Best Affordable Online Therapy Platforms in 2024

• Four live sessions each month.
• Message your therapist between sessions.
• Keep a digital journal to track moods.
• Join group sessions and webinars.
• Financial assistance available.

Individual therapy on BetterHelp: $280–$400 per month, but can be less with financial aid.

BetterHelp offers an affordable alternative to traditional in-person therapy with weekly sessions starting at $70 per session and numerous financial aid options. It’s easy to book appointments and switch therapists, and our testers liked the bonus features, such as group therapy sessions, webinars, and the ability to text their therapist between sessions.

Insights from our testers

BetterHelp can be an affordable mental health care option for people who don’t have insurance. Weekly sessions cost between $70–$100 per session and clients are billed every four weeks.

“Research is clear that consistent attendance [in therapy sessions] is important for individuals to benefit from treatment,” explains therapist Colleen Marshall, Vice President of Two Chairs. “If individuals in need of therapy are not able to afford treatment, they will not see the true benefits of what therapy can provide.” BetterHelp’s regular billing cycle and transparent pricing may make it easier for users to build therapy into their monthly budget and to build therapy into their lives.

Our testers tried different methods for lowering the monthly BetterHelp fee. One tester recommended using a discount code, like the one included in this article, which lowered her bill from $360 to $288 per month. Our tester also applied for financial aid through BetterHelp, which involved filling out an eligibility form. The form asks about your employment status, income, and whether or not you’re a veteran or a person of color. While our tester was not able to get clear answers about BetterHelp’s eligibility criteria, she did end up qualifying for financial aid. It’s worth noting that, in our February 2024 survey of 100 BetterHelp users, 89 percent of respondents felt that BetterHelp was a good value relative to the money they spent.

Our testers were enthusiastic about BetterHelp’s bonus features, including:

• The ability to text with your therapist between sessions.
• Participating in the platform’s bonus features, like group therapy sessions.
• The user-friendly app, which makes it easy to schedule and attend appointments.

What other users are saying

The Handbook team knows having a positive relationship with your therapist is important. Research consistently shows that a strong relationship between therapist and client—often referred to as the therapeutic alliance—is linked to positive therapy outcomes. Our February 2024 survey of 100 BetterHelp users showed that 88 percent of users were either satisfied or very satisfied with their therapist on the platform.

To learn more about BetterHelp, read our BetterHelp review.

• Accepts insurance.
• Offers both therapy and psychiatry.
• Unlimited messaging with providers included in all plans.
• Self-guided video lessons included in membership.

• Psychiatry: $95 per month
• Therapy: $299 per month
• Psychiatry + Therapy: $349 per month
• If you use insurance to pay for Brightside, you’re only responsible for the cost of your copay, which could be as low as $0–$30. If you have a deductible for mental health care, you’ll need to pay out of pocket until that deductible is met. Create an account with Brightside to check your coverage and contact your insurance company to ask about your deductible for mental health care.

Brightside is our pick for the best affordable platform for using insurance because it accepts many major insurance carriers, including Medicare and some Medicaid programs. Brightside offers plans for both therapy and psychiatry, and has a Crisis Care program for people with an elevated risk of suicide. Our testers liked that they could message their provider anytime and enjoyed the interactive video lessons included with their membership.

Insights from our testers

Like BetterHelp, Brightside offers a therapy plan that is billed monthly: $299 for four sessions per month, including the ability to message your provider at any time. Unlike BetterHelp, Brightside also offers an online psychiatry plan and a combined therapy and psychiatry plan. For people without insurance, the psychiatry plan could be a good deal. Depending on where you live, the cost for an initial psychiatric evaluation can be as high as $346 per month. In contrast, Brightside charges $95 per month for an initial, comprehensive evaluation and ongoing follow-up messaging with your provider throughout the month. You can then schedule follow-up sessions with your provider as needed.

Brightside psychiatry providers can diagnose and prescribe medications for many mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. It’s important to know, though, that Brightside providers will not prescribe controlled substances A controlled substance is a drug, medication, or chemical whose manufacture, distribution, and use is regulated by the federal government. such as benzodiazepines (like Xanax or Ativan) for anxiety or stimulants (like Adderall) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Brightside accepts insurance from a number of large carriers. Here’s a complete list of the insurance plans they take, as of March 2024:

• Aetna (all 50 states)
• Ambetter (AZ, DE, NE, OK, TX)
• Anthem (CA only)
• Allegiance (all 50 states)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
• Cigna (all states, except MN)
• Florida Blue
• Meritain (all 50 states)
• PEHP (UT)
• UnitedHealthcare (all 50 states)

Brightside is also unique because it accepts Medicare Part B in some states, certain Medicare Advantage plans, and certain Medicaid plans. Nebraska residents can use Nebraska’s Total Care Medicaid coverage to pay for Brightside services. To find out if Brightside takes your Medicare plan, visit the insurance section of Brightside’s FAQ page. If you’re not sure what your copay or deductibles are, Brightside will help you check your coverage. It’s always a good idea, if possible, to call your insurance company to ask about mental health coverage before seeking a provider.

For symptoms of depression in particular, a combination of psychiatry and therapy can be more effective than therapy alone. Brightside’s Psychiatry + Therapy plan offers users weekly therapy sessions with the added support of a psychiatrist who can prescribe and manage any medications that may be beneficial for your mental health condition. It’s also possible for providers to share notes with your other provider on the platform, making it easy for therapists and psychiatrists to communicate about your progress and needs.

One of our testers contacted Brightside customer support to reestablish their account, which had lapsed since they last used the platform. Customer support fixed the issue and quickly connected her with a list of therapists to choose from since the therapist she’d previously worked with was unavailable.

Like BetterHelp, Brightside will initially match you with a provider based on your answers to a series of questions. But switching is always an option if you don’t like the provider you’re matched with. Our tester noted that after she asked to switch therapists, she received an email with the profiles of seven providers who matched her needs. She liked the opportunity to read through the bios and make her own choice.

Testers also noted that the Brightside mobile app made it easy to join sessions and take assessments.

What other users are saying

In our February 2024 survey of 100 Brightside users, 83 percent were able to use insurance to help pay for services. From that same survey, we found 82 percent of users somewhat agreed or completely agreed that Brightside was a good value relative to the money they spent.

In our October 2023 survey of 600 online therapy users, 76 percent of Brightside users rated their therapist as good or very good, a lower rating than therapists on BetterHelp.

• Financial aid available.
• Primary offerings are individual or couples therapy.
• Yoga and meditation videos included in plans.
• Unlimited messaging with providers included in plans.

• 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 (messaging and one live session per week): $440 per month

Online-Therapy.com is our best affordable online therapy choice for couples because they offer CBT-based couples therapy for $110 per week, or $440 per month—a rate that our research shows to be similar to or less than the cost of most in-person couples therapy. Financial aid is also available to qualifying couples.

We also like the many bonus features included in Online-Therapy.com plans like digital journals, yoga videos, and worksheets.

Insights from our testers

To start couples therapy on Online-Therapy.com, click “Couples Therapy (for us)” on their main page. You’ll then answer a few questions about what areas of your relationship you’re hoping to improve and any difficulties you may be encountering like infertility, anger management, and grief. You’ll then create an account and Online-Therapy.com will send you a list of therapist recommendations to choose from. If you don’t like the first provider or their availability doesn’t match yours, switching providers is always an option.

In terms of value, couples pay $440 per month for weekly sessions or about $110 per session. Included in that fee is the ability for both partners to message their provider at any time as well as an eight-section self-guided therapy program for each person. The self-guided therapy program includes worksheets (with daily therapist replies Monday through Friday), digital journals, and yoga and meditation videos.

Our tester was also able to apply for and secure financial aid for a 30 percent discount, though they wished it was made more apparent in the sign-up process.

Our tester noted that Online-Therapy.com is set up as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based program involving “mental health study, worksheets, live sessions, chat messaging, a journal, activity planning, yoga, and tests.” While our tester found these additional features helpful, she wished her therapist had interacted more with the special features and mentioned them in sessions.
What other users are saying
In our February 2024 survey of 100 Online-Therapy.com users, 88 percent said the therapy they received met their expectations. From the same survey, 87 percent of users said their provider made them feel seen.

Online-Therapy.com providers also got high marks for making their clients feel comfortable, with 90 percent of users reporting in the survey that their therapist created a safe space.

• Accepts insurance.
• Average copay of less than $30.
• Messaging included in all plans.
• Offers individual, teen, and couples therapy.

If you use insurance to pay, the average copay is less than $30 per session:

• Average Aetna member copay: $40.
• Average Cigna member copay: $30.
• Average Optum member copay: $26.
• Average Carelon member copay: $22.

If you pay out-of-pocket, plans start at $276 per month:

• 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 and $175 for each follow-up session.

Our testers found that if Talkspace verifies your coverage but its providers aren’t in-network with your insurance plan, they’ll help you reduce costs by offering $120 off your first month.

Talkspace is our choice for the best affordable text-based therapy because its messaging therapy plan is available to people 13 and older. We also like that the text-based plan has text, audio, and video options, so users can choose which type of message they want to send and receive.

Insights from our testers

Though it is not right for everyone or every condition, two-way messaging therapy can be effective for treating certain types of depression and anxiety. The Talkspace messaging plan costs $69 per week ($276 billed monthly). This fee includes unlimited messaging with your therapist via text, audio message, or video message.

While the messaging-only plan doesn’t include live video sessions, we like that the video messaging option allows users to see and be seen by their therapist. While your therapist’s responses may not be immediate, you will receive regular responses from your therapists with follow-up questions, goal-setting advice, and more.

Our tester, who signed up for a Video + Messaging therapy plan, found that her initial therapist wasn’t as responsive via text as she would have liked. If you request a new therapist, you’ll receive an email with a list of possible matches to choose from. Our tester was offered nine potential matches when she switched therapists.

Talkspace accepts insurance for all of its plans, including its messaging plan. They work with several large health insurance carriers, including Aetna, Cigna, and Optum. We like that Talkspace makes it easy to check your coverage before you even sign up for an account. Just go to their insurance page, click “Check My Coverage,” and fill in your insurance details. You may need to contact your insurance company directly to get exact information about copays and deductibles for mental health care, but Talkspace makes it easy to find out if your plan will cover their services.

What other users are saying

In our October 2023 survey of 600 online therapy users, 82 percent of Talkspace users were able to get an appointment with a provider within one to two weeks, with 24 percent connecting with a therapist in less than a day.

In our February 2024 survey of 100 Talkspace users, 88 percent were satisfied with the therapist they’d been matched with. Your connection with your therapist is a key component of how successful your therapy will be. If you don’t connect with your initial therapist—on Talkspace or any other platform—ask to switch to a new provider.

To learn more about Talkspace, read our Talkspace review.

• Accepts insurance. 
• Offers psychiatry and medication management. 
• Treats adults, teens, and children ages six and older. 
• Creates individualized care plans. 

Talkiatry visits can be paid for via in-network insurance only. The cost of the session will vary by your insurance provider. Some copays are as low as $30.

We think Talkiatry is the best affordable option for psychiatry and medication management because the platform offers psychiatry services for the cost of your insurance copay. Talkiatry treats many common mental health conditions, including ADHD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. We like that Talkatry serves children, teens, and adults. While Talkiatry does not score highly on our Affordability Index because it requires insurance and does not offer an out-of-pocket option for users, it can be an affordable option for those with in-network insurance coverage.

Insights from our testers

We like that Talkiatry offers access to an in-network psychiatrist when you need it, often within one week of signing up and sometimes in as little as 24 hours. We talked to one Talkiatry user who was able to schedule her first appointment for the next day after signing up. She also shared that refilling prescriptions is easy with Talkiatry, and that her medication is typically ready the same day that she requests a refill.

To get started on Talkiatry, fill out the form on their website’s home page to see if they take your plan. One drawback of Talkiatry is that they only see patients whose insurance they accept. Fortunately, they do work with a number of large carriers, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and some Medicare plans. If they do take your insurance, you’ll be directed to answer a series of questions about your insurance, location (Talkiatry is available in 43 states), and clinical needs. You’ll then receive a list of providers who meet your needs. You can schedule your own appointment at a time that works for you.

Talkiatry providers can treat children as young as six years old and specialize in a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Your Talkiatry provider will work closely with you to determine a plan of care. If that plan of care includes medication, Talkiatry providers can write prescriptions. They can also provide referrals for talk therapy. Talkiatry providers can also write prescriptions for some controlled substances like Ritalin and Xanax. The fee you pay for a Talkiatry session does not include the cost of any prescription medications. You will pay for those at your pharmacy.

What other users are saying

In our February 2024 survey of 100 Talkiatry users, 91 percent had positive interactions with their psychiatrist. At the time of the survey, 80 percent of respondents were satisfied with the reduction of symptoms after using Talkiatry.