5 Best Affordable Online Therapy Services (2025)

Amwell accepts 40 insurance providers, and most network providers hold a master’s or doctorate-level license and have at least two years of professional experience. While Amwell may not offer services like text therapy, it’s straightforward and easy to use, with users billed per session.

Our Experience With Amwell

Our platform tester, Miguel, found Amwell easy to navigate and making an appointment simple. He didn’t experience any technical issues. However, he felt his therapist came to the session unprepared.

“My therapist was very open. I was given plenty of time to disclose medical information. There [were] no connection or audio issues. The video call ran smoothly.” – Miguel, platform tester

Onboarding was straightforward, says Miguel. “The process is pretty quick. I registered with only an email account. No social security or additional documents are required.” He then completed an initial questionnaire which helped match him with a therapist. “The questionnaire was brief and took 10 minutes to complete,” says Miguel. He could then browse a list of therapists and choose one. After doing that, Miguel completed a 30-minute video session with Amwell. He found the set-up simple, explaining, “I accessed the call via a portal on my Amwell account. I had to double check if my mic and camera were working.”

While Miguel felt his therapist was open and gave him time to discuss medical information, he also thought she seemed fatigued. “She seemed a little tired when I logged into the appointment. I felt like I was answering a survey. The therapist sounded like she wanted to wrap up the appointment in less than 30 minutes. The only positive thing is she was very patient whenever I stuttered,” notes Miguel.

Teladoc Health makes therapy easily accessible—beginning with the price. Sessions may be free depending on your insurance coverage, and Teladoc Health has a network of credentialed health providers who are available seven days a week. Individuals can choose sessions with a therapist by video or phone.

Our Experience With Teladoc Health

Our tester, Manni, completed a 45-minute video session with a therapist via Teladoc Health. He found the overall experience relatively easy to navigate, including logging in for his session. He noted he had the option to search for therapists based on specific criteria, and the available appointment times were satisfactory. He did note that his therapist was late, however, even though he was sent a reminder ahead of time.

“Logging into the therapy session was straightforward, [and a] reminder of the session was also sent 10 minutes ahead.” — Manni, platform tester

Talkspace says most people with private insurance have a $0 copay, plus users can use FSA/HSA or employee assistance programs, if available. Talkspace providers, who are all licensed, have seven to 10 years of unsupervised therapy experience, and Talkspace also provides psychiatric services including medication management.

Our Experience With Talkspace

Jonny, our platform tester, said Talkspace had a simple sign-up process, and he appreciated the short video introductions for each provider. He was surprised to be assigned a therapist instead of choosing one, but he ultimately figured out how to change providers—and he had a positive experience speaking with the therapist he selected.

“The therapist was warm and approachable, and her genuine, nonjudgmental manner made me feel comfortable. That sense of sincerity really motivated me to keep going.” — Jonny, platform tester

Jonny completed a 30-minute live video session from his computer. While signing up was easy, there was some confusion regarding pricing. “It was efficient and quick (took less than 3 minutes to fill everything in), but there seems to be different pricing on the payment options page depending on where you are located (likely) or what issue you want solving,” explains Jonny. He was also surprised to be assigned a therapist instead of choosing one himself. “I assumed I’d be able to choose from several profiles, but that option wasn’t obvious up front,” he says. Jonny rotated through five different therapists before finding one who had availability the following day, and after scheduling he was pleased to get session reminders. He also appreciated the opportunity to directly communicate with his therapist outside of a session.

Cerebral may be convenient for people interested in prescription medication management in addition to talk therapy, as the company offers bundled treatment plans. If you do need a prescription, the company can mail it directly to your home via CerebralRx. Cerebral also offers a range of therapy modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Our Experience With Cerebral

Dave, our platform tester, said the platform was very easy to use and navigate, but there was only one therapist in his area accepting new clients. Instead of being able to choose his own therapist, he was automatically scheduled with the only one available.

“The lack of options stands out. With there only being one therapist available, it seems I was assigned to her just for the sake of it. I had no option to indicate preferences as to gender, race, experience, specialization etc. I didn’t select a therapist; I had the only available person assigned to me.” – Dave, platform tester

Dave completed a 45-minute video session with Cerebral and described the experience as fairly basic. “One multiple-choice question on why I wanted a therapist, and that was it. There was only one therapist available for Massachusetts and [my selected topic of] ‘work stress,’ so I didn’t get the option of looking at therapists’ profiles or selecting anyone. No information [was available] on cancelling the subscription if I later changed my mind,” says Dave. He also noted that while his job is flexible, appointment times on Cerebral were only during the typical work day.

Brightside Health charges $299 per month for online therapy, which includes four monthly video therapy sessions. At $74.75 per session, that’s significantly less than some other online providers charge. Brightside also accepts 23 insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Brightside Health has therapists available in all 50 states, and the company also offers tools to help support individuals between sessions—things like progress trackers, audio lessons and practice exercises.

Our Experience With Brightside Health

Meaghan, our platform tester, had a positive experience overall. There were no technical issues, and while her session was largely an intake appointment, she appreciated the engagement she had with her provider. The therapist was also familiar with Meaghan’s mental health history at the start of the session so instead of asking questions already asked on the intake questionnaire, the therapist only asked clarifying questions.

“The conversation was fluid, organic and insightful, and I thought my provider asked interesting, pertinent questions to better understand what I was hoping to achieve through therapy.” – Meaghan, platform tester

Meaghan completed a 45-minute video call with a provider from Brightside Health. She was able to choose from a list of therapists, which were organized by availability rather than suitability. “I thought it was interesting that therapist selection was automatically generated based on the calendar rather than my being able to read through bios, then view a specific clinician’s schedule availability. However, when the therapist was populated, I was able to read their bio before scheduling,” says Meaghan.

Meaghan also noted that the provider was in athletic attire during the session, which may seem unprofessional to some—though she didn’t mind. “Personally, I was unbothered by the therapist’s casual attire, as our session went well and they offered very professional insights that demonstrated their education, experience and skills.”