Best Online Therapy Services of 2023

BetterHelp continues to be one of the most well-known online therapy services on today's market. It offers many types of therapy, a robust selection of therapists to choose from, various ways to communicate with your therapist, and a simple interface to sign up for and continue therapy.

After completing a brief questionnaire, an algorithm matches you with a therapist (or a selection of therapists to choose from), often within hours, and you receive access to a private portal.

BetterHelp has a network of over 25,000 licensed therapists, psychologists, social workers, and professional counselors. While each provider has their own expertise and experience, BetterHelp is incredibly selective with who they hire (only 20% of applicants). There are therapists who specialize in trauma, anger, depression, anxiety, addiction, sleep, relationships, and more.

BetterHelp doesn’t provide psychiatric or medication management services.

BetterHelp is a monthly subscription that costs $240 to $360 per month, depending on your location, preferences, and therapist availability. It practices surge pricing, which means it charges more for services in areas where mental health care is in high demand.

The subscription includes:

• Four live video sessions per month via phone call, video, or online chat
• Unlimited asynchronous text, audio, and video messages between sessions
• An online journal that your therapist has access to 

Eighty-six percent of BetterHelp users rated the company good, very good, or excellent overall. Satisfaction extends to the customer service users received when issues did pop up, with 67% saying the service they received was either good or excellent. Unfortunately, when testing the company for ourselves, we found some serious privacy issues with BetterHelp, like BetterHelp sharing user data with Facebook for advertising purposes. This is something to keep in mind when choosing an online therapy service.

ReGain specializes in relationships of all shapes, sizes, and predicaments. After you sign up, you’re matched with a licensed professional.

You and your therapist will then be assigned to a "room" where an ongoing conversation between the two of you and, if you choose to add them, your partner will be visible to all parties. The platform takes advantage of the continuous but asynchronous format of messaging to allow you come back to topics that come up. The room is also where your video chat sessions will take place, if you choose to have them. Two people can access the same room from different devices from anywhere in the world, making ReGain exceptionally accommodating. If you or your partner want to talk to the therapist one-on-one, you can schedule a solo live session.

ReGain also stresses the importance of privacy and confidentiality, giving users the ability to leave out their name and contact information when they sign up. Whether you’re looking for individual insight into your relationship or an opportunity to work together through your challenges, ReGain therapists are ready to support you for as long as you need.

ReGain has a team of accredited psychologists, therapists, clinical social workers, and professional counselors trained to treat relationship distress through individual or couples therapy. Their experience and expertise vary, but each therapist has at least three years and 1,000 hours of clinical experience under their belts.

There aren’t any psychiatrists or medical health professionals capable of prescribing medication in ReGain’s network of providers. If you require an official diagnosis or medication management, you will need to seek out alternative support.

There is only one type of subscription plan, and the price ranges from $240 to $360 per month, depending on your location and therapist preference.

Each subscription includes:

• Unlimited asynchronous messaging available to you (and your partner) 24/7
• Live video session once per week; the first one is 45 minutes long and following sessions last 30 minutes

After completing the questionnaire and receiving your quote for online therapy, ReGain will ask if you feel like therapy is unaffordable. If you do, there’s a scholarship option available where you can provide more information about your financial situation.

Eighty-eight percent of the users we surveyed said the qualifications of the therapist they were matched with were good, very good, or excellent. We found that we were given ample homework that fit our presenting concerns that we wanted to work on. The option to conduct one-on-one sessions with our therapist was also a nice touch.

As one of the first online therapy companies to hit the block, Talkspace has built up its practice to include individual therapy, couples therapy, teen therapy, and psychiatry and medication management services, making it our top choice for online therapy seekers. It also offers therapy aimed specifically at veterans and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as services for businesses.  

After filling out a brief assessment, you’re matched with a therapist. From there, you can choose how you would like to communicate with them, whether that be through audio or video call, asynchronous messaging via the Talkspace “room” (to which you have 24/7 access), or live chat.

Talkspace is HIPAA-compliant, upfront about how it uses your data, and has an app that users have reported good experiences with. 

Talkspace has a team of 3,000 licensed therapists, social workers, and mental health counselors across the country with expertise in a range of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship distress, substance use, and more. 

Talkspace’s network of providers also includes licensed psychiatrists who are capable of prescribing medication to clients who are 18 years old or older. Talkspace psychiatrists are also able to work in tandem with other Talkspace providers to provide care to individuals who require medication management in addition to therapy.

Talkspace offers three subscription plans for individual and teen therapy, all priced differently and meant to serve various needs.

• Messaging therapy: This plan includes unlimited asynchronous text, audio, and video messaging for up to five days per week.
• Video + messaging therapy: This plan includes everything in the messaging therapy plan, plus four live 30-minute video sessions with your therapist per month.
• Video + messaging + workshops: This plan includes everything in the video + messaging therapy plan, plus access to weekly workshops provided by Talkspace providers.

Prices for each plan range from about $69 per week to $109 per week, depending on your location, the type of therapy you’re interested in, and what’s included in the plan.

Couples therapy at Talkspace is similar to the video + messaging therapy plan in content, and costs around $109 per week.

Psychiatric services are offered a la carte rather than through a subscription, strictly as live video sessions. The initial 60-minute evaluation with a licensed prescriber is $249. Sessions conducted after the initial evaluation are $125.

Talkspace also works with a growing network of insurance providers and EAPs, making it even more affordable if your plan is in network. 

Of the users we surveyed, 90% rated their overall experience with Talkspace as excellent, very good, or good. After testing Talkspace for ourselves, we found that the sign-up process and getting matched with a therapist was simple, but communicating with a therapist in between live sessions proved to be a headache. 

No online therapy company is perfect, and Talkspace is transparent about the availability of the therapist you’re matched with. The kind of communication you have with them will depend on the provider. Overall, 75% of the users we surveyed said they’d come back if they restarted therapy, and 82% would recommend it to a friend.

Talkiatry is a psychiatry practice founded in 2020 that specializes in the medication management and psychiatric aspects of mental health care. Talkiatry operates a lot like an in-person facility, but gives providers the support and technology they need to treat their clients online. It can be used in conjunction with talk therapy, though the referral from your psychiatrist could be to someone outside Talkiatry.

Keep in mind that signing up doesn’t guarantee a place in this practice. Still, 70% of users said they’d come back to Talkiatry if they needed a similar service again, making it a no-brainer for us in terms of psychiatric care.

The more than 300 accredited Talkiatry psychiatrists are part of the hive, not independent contractors. In this sense, Talkiatry differs from other online therapy companies, instead operating much like an in-person practice.

According to its website, Talkiatry’s psychiatrists specialize in treating individuals with anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, insomnia, PTSD, depression, and OCD. There are also some mental health conditions that Talkiatry will not treat in the online space because it doesn’t believe it can be done safely. 

Those conditions include:

• Eating disorders
• Substance use disorders
• Schizophrenia

There are also licensed therapists in Talkiatry’s network, but to work with a therapist you must first be working with a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner—the company doesn’t offer standalone psychotherapy sessions. If you are not interested in medication, Talkiatry may not be a good fit for you. But if you are, the company's platform makes working with both a psychiatrist and therapist convenient.

Talkiatry isn’t a subscription service. Instead, you pay per session with your psychiatrist, plus the cost of any prescribed medication. The price you pay per session typically depends on your insurance.

All client-to-provider relationships begin with an initial visit via video chat, 60 minutes for adults and 90 minutes for children. After that, visits with your psychiatrist will occur at a frequency that coincides with a schedule you set together, based on your personalized treatment plan. Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes long.

The company's website says it can only see patients with insurance but, if you’re between insurers, Talkiatry encourages you to email to ask about self-pay options.

We tested Talkiatry’s service ourselves and were impressed with the thoroughness and warmth we felt with our psychiatrist from the beginning. 

This sentiment was shared by 85% of the users we surveyed who said their prescriber’s bedside manner was excellent, very good, or good. When we asked them what else they liked about their prescriber, 58% said their prescriber really took the time to listen to them, 44% said their prescriber didn’t make them feel rushed during sessions, and 35% found their prescriber to be empathetic and caring. 

Compared to its competitors, Brightside provides a broader scope of care to its users in respect to depression, anxiety, and panic disorders.

After completing an assessment, you can meet your matched therapist or start with the free self-care resources provided. Your therapist is available to you via live video chats and an unlimited messaging feature. Between live sessions, you have access to self-paced audio lessons and exercises to continue building on the progress you’re making.

With a team of psychiatrists, physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and therapists, all of whom have years of experience and current licenses to operate in your state, you can rest assured that you’ll be well taken care of. 

Brightside specializes in treating depression and anxiety disorders, with medication and psychotherapy. The psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners at Brightside are able to support any psychiatric care, including prescribing and managing medication. The website notes that the one condition Brightside does not treat or prescribe medication for is ADHD, so if this is a diagnosis you’re seeking support with, Brightside isn’t for you.

Brightside has three subscription plans, all of which can be offset if you have an in-network insurance provider. 

• Medication only: $95 per month, plus your pharmacy copay or $15 for medication; includes an initial 15-minute video consultation with a psychiatrist, ongoing provider care and monitoring, and self-care tools to use at your own pace
• Therapy only: $299 per month; includes unlimited messaging and, after an initial 45-minute session, one 30-minute therapy session per week (additional video sessions can be purchased for $59 per session)
• Therapy + medication: $349 per month; includes everything in the other two plans

After testing Brightside ourselves, we found that while Brightside only does one thing, it does it very well. By specializing in helping individuals struggling with depression and anxiety, Brightside has been able to create a treatment plan that’s beloved by users; 90% of the ones we surveyed gave the company an overall rating of good to excellent, and 75% said they were likely or very likely to recommend Brightside to a friend.

In addition to individual therapy, E-Therapy Cafe offers relationship and marriage counseling, LGBTQ+ counseling, couples counseling, trauma counseling, military counseling, bridal coaching, and prescriptions for emotional support animals.

We liked that it pulls out all the financial stops with discounts, insurance reimbursements, and financial aid, making online therapy with E-Therapy Cafe more affordable and accessible.

E-Therapy Cafe has a small team of licensed therapists, social workers, and certified life coaches to provide mental health support to individuals and couples. Its team doesn’t include psychiatrists and therefore the company doesn’t offer medication management services.

E-Therapy Cafe has multiple options for online therapy:

• E-Therapy Shot: Pay per session, $55 each (one $50 trial session available per client)
• E-Therapy Four: Subscription plan that includes four sessions per month with your therapist, $196/month
• E-Therapy Eight: Subscription plan that includes eight sessions per month with your therapist, $360/month

Subscription plans and pay-as-you-go rates apply to individual and couples therapy as well as coaching sessions. Each plan includes a set number of sessions with your therapist as determined by the plan you opt in to as well as an online chat service located within a private portal. These sessions take place with your therapist either via 30-minute live video, e-journal entry with a 700 word maximum, or 30-minute instant chat. Sessions can be stacked and expire within 30 days of purchasing them.

While E-Therapy Cafe’s team of therapists is smaller than those of its competitors, 80% of users we surveyed said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the selection of therapists available, and 90% said they found the therapists’ qualifications to be good, very good, or excellent. 

After testing this company ourselves, we agree with these sentiments, although it’s easiest to pick a therapist with open availability by keeping two tabs open while sifting through therapist bios.

Thriveworks entered the mental health space in order to bring a greater level of flexibility and convenience via online therapy. It also has brick-and-mortar offices and offers in-person services across the country except for in New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.

You select a therapist and an appointment date/time that works for you, create an account, complete a brief form, and enter your payment information. This company has done everything it can to accommodate users, including offering a cancellation policy that lets you cancel or reschedule for free with 23.5 hours’ notice. This flexibility is why 80% of users we surveyed said they would recommend this company to a friend.

Thriveworks’s network has more than 3,000 providers, including licensed social workers, therapists, professional counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Each provider has their own experience and skill set to support individuals experiencing a range of issues including anxiety, addiction, relationship distress, depression, trauma, and more. Thriveworks is highly selective. It only hires about 4% of applicants, according to its website.

For individuals seeking psychiatric care, Thriveworks’s psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners (NPs) are available for online consultations and follow-ups as well as prescribing medication and medication management. 

Plans and pricing with Thriveworks isn’t as straightforward as other online therapy companies. Pricing depends on the provider you choose and the treatment you receive. 

If you’re paying out of pocket, you can expect prices to start at $99 per session. There’s also a $39 membership fee that’s required to schedule your first session with your therapist, though that membership can be waived or canceled later for those who need financial assistance. If you cannot get it waived and choose to cancel the membership after your first session, keep in mind that you will not be able to communicate with your therapist between sessions via phone calls and emails. That’s a perk reserved for members.

Thriveworks has many providers in its network that offer early and late appointments and availability as soon as the next day. This was a crucial deciding factor for the 41% of users who said that morning, evening, and weekend availability was important to them when choosing an online therapy service. However, after signing up for Thriveworks ourselves, we noticed that finding a therapist was a shot in the dark due to the lack of an intake questionnaire or matching process. 

LiveHealth Online is a telehealth platform that offers talk therapy, medication management services, and telemedicine services at affordable prices. Without subscription or membership pricing, users don’t have to pay for perks they don’t intend to use. 

After signing up for free by entering some basic information, you can navigate from the website to the portal with the service you need: psychology, psychiatry, or medication. From the portal you choose, you can schedule an appointment with any providers who have upcoming availability. 

Special note: Once you have an account, you can input more information about yourself under settings at a later time.

LiveHealth Online is a team of licensed therapists, psychologists, and board-certified psychiatrists. Providers within the LiveHealth Online network specialize in and can offer support to individuals who struggle with anxiety, grief, panic attacks, life transitions, and more. Psychiatrists are also available to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe and manage medication. 

LiveHealth Online differs from online therapy companies like Talkspace and BetterHelp in that it doesn’t require you to pay anything before connecting with a therapist. You pay per session booked with your therapist, nothing more.

The catch is you’re limited to video sessions with your therapist. Messaging isn’t available between sessions. 

If you’re paying out of pocket, here’s what pricing can look like:

• $80 per visit with a therapist
• $95 per visit with a psychologist
• $175 for initial evaluation with a psychiatrist and $75 per follow-up visit

When we tested LiveHealth Online for ourselves, we particularly enjoyed the simplicity of the website and the ease of signing up. According to our survey, most LiveHealth Online users were similarly pleased with their overall experience and level of care received. Ninety percent rated their overall experience as excellent, very good, or good, and 87% said they were very likely or likely to recommend LiveHealth Online to a friend.

Teladoc is available across all 50 states and offers therapy and medication management services. Although Teladoc stresses its acceptance of insurance and doesn’t provide clear pricing until you sign up and choose a provider, you aren’t charged without knowing what it will cost you out-of-pocket. There’s also a step in the sign-up process that confirms if Teladoc accepts your insurance plan before you continue.

After filling out a brief medical history assessment, you can choose an expert from a list of those matched to you based on your requirements and desired services, view prices that correlate to your situation, select your preferred dates/times, and meet with your provider either via phone or video.

Through its intuitive app and website, you can work with a licensed therapist or psychiatrist from the comfort of your home.

Teladoc has a team of accredited psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and social workers available to support a variety of mental health needs, including anxiety, depression, grief, work-related stress, trauma, and more. Since there are psychiatrists available, medication management is also available to you. 

Teladoc doesn’t have subscription plans like Talkspace or BetterHelp. Upon signing up, you are encouraged to select a provider. Once you’ve selected a provider, you pay per therapy session or psychiatry visit.

If you’re paying out of pocket, the pricing for Teladoc’s services are as follows:

• $90 per therapy session
• $299 for initial psychiatry consultation; $199 per follow-up visit

Signing up for online therapy is straightforward for both individuals and couples. After signing up ourselves, we found that we were able to message our therapist between sessions after our initial session, which is a perk we weren’t aware of before signing up. Overall, 97% of the users we surveyed reported being satisfied with the company as a whole, which was the highest rating amongst the companies we reviewed.

Although Little Otter’s focus is offering personalized therapy for children, it also provides coaching and counseling services for parents as part of its “whole family” approach to evidence-based therapy.

After choosing between diving head-first into a welcome session or taking a child and family assessment, you’ll complete a short quiz, and either schedule your session or move on to complete an additional expert-designed assessment. Since Little Otter is currently only available in 11 states, the quiz asks for your zip code to ensure services are provided in your area. 

Once you complete the mental health assessment, you’re given a report with Little Otter’s findings, a “what can I do” section with tips on addressing current issues within the home, and the ability to schedule a welcome session with your assigned “care lead” or therapist. 

Little Otter’s team is made up of licensed therapists, child psychiatrists, and BCBA-certified parent specialists, all trained in the “most up-to-date clinical practices for early childhood development,“ according to its website.

Each provider is there to assist children and their families in identifying and addressing mental health conditions like ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, and more. Child psychiatrists are available to diagnose and prescribe medication as well as work in tandem with a child’s pediatrician.

Little Otter isn’t a subscription service. Instead, you pay per session. There are also bundles you can purchase to offset the costs of individual sessions.

Here are the prices for Little Otter’s services:

• $90 for a 30-minute welcome session with your care lead, the clinician coordinating your Little Otter care team
• $200 for a 45-minute session with your assigned therapist
• $500 for a 75-minute general psychiatric evaluation
• $250 for a 30-minute psychiatric follow up or medication management visit

Here are the prices for Little Otter’s bundles:

• Assessment bundle: $540 for a 90-minute assessment session plus one 45-minute therapy session
• 12-session bundle: $2040 for 12 45-minute therapy sessions

Fifty percent of users said they found their therapists’ qualifications much better than that of other online therapy companies. One thing to note: When we tested Little Otter ourselves, we found it extremely challenging to switch providers. After a bit of back and forth between our tester and their care lead, the switch never occurred. 

NQTTCN is a nonprofit that intertwines social justice and mental health support to provide a multitude of accessible resources to the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly queer and trans people of color (QTPoC). 

The mental health practitioners found on NQTTCN include licensed therapists, behavioral health workers, psychologists, social workers, counselors, case managers, and peer support counselors—all of whom identify as members of the QTPoC community.

Each provider in the directory brings their own expertise, experience, and preferred modalities to the table, specializing in areas such as identity issues, trauma, relationship conflict, sexual wellness, and more. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), meant to identify and change undesirable patterns of thought and behavior, and solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), a strength-based approach that zeros in on solutions rather than problems, are two of many therapeutic approaches practiced by the practitioners found on this directory. Others include:

• The Gottman Method
•  Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Somatic therapy

It wouldn’t be unheard of to find a practitioner who intertwines various approaches in their practice. The real goal is to find a practitioner whose approach you agree with or aligns with your needs. Unfortunately, if you require medication, you will need to look elsewhere for a psychiatrist who can prescribe it for you.

The cost of therapy depends on the provider. This directory shows you the average cost per session with the provider you click on. We’ve seen these sessions listed for as low as $60 and as high as $200, but this is a starting point. You can find more information about the cost of therapy with a specific provider by visiting their website, which is listed in their bio.

Aside from the general cost of sessions with a provider, there are other variables to consider, like whether they accept insurance or offer a sliding scale option. Keep these in mind during your search.

Eighty-three percent of the users we surveyed were either satisfied or very satisfied with the selection of therapists to choose from in the directory, and 81% were pleased with their qualifications. After testing the directory ourselves, we found that NQTTCN is a valuable resource for both therapy seekers and providers who identify as LGBTQ+ and QTPoC.

Therapy for Black Girls puts an emphasis on de-stigmatizing therapy for communities of color, particularly the Black community. It has created an entire platform dedicated to providing the support and resources its users may seek, including a directory of therapists who offer online therapy, in-person therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, or combination of the above.

The Therapy for Black Girls directory lists licensed counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers specializing in supporting the Black community with issues such as anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma, grief, and more. 

From insurance to specialty to type of therapy to availability, you can filter through the Therapy for Black Girls directory to find a provider that meets your needs. That includes a need for psychiatrist-approved medication management. It also doesn’t hurt that this directory includes providers all around the country and in some parts of Canada, making it even more accessible to find a therapist near you.

One drawback of this directory is that it doesn’t provide a lot of detail around how much therapy costs. The directory lists whether or not a therapist is taking on new clients, but you need to dig deeper (by way of visiting each provider’s website) for more pricing and scheduling information.

For the targeted audience Therapy for Black Girls seeks to support, we found that this directory checks all of the boxes in terms of ease, accessibility, and available resources. Eighty-four percent of users said that the qualifications of the therapists found on this directory were good or very good, and 70% said the therapist they worked with met all of their needs. Not to mention it's beloved by its users, with 84% likely or very likely to recommend it to a friend. 

GoodTherapy is more than an extensive directory of providers; it’s a mental health hub that provides you with access to educational material, blog posts, support groups, and treatment facilities. 

GoodTherapy’s directory includes counselors, licensed therapists, psychotherapists, and social workers who specialize in areas such as relationships, sexuality, grief, addiction, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, and more. With a laundry list of techniques (which you can filter by), it’s easy to find a therapist who uses the one you’re looking for. There are also psychiatrists available in the directory that you can find by filtering your search to providers who offer medication management.

Since this is a directory of independent providers, the logistics—insurance, payment, availability, and communication method—depend on the provider you work with, though 83% of users rated the number of therapists who offered payment options (such as sliding scales) as good or very good.

GoodTherapy has consistently rated high in our directory user surveys, namely due to the strides it’s taken to destigmatize mental health. Of the 180 users we surveyed, 86% rated it as very good or good. After testing the directory for ourselves, we noticed that while GoodTherapy strives to make mental health care more accessible, it doesn’t explicitly claim any social justice goals like some of its competitors. For a company that aims to make mental health accessible and inclusive, this could steer potential therapy seekers away.