BetterHelp is the world's largest counseling service and is 100% online.Get professional, convenient and affordable counseling provided by licensed, accredited and vetted counselors that you can trust. Get help with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, trauma, grief, and more. With our counselors, you get the same professionalism and quality you would expect from an in-office counselor, but with the ability to communicate when and how you want.Learn more at www.betterhelp.com.
Is BetterHelp legit?
BetterHelp (www.betterhelp.com) has a 3.5 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 201 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Health & Medical and its reputation is mixed. Opinions are polarized: 63% rate it 4 stars or higher while 34% give 1 star; The business has replied to 94% of negative reviews; Reviews mostly discuss User experience, Customer service, Price. Last updated 2026-08-12.
What reviewers say
AI generated
Reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the digital platform for its incredible flexibility, straightforward onboarding process, and extremely convenient virtual communication options that make starting therapy accessible. Many people appreciate the professional and deeply caring approach of their assigned therapists, noting how supportive and helpful the weekly sessions truly are.
However, some people mentioned significant issues regarding high pricing structures and being continuously charged full fees even for unused therapy sessions. A few other consumers also felt that customer support was completely unhelpful and unresponsive when urgent billing concerns or scheduling problems arose.
Auto-generated from all reviews of this business. For reference only.
What people say
Lucas SammutUnited States · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-10 ·
★★★★★
First time trying therapy... absolutely terrible experience
To start, I thought my insurance was covering the services because BetterHelp gave me a $0 estimated out-of-pocket cost just to see my credit card being charged a few weeks later. Be prepared to spend $100-$200 per session if you haven't met your healthcare deductible. Very poor experience. My first therapy session was just a lecture about how I should live life and made all these assumptions about me when they didn't ask me any questions. My second session with a new therapist was okay, but then they didn't show up to the next session and never reponded to any of my messages. It's sad because I thought BetterHelp was supposed to help my mental health, not make it worse.
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-10
Hi Lucas,
We can certainly understand your frustration. Although we do our best to estimate copay amounts when we run an eligibility check, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, and it does depend on deductibles being met for certain plans.
Additionally, a therapist missing a session is not considered common, and we'd like to ensure our Clinical Operations team was made aware of this situation so they can investigate further.
I've requested the email address linked to your BetterHelp account so that we can follow up with you directly to learn more, and to see if there's anything else we can do to help!
Betterhelp offers a service to everyone that can be difficult to obtain. Traveling to a nearby city can be challenging if not impossible
In addition, this service is relatively affordable for people who do not have access to private insurance. I was matched with a great therapist that understand my concerns and issues.
Jamie CovelliUnited States · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-07 ·
★★★★★
So convenient
Being able to have therapy session online has been very convenient. It has allowed me to attend sessions that I wouldn’t be able to make, in person. They don’t just pick your therapist out of a hat or match you just because that’s who is available. They ask questions to help screen you so that they can help tailor your therapist to your specific needs and concerns. I highly recommend!
P
Paul PhilpUnited Kingdom · 30 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-08 ·
★★★★★
ITS NOT FREE LIKE ADVERTISED!!!!!
Another disgusting scummy site that says it's free then you spend 30 mins answering very personal questions only for them to end with "this is going to cost you £40 a week!!!!!! SCUM!!!! scamming vulnerable people with mental health problems!!!!!!
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-10
Hi Paul,
Our apologies for any confusion with this! Although we sometimes partner with certain organizations and individuals to offer free sessions from time to time, we do not advertise our service as "free therapy." Again, we're sorry if this was unclear at any point, and we do offer financial aid to help reduce the price of the service if you might be interested in trying us out at a reduced rate!
Please feel free to reach out to our Member Success team ([email protected]) from the email address linked to your account -- we'd be happy to provide you more information.
I am really happy with my therapist, extra resources and even group sessions included in the membership.
F
Fernando BoquinUnited States · 3 reviews · Experienced 2026-06-30 ·
★★★★★
Great service
Great service that makes something complicated such as finding therapist offices, scheduling & finally showing up to appointment during the week simple. It has made starting therapy easy & I'm so glad there are prompts & other tools to help.
William FelegiSwitzerland · 2 reviews · Experienced 2026-07-05 ·
★★★★★
It made seeing a therapist easy
It made seeing a therapist easy. I can message whenever I feel I need to vent and schedule sessions on my time from anywhere. Well worth the service.
C'Asia GriffinUnited States · 1 review · Experienced 2025-12-05 ·
★★★★★
Great app with amazing therapists
Great app with amazing therapists! Offers many tools and resources to continue the work on your own. My only critique are the connectivity issues during sessions sometimes, but I work through those!
Y
Yohana FuentesUnited States · 1 review · Experienced 2026-07-05 ·
★★★★★
My therapist Dr. Irene Miranda
My therapist Dr. Irene Miranda is truly an amazing human being. For the longest time i stopped Believing in therapists because i would Have to remind them what the last session was, repeating my self, not being my guardiance, and not being heard. When i joined Better help i did Not know if i was Going to like it. I met Dr. Irene Miranda she hears me she makes me feel like i truly Matter. She gives me worksheets, advice, and guidance when i need It. When i dont Schedule she checks on me and it feels good to see that someone cares about you
It’s been a great experience my Therapist is so kind and helpful! I look so forward to talking with her! I should have done this for myself a long time ago!
I’ve used BetterHelp and my therapist is great. As we’ll as support has been helpful. Things works seemless and I’ve now been with Them for a while. Its also fairly Price based on in Office prices.
As therapist, I worry that people are being charged monthly indefinitely when they get snoozed....especially when the person is still on your caseload and disappears after several years out of the blue but you cannot get their contact info to check on them. I worry one client is either deceased or had some kind of incident hindering them from resuming therapy; we had great rapport and several years!
The App is absolutely Good and safe but clients/patients need to consider those points:
1.If you are in any clinical psychological treatment then this platform is not suitable for you. You need to look for psychologists/psychiatrists in your area.
2. I don’t believe everyone there is qualified, there are psychiatrists, psychologists, psychological therapists, councilor, Heilpraktikers. There are huge differences between every one of them and they might misrepresent themselves in this platform, you have to very carefully look up their educational backgrounds after matching them and then choose yourself if you want to resume or change therapist. From my experiance, dont go for councilors or Heilpraktikers , they are mostly scam with no psychological educational background.
3.The prices are really fair compared to insight Therapy.
4. You might move out of the platform if your therapist is good and well known and resume therapy outside the platform.
I did not need alot of help rather than i wanted to connect with myself , something which i previously learned and want to work on in therapy, but i use this platform mainly because i want someone to listen. So , if you have been diagnosed or on medications then this platform in not suitable for you.
My experience with using the BetterHelp app was great, super easy to schedule appointments and it was simple to find the right therapist. My therapist Kohei was someone who was easy to speak too about my issues and he was able to show me better ways too cope with issues I had trouble shaking or trouble finding the right way to cope with.
Avoid they Took my money I had an assessment at the end they said sorry i cant help and sent me back to the NHS then bloocked my account so i cant contact them
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-03
Hi Simon,
We're really sorry to hear about what you went through here! We do not bill for the intake assessment or the therapist match -- only for a membership to the service (which is not required to create the account and to be matched). If our clinical team determines that a higher level of care might be needed than what can be provided through online therapy, any payment you would have made would be refunded.
To ensure this is all stemming from an experience with the BetterHelp platform (and to assist you in any billing or account-related matters if that is indeed the case), I've requested the email address linked to any BetterHelp account you may have. We hope to be able to help you with this soon!
I highly recommend my counselor. She is compassionate, knowledgeable, and creates a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment. She truly listens, provides thoughtful guidance, and has helped me gain valuable insight and develop healthier coping skills. I always feel heard, respected, and encouraged after our sessions. She genuinely cares about her clients and has made a positive difference in my life. I am very grateful for her support and would recommend her to anyone looking for an excellent counselor.
I signed up and paid for my first month and was quickly paired with a therapist who was on holiday for 2 weeks. So thats 2 weeks of payment or £110 for no service. The app them wouldn't allow me to contact the therapist to discuss this without completing further personal information. The app then logged me out and required 2-step verification to log back in about 7 times in a row. Fed up with this, I cancelled within about 12 hours and requested a refund in line with my consumer right to a 14 day cancellation period for online services. I've now been waiting 2 weeks for any response, and have emailed 3 times. I'm feeling like I've been ripped off for £220 and will have to begin the process of having the funds reversed by my bank.
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-03
Hi Heather,
We're truly sorry for this experience! We have since resolved the ticketing issue we had been experiencing and have followed up with you directly to process your refund. You should see a response from our team confirming this shortly.
This experience is not common, and we're working hard to ensure it does not repeat.
All the best,
BetterHelp Team
My "therapist" was not a professional, licensed therapist. She was just chit chatting about her life. It was extremely alarming. A few concerning behaviors:
-responding with, I quote, "I guess when you reach 50 you're just not concerned about that stuff" when I wanted to talk about some insecurities, and then proceeding to change the subject
-talking about her own life literally 95% of the session (usually pretty off topic from what I said)
-yawning through the session
-mentioning stories about a friend running in an election in Michigan who I could easily find out who she was talking about ---> giving me the feeling that she is not respecting boundaries and privacy and who knows - is she talking to other people about me?
-bringing the conversation to democrats and republicans frequently, mentioning she has many republican friends despite being democrat (which again was COMPLETELY off topic as i was talking about insecurities within one friendship with artistic differences)
-rambling way beyond the given time limit - I'm the one who has to cut her off and say okay I have to go now
-filling silences with more stories about herself - i think she only asked me like 3 questions the whole session about me and and how I'm feeling
DO NOT USE BETTERHELP THIS WAS SO WEIRD!!!!!
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-03
Thank you for sharing this with us, Ambika -- we're so sorry if you were made to feel uncomfortable at any point during your sessions, and if you were not feeling heard.
We have a Clinical Operations team that will investigate these claims further and take action accordingly. We also want to be sure that we do anything else we can to assist you with any other account-related issues you may still have.
I've requested the email address linked to your BetterHelp account so that our team can reach out to you directly.
Useless guy, and expensive. His reply was to watch a disney movie that would make me feel better. 80$ for a movie recommendation, shame.
Reply from BetterHelp2026-07-03
We understand your dissatisfaction given what you've described and want to be sure we work with you to learn more about this case, and to try and turn your experience around!
I've requested your email address through Trustpilot so we can reach out to you directly to get this sorted. We hope to speak with you soon!
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