Best Online Text Therapy Companies

Founded in 2012 by Roni and Oren Frank, Talkspace has become one of the world’s most popular and widely known online therapy platforms. Talkspace is our top pick for the best text-assisted therapy service because of its large selection of licensed therapists and flexible communication options. It’s also one of the few text therapy services that accepts insurance, offers medication management, and guarantees a response from your mental health provider within a certain amount of time.

Today, Talkspace serves all 50 U.S. states through online and in-app services on iOS and Android. 

Its subscription plans start at $65 per week, and include live video, audio, or chat sessions, as well as unlimited messaging with your therapist in a private “room.” After being matched with a therapist, you can message them at any time about what you’re going through. Your therapist will respond within a guaranteed time limit every day, up to five times per week. 

Most of the users in our survey were satisfied with the care they received at Talkspace. Ninety percent of users said their overall experience at Talkspace was generally positive, and 92% were impressed with their therapist’s qualifications. Many users also described their experience at Talkspace as user-friendly, with 88% of people reporting that the platform was helpful in connecting them to a therapist and 56% of users saying that Talkspace’s app was easy to use in comparison to its competitors.

Talkspace offers a variety of different subscription plans that range from $69 to $129+ a week, depending on where you live. All plans include unlimited messaging with your therapist, though the more expensive plans also include live sessions.

The company also offers psychiatry sessions ($249 for an initial evaluation, then $125 for every follow-up visit), relationship or couples therapy, and therapy for teens ages 13-17.

Brightside is an online therapy service that was founded by a team of experts—Brad Kittredge, Mimi Winsberg, MD, and Jeremy Barth—in 2017. The platform is available in all 50 states and offers adults personalized care plans, including evidence-based therapy and medication management services for those who are experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

We selected Brightside because of its commitment to comprehensive, personalized, multimodal care for depression and anxiety. Of the users we surveyed, 90% rated their experience with Brightside as “excellent,” “very good,” or “good.” Fifty-one percent of Brightside users said they were looking for depression treatment, while 60% reported dealing with anxiety symptoms. Nearly a third of the Brightside users we surveyed said they were looking for an online therapy platform that accepted their insurance

When you sign up for Brightside, you’ll take an in-depth assessment in order to be matched with a psychiatric provider (for medication management, including antidepressant prescriptions, shipping, and refills) and a psychotherapist.

Unlimited in-app messaging is a key part of Brightside’s approach to care, as it allows you to connect with your therapist in between weekly 30-minute live video sessions for continued emotional support and advice. You can also complete self-paced audio lessons and use Brightside’s free self-care resources, such as skill-building exercises and online worksheets, to complement your treatment.

Along the way, you’ll routinely assess your progress with your therapist, providing two-way feedback to make any necessary changes. Your provider can see your check-in quizzes and message you in your private portal to discuss your symptoms.

Unlike Talkspace, BetterHelp only offers one subscription plan and the price will vary depending on the therapist you’re matched with and where you live. Prices range from $80 to $100 a week depending on where you live, according to our research.

Launched in 2018, Circles is an online group therapy platform that helps people experiencing mental health concerns find meaningful ongoing support. Its founders, Irad Eichler and Dan Landa, started the company as a more effective alternative to social media peer support groups.

When you subscribe to Circles, you’ll be matched with a small group—or “circle”—of peers experiencing the same issue. Common group topics include parenting, relationships, anxiety, separation, divorce, grief, and loss, among others. Each group is facilitated by a licensed mental health therapist who guides weekly live video chats for at least 12 weeks. 

Outside the weekly live sessions, you’ll get unlimited access to a 24/7 group chat. You can message the group as a whole or message the facilitator and any other group member(s) privately to get emotional support, resources, and advice.

Group therapy isn’t a common option with online therapy platforms. Circles’ unique focus and affordable cost made it stand out from the competition. Eighty percent of our surveyed users had a positive experience with Circles, and 62% noted that their Circles facilitator seemed to be more experienced and/or qualified than other mental health providers they’d worked with in online therapy. What’s more, 80% of users said that Circles offered them “excellent,” “very good,” or “good” value for their money.

A subscription to Calmerry’s messaging therapy plan starts at $56.99 a week, though you’ll get a discounted price of $41.99 per week your first month. You can also sign up for plans that include 30-minute live video sessions, and these plans range in price from $75–$90 a month. 

E-Therapy Cafe is a relatively small (yet global) online therapy service that offers individual and couples therapy to adults ages 18 and over. The company’s providers are licensed therapists, psychologists, or certified life coaches. It was launched in 2016 by Jude Black, PhD, a clinical psychologist and former military spouse who wanted to give people flexible, convenient access to online therapy. The platform is notable because of its wide selection of counseling approaches including e-journaling. You can also read therapists’ bios directly on the website, making it easy to pick a mental healthcare provider who suits your needs.

E-Therapy Cafe’s therapy options include live video sessions and live e-chats, which take place in a private portal. The e-journaling option allows you to send a message of up to 700 words to your therapist and receive a reply within 24 to 48 hours. This may be preferable for people who benefit from writing out their thoughts rather than chatting in real time.

Compared to similar online therapy platforms, E-Therapy Cafe seems to offer a wider variety of specific counseling types such as pre-wedding coaching, military and veteran counseling, therapy for college students, trauma counseling, and counseling for people in the LGBTQIA+ community. You can also get a letter of support and a prescription for an emotional support animal. 

Our user survey found that E-Therapy Cafe users generally had positive experiences, with 82% of people saying they were “very likely” or “likely” to recommend the service to a friend. Meanwhile, 68% of users thought E-Therapy Cafe was either “very affordable” or “affordable,” and 88% said they were impressed with the number of qualified therapists available.

E-Therapy Cafe offers three subscription plans:

• The E-Therapy Basic Four plan includes four 30-minute sessions for $196 a month. 
• The E-Therapy Eight plan includes eight sessions for $360 a month. 
• You can also pay-as-you-go for sessions if you don't want to commit to a subscription. Each session costs $55. 
  

Founded by former investment banker Carl Nordstorm in 2009, Online-Therapy.com is a Swedish company that provides evidence-based online mental health services based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT aims to help build problem-solving and coping skills, as well as identify and change negative patterns of thinking and behavior.

After signing up for Online-Therapy.com, you’ll have access to a self-guided, CBT-based online therapy program that includes video and audio lessons as well as worksheets, yoga videos, guided meditation, online journaling, and activity plans. You can message your assigned therapist anytime, but daily check-ins via text messaging are guaranteed. Depending on your subscription, you can also get “express replies”—guaranteed replies within a set amount of time (the website doesn’t make it clear what that set amount of time is)—as well as one to two live sessions per week via text messaging, video, or audio messaging.

Online-Therapy.com would be ideal for people looking for text-based therapy, especially those who prefer to go at their own pace. Customer support is available 24/7, and regular weekly exercises will help you gauge your progress as you move through the program.

Among the users we surveyed, 83% said they were impressed with the therapist options provided at Online-Therapy.com. Over half (52%) of users reported seeking out therapy for help with depression symptoms, while another 35% of users said they were looking for help with stress management. Overall, 85% of surveyed users described their experience with Online-Therapy.com as “excellent,” “very good,” or “good.”

Online-Therapy.com offers three subscription plans, all of which offer messaging to your therapist and daily responses from your therapist: 

• The Basic plan: This is purely text-based therapy and costs about $40 per week. Your therapist will respond to your messages daily Monday through Friday. 
• The Standard plan: This includes everything in the basic plan, plus weekly live sessions for roughly $60 per week.
• The Premium plan: This includes everything in the basic and standard plan, plus two weekly live sessions and express replies for roughly $80 per week.

If you don’t  want to wait for an appointment, or feel like you’re in crisis and need help right away, Crisis Text Line is here for you. It offers free, 24/7 emotional support from trained volunteers across the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Just text HOME to 741741 or reach out on WhatsApp, and you’ll be connected with a volunteer, typically within about five minutes. You can chat with a trained crisis counselor about whatever is bothering you. Most conversations last about 15 to 45 minutes.

The volunteers at Crisis Text Line aren’t medical providers. However, they can provide key support, advice, and information about resources in your area. Crisis Text Line’s international availability and bilingual services make it stand out a

The Crisis Text Line is free to use anytime and as often as you’d like. 

Calmerry, a Wyoming-based online therapy platform, was launched by Alex Vitchenko in 2020. Calmerry offers text therapy services and live video therapy to adults ages 18 and up in all 50 U.S. states, with some specific services for the LGBTQIA+ community.

After signing up with Calmerry, you’ll be matched with a licensed therapist based on your preferences and needs. You can request an LGBTQIA+-affirming counselor who has experience working with people in the community. Affirming counselors can help you with issues related to gender identity, relationships, family, transitioning, sexuality, coming out, and sexual orientation, as well as homophobia and discrimination (at home and in the workplace). 

Calmerry’s messaging-only subscription plan costs $42 a week and offers unlimited messaging with your provider in a private virtual therapy room five days per week. Your therapist will typically reply to you one to two times per day during working days. You can add up to four live video sessions per week to your subscription plan, but all plans include unlimited messaging.

According to our survey, 91% of users thought Calmerry was “much better,” “better,” or “a little better” than similar services they’d used in the past. Twenty-four percent of Calmerry users said that, in comparison to other online therapy platforms, they felt the company was more culturally supportive when working with people in the LGBTQIA+ community. People who subscribed to Calmerry also found the service user-friendly, with 81% of users reporting that the signup process was “easy” or “very easy.”

Owned by BetterHelp, Teen Counseling offers online therapy with licensed therapists to teens ages 13 to 19. Therapists can help address a variety of mental health concerns teens commonly report, including bullying, depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, body image, issues with school and relationships, and eating disorders, among others. 

In our survey, anxiety was the most common concern reported by Teen Counseling users, with 60% saying they were seeking help for anxiety symptoms. Eighty-five percent of users had a positive experience with the service, rating it as “excellent,” “very good,” or “good.” And, 88% of users said the platform was better than similar ones they’d used in the past. 

Each teen and their parent gets a designated, private online “room” where they can message their assigned therapist at any time, day or night. These messages won’t be shared, so both the parent and teen can feel safe in their online space. A monthly subscription also includes live therapy sessions, which take place via text, phone, or video. 

Glen Moriarty and Zeeshan Sabqi launched 7 Cups, a global emotional support community previously known as “7 Cups of Tea,” in 2013. Now, it’s available in over 150 languages and across over 190 countries. The company has a wide variety of free peer-based group chats as well as messaging-only therapy.. 

Other free resources at 7 Cups include self-help and mental health guides and online chat rooms. If you need support right away, you can message one of 7 Cups’ trained “active listeners” for free at any time to discuss any problems you may be having.

If you’re looking for text-assisted therapy services from a qualified mental health provider, you can sign up for a monthly subscription for $150 per month. You can message your therapist anytime you like and as often as you like in a designated, secure “room” on the 7 Cups app or website. They’ll respond with advice and support one to two times per day from Monday to Friday. But remember, 7 Cups only offers only text-based therapy rather than live chat, video, or audio sessions.