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Our staff surveyed real users and personally tested MD Live to rate the telehealth platform’s online therapy and psychiatry services on price, provider quality, customer service, and overall effectiveness.
Our staff surveyed real users and personally tested MD Live to rate the telehealth platform’s online therapy and psychiatry services on price, provider quality, customer service, and overall effectiveness.
We independently test and review all of the services we recommend. When you sign up through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our nonprofit mission.
MD Live is a telehealth platform that offers medical care, including urgent care, primary care, and mental health care (both therapy and psychiatry), across the United States. The platform accepts major health insurance plans such as Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Aetna. It also accepts some Medicare and Medicaid plans.
Out-of-pocket costs for online therapy and online psychiatry on MD Live are at the high end of the platforms we tested. An initial therapy session costs $179, with follow-up sessions priced at $140 each. For online psychiatry, MD Live charges $299 for an initial visit and $159 for each follow-up visit within six months. Insurance copays, on the other hand, average between $0-30, depending on the plan and deductible.
As part of HelpGuide’s in-depth review of MD Live, our staff surveyed over 200 real MD Live users in May and June 2025. One of our staff members also conducted hands-on testing, sampling a month of therapy and psychiatry sessions. He kept a detailed journal recording his experiences with the platform’s providers, customer service, and billing departments. He also tested the functionality of the MD Live website and mobile app.
The overall feedback for online therapy and online psychiatry on MD Live was favorable. Short appointment wait times and high-quality providers were the standout features for both our tester and the majority of our survey respondents. The high self-pay costs and being unable to message providers on the platform were the primary drawbacks. 81 percent of therapy users and 88 percent of psychiatry users would likely recommend MD Live to a friend.
Overall, HelpGuide’s in-house tester had a very positive experience with both his online therapy and online psychiatry providers on MD Live. 72 percent of the platform’s online therapy users and 80 percent of online psychiatry users felt that MD Live had notably helped them achieve progress towards their mental health goals.
Rather than relying on an algorithm to match you with a provider, MD Live allows you to search by gender and many different specialties, such as anxiety, addiction, OCD, trauma, and insomnia. This generates a list of matching therapists. Our staff tester found that while some providers had their upcoming appointment times clearly displayed, others required him to request an appointment. He noted that some therapists on the platform offered appointment times at weekends and evenings. “I chose one where you needed to request an appointment in order to see how long it would take to hear back from them,” he noted. He was able to schedule his first appointment within six days. 92 percent of users we surveyed had their first therapy session within six days of signing up.
The MD Live users we surveyed also indicated a high therapist approval rating on the platform. They valued active listening, empathy and compassion, and a non-judgmental attitude as the most important criteria in a therapist. 87 percent of them rated the therapist they found on MD Live as a 4/5 or 5/5 for their overall quality. “There was nothing I wish my therapist had done differently,” said one user. “When I finally found one that I really liked . . . she did everything right. I would change nothing,” said another.
Our tester was in total agreement. He found his MD Live therapist to be an excellent fit, describing him as professional, knowledgeable, and very enthusiastic. “I honestly felt like I was being heard and understood in therapy for the first time,” our tester said. “I may even continue with [this therapist] after testing.” His first session lasted for 10 minutes longer than scheduled and he felt his therapist was genuinely keen to help him. He said the therapist “was diving deep into complicated topics.” He rated his overall satisfaction as 5 out of 5 and said he was “very happy with the care I received from my therapist.”
Like 30 percent of MD Live users, our tester did experience some technical issues that required him to contact customer support on several occasions. He managed to get his problems resolved, but it took some time and effort. “Frustrating to have to contact customer support multiple times,” he said, “but the care was very good from both the therapist and psychiatrist.”
While our staff tester selected a therapist who required an appointment request, he was able to schedule his psychiatrist appointment as soon as he signed up. After experiencing technical issues with his online therapy sessions, our tester opted for a phone session with a psychiatrist. Most (78 percent) of our survey respondents saw MDs on the platform (either a psychiatrist or primary care physician).
Our tester’s psychiatrist called him promptly at the appointment time, and they had a productive first session. He felt his provider was experienced, attentive, and explained things very clearly. After 10 minutes of intake questions covering his medical history, family history, and current symptoms, the psychiatrist made some medication recommendations. Our tester asked lots of questions about the recommendations, and the psychiatrist answered each one fully and clearly. 90 percent of the psychiatry users we surveyed felt that their provider answered all of their questions about medications well or very well. 90 percent also thought their provider explained well or very well why a specific medication was prescribed. “The provider listened carefully and explained things in a way I could understand,” said one user.
Our tester’s psychiatrist recommended that they meet again in 30 days to review his progress and make sure everything was going well. 70 percent of our survey respondents also had follow-up appointments within one month. While our tester couldn’t fault the quality of psychiatric care he received on the platform, he did find it frustrating that he was unable to message his psychiatrist on the platform between sessions. “I had a simple medication question that could’ve easily been answered over messaging.”
Overall, our tester was extremely satisfied by the level of care he received, and summed up his psychiatry experience on MD Live as “a good way to talk to a professional and easily manage medication.”
MD Live accepts many major insurance plans such as Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Aetna. It also accepts some Medicare and Medicaid plans. When self-paying on MD Live, though, the cost of online therapy and online psychiatry can be expensive.
| MD Live cost | Average competitor cost | Average in-person cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapy, out-of-pocket | $179 initial session, $140 per follow-up | $60-200+ | $100-200+ |
| Therapy, with Insurance | $0-$30 average copay | $0-50 average copay | $0-50 average copay |
| Psychiatry, out-of-pocket | $299 initial appointment, $159 per follow-up (within 6 months) | $95-299 initial appointment, $95-200 per follow-up | $150-700+ for initial appointment, $150-400 per follow-up |
| Psychiatry, with Insurance | $0-$30 average copay | $0-50 average copay | $0-50 average copay |
The aspects of MD Live that stood out the most during our testing and analysis included the platform’s:
Provider quality. 83 percent of therapy users and 88 percent of psychiatry users were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience on MD Live. Typical comments from users included: “I appreciated the professionalism and compassion of my provider,” “Sessions were focused and helpful, never rushed,” and “I absolutely love my therapist. She’s had similar experiences and shared that with me. I felt I could actually let go of restraints and really talk to her. A very pleasant experience.”
Trustworthiness. MD Live is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent nonprofit that reviews compliance with national standards for healthcare quality and safety. The platform is also certified by HITRUST for security, which means the platform has passed an assessment of its security and privacy controls. 83 percent of therapy users and 84 percent of psychiatry users we surveyed were confident or very confident that MD Live would protect their personal information.
Short appointment wait times. When you’re coping with a mental health problem, you often want to talk to a professional as soon as possible. 19 percent of therapy users and 11 percent of psychiatry users found same-day appointments on MD Live. Our staff tester, 92 percent of therapy users, and 82 percent of psychiatry users had their first appointment within six days of signing up to the platform.
Based on our testing and user feedback, the areas where MD Live could improve its services include:
Provider messaging. Being able to message your provider between sessions can be very helpful. Our tester was disappointed that he was unable to message his provider with a follow-up question about a medication recommendation. Many other platforms enable you to message your provider between sessions to provide updates, share concerns, or monitor any setbacks during treatment.
Technical reliability. Even the best connections, equipment, and apps can experience technical problems at times, disrupting a treatment session. However, in testing and user feedback, MD Live scored below some other platforms for technical reliability. Both our staff tester and 30 percent of the MD Live users we surveyed encountered technical issues that disrupted their therapy experience. 13 percent of users experienced problems on more than one occasion. “Technical glitches made it hard to have a productive session,” one user told us.
Deciding if MD Live is right for you largely depends on whether the platform accepts your health insurance plan. Due to high out-of-pocket pricing, MD Live just missed out on being one of our overall picks for best online therapy providers. If you don’t have insurance or your particular plan isn’t accepted by MD Live, we think there are other online therapy and psychiatry platforms that offer better value.
However, we did choose MD Live as one of our top picks for Best Online Therapy Platforms that Take Insurance. With only an insurance copay to afford, MD Live becomes a much better value and one worth considering for its quality of providers and short appointment wait times.
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