The live online-therapy reference

Every therapy service, priced, matched, and sourced.

Compare cost, insurance, therapist matching, and clinical evidence across every major online-therapy and psychiatry service. About 1 in 3 US therapists take no insurance, so we show what each really costs, cash and with insurance, and the most affordable way to start. Every figure links to its source.

Updated monthly · checked 2 wk ago
68services compared
45accept insurance
$15 average copay/session (most insured members pay $0)cheapest to start
Live
PriceTalkspacefrom $15 average copay/session (most insured members pay $0)TalkspacePriceRulafrom $15 average per session with insuranceRulaPriceThriveworksfrom $0-$55 copay/session ($17 on average)ThriveworksPriceCirclesfrom $19.99/mo in its iPhone app ($39/mo on other plans; 6- and 12-month plans cost less)CirclesPriceAlmafrom $20 average per session with insuranceAlmaPriceGrow Therapyfrom $21 average per session with insuranceGrow TherapyPriceBetterHelpfrom $23 average copay/sessionBetterHelpPriceBrightside Healthfrom $25 average copay/sessionBrightside HealthPriceSonderMindfrom $25 average copay per sessionSonderMindPriceOctavefrom avg ~$28/sessionOctavePriceWorkit Healthfrom $25 to $35 per month with most insurance (medication billed separately)Workit HealthPriceTalkiatryfrom $30 or less per visit for most patients after insuranceTalkiatryPriceHeadwayfrom $20-$50 copay/sessionHeadwayPriceTwo Chairsfrom Under $30/session for most clients after the deductibleTwo ChairsPricePlushCarefrom $30 or less per doctor visit for most patientsPlushCarePriceHims & Hersfrom $49/moHims & HersPriceGoodRx Carefrom $59 per anxiety or depression visitGoodRx CarePriceCerebralfrom $180 every 3 months ($60/month)CerebralPriceSesamefrom $79/moSesamePriceWellnitefrom $95/month (billed biweekly)WellnitePriceLemonaid Healthfrom $95/monthLemonaid HealthPriceQuickMDfrom $99 per visit (the first visit, then monthly follow-ups); medication separateQuickMDPriceOar Healthfrom $297 every 3 months ($99 a month), medication included, after a $50 consultationOar HealthPriceJoyousfrom $129/month with a 3-month commitmentJoyousPrice7 Cupsfrom $159/mo7 CupsPriceRia Healthfrom $175 to $449 per month (self-pay, varies by treatment plan)Ria HealthPriceDonefrom $199 first month (includes initial evaluation)DonePriceBend Healthfrom $199.99 per monthBend HealthPriceCalmerryfrom $57/wk ($49.50/wk with the first-month discount)CalmerryPriceOnline-Therapy.comfrom $60/wk ($48/wk for the first month with its 20% discount), billed monthlyOnline-Therapy.comPriceOpheliafrom $245 per month (does not include medication)OpheliaPriceBicycle Healthfrom $249 per month (not including medication)Bicycle HealthPriceEleanor Healthfrom $249 per month (offered in some cases)Eleanor HealthPriceNema Healthfrom $275 (50 min)Nema HealthPriceMeru Healthfrom $79/week for the 12-week programMeru HealthNewsAxiosMeet the next behavioral health tech buyers - AxiosNewsLaurinburg ExchangeUNCP expands student healthcare with telepsychiatry, eye care services - Laurinburg ExchangeNewsFierce HealthcareTeladoc Health beats Q3 expectations as BetterHelp insurance growth accelerates - Fierce HealthcareNewsRobesonianUNCP expands student healthcare with telepsychiatry, eye care services - Robesonian
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Every way to start therapy, ranked.

Browse the board below, or describe your goal and the AI reads it to re-rank the board.

68 online-therapy services, availability and starting price
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Best favors services accepting new clients, then measured improvement, then affordability (how we rank). Starting price is the cheapest licensed way to begin care per month (or per session); insurance copays and free peer / self-guided options (labeled) are in the Plans tab. Typical copays are plan-dependent, shown as an average, never a guarantee. Improvement is each service's own published outcome, measured on different populations, measures, and time frames, so read it as a guide, not a direct comparison. Full pricing is on each service's page and /prices. Availability reflects which services are accepting new clients. 54 established, 14 newer / limited availability.

Effectiveness vs. cost

Outcomes vs. what you pay

Reported outcomes vs. what it costs

Each service's published improvement or response rate, next to the cheapest way to start care. Every figure links to its source.

Newer / limited availability

Not head-to-head: each figure is from that service's own published outcome data (different populations, measures, and time frames), so read it as a guide, not a direct comparison. Where a service publishes no outcome it is simply absent here (an honest gap, never an invented number). Prices are the cheapest way to start care; some are an insurance copay, some cash self-pay. Teletherapy overall is well supported by research (see Evidence).

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The rest of the data

AvailabilityWhich services are accepting new clients and the typical wait to a first session.Price comparisonfrom $15 average copay/session (most insured members pay $0)Cash prices, whether a service bills insurance, and the typical copay when it does.Insurance plans10 plans comparedWhich services take Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross, Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and more, with each limit and its source.Affordable therapy9 sliding-scale optionsThe cheapest legitimate ways to start: in-network copays, low-cost self-pay plans, and income-based sliding scale.Pricing report22 session pricesWhat one therapy session costs without insurance at every service that publishes a price, each read from its own page.Paying with HSA or FSA26 take the cardWhich services take the HSA or FSA card, which want a receipt, and when FSA money runs out at year end.Free online therapy11 free youth programsEvery real way to get therapy free: an employer's EAP, Medicaid, a $0 copay, city, state and school programs, VA counseling, and the free lines that are support rather than therapy.Therapy through work (EAP)60% of private-sector workers have oneFree counseling sessions your employer pays for: how many, whether your employer finds out, and Lyra, Spring Health, Modern Health and Headspace compared.For employers4 publish a priceWhat a small business pays for employee mental health: Talkspace's therapy plan, Headspace's and Calm's apps, and the vendors that quote only on request.Teens and kids34 see teensWhich services see a teenager or a child, from what age, with which insurance (Medicaid and TRICARE included), and what a parent's role is.Couples therapy10 comparedWhich services offer genuine two-partner couples therapy, what each costs, and which bill insurance.Text therapy19 let you text a therapistWhich services let you message a therapist, which hold live chat sessions, which take insurance or see teens, and the free text lines.Same-day therapy8 say therapy can start todayHow soon each service says a first therapy session or prescriber visit can be, in its own words, with insurance and prices.Phone therapy12 hold phone sessionsWhich services hold sessions by phone with no camera, which take insurance or Medicare, prices, prescribers by phone, and the free lines you can call.Veterans5 free or low-cost nonprofitsVA video care and Vet Centers, the nonprofits that give veterans therapy free, the Veterans Crisis Line, and which services take TRICARE.LGBTQ+ affirming therapy25 let you chooseWhere you can choose an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist or join an LGBTQ+ program, with insurance and prices.Black therapists online16 let you chooseWhere you can choose a therapist by race or ethnicity, from each service's own directory and pages.Christian therapy11 let you chooseWhere you can choose a Christian or faith-based therapist, with insurance and prices.Therapy in Spanish16 let you pick a Spanish speakerWhere you can choose or ask for a Spanish-speaking therapist or psychiatrist, which services take insurance, prices, and the free lines that answer in Spanish.Online CBT3 structured programsWhich services are built on a structured CBT program and which offer therapists who use CBT, with prices, insurance and the research.Online DBT4 programs or skills groupsWhich services give a DBT program or skills group, which let you choose a DBT therapist, and which only name it, with prices, insurance and the research.Online EMDR9 let you find an EMDR clinicianWhere you can get EMDR by video, how to find a trained EMDR clinician, which services take insurance, and the research on EMDR online.Depression treatment38 prescribe for depressionWhich services prescribe antidepressants online and which medicines they name (Wellbutrin among them), what each says about ketamine, Spravato and TMS, and which treat postpartum depression, with insurance, Medicaid or without.Anxiety treatment37 prescribe for anxietyWhich services prescribe anxiety medication online, what each says about benzodiazepines such as Xanax, which therapy approaches they use, with insurance, Medicaid or without.OCD treatment13 name ERPWhich services offer exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD and whether every therapist is trained in it, which prescribe OCD medication, with insurance, Medicaid or without.PTSD and trauma21 name CPT, PE or EMDRWhich services give cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure or EMDR, which prescribe for PTSD and which medicines they name, with insurance, Medicaid or without.Bipolar disorder26 prescribe for itWhich services treat bipolar disorder online and which say they do not, who prescribes lithium and runs the blood tests, with insurance and prices.Eating disorders26 treat eating disordersWhich services treat eating disorders online and which say they do not, who gives a care team with a dietitian or an intensive program, with insurance and prices.Grief counseling40 help with griefWhich services help with grief and loss online, which run grief groups, prices and insurance, and the free grief support groups and lines.Insomnia14 give CBT-IWhich services give CBT-I online, which prescribe for sleep and which say no to Ambien, with insurance, prices and free CBT-I from the VA.ADHD treatment21 diagnose ADHDWhich services diagnose ADHD online, which prescribe stimulants such as Adderall and with what limits, with insurance, Medicaid or without.Addiction treatment11 prescribe SuboxoneWhich services prescribe Suboxone (buprenorphine) or naltrexone online, in which states, with insurance, Medicaid or without, and which treat alcohol use.Autism5 evaluate for autismWhich services evaluate for autism online, and which support autistic children, teens and adults, with ages, price and insurance.Online psychiatry12 prescribe stimulantsWhich services offer medication management, which will prescribe controlled substances like ADHD stimulants, and which bill insurance.Side-by-side comparisons119 searched pairsThe head-to-head comparisons people search, such as BetterHelp vs Talkspace: cost with and without insurance, then only where the two differ.Is it legit?66 services checkedWho runs each service, who gives the care, outside accreditation, every FTC and Justice Department action naming it, cancelling terms and ratings.What each prescribes16 prescribe stimulantsWhether each service prescribes Adderall and other stimulants, Xanax, antidepressants or Suboxone, in its own words, with the limits it states.The DEA telehealth deadline18 services affectedWhat happens to online prescriptions for Adderall, Xanax, ketamine and Suboxone when the temporary federal rule ends on December 31, 2026, what DEA proposed instead, and which services it touches.Discounts54 services checkedFree trials, new-patient offers, promo codes, financial aid, HSA/FSA and student or military discounts, from each service's own pages, not a coupon site.Cancelling34 state a late feeHow to cancel each service, what a late cancellation or a missed session costs (and whether insurance pays it), and what is refunded.For therapists26 platforms comparedChoosing where to practice: how Headway, Alma, Grow Therapy, Rula, BetterHelp and more work with clinicians, contractor or employee, fees, published pay and insurance credentialing.Online therapy jobs3,174 open clinical rolesWhich online therapy companies are hiring therapists, counselors, psychologists and psychiatric prescribers today, by state, with the pay their postings state, read every day from their own job boards.AI training jobs for clinicians8 open rolesPaid remote work for licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and counselors: writing and grading mental-health material for AI models, with the hourly pay each role posts, read from the companies' own job boards.Alternatives60 services comparedLeaving BetterHelp, Talkspace, Cerebral, Brightside Health or another service? The services whose own pages say they do what yours does not: a plan, ADHD medication, a lower price, care for kids, teens or couples.
Guides

Read before you choose

41 min read

Does Online Therapy Work? What the Evidence Says

Video therapy matches in-person care for most common conditions, with comparable results and alliance. The 2026 evidence, by approach and by condition, fully cited.

Read the guide31 min read

BetterHelp vs Talkspace: 2026 Comparison

A data-backed 2026 head-to-head on price, insurance, matching, formats, and psychiatry, with a weighted scorecard, a wider-market table, and who each service fits best.

Read the guide32 min read

Does Insurance Cover Online Therapy?

Yes, by law, mental health is a mandated ACA benefit. How insurance works with every major online therapy service, what you pay, and how to verify coverage.

Read the guide38 min read

How Much Does Online Therapy Cost in 2026?

Online therapy runs $0 with an EAP, a $15 to $50 copay with insurance, or roughly $70 to $120 a week cash. Every real 2026 price, ranked and fully cited.

Read the guide
All guides

Self-guided apps, graded honestly

Headspace, Calm, app-based CBT, and the AI chatbots marketed as “therapy,” graded against the real evidence. None is care from a licensed clinician, and we show exactly why.

Compare 13 appsWhat AI therapy chatbots really are

Why you can trust these numbers

OnlineTherapy.me compares by the underlying facts (price, insurance acceptance, clinician licensing, and the evidence behind each modality), and a partner never changes a price or a fact. Partner status is one bounded, disclosed signal in how results are ordered: all else equal it can lift a labeled partner above a comparable option, but never above a clearly cheaper or better-evidenced one, and every partner is labeled. We show a figure only when we have a real source for it; when we do not, we show an honest gap, never an invented number.

Read the methodology
Questions

Common questions

What does OnlineTherapy.me track?

Every major US online-therapy and telepsychiatry service (BetterHelp, Talkspace, Cerebral, Talkiatry, Grow Therapy, Headway and more), across three models: cash-pay subscriptions, insurance marketplaces, and employer or EAP benefits. For each, we show the cash price, whether it bills insurance and the typical copay, how therapist matching works, whether it offers psychiatry and medication management, the conditions it treats, and how its modalities hold up against the clinical evidence.

Where does the data come from?

Public, mostly official sources: each service's own pricing and insurance pages, national cost benchmarks from KFF and the APA, prevalence data from NIMH and SAMHSA, and efficacy figures from peer-reviewed meta-analyses. Every figure links to the record that supports it.

Is a self-guided app the same as therapy with a licensed clinician?

No. App-based CBT and meditation tools (like Headspace or Calm) and AI chatbots can help with mild, everyday symptoms, but they are not care from a licensed therapist or prescriber. The evidence for standalone apps is real but modest, and strongest as a low-intensity or add-on option. We label the difference clearly and never present an app as equivalent to clinician-led care.

Is this medical advice?

No. OnlineTherapy.me is an informational data platform, not a therapy provider or medical practice. Always confirm the details with the service and a licensed clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

OnlineTherapy.me is an informational comparison platform, not a medical or mental-health provider. It does not offer therapy, diagnosis, or treatment, and nothing here is medical or mental-health advice or a recommendation to start, stop, or change any care. Data is aggregated from public sources and can be incomplete or out of date. Always confirm details with the provider and a licensed clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.