t ask for your full name or contact information when you sign up.

This is a great deal for solid advice and counseling. However, it doesn’t replace traditional therapy in every way:

• Counselors can’t officially diagnose you.
• Your therapist can’t prescribe medication; you’ll need a psychiatrist or medical doctor for that.
• You can’t satisfy court orders via Regain counseling.

Our testers found that the ability to message in a dedicated “room” with couples counselors at their own pace, in the amount that suited them, was very valuable. Counselors were responsive, and their messages were substantive and helpful. And if you find it’s not a great fit with your counselor, it’s easy to switch with Regain — just click the “change therapist” link under your account settings. You’ll be swapped to a new therapist within 48 hours.

You might find that frequent, brief messages back and forth with your counselor is the natural mode for you, or alternately you might find that just a few longer correspondences per week is what works best, maybe even something in between. The great thing is that you have the ability to use the messaging however it suits you best.

Talkspace couples therapy

Talkspace offers excellent relationship counseling as well. At $109 per week, the price is higher than Regain’s services, but still more affordable than many traditional therapy options. The plan is similar to the company’s Video + Messaging Therapy plan for individuals — it includes convenient messaging and weekly 30-minute live sessions.

If you’re age 13-17, would you like to have a counselor available for messaging 24/7 – a professional you could reach out to whenever you need to express thoughts or concerns and get advice? Or, if you’re a parent, would you like your teen to be able to access this kind of service from home, school, or wherever your teen is?

Sometimes the structure of traditional therapy sessions is very valuable, but other times it can feel too structured, not to mention often expensive.

Online therapy offers an affordable and convenient alternative to consider.

Our recommendation: TeenCounseling.com

We recommend Teen Counseling, from BetterHelp, as our top pick for online therapy for teens.

Teen Counseling, as its name suggests, focuses exclusively on providing online counseling to the teen community, helping them thrive among the host of concerns they face, including:

• Anxiety and depression
• Stress
• Self-esteem
• Bullying
• Eating disorders
• Relationship challenges
• Anger management

If you’re a parent, you can create an account and then invite your teen to join. Teens can sign up themselves, too, but will ultimately need a parental guardian to give the okay in order for the service to begin.

From there, here’s what we love about Teen Counseling:

• Affordability: Teen Counseling costs $65-$90 per week, or $48.75 with financial aid. This is about half the average cost of in-person counseling sessions.
• Communicate how you want: Messaging and live sessions can be conducted via chat, phone call, or video from any device.
• A dedicated counselor: A teen works with one licensed and highly experienced counselor who specializes in teen counseling. And changing counselors is extremely easy if the fit isn’t perfect.

Talkspace for teen therapy

Talkspace also offers therapy for teens (13-17) on its platform. The plans and their prices are the same as the individual plans for adults.

• Messaging Therapy plan ($69 per week): You can contact your therapist five days a week using several convenient messaging modes (video, text, or audio).
• Video + Messaging Therapy plan ($99 per week): This plan adds on weekly live sessions to the previous plan.
• Video + Messaging + Workshops plan ($109 per week): This plan includes workshops on top of everything offered in the other two plans.

Like Regain, teens will need parental consent before therapy can begin.

For many LGBTQIA+ people, it can be difficult to find a good space to reflect on your sexuality and all of the complex issues and feelings that surround and intersect with it. Thankfully, online counseling provides a new path for people to access counseling with this focus from the comfort of their homes.

Our recommendation: BetterHelp (formerly Pride Counseling)

Previously, BetterHelp had a dedicated branch of its company dedicated to LGBTQIA+ therapy, Pride Counseling. This service has since been merged with BetterHelp and no longer exists on its own. However, you can still specify in your BetterHelp intake questionnaire that you’d like to focus on LGBTQIA+ concerns and have a therapist who’s part of the community or has extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ patients.

As with all therapy on BetterHelp, you can use a nickname or preferred name if you feel more comfortable doing so. You can also remove your messages if you feel it’s necessary to do so, and swapping counselors is quick and simple.

Pricing is $65-$90 per week (or $48.75 with financial aid), and you can save 20% with code INNERBODY. No matter how much you pay, you’ll be able to message your therapist via text, video, or audio, and you’ll get to schedule a live session each week.

Psychiatric services and medication management are more expensive than counseling, whether you access this care online or through traditional venues. Unlike a therapist, a psychiatrist is able to prescribe medication, should you need a prescription treatment.

Our recommendation: Talkspace

Right now, based on our testing, the best choice for online psychiatric therapy is Talkspace. In fact, you may find that Talkspace is a good price compared to the psychiatric services you can traditionally access, on top of being more convenient than traveling to someone’s office for a session.

Here’s how the pricing for Talkspace’s psychiatric services breaks down:

• An initial evaluation is $299
• Your initial evaluation plus one follow-up session: $474 ($237 per session)
• Your initial evaluation plus three follow-up sessions: $824 ($206 per session)

It’s worth mentioning that these psychiatric sessions must be conducted via video chat (on a device with a web browser). You won’t be able to have these sessions over the phone or text.

In terms of medications, Talkspace currently offers generics of the following medications:

Hims and Hers

Hims and Hers also both offer psychiatry services, but the focus is more on medication management. As with the therapy services offered by both platforms, the psychiatry isn’t as robust as what you’d find from competitors.

However, if you’re really only interested in a medication for depression or anxiety, then Hims and Hers psychiatry could be the ideal choice. With a charge of only $147 for three months of treatment, it’s much more cost-effective to choose Hims or Hers over Talkspace. Unfortunately, Hims and Hers both have a smaller medication variety. The current prescriptions available include generics of:

• Wellbutrin XL
• Celexa
• Prozac
• Effexor
• Cymbalta
• Buspar
• Zoloft
• Lexapro