Our Review of Online-Therapy.com in 2023

This content is researched and written based on extensive testing by an external reviews team and does not reflect the views or opinions of Everyday Health’s editorial team. Everyday Health may earn a commission from purchases of products featured in this article.

In our review of the best online therapy providers, Online-Therapy.com was our pick for the best online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Its programs include therapy and self-directed tools that help individuals unlearn unhelpful thinking or actions that can impact their mood. Our review explains how Online-Therapy.com is different from other online therapy platforms and how it integrates CBT into all of its plans.

Pros

• Offers one of the cheapest online therapy programs at $200 per month
• Therapists respond to completed CBT program worksheets within 24 hours on weekdays
• Supports couples and individuals
• Offers a 20 percent discount for the first month for new subscribers

Cons

• Does not have a customer service phone number
• Doesn’t accept insurance
• May not have therapists available in all states, according to customer service
• Cannot send video or audio messages to your therapist, only text messages

Online-Therapy.com supports couples and individuals using CBT. According to the Mayo Clinic, CBT can help you recognize negative thought patterns and teach you how to respond more effectively to difficult situations in the future.

While an Online-Therapy.com customer service representative told our reviews team that it offers services in all 50 states, they noted that they might not have therapists available in some states. The customer service representative did not indicate the states in which the platform lacked licensed therapists.

Initial Questionnaire

To get started with Online-Therapy.com, you’ll first complete a short questionnaire that asks what conditions you’re seeking help with, such as the following:

• Anger management
• Anxiety
• Chronic pain
• Compassion fatigue
• Depression
• Grief
• Insomnia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Stress
• Trauma

The questionnaire asks if you have any therapist gender preferences and whether you prefer your sessions to be via live video, voice only, or by text. Every therapist on Online-Therapy.com has preferences on their profile for what type of therapy they’re willing to provide. Some, for example, will only provide therapy via text messaging. If you don’t indicate any preferences, you’ll be matched with a therapist who offers support through live sessions (video, voice, or text), worksheet responses, and unlimited text messaging.

After indicating your therapist preferences, you’ll be prompted to create an account by entering your email address, password, state of residence, and name or nickname. By using a nickname, you can stay anonymous if you choose, but you will need to provide Online-Therapy.com with your emergency contact information.

Therapist Matching

You can see your therapist match instantly after creating your account. You can pick from a list of alternative counselors if you don’t like your initial match.

After matching you to a therapist, Online-Therapy.com will ask you to choose a plan and enter your payment information.

Every Online-Therapy.com membership includes a self-paced program that teaches you how your behavior, thoughts, and emotions feed into and influence one another and how to develop healthier coping strategies. You will be asked to practice what you learn by completing online worksheets in each section.

The program includes 25 worksheets divided into eight sections, starting with an introduction to CBT. Every section is presented like chapters in an interactive book and available through text, audio, or video. When you complete a worksheet, your therapist will receive a notification and leave feedback on your worksheet within 24 hours, Monday through Friday. You will receive an email once your therapist replies.

Your Journal

You can use an online journal to log entries about your feelings and progress and to reflect on past entries. You can access it at any time through your Online-Therapy.com portal. Your journal entries are stored for up to two years, then deleted if you choose not to resume your subscription. According to customer service, you cannot export your journal entries at the end of your membership.

Activity Plan

With your activity plan, you can schedule activities that bring joy to your life, like taking your dog on a walk or having dinner with a friend. This tool could help you follow through with doing something that brings you joy daily. You can also check off each activity as you complete it, which could help motivate you to continue doing the activities that bring you joy.

Yoga and Meditation Videos

Every membership includes yoga and meditation videos hosted by Petra, the platform’s dedicated yoga teacher. These are designed to help supplement the new practices and behaviors you learn from your self-guided program and worksheets.

Depending on the plan you choose, you will get access to 45-minute video, audio, or text therapy sessions with your therapist. Online-Therapy.com offers weekly therapy for $320 per month and semiweekly therapy for $440 per month.

Unlimited Messaging

Every Online-Therapy.com membership includes unlimited text messaging with your therapist. The Online-Therapy.com How It Works webpage states that your therapist will take less than 24 hours to provide feedback on your CBT worksheets, but it doesn’t state how long you can expect to wait for text message responses. According to our online therapy survey, 30 percent of the 184 Online-Therapy.com customers received text message responses from their therapist within a day, 15 percent received responses within a few days, and 41 percent received responses within a week. It regularly took more than a week for 14 percent of users to receive a response to their text messages.

If you choose the premium plan, you will have access to express replies. According to customer service, these messages are seen by your therapist sooner than messages from the basic and standard plans, but they don’t guarantee a quicker response.

Couples Therapy

To use Online-Therapy.com for couples therapy, you will go through the same process as individual therapy and have access to the same materials in the standard plan. You will be able to invite your partner to share a joint account using their name and email address.

Online-Therapy.com can help couples with relationship issues, such as the following:

• Rediscovering your love for each other
• Resolving conflicts
• Improving communication
• Improving your sex life and intimacy
• Overcoming infidelity

Online-Therapy.com offers four monthly subscription plans.

Basic $200 per month

• A self-guided CBT program, yoga and meditation videos, an online journal, and an activity planner
• Unlimited messaging with your therapist, with responses within a maximum of 24 hours, Monday through Friday
• No live therapy sessions

Standard $320 per month

• One live 45-minute video, audio, or text therapy session per week
• A self-guided CBT program, yoga and meditation videos, an online journal, and an activity planner
• Unlimited messaging with your therapist, with responses within a maximum of 24 hours, Monday through Friday

Premium $440 per month

• Two live 45-minute video, audio, or text therapy sessions per week
• A self-guided CBT program, yoga and meditation videos, an online journal, and an activity planner
• Unlimited messaging with your therapist, with responses within a maximum of 24 hours, Monday through Friday
• Includes express replies to messages

Couples Therapy $440 per month

• One live 45-minute video, audio, or text therapy session per week
• A self-guided CBT program, yoga and meditation videos, a journal, and an activity planner
• A joint account shared with your partner
• Unlimited messaging with your therapist, with responses within a maximum of 24 hours, Monday through Friday
• Includes express replies to messages

Online-Therapy.com costs between $200 and $440 per month, depending on the plan you choose. It does not accept insurance or offer financial aid, but it can send you itemized receipts to submit to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement, depending on whether your insurance plan offers out-of-network benefits. It also offers 20 percent off your first month’s subscription with no code required.

Online-Therapy.com accepts PayPal and credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. It also accepts health savings account and flexible spending account cards.

You can cancel your subscription at any time. If you want to pause your subscription, you can contact support@online-therapy.com. Online-Therapy.com refunds are given on a case-by-case basis.

*Cost may vary based on your preferences, location, and therapist availability.

Online-Therapy.com does not have a profile with the Better Business Bureau and does not have any reviews on Trustpilot. It also does not have an app in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Online-Therapy.com features four- and five-star therapist reviews from the past year on its website. It discloses that the reviews are only a portion of those it has helped, so the featured reviews may be biased.

According to our online therapy survey, 84 percent of Online-Therapy.com users had a positive overall experience with the platform.

We independently investigate and recommend products and services that we believe will enrich the lives of our readers and meet their specific needs. You can read our full online therapy review methodology here. We’ve spent many hours carrying out in-depth research on the online therapy market. You can trust our review because we did the legwork for you in these specific ways:

• Engaged in ongoing independent research
• Mystery shopped each of the brands
• Contacted brands’ customer service teams to ask questions and gauge responsiveness
• Consulted six leading psychologists and psychiatrists
• Became customers of online therapy providers ourselves
• Reviewed academic research about the efficacy of online therapy versus in-person therapy

Online-Therapy.com may be a good fit for individuals and couples looking for CBT online. For a self-guided program based on CBT with therapist support via messaging, its base plan could be a good option for $200 per month. Its weekly therapy program could be a good choice if you want the added benefits of weekly live sessions via video, audio, or text messaging for $320. It also offers semiweekly therapy for $440 per month with the premium plan, which could be worth it if you need a higher level of support.

Online-Therapy.com may be worth it for couples looking for therapy, but its $440 price tag is $80 more than the maximum you would pay for relationship therapy from ReGain, which costs between $240 and $360 per month, depending on your preferences, location, and therapist availability.

If you are in crisis, waiting for an online therapy appointment may not be safe. In case of an emergency, call 911. That includes plans to harm yourself or others. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. Help is available 24/7.

You can also reach out to the SAMHSA National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). The SAMHSA help line is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-days-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals facing mental or substance abuse disorders.