A guide to online therapy apps in the US. Compare talk-therapy platforms, apps that take insurance, online psychiatry and medication, couples and teen support, and self-guided CBT, with an honest summary of what each one does and who it fits.

Find the right online therapy app without the guesswork

Picking a therapy app is harder than it should be. Every service promises to match you with the perfect therapist, and no two pricing pages line up. Best Therapy Apps cuts through that. We track the online services Americans use to talk to a licensed therapist, see a psychiatrist, work on a relationship, or manage anxiety on their own, and we sort them by how you actually want to get help. Each listing says in plain language what the service does, how sessions work, whether it bills insurance, and who it tends to suit.

How we choose and rank the apps

We only list real services with a working website you can check yourself. We read what each one says about its clinicians, its model, and the states it covers, then write our own summary instead of repeating the marketing. The order on each page reflects quality and how relevant a service is to that category, combined with an editorial weight we set by hand and how the listing performs over time. When one shuts down, narrows to employer plans only, or stops being useful, we move it or take it off.

Which kind of app fits you

Start with the kind of help you're after. If you want regular sessions with a licensed therapist, the big talk-therapy platforms match you quickly and let you message between visits. If cost is the deciding factor, look first at the apps that bill insurance, since a copay usually beats paying full price out of pocket. Need medication for depression, anxiety, or ADHD? The online psychiatry services handle evaluations and ongoing prescriptions, sometimes alongside therapy.

There are also services built for couples, for teens and younger kids, and for a single condition like OCD, an eating disorder, or drinking. And if you'd rather go at your own pace, self-guided CBT apps and meditation apps give you tools without a standing appointment, while peer-support communities put you next to people working through the same thing.

What to check before you sign up

A few things are worth confirming before you hand over a card. Check that the people providing care are licensed in your state, because therapy and prescribing are regulated state by state. If you're counting on insurance, confirm your specific plan is accepted, not just that the service takes insurance in general. Ask how medication works if you need it, since some platforms can't prescribe controlled substances. Read the cancellation terms, because several services run on auto-renewing subscriptions. And spend a minute on the privacy policy to see how your health data is used, especially with apps built around chatbots.

If you need help now

An app is the wrong tool for an emergency. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and available any time of day. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Suggest a listing

Run a service that belongs here, or know one we've missed? You can submit a listing for review. Every suggestion is checked by hand before it goes live.

A note on what this is

We describe and link to these services. We don't run them, we aren't your provider, and nothing here is medical advice or a recommendation for your particular situation. Coverage, availability, and features change often and differ by state, so treat this as a starting point and confirm the current details with the service itself before you rely on it.