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Most Affordable Online Therapy Sites in 2023

Medically Reviewed and Edited by 
Olga Kyrychenko, Psychologist

Over the past few years, online therapy has been steadily growing as an alternative, cheaper option for mental health treatments. As more and more therapy sites accept insurance, the difference in price is becoming dramatic and you can expect to pay less than half of what you would pay for a live, face to face session. 

Online Therapy Cuts Costs

Now, more than ever, people are looking for affordable and reliable mental health options and they often go online to seek themonline. In the U.S, the cost of a therapy session averages at about $150-$200 (per session). Based on our findings, the average cost of online therapy, per weekly video session, is just $74. In fact, the cheapest online therapy (by BetterHelp) costs as little as $60 per weekly video session.

Best Affordable Therapy Platforms Compared

Our #1 Ranked Online Therapy Site
Betterhelp review
Editorial Rating
98.0%
Pricing

$60-$90 Per Week

Promo

None

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Pros
  • Very competitive pricing
  • Financial aid program - up to 40% discount
Cons
  • Only one pricing plan
  • Doesn’t work with insurance, Medicare or Medicaid
Best With Insurance
talkspace review
Editorial Rating
97.2%
Pricing

$65 - $99 Per Week

Promo

$80 discount on the first month

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Pros
  • Guaranteed response time 5 days a week
  • Most affordable price out of industry leaders
  • Insurance accepted
  • One week free trial
Cons
  • Getting matched with a therapist can take a few days
  • No live sessions included in the basic plan
Best Affordable Therapy Site
Calmerry review
Editorial Rating
94.4%
Pricing

$42 - $68 Per Week

Promo

30% Off First Month

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Pros
  • Get Matched in 24 hours or less
  • Choose your own therapist
  • Excellent customer service
  • Great value for money
Cons
  • Must pay a weekly subscription before starting
  • No insurance accepted
Best for Medication Management
Brightside Review
Editorial Rating
88%
Pricing

$95 - $345 Per Month

Promo

$50 Off Your First Month

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Pros
  • Great flexibility with packages and possible treatments
  • therapists specialize in dealing with anxiety and depression
  • Modern platform with an excellent mobile app
  • Works with many insurance companies
Cons
  • Must pay before getting any treatment
  • You can’t choose your own therapist
Editorial Rating
82.5%
Pricing

$39.99 - $80 Per Week

Promo

20% off for the first month

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Pros
  • Highest quality of therapists anywhere online
  • Excellent software and mobile app
  • Reputable well known company
  • Very affordable prices
Cons
  • No free trial
  • Live sessions are only 30 minutes long
Best Psychiatric Care
Amwell review
Editorial Rating
80.3%
Pricing

$109 - $129 Per Meeting

Promo

No Promo Available

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Pros
  • Works with many insurance companies
  • Can combine therapy with psychiatric treatment
  • Only pay when meeting a therapist
  • Great quality of Therapists
Cons
  • Only live sessions - no chats or text messaging
  • Not as many therapists to choose from
Best For Free Chat Therapy
7 Cups Review
Editorial Rating
76.2%
Pricing

$0- $150 Per Month

Promo

No Available Promo

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Pros
  • Non professional volunteers available 24/7
  • Cheapest way to get support online
Cons
  • Quality of volunteers vary greatly
  • No option for live sessions, even with the paid version
Best Value For Money
HealthSapiens Review
Editorial Rating
74.9%
Pricing

$42.95 Per Week

Promo

No Available Promo

Hide details
Pros
  • Among best prices in the industry
  • Start therapy in a day or less
  • 6 monthly sessions included in price
  • Excellent reputation and user reviews
Cons
  • Can't choose your therapist
  • Old software and no mobile app

Boost Savings By Choosing the Right Provider

Online therapy as a whole is far more affordable than face to face therapy, but there is more to it when you are trying to cut  costs to the minimum. Choosing platforms which are both reliable and price-friendly for your needs can save you a a lot more money.

Below you can find a comparison of the industry benchmark and the best price offered for each type of therapy versus the industry’s benchmark price:

As you can see in the above chart, you can save as much as 30% compared to the benchmark by simply choosing the right providers. Below you can find more data showing which is the most affordable therapy platform in each category:

Service

Industry Benchmark, USD, Per Week

Who is Offering Best Price

Best Price, USD, Per Week

Percentage Savings by Choosing Best Provider

Weekly Video Session

74.00

BetterHelp

60.00

18.91891892

Pay per meet

123.00

Sesame

110.00

10.56910569

Psychiatric Care

158.00

Amwell

99.00

37.34177215

Prescriptions + Therapy

92.00

Brightside

87.00

5.434782609

Therapy With Insurance

38.00

Talkspace

25.00

34.21052632

Couples Therapy

94.00

ReGain

60.00

36.17021277

Teens Therapy

86.00

Teen Counseling

60.00

30.23255814

BetterHelp - The Best Online Therapy Site

If you are new to online therapy, BetterHelp is a great place to start. It’s our pick for the best online therapy site out there and is also very affordable. The level of therapy is high, and the platform itself is modern and very easy to use.

BetterHelp’s biggest downside when it comes to affordability is the fact they do not accept insurance. That said, between the generous welcome promo and their financial aid programs, the prices are still quite competitive. 

BetterHelp offers a financial aid program which reduces the monthly cost by as much as 40%. It is very easy to apply to and most chances are you’ll at least meet the requirements for some sort of discount. You can do that as part of the signup process, and know if you are eligible  in a matter of minutes. 

It is also worth noting that BetterHelp is the most cost-effective platform if you are looking for a more niche focused therapy. As part of their network, they also operate Teen Counseling, ReGain and Pride Counseling – which offer the some of the cheapest therapy solutions for teens, couples and the LGBTQ+ community respectively. Pricing is the same as BetterHelp, and you can still apply for the financial aid program.

Talkspace - Best With Insurance

When it comes to which platform is the best for online therapy in general, Talkspace and BetterHelp are almost tied. In the end, I feel like BetterHelp has the slight edge (see our BetterHelp vs Talkspace comparison), but when it comes to price, Talkspace might actually be the better choice.

If you are looking for a low cost therapy option, but don’t want to compromise quality too much, then both Talkspace and BetterHelp are great choices. Between insurance copay available at Talkspace, and BetterHelp’s financial aid program, you are very likely to find a cheap counseling package.

Since both sites offer a free trial our suggestion would be to open an account with both. You can take a week to see where you feel more comfortable, browse the profiles of potential therapists, and find out if you are eligible for discounts on either platform.

Calmerry - Best Promo

Calmerry is a relatively new addition to the online therapy industry, having only been launched in 2019. It has already been making significant waves though, presenting an excellent alternative to the big companies featured above.

Even though they do not accept insurance, Calmerry’s prices are amongst the best in the industry. What really sets them apart is the fact they allow weekly subscriptions and not just monthly ones. This means you can start off for an extremely cheap price, and figure out whether the platform answers your needs or not – there is no reason to commit (and pay) for a whole month right off the bat.  

If you are looking strictly for a chat-based therapy service, without phone or video sessions, then Calmerry’s rates are actually slightly lower than Talkspace’s. 

 

Brightside - Most Affordable For Therapy and Medical Prescriptions

Brightside is an online therapy service that offers you the option to combine talk therapy with psychiatric care and medical prescriptions. While there are a handful of other similar services, I believe Brightside is the best choice for a few key reasons. First, they operate in all states, their prescription delivery only takes a few days, and their software is world class.

If saving money is your top priority, you can also check Cerebral who offers a similar service for $20 less a month. Keep in mind you pay for medications separately, and while at Brightside they all cost $15, in Cerebral the price varies and can cost anywhere between $10 and $45 each.

Online-Therapy.com - Best Price for Specialized Therapy

If you look at it strictly from a numbers perspective then Online-Therapy.com should be the clear winner. Even though they don’t accept insurance or have any financial aid programs, the p