Cerebral and Brightside Health are subscription-based online mental health platforms for individuals 18 years and older. Cerebral earned 3.5 out of 5 stars, while Brightside earned 4.5 out of 5 stars in our full reviews. We found they offer similar services with comparable out-of-pocket costs.
| Services Offered | Individual and couples therapy, medication management | Individual therapy, medication management |
| Cost | $95–$365 monthly | $45–$349 monthly |
| Geographic Availability | USA & UK | USA |
| Insurance Accepted |  | |
| Session Options | Video and phone sessions, plus messaging between sessions | Video sessions, plus messaging between sessions |
| Offers Medications | | |
| Offers Financial Aid |  | |
| Get Started | Visit Cerebral | Visit Brightside Health |
| Services Offered | |
| Individual and couples therapy, medication management | Individual therapy, medication management |
| Cost | |
| $95–$365 monthly | $45–$349 monthly |
| Geographic Availability | |
| USA & UK | USA |
| Insurance Accepted | |
| | |
| Session Options | |
| Video and phone sessions, plus messaging between sessions | Video sessions, plus messaging between sessions |
| Offers Medications | |
| | |
| Offers Financial Aid | |
| | |
| Get Started | |
| Visit Cerebral | Visit Brightside Health |
Cerebral Vs. Brightside Health: What Are the Differences?
While Cerebral and Brightside Health offer very similar subscription plans with comparable costs, there are some key differences between them. Notably, Brightside accepts more insurance plans than Cerebral and offers a unique Suicide Prevention program that Cerebral doesn’t. Meanwhile, Cerebral has couples counseling whereas Brightside Health does not.
Price: $95–$365 monthly
Insurance Accepted: Yes
Age Limitations: 18+
Cerebral lets you choose from four different subscription plans when you sign up: Medication, individual therapy, medication + therapy, or couples therapy. Since Cerebral accepts some insurance plans, check your plan before signing up.
Pros & Cons
Pros - Therapy & medication management available in all US States
- Accepts some major insurance plans
- Select your own therapist
- Have medications shipped directly to you for free
- Offers couples therapy
Cons - Only available to individuals 18 years and older
- Doesn’t work with as many insurance plans as Brightside
Cost
Cerebral costs $95–$365 monthly, depending on which of the four subscription plans you choose.
Cerebral’s subscription plans are:
- Medication: $95 monthly – includes a 30-minute initial consultation, a 15-minute intake follow-up, and up to two provider check-ins per month. The cost of medication is billed separately. Unlimited messaging with your provider is included.
- Therapy: $295 monthly – includes an initial evaluation session, then weekly 45-minute sessions with a licensed therapist plus unlimited messaging.
- Medication + Therapy Plan: $365 monthly – includes everything offered in the medication and therapy plans.
- Couples Therapy: $325 monthly – includes everything offered in the therapy plan for two clients rather than one.
Overview
What Is Cerebral?
Cerebral is a subscription-based online therapy and medication platform for individuals 18 years and older throughout the United States and the UK. You can choose your own therapist and attend your virtual appointments either via video or phone call. Depending on which plan you select, costs range from $95–$365 monthly. Cerebral accepts insurance from some major providers, which could lower your out-of-pocket costs.
Cerebral prescribes medications for a range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depending on location, Cerebral also provides treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorders.
Cerebral will only prescribe non-controlled medication, which means it does not offer prescriptions for stimulant medications (often prescribed for those with ADHD) or sedatives like Ambien, Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin.
To learn more about the sign-up process and what to expect, read our in-depth review of Cerebral.
Cerebral Extra Features
Cerebral offers self-care tools in its app under a tab called “Learn.” You will have some assigned work to complete, but you can also explore what else there is in the “Discover” section. Here you will find learning modules on topics like “What Is Anxiety?,” “What is CBT?,” and “Goal Setting.”
There are also grounding techniques, a journaling tab, and two cognitive behavioral therapy worksheets to complete. You can even listen to a meditation, a visualization practice, or a progressive muscle relaxation exercise.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $45–$349 monthly
Insurance Accepted: Yes
Brightside Health is a subscription-based therapy and medication platform for individuals 18 years and older (and teens 13+ in 38 states and counting) with mild to severe mental health concerns. Costs range from $45–$349, depending on the subscription you choose and it accepts insurance from more providers than Cerebral, including some Medicaid and Medicare plans in select states.
Pros & Cons
Pros - Online psychiatry and therapy available in all US states
- Accepts many health insurance plans
- PrecisionRx tool helps providers prescribe effectively
- Bundled therapy/psychiatry slightly more affordable than Cerebral
Cons - You are matched with a provider and cannot choose your own
- Doesn’t offer couples therapy
- Teen care only available in select states (38 so far)
Cost
Brightside Health costs $45–$349 monthly, depending on which of the four subscription plans you choose.
Brightside Health’s three subscription plans are:
- Medication: $95 monthly – includes an evaluation with a psychiatric provider, and ongoing support and monitoring. There is also unlimited messaging with your provider as well as self-care tools online or in the app.
- Psychiatric maintenance plan: $45 monthly – for those who have an established psychiatric treatment plan that’s been active at least 90 days, allows for infrequent check-ins as needed.
- Therapy: $299 monthly – includes four weekly video therapy sessions, unlimited messaging with your therapist, and access to self-care tools. Additional sessions are available for $59 each.
- Medication + Therapy: $349 monthly – includes everything from the medication plan and the therapy plan in one bundle.
Overview
What Is Brightside Health?
Brightside Health is a subscription-based therapy and medication platform for individuals 18 years and older nationwide, and teens 13+ in 38 states so far. Providers on Brightside Health can treat a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, trauma and PTSD, and much more.
Users can sign up for therapy, psychiatry, or a bundled plan, and costs range from $45–$349, depending on the subscription you choose. It accepts insurance from many major providers.
Much like Cerebral, Brightside Health can prescribe medications for depression, anxiety, and if you have a prior diagnosis, ADHD. Brightside is not able to prescribe controlled medications, such as stimulants like Adderall for ADHD and sedatives like Xanax.
Medication visits are typically 30 minutes long and during this time, you and your provider will discuss how you are doing, talk about your care plan, and answer any questions. Brightside Health uses a proprietary AI tool, PrecisionRx, which helps licensed prescribers analyze personal data points and over 1,000 potential medication/dosage combinations to ensure your medication is effective and tolerable.
Learn more in our comprehensive Brightside Health review.
Brightside Health Extra Features
All of Brightside Health’s monthly subscription plans give you access to its self-care program. This program can be accessed through the website after you log in. It focuses on skill-building and includes lessons on “Practicing Gratitude,” “Thinking Flexibly,” and “Ready, Set, Goal.” You will also be able to track your symptoms and share them with your therapist.
Brightside also offers a first-of-its-kind Suicide Prevention program for those needing a higher level of care. This program involves more comprehensive care from providers specifically trained in the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) model.1
Who Might Need an Alternative?
Cerebral and Brightside are great platforms for individuals over 18 seeking therapy and medication management for mental health concerns. However, children, those seeking substance use disorder treatment, and those needing in-patient services will need to seek out alternatives.
Get Treatment for Kids & Teens With These Alternatives
For parents wishing to find an online therapy platform for their children under 18 years of age, we recommend Bend Health. Bend Health is a nationwide platform built with kids, teens, and their families in mind. It offers several therapy subscriptions and can even perform neuropsychological testing.
Grow Therapy could also be a great alternative, as you can search for therapy and psychiatry providers for people of any age, including young children.
Get Substance Use Disorder Treatment With These Alternatives
While Cerebral does offer alcohol misuse treatment in most states, it is not a platform built around substance use recovery. If you are looking for a platform that can help with a range of substance use disorders, we recommend WorkIt Health. WorkIt Health can help those struggling with alcohol and opioid addictions as well as any co-occurring conditions like anxiety or depression.
If you’re dealing with a stimulant addiction, Eleanor Health could be a good online treatment option as WorkIt doesn’t treat this concern.
Find In-Person & In-Patient Services With These Alternatives
Neither Brightside Health nor Cerebral provide in-person care or in-patient hospitalization services. If you need immediate help with your mental health symptoms you can text “HOME” to 741741, or call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988.
Thriveworks is an online mental health platform that also offers in-person care. You could also find an in-person provider on Grow Therapy’s directory.
So, Which Is Better?
“Overall, Brightside and Cerebral are relatively evenly matched in terms of subscription plans and out-of-pocket costs. However, in my opinion, Brightside Health will likely be a better fit for many people looking for therapy and medication management. It offers a broader range of insurance plans, as well as a PrecisionRx tool that can help prescribers match users with more effective medications. Additionally, its Suicide Prevention program may be helpful for those needing higher-touch treatment.
That being said, Cerebral is a better option for those needing couples therapy, or for those who want their prescriptions shipped to their house for free.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Online Therapy & Psychiatry Right For?
Online therapy and online psychiatry are generally a good fit for those who have mild to moderate mental health symptoms. Online services are also a great choice for those who like the convenience of attending sessions and appointments in their own home.
What Credentials Do Cerebral & Brightside Providers Hold?
Brightside Health’s medication prescribers include physicians, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Brightside Health’s therapists include psychologists and master’s-level therapists. Cerebral therapists hold master’s or doctoral degrees in counseling, social work, or psychology. Cerebral’s medication management providers are generally psychiatric nurse practitioners but may include MDs for more severe cases.
Do Brightside & Cerebral Accept Insurance?
Yes, both Brightside and Cerebral accept insurance from major providers, though Brightside Health is in-network with more insurance plans.
Can Cerebral & Brightside Prescribe Medication?
Yes, both Cerebral and Brightside can prescribe non-controlled medications. Neither can prescribe controlled substances, such as stimulants like Adderall and benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium.
ChoosingTherapy.com strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.
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(2025). The CAMS Framework®. CAMS-Care. Retrieved from: https://cams-care.com/the-cams-framework/
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Guarnotta, Emily. (May 7, 2025). Cerebral Review: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who it’s Right For. ChoosingTherapy.com. Retrieved from: https://www.choosingtherapy.com/cerebral-review/
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Church, Matthew. (March 18, 2025). Brightside Health Review: Pros & Cons, Cost, & My Experience. ChoosingTherapy.com. Retrieved from: https://www.choosingtherapy.com/brightside-health-review/
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Cerebral. (2025). Check Insurance Coverage. Retrieved from: https://cerebral.com/insurance-partners
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Cerebral. (2025). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from: https://cerebral.com/faqs/
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Brightside Health. (2025). Top-notch mental health care, with insurance. Retrieved from: https://www.brightside.com/learn-insurance/
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Brightside Health. (2025). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from: https://www.brightside.com/faq/
We regularly update the articles on ChoosingTherapy.com to ensure we continue to reflect scientific consensus on the topics we cover, to incorporate new research into our articles, and to better answer our audience’s questions. When our content undergoes a significant revision, we summarize the changes that were made and the date on which they occurred. We also record the authors and medical reviewers who contributed to previous versions of the article. Read more about our editorial policies here.
Author: Abigail Rueger, MA (New Author)
Medical Reviewer: Benjamin Troy, MD (No change)
Primary Changes: Changed Brightside Health’s pricing information to include its $45 psychiatry management plan. Added information about Brightside Health’s PrecisionRx tool and its Suicide Prevention program. Added additional alternatives to the “Who Might Need an Alternative?” section. Updated article formatting to match current style. Fact-checked and edited entire article for readability and clarity.
Author: Caitlin Bell, MA (No change)
Medical Reviewer: Benjamin Troy, MD (No change)
Primary Changes: Updated Cerebral costs and pricing plans. Reviewed, fact-checked, and revised the entire article for accuracy and readability.
Author: Caitlin Bell, MA
Medical Reviewer: Benjamin Troy, MD
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