Best Affordable Online Therapy Options in 2024

Online-Therapy.com is our top pick for the best affordable online therapy because it offers accessible financial aid and bonus features that add a lot of value to the plan. It is also unique because it is the only online therapy platform in this review with a subscription plan that has two live sessions per week. That means when you sign up for this plan, each session would cost $55, which is lower than most platforms. If you’re someone who would benefit from meeting with your therapist twice a week, this is an affordable option to consider.

• Monthly cost: $200 to $440
• Session type: Live video, audio, or chat sessions and unlimited messaging
• Takes insurance: No
• Offers financial aid: Yes
• Prescribes medication: No

Pros User-friendly Financial aid available Cons Doesn’t accept insurance Doesn’t have a mobile app

Although Online-Therapy.com doesn’t accept insurance, they include additional features in their subscriptions that add a lot of value to the plan. In addition to live therapy sessions, Online-Therapy.com offers yoga and meditation videos, worksheets and journaling. These resources can supplement your therapy experience by allowing you to continue to work on your mental health outside of your sessions.

We also chose Online-Therapy.com because not only do they offer financial aid, but the process of applying for financial aid is quick and easy. When you sign up, there will be a section to add information like income, household size and employment status. After you fill out the form, you will receive an immediate notification of whether or not you were approved. When we signed up for the platform, we were immediately approved for a 30% discount.

Similar to Online-Therapy.com, BetterHelp offers financial aid as well as additional features like group sessions and journaling that add a lot of value to their platform. The group sessions are a huge benefit. The group sessions can provide great value to people who want to connect with others who are facing similar struggles.

• Monthly cost: $260 to $360
• Session type: Live video, audio, or chat sessions and messaging with your provider at any time
• Takes insurance: No
• Offers financial aid: Yes
• Prescribes medication: No

Pros 90-minute group therapy sessions Evening and weekend appointments Easy to switch providers Cons Financial aid eligibility is unclear Doesn’t accept insurance Can’t choose your therapist

The group sessions are moderated by a licensed therapist who leads the conversation and invites people to share. The sessions are 90 minutes long, which at first seemed daunting to our tester. However, our tester found the group sessions to be extremely valuable, which justifies the length of the session. In the group sessions, you can participate in the discussion and send reaction emojis while others are speaking. One downside is that the chat function is disabled. So there’s no way to send chat messages or share resources with others in the group.

Additionally, the financial aid application is easy to fill out. It took us less than two minutes to enter all of the information and receive approval. We received a 25% discount for three months. After three months, you can apply to extend your financial aid. Unfortunately, financial aid eligibility isn’t straightforward. On three separate occasions, we asked customer service what the requirements for financial aid were and we never received a clear response. Instead, they sent us the application link and advised us to fill out the form to find out if we were eligible. The only way to know you are eligible for financial aid is to fill out the form yourself.

Brightside is one of few online therapy platforms that has a subscription plan that includes both online psychiatry and online therapy services together. The plan is cost-effective at $349 per month. Considering the average cost of an in-person psychiatrist can range from $100 to $400 per session, you can get more bang for your buck with the Brightside plan which includes a 30-minute initial psychiatric evaluation, weekly check-ins and any follow-up appointments you may need.

• Monthly cost: $95 to $349 per month
• Session type: Live video and unlimited messaging
• Takes insurance: Yes
• Offers financial aid: No
• Prescribes medication: Yes

Pros Weekly check-ins with your providers Switch your provider at any time Cons Doesn’t have a financial aid program Live sessions cannot be done through phone call or messaging

Brightside’s therapy-only plan costs $299 per month and includes four live video sessions and unlimited messaging with your provider. When compared to other platforms with similar plans like Talkspace and Online-Therapy.com, the cost is slightly less. However, unlike those platforms, Brightside doesn’t include live phone or messaging sessions. If you prefer live video sessions, this won’t make a huge difference for you.

The cost of the psychiatry-only plan is also affordable at $95 per month. Again, this is much less than the average out-of-pocket cost of an in-person psychiatrist. Brightside also includes interactive lessons and weekly check-ins with your provider so that you are guaranteed to check in with your therapist or psychiatrist once a week. These features can be beneficial if you’re experiencing side effects or need a medication adjustment.

Learn more about Brightside in our in-depth Brightside Review.

Talkspace is a well-rounded platform that offers individual, couples and teen therapy, and provides valuable features like workshops, self-help tools and exercises. Talkspace can be an affordable option for you and your family, and may accept your insurance plan. According to the website, the average copay for Talkspace users with insurance is $30, but you may even end up with a copay as low as $0.

• Monthly cost: $276 to $436
• Session type: Live video, phone, or chat and unlimited messaging
• Takes insurance: Yes
• Offers financial aid: No
• Prescribes medication: Yes

Pros Accepts insurance Has one-time discounts One plan includes workshops Cons No financial aid May experience technical difficulties Doesn’t accept Medicare or Medicaid

On their website, you can view a comprehensive list of the insurance plans they accept. You can also fill out the eligibility form to find out if your insurance plan will cover Talkspace services. Unfortunately, they don’t accept Medicare or Medicaid. Here are the average copays for some of the insurance plans Talkspace accepts:

• Aetna: $40
• Cigna: $30
• Optum: $26
• Carelon Behavioral Health: $22
• Regence: $26

Without insurance, the cost ranges from $276 to $436 depending on which plan you choose. If you want additional savings, you can choose to be billed quarterly or biannually to save 10% to 20%. Talkspace would also be an affordable online therapy option for couples at $436 per month. For that cost, both you and your partner have access to four live video sessions and unlimited messaging with your provider.

People who have the iOS app have access to self-help tools and exercises like journaling, deep breathing and focusing. There is also a plan that includes weekly workshops that can supplement your therapy experience.

Learn more about this brand in our Talkspace review.

The mission of Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is to provide affordable mental health care to people in need. Through Open Path, therapy sessions cost $40 to $70 per session, which is the most affordable per session cost we found. You also have the option to schedule an appointment with a student intern for $30 per session (the intern is supervised by a licensed therapist). Additionally, there is a $65 lifetime membership fee. This is a one-time fee unlike most other platforms that charge monthly.

• Cost per session: $30 to $70; $65 lifetime membership
• Session type: Live video
• Takes insurance: No
• Offers financial aid: No
• Prescribes medication: No

Pros Affordable therapy for those in financial need Low-cost sessions with student interns Lowest per-session cost is $30 Cons Doesn’t offer live phone or messaging sessions Doesn’t offer medication prescriptions

Open Path Collective is a nonprofit organization that has a directory of online and in-person providers. You have the option to schedule an appointment with either a licensed therapist or a student intern who is training to become a licensed therapist. Interns are supervised by a licensed therapist. We like that you can search for a therapist without needing to sign up for an account. You can filter your results by the therapist’s cost, specialties, modality, race, languages spoken, ages treated and treatments provided.

To qualify for Open Path Collective, you have to meet the following criteria:

• You don’t have health insurance or your health insurance doesn’t include affordable in-network mental health benefits.
• Your annual household income is below $100,000.

It’s quick and easy to sign up. You will just need to fill out the form on their website and pay the lifetime membership fee. Open Path will email you a Member ID that you can show your therapist to receive the affordable rates.