Editorial rating:
Online-Therapy(dot)com is a subscription-based online therapy platform that utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. It offers live video or phone sessions with licensed therapists for individuals and couples. During our independent review of this platform, it earned 4 out of 5 stars overall. Online-Therapy costs $200 – $440 monthly (advertised as $50 – $110 weekly) depending on which subscription you choose. Online-Therapy does not accept insurance at this time.
Rating of Online-Therapy.Com’s Online Therapy
Over the past year, I have dedicated a considerable amount of time to researching, personally using, and reviewing online therapy platforms. Not only do I sign up for online therapy services and use their websites and apps, but I also attend live therapy sessions with each platform. I reach out to each online therapy platform before I begin researching and reviewing them to ask numerous questions about their products that users are likely to want answers to. All of this is done to ensure that consumers get the information they need to make intelligent purchases. During our independent review, Online-Therapy.com earned 4 out of 5 stars overall, performing best in the categories of geographic location, online therapy cost, and user experience. However, Online-Therapy.com underperformed in the categories of treatment approaches and therapist matching compared to its competitors.
Pros & Cons of Online-Therapy.com
While the subscription plans with Online-Therapy are similar to those with other therapy apps like Talkspace, the prices may be more affordable for those paying out-of-pocket. All therapy and homework are based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, which may not be a great fit for everyone. Unfortunately, Online-Therapy does not accept insurance and is not available nationwide.
What Is Online-Therapy.com?
Online-Therapy is a subscription-based online therapy platform that offers individual and couples counseling. Subscriptions offer text-only therapy or texting and live therapy sessions. Online-Therapy exclusively utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which can help people with anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and more. Online-Therapy costs $200 – $440 monthly (advertised as $50 – $110 weekly) depending on which subscription you choose. Online-Therapy does not accept insurance at this time.
Online-Therapy offers the following subscription options:
- Basic – Therapy + Unlimited Messaging: This plan includes unlimited texting with a therapist but no live video sessions. You will have access to the eight-section CBT program (which has 25 interactive worksheets), yoga & meditation videos, and a journal.
- Standard – Therapy + Messaging + 1 Live Session Weekly: This plan includes everything from the Basic plan plus one 45-minute live video, phone, or texting session weekly with a therapist.
- Premium – Therapy + Unlimited Messaging + 2 Live Sessions Weekly: This plan includes everything from the Basic plan plus two 45-minute live video, phone, or texting sessions weekly with a therapist. With this plan, you will also get express replies to your worksheets from your therapist.
- Couples Therapy: This plan includes two separate accounts with access to everything in the standard therapy plan. You will have access to weekly sessions with your therapist and you must attend them together. Since Online-Therapy offers individual and couples therapy, they earned 3 out of 5 stars in the “Clientele Served” category of our scoring criteria.
Online-Therapy offers a great discount of 20% off your first month of therapy, which will allow you to choose the subscription plan you most want to try. The sign-up process with Online-Therapy is quick and easy and took me less than 10 minutes to complete. You will be automatically matched with a licensed therapist in your state, but you can always change therapists if you need to. It is also easy to downgrade or upgrade your subscriptions in your account settings at any time.
My favorite aspect of Online-Therapy is the online CBT program included in all of the subscriptions. There are eight learning sections, with each section featuring about three virtual worksheets to complete. These worksheets not only aid you in learning about CBT but also as an additional means of communication between you and your therapist. Everything you write on the worksheets your therapist can read and send questions or comments back. I found this a really engaging way to not only work on my core behaviors and symptoms but a great way to keep in touch with my therapist between live sessions.
Anything written on the CBT homework worksheets remains private between the individual and the therapist. When I signed up for care, I was able to complete three full sections before my first live therapy session. During the live session, my therapist was able to review what I had written and used my responses as a guide for our live session. This gave the sessions a much more tailored and focused feel, versus an awkward first session with a therapist. Online-Therapy earned 5 stars in the “Extra Features & Resources” category of our scoring criteria for offering this and other great perks on their website, like yoga.
Who Is Online-Therapy.com Right For?
Online-Therapy would be a great fit for anyone looking for an affordable subscription-based therapy option, those familiar with CBT, and those who need to attend anger management.
Seeking Affordable Subscription-Based Therapy
Online-Therapy offers subscription options for individuals and couples, with the first month being 20% off. While they do not accept insurance, the costs for each subscription plan are lower than with competitors, like Talkspace or Calmerry. Additionally, if you as an individual select the premium subscription, you get two 45-minute live sessions weekly which breaks down to about $55 per session—a truly amazing price, especially for anyone who doesn’t have insurance that covers mental health treatment.
You Are Familiar With CBT
If you are already familiar with or really like CBT apps but feel you want live therapy sessions, Online-Therapy would be a great platform to try out. CBT is commonly used to help treat those suffering from anxiety, depression, anger, and addictions by identifying negative thoughts and learning techniques to reframe them. With Online-Therapy, you will have access to really great CBT-based learning modules and worksheets to complete. Plus, your therapist will be fully licensed in your state and trained in CBT techniques.
Needing Online Anger Management
Online-Therapy can provide online anger management and it also may be able to help fulfill a court-ordered anger management program. Often, this online anger management program with Online-Therapy is approved by the courts. They do recommend, however, that you double-check with your court before getting started.
Who May Want an Alternative to Online-Therapy.com?
While Online-Therapy is a great option for some, if you need psychiatric services, find CBT techniques ineffective for your symptoms, you want to use your insurance, or are under the age of 18, you will need to find an alternative. It is also important to note that Online-Therapy is not available nationwide and a list of states that provide services can be found above.
You Need Psychiatric Services
Online-Therapy does not provide any psychiatric services at this time. However, if you need medication management, want CBT-based therapy, and have anxiety or depression, a great alternative would be Brightside. Not only does Brightside offer a stand-alone medication plan, but they also offer a medication + therapy plan. Additionally, Brightside does accept some insurance plans which could make the monthly subscription costs lower.
To learn more about their subscription options, you can read our in-depth review of Brightside.
CBT Does Work For You Or Is Not Your Favorite
If you have used CBT techniques before and found them ineffective for your symptoms or CBT is just not your cup of tea, you will definitely want an alternative to Online-Therapy. The entire program with Online-Therapy is built on CBT and their therapists are all trained to use these techniques. A really great alternative to Online-Therapy would be a platform like Thriveworks. With Thriveworks, you will pay per live session, choose your own therapist, and in select cities, you can even attend in-person sessions.
For more details about how to sign up and how much it costs, you can read our comprehensive Thriveworks review.
You Want to Use Insurance
Online-Therapy does not accept insurance at this time and there do not appear to be any plans for them to do so in the future. Fortunately, there are several great online therapy and psychiatry platforms that now accept several major insurance plans. If you are looking for platforms that offer a variety of mental health and other services, we highly recommend MDLive or Amwell. With both platforms, you can sign up for an account for free, choose your own provider, and attend sessions as needed.
To learn more about how much therapy and psychiatry sessions cost, please read our in-depth review of MDLive or our Amwell review.
Anyone Under 18
Online-Therapy only offers its service to those 18+ and teens will need to find an alternative. A really great subscription option for teens is Teen Counseling, which offers live therapy sessions and unlimited texting with a licensed therapist. With Teen Counseling, teens will be matched with a therapist, and many of the therapists use more therapeutic styles than just CBT. For families searching for a therapy and medication management platform, something like Brightline Mental Health would be an ideal option.
To find out more information on how these platforms work, you can read our full review of Teen Counseling or our Brightline Mental Health review.
Online-Therapy.com User Reviews
Online-Therapy does not have an app and is solely web-based at this time. Finding user reviews that were not a part of their main website was very difficult. There was one Reddit review I was able to find, but it has since been deleted or archived. The general consensus in this Reddit review was that costs listed on the website were confusing and that the therapist availability was not great.
Costs with Online-Therapy are advertised as a weekly price despite the fact you will be charged monthly. In the removed Reddit thread, one reviewer had mentioned that after they signed up, their therapist did not have availability for four weeks. When I originally signed up with Online-Therapy, my therapist did not have availability until the following week. This was actually okay by me, because it gave me time to work on the virtual worksheets.
How Much Does Online-Therapy.com Cost?
Online-Therapy.com costs $200 – $440 monthly (advertised as $50 – $110 weekly) depending on which subscription you choose.
Online-Therapy.com subscriptions are:
- Basic: Costs $200 monthly (advertised as $50 weekly) and includes unlimited messaging, 8-section CBT program that includes 25 online worksheets, daily replies M – F, yoga & meditation videos, journal, activity planner, and the option to change therapists anytime.
- Standard: Costs $320 monthly (advertised as $80 weekly) and includes one live 45-minute video, phone, or text session weekly plus everything in the Basic plan.
- Premium: Costs $440 monthly (advertised as $110 weekly) and includes two live 45-minute video, phone, or text sessions weekly plus everything in the Basic plan and express replies (like instant replies) from your therapist.
- Couples: Costs $440 monthly (advertised as $110 weekly) and includes one live 45-minute video, phone or text session weekly, unlimited couples messaging, plus everything in the Basic plan. Each person in the couple will have their own account and anything written in the worksheets remains between the individual and the therapist.
Online-Therapy earned 5 stars in our “Online Therapy Cost” and “Attending Live Video Sessions” categories of our scoring criteria for their clearly labeled monthly costs, length of live therapy sessions, and ways of communicating with therapists.
Does Online-Therapy.com Accept Insurance?
No, Online-Therapy.com does not accept insurance at this time.
Out-of-Network Benefits
Online-Therapy can provide you with an itemized receipt, often called a superbill, to send to your insurance for possible reimbursement. Due to the fact Online-Therapy does not accept insurance but does allow for some out-of-network benefits to be used, earned them 3 out of 5 stars in the “Insurance & Out-of-Network Benefits” category of our scoring criteria.
How to Attend Therapy With Online-Therapy.com
Getting started with Online-Therapy is a quick and easy process, with the entire sign-up process taking no more than ten minutes.
To schedule your first live appointment, you will:
- Go to Online-Therapy.com and click “Individual Therapy” or “Couples Therapy”.
- Select what you want to focus on, like anxiety, depression, PTSD, anger, family issues, and more.
- Choose your therapist preference (gender) and which type of live sessions you prefer (video, phone, or text).
- Create your account, choose, and pay for the subscription plan you want.
- Match with a therapist right away and schedule your first live session.
Online-Therapy.com Subscriptions: Detailed Reviews
Online-Therapy offers three individual subscription options and one couples counseling option. All subscriptions come with texting with a licensed therapist as well as all of the CBT lessons and worksheets.
Online-Therapy.com Basic Plan: Detailed Review
Online-Therapy’s Basic plan is a text-based therapy subscription and includes unlimited messaging with your therapist with replies to be expected Monday – Friday. You will also have full access to the 8-section CBT program that includes 25 online worksheets. The Basic plan costs $200 monthly and is a really affordable way to connect with a licensed therapist in your state.
The Basic plan also gives you access to the yoga and meditation videos as well as the journal space and an activity planner. While it would initially appear that these extras won’t matter in your CBT program, they actually do! Yoga, meditation, and journaling are all really great tools to help your mind when you are experiencing any strong emotions. Journaling is especially useful when it comes to CBT, as you can identify negative thoughts and then reframe them, which happens to be one of my favorite CBT techniques I’ve learned.
Online-Therapy.com Standard Plan: Detailed Review
Online-Therapy’s Standard plan includes everything in the Basic plan plus one 45-minute live video, phone, or texting session with a licensed therapist per week. The Standard plan costs $320 monthly, which is cheaper than BetterHelp (depending on your location) and also offers longer live therapy sessions. This is a very cost-effective way to start regularly attending live therapy without insurance.
Online-Therapy.com Premium Plan: Detailed Review
Online-Therapy’s Premium plan includes everything in the Basic plan plus two 45-minute live video, phone, or texting sessions with a licensed therapist per week. While the Premium plan costs $440 monthly, it is important to remember that you have the option to see your therapist much more often and you will also get more immediate responses to any messages you send.
When I signed up for Online-Therapy I was matched with a therapist very quickly — it probably took less than two minutes. Initially, I was really skeptical of this because with other online therapy platforms it can take one to five days to be matched with a therapist. My biggest worry was that my therapist would not have availability and I would not be able to schedule a live therapy session for a while.
While I was not able to get a live session until about a week after my subscription started, this ended up working in my favor. For the week prior to my first live session, I was able to complete several of the online CBT worksheets and I found them to be much more than busy work. To my delight, my therapist was actually able to read my worksheet responses and either make comments or ask me questions. This really helped me think through some of the anxiety symptoms I was having at the time and I found it very valuable.
All therapy sessions with Online-Therapy are 45-minutes long and take place through the website. I chose to do a live video chat, as that is what suits me best, but there was also the option to choose a phone call or do a live texting session. When it was time for my session, I just logged into my account and clicked “Session” and was able to join very easily. The video quality was pretty decent but I had to go into my volume settings to get the volume high enough to hear my therapist.
During the session, my therapist was able to pull up my completed worksheets and these served as a guide to our session. There was not a single moment of our therapy session where we struggled to find something to talk about, because I had already made such good progress on the CBT worksheets. This is such a different experience than with BetterHelp and Talkspace, where you have a private chatroom with your therapist but no real sense of what to text about. Having these interactive worksheets really brought deeper meaning to my live session and I had the added bonus of feeling like I already knew my therapist.
Online-Therapy earned 5 stars in both the “Extra Features & Resources” and “Client Interface & User Experience” categories of our scoring criteria for their interactive homework sheets and user-friendly experience.
Online-Therapy.com Vs. Competitors
Online-Therapy has some similarities and differences with its top competitors, like BetterHelp and Brightside. Knowing which would be ideal for your current needs will help you make a smarter purchase decision.
Online-Therapy.com Vs BetterHelp
Online-Therapy and BetterHelp share a few things in common, so knowing which platform to choose can be difficult at first. Neither Online-Therapy nor BetterHelp accepts insurance at this time and both offer subscriptions that must be paid upfront for a full month. Online-Therapy costs $200 – $440 monthly, while BetterHelp costs $240 – $360 monthly.
While BetterHelp does have a lower monthly cost, it is important to remember that BetterHelp only offers one subscription option. Online-Therapy offers three subscription options, with the largest plan offering two live therapy sessions per week. With BetterHelp you will have a wider array of therapeutic techniques, whereas with Online-Therapy you will only receive CBT-based therapy.
To learn more about costs and subscriptions, you can read our full review of BetterHelp.
Online-Therapy.com Vs. Brightside
Both Online-Therapy and Brightside use CBT programs to help clients manage their symptoms. Whereas Online-Therapy will see clients with all types of mental health symptoms, Brightside tends to focus mainly on those with anxiety and depression symptoms. Additionally, Brightside can also offer medication management as a stand-alone subscription or in tandem with live therapy. Online-Therapy does not offer medication management whatsoever.
The stand-alone therapy subscription with Brightside costs $299 monthly and offers comparable features to Online-Therapy’s Standard plan, which costs $320 monthly. While a $20 savings may not seem much to some, it can make a huge difference to those who are on a tight budget. For more information on everything their platform has to offer, please read our comprehensive review of Brightside Health.
How Online-Therapy.com Has Evolved
Carl Nordstrom, CEO & Co-Founder, launched Online-Therapy in 2009. He was an investment banker prior to creating Online-Therapy, but felt he needed a change. After reading a compelling study that showed CBT-based online therapy was just as effective as face-to-face therapy, he knew what he wanted to do: Carl wanted to create a safe and welcoming space for those who needed therapy to receive care without the stigma.1
Petra Nordstrom, Co-Founder & Yoga Teacher, had a personal struggle with depression and postpartum depression. She told us, “When both me and Carl were young, no one ever talked about mental health. Later, I understood that I experienced panic attacks as young as 5-years-old. […] We want our three small boys to grow up in a different world. A world where it’s natural to talk about difficult emotions and get great support when you need it.”2 With their easy sign-up process, licensed therapists, and online CBT program, Online-Therapy is definitely on the way to being the change they want to see.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online-Therapy.com
What Credentials Do Online-Therapy Therapists Hold?
According to their website, Online-Therapy’s therapists have a range of credentials, from academic degrees to professional licenses, and many hours of hands-on experience. After you are matched with a therapist, you can ask for their license number and you will be able to look them up and view their credentials. Each state has its own behavioral health license database and you can easily search online for your state’s website.
How Do I Get Matched With a Therapist on Online-Therapy.com?
Matching with a therapist happens almost instantaneously. When you sign up for an account, you only enter some really basic information about what you are dealing with and what gender you prefer to work with. After creating an account, you will be matched with a licensed therapist in your state within one minute. Not being able to choose your own therapist or browse a well-made directory of therapists earned Online-Therapy 2 out of 5 stars in the “Therapist Matching or Selection” category of our scoring criteria.
Can I Change to a New Therapist?
Yes, you can absolutely choose a new therapist if you do not feel comfortable with the one you are matched with. On the main screen, you will see the option to “Change Therapist” underneath your current therapist’s name. Once you click this, a list of therapists will appear and you can read through their profiles and select a new one. I was pleased with my therapist, so I did not feel the need to switch to someone new.
Can I use my FSA or HSA Funds?
Yes, Online-Therapy will accept FSA and HSA for therapy costs.
How Do I Cancel My Online-Therapy.com Subscription?
Yes, you can cancel your subscription anytime. Simply log in to your account and click “Account,” then “Subscription.” You should see the option to upgrade/downgrade or cancel your subscription.
Does Online-Therapy.com Offer Refunds?
Online-Therapy will offer refunds on a case-by-case basis, but generally speaking, they do not offer refunds to those who forget to stop their subscriptions. To get in touch with someone, you can email Online-Therapy at: [email protected].
Is Online-Therapy.com HIPAA Compliant?
For more information, you can read Online-Therapy’s Terms of Conditions or Online-Therapy’s Privacy Policy.
Final Verdict on Online-Therapy.com
Online-Therapy is still one of my favorite CBT-based therapy platforms. The out-of-pocket costs have not changed which is actually really amazing because of everything a subscription includes, especially if you choose the Premium plan. If you attend the twice-weekly sessions, you would meet with your therapist eight times for only $440, or $55 per session. The cost to do this in-person would be astronomical and possibly unaffordable for many.
Overall, with Online-Therapy.com you will be able to receive awesome care and meaningful CBT resources. Coming back to review it again and seeing that it has not changed much over the months gives the platform a sense of reliability and consistency. For those new to therapy and seeking help, reliability and consistency in care is key. Online-Therapy definitely earned its 4 star rating and I highly recommend it, if it is available in your state.
Online-Therapy.com Summary Table
| Cost of Online Therapy | $200 - $440 Monthly |
| Frequency of Appointments | 1 or 2 times weekly |
| Can You Message Your Therapist Between Appointments? | Yes |
| Provider Choices | Automatically Matched |
| Can You Change Therapists? | Yes |
| Speed to First Appointment | 7 days |
| Geographic Coverage | AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS. LA, MD, MASS, MI, MS, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OK, PA, SD, TN, TX, VA, & WA |
| Age Limitations | 18+ |
| Online Psychiatry Offered? | No |
