The Most Affordable Therapy Options: Cost, Pros, Cons, and More

• Best for young people: BetterHelp | Skip to review
• Best for insurance coverage: Amwell | Skip to review
• Best for couples counseling: ReGain | Skip to review
• Best for psychiatry: Doctor on Demand | Skip to review
• Best free service: 7 Cups | Skip to review
• Best for teens: Talkspace | Skip to review
• Best for a large toolbox: Online-Therapy.com | Skip to review
• Best directory for addiction treatment: Findtreatment.gov | Skip to review
• Best for students: Open Path Collective | Skip to review
• Best for emergencies: Crisis Text Line | Skip to review

This article explores the different types of therapy available and how individuals may recognize that they need to see a therapist. It also describes factors that could help people choose affordable therapy options online and the different platforms available for counseling.

A person can attend different types of therapy, including:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT effectively treats depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other conditions.
• Interpersonal or talking therapy: The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) states that interpersonal therapy helps people with depression identify and address relationship challenges.
• Emotion-focused therapy: An ongoing 2018 study suggests this type of therapy shows potential to help individuals with conditions that include depression, trauma, and social anxiety.
• Group therapy: A person joins a group session with individuals with similar experiences to share their feelings and offer peer support. A qualified mental health care professional will typically run these sessions.

During therapy sessions, therapists use different methods to help their clients, such as talking therapies, helping manage negative thoughts, interacting with others, and mindfulness techniques.

Learn more about types of therapy.

Below are some companies that offer affordable therapy sessions online. Medical News Today and Healthline editors and writers have reviewed some of the services below. In some cases, they will have received a trial of the service for free. Some editors preferred to remain anonymous for their review due to the sensitive nature of the services. All opinions are their own.

Best for young people: BetterHelp

• Cost: $65–$90 a week
• Services: group and individual therapy
• BBB grade: A-
• Trustpilot score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

BetterHelp offers counseling sessions for individuals, couples, and teenagers. The platform requires a person to complete a questionnaire so the company can pair them with a therapist.

A person can talk with a therapist via instant messaging, phone, or video chat. This may benefit younger people and those who prefer different communication methods.

BetterHelp also offers:

• group sessions
• easy scheduling features
• digital worksheets to support the counseling process

The platform works with licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and counselors.

Individuals can cancel their membership at any time. However, health insurance plans do not usually grant coverage for BetterHelp services.

Read our review of BetterHelp.

Our tester’s experience

“I wanted to try online therapy as I’ve primarily only tried in-person therapy before. I wanted to see if consistent sessions with a virtual therapist helped me with my mental health and felt like an effective and sustainable option.

“I think it’s a good fit for people who have busy or varied schedules and have a hard time fitting therapy into their week. One-hour sessions virtually are easy to fit into a busy life, and the scheduling is flexible. In previous therapy experiences, sessions were held at the same time and day every week. BetterHelp lets you book in whatever available time and day works for you, so you can book at times that work for you. I think this would be good for people with busy work schedules, students, parents, etc.

“I was matched with a therapist who fit my criteria quickly, and she messaged me right away. I found the sessions really useful, and the therapist was always very supportive and empathetic. She also responded to messages I sent fairly quickly, which was great. It was easy to book and reschedule sessions if need be.

“The only hiccup was related to the BetterHelp support desk. My therapist let me know that she’d be on holiday for 2 weeks, so I’d need to contact the support team to extend my membership 2 weeks so I wouldn’t miss out on sessions. If you were paying for therapy monthly, I’d imagine this could be a bit of a headache. It seems like BetterHelp should have an option for the therapist to manage this instead of putting the onus onto the user — could be particularly difficult for people who struggle with executive dysfunction, have depression or ADHD, and so on.”

— “Olivia”, MNT Editor

Best for insurance coverage: Amwell

• Cost: upto $99 for psychology or therapy; $199 for an initial psychiatry assessment
• Services: counseling and psychiatry
• BBB grade: B
• Trustpilot score: 1.7 out of 5 stars

Amwell’s therapists provide counseling for various mental health conditions, including:

• insomnia
• panic attacks
• relationship difficulties
• social anxiety
• grief

An appointment with an Amwell psychologist or therapist costs $99 or less.

An initial psychiatry assessment visit costs $199, with follow-up sessions costing $95.

The company also works with physicians and psychiatrists who can prescribe medication and manage urgent care.

Amwell works with many insurers, and a person should contact their insurance provider or employer to check their benefits.

The organization is not BBB accredited, but BBB has given Amwell a B rating.

Best for couples counseling: ReGain

• Cost: $65–$90 per week
• Services: individual and couples counseling
• BBB grade: Not rated
• Trustpilot score: 3.3 out of 5 stars

The ReGain platform offers therapy sessions for individuals and couples by matching them with a licensed mental health care professional.

Couples do not have to be in the same location as each other to have couples therapy.

Once people log on to the website, the company’s chat room saves all written information for reference, but only the counselor and individuals or partners have access to this information.

ReGain operates a subscription-based plan and does not currently work with private medical insurers.

The organization is not BBB accredited.

Read our review of ReGain.

Our tester’s experience

“[I used Regain] to find ways to better communicate with my partner. I’ve tried in-person therapy several times and I just never felt like it really resonated with me, although I do think I could benefit from talking to a professional.

“I really enjoyed my experience with ReGain because it feels like less pressure than going to see someone in-person every week (or on whatever cadence you choose). I’ve tried several different therapists on the platform over time, and I had positive experiences for the most part.

[During sign up] ReGain asks you several questions, like if your partner will be joining you, your gender and sexual identity, and your age. There are also questions about your relationship status, religious affiliations, and whether you’ve tried therapy before. At this stage, you also give your partner’s name, and you can send them a request to join if you want or opt out of that.

“[I’d recommend ReGain] as it’s a really accessible option, and it’s easy to use and navigate. [This service is best for] individuals and couples. If you’re having relationship issues that you want to work out but can’t get your partner to therapy, this is a good tool for figuring out your own personal roadblocks and working on communication skills to overcome barriers. It’s also a great resource for couples who are looking for help navigating relationship issues or those who don’t have any current issues but want to make sure to keep the lines of communication open. It’s also a good option for long-distance couples — you can do 3-way calls where you join the video or therapy room from different locations.

“I found the app really user-friendly, so you don’t have to be tech-savvy to use this program. I do wish I could have picked my therapist(s) myself, though. It took about 2 days to match me with an initial therapist and then another day or so when I switched. I think it would be more effective to allow users to see the library of therapists to choose who resonates with them most.”

— Lindsay Boyers, freelance Healthline writer

Best for psychiatry: Doctor on Demand

• Cost: $79–$299
• Services: counseling and psychiatry
• BBB grade: A
• Trustpilot score: 1.3 out of 5 stars

Doctor on Demand by Included Health is a platform specializing in physical and mental health conditions.

The platform offers therapy sessions with licensed mental health specialists qualified to help individuals with anxiety, depression, trauma, and stress. A person can also speak with a psychiatrist who can provide therapy sessions and, if necessary, prescribe limited medications. Should individuals require a prescription for a controlled substance, such as anxiety medication, they may have to attend an in-person appointment with their doctor.

Doctor on Demand prices depend on the session length or therapist type. For example:

• Board certified clinician: A 15-minute consultation costs $79.
• Psychologist: A 25-minute consultation costs $134. A 50-minute consultation costs $184.
• Psychiatrist: An initial 45-minute consultation costs $299. A 15-minute follow-up costs $129.

A person can check if their insurance covers Doctor on Demand’s telehealth visits during registration.

The organization is not BBB accredited but BBB has given Doctor on Demand an A rating.

Best free service: 7Cups

• Cost: free or $150 a month
• Services: counseling
• BBB grade: B
• Trustpilot score: 4.6 out of 5 stars

7Cups offers free therapy sessions with trained volunteer listeners. These listeners are not qualified therapists but receive some training from 7Cups.

Learn more about where to receive free therapy.

A person can also schedule appointments with licensed therapists. These sessions cost $150 a month.

7Cups may be best suited to people looking to try therapy for the first time, those on a very tight budget, or those who would like a more casual way to express and explore their feelings.

Our tester’s experience

“I used the free services on 7Cups in my own time. I wanted to see how effective a free mental health counseling service could be for the conditions I was managing at the time, and whether the volunteer listeners were experienced enough to help me through difficult periods. I didn’t use the paid therapist service.

“You don’t know anything about the volunteer listeners before you connect with them. You submit three topics that you’d like to talk about, and you can add details if you want to.

“I used the free chats with volunteer listeners and used the community boards when I wasn’t able to access professional mental health support. It’s a very easy service to access, which is great if you’re feeling alone and in need of a sympathetic ear. It was quick to connect with a listener, and you can browse the listeners available to chat to make sure you get someone who is happy to talk about the things you want help with.

“However, the quality of the chats I had varied greatly. Some listeners were clearly too young to understand certain problems, and language was a barrier with others. Positive points were that it was nice to have someone to chat to in a casual way when there was no one else around to do so. Its community boards are varied in topics, and they’re good for finding people who are going through the same things as you. However, it’s as unfiltered as Reddit, and you might get exposed to opinions or advice that’s unhelpful to you.”

“I’d only recommend it for people who just want a listening ear and don’t need robust or specialist advice. Many of the listeners are very young and they don’t have a lot of experience in helping people with mental health conditions. There is also very little standardisation in how listeners fill out their profile. Some have a lot of information on how they approach people’s problems and how they like to help, others don’t have any information at all. 7Cups free services are definitely not a substitute for therapy with a licensed professional, though.”

— “Rose”, MNT Editor

Best for teens: Talkspace

• Cost: $69–109 per week
• Services: individual therapy, couples therapy, teen therapy, psychiatry
• BBB grade: B
• Trustpilot: 2.9 out of 5 stars

Talkspace offers therapy for individuals, couples, and teens, as well as psychiatry services for people who require medication.

The three levels of service are:

• Messaging Therapy, which allows a person to message a therapist at any time, with daily responses, five days a week. This service costs $69 a week.
• Video + Messaging Therapy, which allows a person to send messages to and schedule video calls with a therapist. This service costs $99 a week.
• Video + Messaging + Workshops, which allows a person to send messages to, meet live with, and attend weekly workshops with a therapist. This service costs $109 a week.

If a person subscribes to one of these service levels, they can buy additional live sessions, costing $65 per session.

The company also states it has healthcare professionals specializing in serving the LGBTQIA+ community and veterans.

People must complete a questionnaire and Talkspace will connect them with a therapist within 48 hours.

Talkspace accepts insurance coverage. People can also use their FSA and HSA accounts.

Read our review of Talkspace.

Best for a large toolbox: Online-Therapy.com

• Cost: $50–$110 per week
• Services: individual and couples therapy
• BBB grade: no BBB profile available
• Trustpilot score: 3.1 out of 5 stars

Online-Therapy.com offers a large therapy toolbox, including live therapy sessions, yoga, activity plans, and journaling.

The platform states it uses CBT. Additionally, the company is international, so sessions are available for people worldwide.

The company offers three plans:

• Basic: This plan provides unlimited messaging and a therapy program. It costs $50 per week.
• Standard: This plan provides one weekly live session in addition to the services in the Basic plan. It costs $80 per week.
• Premium: As well as the services in the Standard plan, people have access to two weekly live sessions. This plan costs $110 per week.

Online-Therapy.com also offers a 20% discount for the first month.

This provider does not accept insurance. However, people may be able to file for reimbursement.

Our tester’s experience

“The [sign up] process was easy; first you have to choose a package, such as wanting live sessions or unlimited messaging with a therapist. Then a therapist will be in contact, you will fill in questions about any issues, problems you want to discuss, and they will arrange a meeting with you.

“I am definitely the kind of person who prefers to communicate in person, as it is good to bounce off a therapist in real life. Sometimes there was issues with the live video, which ruins the flow of opening up and creates a jarring experience. However, it is nice to communicate through writing too, so your therapist can see what you want to discuss before a live video meeting.

“First hand, I would say I prefer to speak to a therapist in person, but this is a nice medium since the therapists are engaged and constantly communicating through the platform. The price is a little expensive weekly, but the different packages are a nice touch.

“I would recommend this service if you communicate well over live video or in text, but not if you feel you need a therapist sitting in front of you.”

— “Marla,” MNT Editor

Best directory for addiction treatment: Findtreatment.gov

• Cost: free
• Services: directory of healthcare professionals
• BBB grade: no BBB profile available
• Trustpilot score: no Trustpilot reviews available

Findtreatment.gov is a free directory that helps connect people with healthcare professionals that specialize in addiction recovery.

While it does not offer therapy sessions, people can search for treatment centers in their state. The website also clearly states what type of insurance and funding each center accepts.

Best for students: Open Path Collective

• Cost: $30–$70 per session
• Services: wellness courses, counseling
• BBB grade: A+
• Trustpilot score: no Trustpilot profile available

Open Path Collective is a nonprofit that connects people to therapists based on their ZIP code. People can choose to attend online or in-person sessions.

People pay a one-time fee of $65 to access lifetime membership with this organization. After this, people can choose from a range of therapy sessions. If a person opts for an appointment with a student intern, they will pay $30;otherwise, each session will cost $40–$70.

Open Path Collective states that its wellness courses are especially beneficial to students, as they offer a more affordable way to form good mental health care habits.

The organization is not BBB accredited but BBB has given Open Path Collective an A+ rating.

Best for mental health emergencies: Crisis Text Line

• Cost: free with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon cell phone plans
• Services: instant messaging
• BBB grade: no BBB profile available
• Trustpilot score: 2.3 out of 5 stars

Crisis Text Line is a free service that allows individuals to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor. People can choose to text, message online, or use WhatsApp.

This may be particularly beneficial for people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are having another mental health emergency. People connect quickly to a volunteer who can offer help and advice.

People can text the word HOME to 741741 to immediately chat with a trained volunteer. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to people who live in the United States. Standard text message rates apply if people do not have cell phone plans with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon.

Below, we compare each of the online therapy options for price, the services offered, and the type of sessions a person can choose from.

People can also find affordable or low cost therapy in various forms and locations. In some instances, these support resources may be free.

Employee assistance programs

Employee assistance programs (EAP) aim to enhance the personal and professional well-being of an organization’s employees. EAP services are free and confidential.

Programs may provide personalized consultations, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up appointments.

College, university, and school support

College, university, or school counseling centers usually provide low cost or free therapy on an individual basis. While they may offer a limited number of sessions, they may also help a person find ongoing therapy in the local area once they have used up their free sessions with their college, university, or school.

Community mental health clinics

These clinics provide support in the community to people managing mental health conditions. This support can take the form of care or treatment on a short- or long-term basis.

Healthcare professionals with different specialisms tend to work together within community mental health clinics to support individuals’ mental health care needs.

Sliding scale therapists

Some therapists offer their services on a sliding fee scale. This means that people who can afford to do so will pay the full price, while those who can afford less will pay a reduced rate. There may be several different payment tiers on a sliding fee scale to accommodate different levels of financial means.

Research conducted in Iran has shown that when therapists offer counseling on a sliding fee scale, it can help provide a level of financial protection and increase the use of healthcare services among people with limited financial means.

Local support community centers

Local community centers can be a suitable place for a person to find out how to access affordable mental health services in their local area.

As an additional benefit, individuals may find other forms of social support in a community center like this, such as a physical activity class or a group focusing on specific interests or hobbies that they can take part in regularly.

Clinics and hospitals

While some people may have concerns about the cost of clinics and hospitals, it is important to note that some facilities offer free or low cost therapy options.

People can visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website to find a health center offering low cost or free mental health support.

Places of worship

Faith leaders tend to provide emotional, social, and spiritual support to their congregants as part of their role. While they do not necessarily receive official training in dealing with mental health conditions, they can still be a valuable source of support.

According to the American Psychological Association, some religious institutions, including churches, synagogues, and mosques, work with psychologists to improve the mental health support they can offer their communities.

There are various criteria to consider when looking for affordable therapy:

• Cost and insurance: Some companies operate on a subscription-based service that allows people to cancel at any time. Health insurance could reduce the overall cost, but some individuals may not be eligible for mental health services under some insurance plans. Therefore, a person should confirm their coverage with an insurer or employer before seeking therapy.
• Reviews: A person can use impartial services such as BBB or Trustpilot to check a company’s reviews and reputation.
• Credentials: Some counseling services allow individuals to view their therapists’ qualifications, experience, and specialties.
• Ease of use: Many therapists host online sessions via video, phone, or instant messaging chats, which individuals may find more convenient.

The National Institute of Mental Health states that people feeling down or having difficulty sleeping should engage in self-care activities to ease their symptoms. These include:

• exercising
• talking with a friend
• eating a nutritious diet
• meditating

However, an individual may consider contacting a therapist if their symptoms do not improve or last more than 2 weeks or if they experience any of the following:

• difficulty concentrating
• thoughts of harming themselves or others
• lack of motivation
• reduced appetite
• feeling down or blue
• feelings of frustration or nervousness

If a person feels suicidal, they should not rely on online therapy. Instead, they should inform someone they trust and contact emergency services or one of the mental health crisis helplines below.

People who do not have access to the internet or a reliable internet connection may not find online therapy appropriate. Additionally, those with no private space for their sessions may not find it easy to have therapy online.

If a person is in a mental health crisis, they should not use online therapy and should contact emergency services instead. Online therapy may not be suitable for those with severe mental health conditions.

Sometimes, someone may wish to speak with specific doctors or organizations for support. In these cases, they may consider helplines and hotlines, such as the:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline
• National Center for Victims of Crime
• Strong Hearts Native Helpline
• National Dating Abuse Helpline

If someone feels they are not getting the support they need through online therapy, they can speak with their primary care doctor to discuss alternative options. These options may include support groups, college or employer mental health services, and lifestyle changes.

Below, we answer some common questions about online therapy.

Many companies offer affordable therapy options online, which can be suitable for individuals who prefer or need to attend virtual consultations.

Some offer subscription plans, allowing a person to choose the number of appointments required.

Individuals can also check whether their insurance plan covers telehealth and online therapy services.

However, online counseling is not suitable for people who have suicidal or self-harm thoughts, as they require immediate urgent care.