I Tried Online Therapy With Talkspace & Betterhelp — Here's How The Two Compare

Cons:

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Who Should Try It: Those looking for an online therapy app that accepts insurance, as well as those interested in additional offerings such as psychiatry and couple’s therapy. 

Who Should Skip It: Those who don’t have insurance and have a lower budget, or who prefer to speak to a therapist over the phone, rather than over chat or video calls. 

What Customers Say: With 4.7 stars on Apple from around 17,000 app users, Talkspace receives praise for how easy it is to navigate and the insurance coverage options. That said, some patients are frustrated by it not being in network with their insurance plan. Overall, people rave about the quality of the therapists, with plenty of reviews about how convenient the app itself is.

Pros:

Cons:

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Who Should Try It: Those looking for an affordable therapy option who prefer various options for how to access and communicate with their therapist. 

Who Should Skip It: Those looking to connect with a psychiatrist, receive medication, or use insurance for online therapy sessions. 

What Customers Say: Betterhelp has 4.8 stars from over 101,000 app users and is ranked number 41 on Apple’s health and wellness charts. While the app doesn’t accept insurance, one patient reviewer says Betterhelp offered 40 percent off after learning they had tried Talkspace and didn’t qualify for the Betterhelp financial support. Overwhelmingly, users are pleased with the app’s functionality, the providers available, and the wide range of options in terms of how to access your therapist.

Talkspace is an online therapy app aiming to make therapy more accessible and affordable than traditional routes. To get started, simply download the app and complete the questionnaire to provide basic information about yourself, your mental health history, and what you wish to get out of therapy. From there, the app’s algorithm matches you with a therapist to best meet your needs. The match process can take up to 48 hours— however, I was matched within just a couple hours. 

Talkspace has three talk therapy plans to choose from: a messaging plan, messaging and video plan, and a messaging, video, and workshop plan. If you sign up for the messaging plan, you’ll be able to access your therapist through the private chat room as soon as you match. The same goes for the messaging and video plan, but if you wish to book a video call with them, the therapist might not have availability right away (in my experience, the earliest I could be seen over video was two days after signing up). The video plan includes four video sessions per month, and no matter which membership you have you can book additional sessions for $65 each. 

In addition to talk therapy, Talkspace offers psychiatry for those seeking a diagnosis or prescription. This service is separate from the talk therapy plans and has an additional cost, with an equally simple enrollment process. You can either select psychiatry services upon your initial sign-up, or add these services to your existing plan through the private chat room.

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The sign-up process and therapist matching on Betterhelp is virtually the same as Talkspace. The questions are mostly the same, and the company uses your answers to match you with a therapist and to provide a monthly rate. Each plan includes options for messaging, phone, and video therapy. According to the company’s website, it can take up to 24 hours to be matched with a therapist on Betterhelp. Much like my experience with Talkspace, I was matched in just a few hours. 

What sets Betterhelp apart from Talkspace is its subscription plan. Rather than offering three plans with various modes of communication and support, Betterhelp provides all users access to phone, messaging, and video therapy, with monthly rates based on your location, frequency, and additional needs.

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Talkspace offers online therapy through a few subscription options that are billed monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually, depending on your preference:

Messaging plan: allows you to text a therapist through the app’s secure messaging feature for $69 per week

Video and messaging plan:  allows you to meet with a therapist on a video call four times per month, plus access to a therapist through the app’s messaging feature for $99 per week. 

Top-tier plan: gives you access to video and messaging therapy as well as workshops for $109 per week. 

*All Talkspace subscribers have access to pay for additional video therapy sessions for $65 each.

As far as savings are concerned, Talkspace offers between 10 to 20% off plans if you pay on a quarterly or bi-annual basis, which helps drive the cost down. Additionally, Talkspace accepts some insurance providers, which could help significantly.

Similar to Talkspace, Betterhelp is a subscription-based platform. Those subscribed to Betterhelp can expect to pay between $60 to $90 per week, billed monthly at $240 to $360. The actual cost of a Betterhelp membership depends less on the membership offering, which is based on location, preferences, and therapist availability (for reference: I registered for Betterhelp in Los Angeles, California, and was quoted $80 per week). Betterhelp does not accept insurance, but it does offer financial assistance to those who qualify.

Although Betterhelp doesn’t accept insurance, there is a bit of a workaround to this downside through the Mental Health Parity Act, which requires employers to offer medical and mental health coverage equally. This means some insurance companies cover “online behavioral health,” which Betterhelp could qualify as. To find out whether or not your insurance will reimburse some of your Betterhelp subscription fees, we recommend contacting your provider.

When signing up for Talkspace, I was immediately impressed by the experience. The survey at the beginning is easy to complete, and the algorithm did a fantastic job of assigning me a therapist based on my answers. I was actually really happy with the first therapist I was matched with, which definitely isn’t always the case with therapy. The virtual therapy room is easy to navigate and, depending on your plan (I chose the messaging and video plan), allows you to leave messages and chat with your therapist, as well as schedule a video appointment. 

I have spent the last three years in weekly virtual therapy sessions with a traditional therapist (aka, someone I found through my insurance) and found that the meetings with the Betterhelp therapist were no different from what I’ve experienced previously. The therapist was incredibly personable and did a great job of navigating our initial conversations, which can often be really uncomfortable and awkward in the beginning. She was also extremely helpful in answering my initial questions about insurance coverage and navigating the Talkspace website. 

One thing that really stood out to me about the quality of care was that my appointed therapist made me feel like a long-time patient, and ensured I didn’t get lost in the shuffle. She was highly accommodating and, even though we went over the time limit on one of our sessions, she waited for the best stopping point and reminded me to set up a call for our next session before ending the call. This felt very similar to my experience with my long-time therapist.

Betterhelp is similar to Talkspace in that the sign-up and therapist-matching process is almost identical. And, much like my Talkspace experience, I felt my Betterhelp sessions were impactful. In my initial Betterhelp appointment, we got into a little more detail than my Talkspace session, and I got a lot out of it from a therapeutic standpoint. After that appointment, the therapist sent me several worksheets to utilize in between sessions, which were in line with what we discussed and offered more support.

The one thing I don’t love about Betterhelp is that the company does not accept insurance. While the out-of-pocket fees are significantly less than more traditional therapy providers, Betterhelp isn’t a great option for someone with insurance, since, chances are, your co-pay with another platform will be less than one session on Betterhelp. That said, it does cost less than Talkspace. So, if you are going the out-of-pocket route, the price is definitely right.

If you have a plan that includes video sessions, you can chat with your therapist outside of your therapy sessions through the app’s private messaging platform. In addition to this support, you can sign up for online workshops, which are hosted on Zoom by licensed therapists. The workshops occur Monday through Friday and are centered around a variety of topics, including how to navigate conflict at work, how to thrive as a parent, and how to reconcile after conflict. 

Talkspace also features a clinical progress section that allows you to track your progress over time and set both long-term goals and short-term objectives. And, there are also lots of amazing exercises to try between therapy sessions, which take only a few minutes and can teach you how to focus on a single task, how to navigate negativity, and how to overcome worry. There are even some great mindfulness exercises, such as deep breathing sequences. 

With video and phone therapy options on Betterhelp, you can access your therapist through live chat and messaging for further support. In my experience, my therapist also left me with several worksheets to go over between sessions. Betterhelp has a journal feature where you can write down your thoughts and feelings on a daily basis, with a few optional prompts to help you get started.

When accessing Betterhelp from a web browser, you can review the advice column, an online magazine with insightful articles that support a variety of mental health concerns and cover a variety of topics, such as how to overcome social anxiety and how to find the right psychiatrist for you. 

After testing both online therapy apps, we discovered a few important things to consider when choosing between Betterhelp and Talkspace. 

First, consider the services each company offers. If you seek psychiatric services in addition to talk therapy, Talkspace is the better option for you, since Betterhelp doesn’t offer psychiatry and therefore can’t diagnose or prescribe medication. That said, Betterhelp’s sister might be a better choice for those looking for more focused care, such as therapy services for the LGBTQ+ community or teens. For couples, both companies offer relationship support, though Talkspace is the only one that offers it within the same app. If you wish to receive couples therapy from Betterhelp, you’ll need to go through its sister site, Regain.

Cost is another important factor to consider when deciding which online therapy app is best for you. Out-of-pocket, Talkspace costs slightly more than Betterhelp. Keep in mind, Talkspace is also the only therapy provider (at least, of the two) that accepts insurance, making it entirely possible to receive therapy sessions for the price of your insurance co-pay fee, depending on your provider. Before choosing Talkspace over Betterhelp, first check to see if Talkspace accepts your insurance and how much each session costs with your coverage.

The subscription plans are also worth looking at, especially since they both have different offerings. With Betterhelp, your subscription includes messaging, video, and phone therapy sessions and the cost is based on your location, preferences, and therapist availability. Talkspace has three subscription offerings, each offering a set price point. As outlined above, the cheapest option gives you access to a therapist through messages, the mid-range plan gets you therapy through messaging and four video calls per month, and the top-tier option gets you messaging, video, and workshop access. 

If you wish to complete your therapy sessions over the phone, or to have more options depending on how you feel, Betterhelp might be the better option, since every user has access to messaging, phone, and video calls.

Both Talkspace and Betterhelp are excellent options for online therapy. A few aspects, such as the signup process, are virtually the same, and both make therapy more affordable and accessible. Still, there are some advantages to choosing Talkspace over Betterhelp. While I love that Betterhelp provides more modes of communication through phone, video, and messaging, the fact that Talkspace takes insurance is reason enough for many to go this route. 

Additionally, Talkspace offers more resources than Betterhelp, which provides additional support between therapy sessions. I loved that my Betterhelp therapist provided me with worksheets related to what I focused on in our sessions, but the workshops and exercises on Talkspace’s app took things to a different level and allowed me to feel supported and informed on how I can grow in my mental health journey. If you’re ready to continue or embark on your own therapy exploration, check out our deep dive on the best online therapy platforms.