BetterHelp
- Message your therapist anytime
- Convenient and easy-to-use mobile app
- Save 20% on your 1st month
- Response time depends on therapist’s availability
- Not covered by insurance
- Does not offer prescription medication services
BetterHelp is among the largest, and certainly most recognized, virtual therapy services in the world. Their platform connects users worldwide with professional therapy via video, phone, chat, and messaging tools.
Although they are not the least expensive provider, they do offer financial aid for those who qualify.
As a Silicon Valley-based company with a more technical orientation, BetterHelp employs the most up-to-date technologies in optimizing its security and usability features.
While they have received considerable media coverage, including celebrity endorsements, it has not all been positive. There has been some controversy surrounding their marketing and data tracking practices, though they have mostly managed to clear their reputation.
BetterHelp boasts many of the same therapy features offered by the other leading brands: video sessions, ongoing conversations with a therapist via messaging, online journaling, digital worksheets, and interactive group sessions. What makes them stand out, however, is their enormous pool of therapists, which currently stands at over 35,000. Even though they use an algorithm to match you to a therapist, you are presumably more likely to find one that’s a good fit.
What they do seem to lack, however, is prescription medication management services and the ability to accept insurance. These are options that are being offered by more and more of their competitors.
When it comes to pricing, their subscription generally costs approximately $70 to $100 per month, billed monthly as $280 to $400. This includes 4 therapy sessions per month that last 30 to 45 minutes each, as well as messaging with your therapist and access to all their tools.
Their exact pricing is hard to outline because it changes so often. Sometimes they offer up to 3 types of packages from which to choose, while other times they offer one fixed package. In our testing, we have also seen that the prices fluctuate depending on your location and when you sign up.
BetterHelp has therapists who can help people deal with a wide range of mental health issues and concerns, including stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, family conflicts, depression, addiction, eating disorders, trauma, anger, LGBTQ+ matters, grief, low self-esteem, and more.
Read our full BetterHelp review.