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Becoming a first-time mom brings a wave of emotions you’ve never had to navigate before. Juggling the roles of both wife and mother, you face physical, emotional, and mental challenges you never imagined. In the midst of it all, reaching out for support—especially from a trusted third-party service or app—can be one of the healthiest steps you take toward healing and growth. That’s why in this BetterHelp vs. Talkspace comparison, we’ll explore what each platform offers, how much they cost, and the resources they provide to support your emotional well-being.
BetterHelp vs TalkSpace: A Quick Comparison
| Feature | BetterHelp | Talkspace |
| Therapy Format | Messaging, live chat, phone, video | Messaging, live chat, video |
| Pricing | $65–$100/week (billed monthly) | $69–$129/week (varies by plan) |
| Financial Aid | Available | Certain insurance providers covered |
| Insurance Accepted | Not accepted | Yes, with certain providers |
| Therapist Matching | Within 24–48 hours | Within hours (or choose your own) |
| Platform Access | Mobile app, desktop | Mobile app, desktop |
| Best For | People living outside the U.S., Flexible access, affordable options | U.S. Insurance users, psychiatric services |
What Is BetterHelp?
BetterHelp is one of the largest online therapy platforms in the world, offering easy access to licensed therapists through your phone, tablet, or computer. It’s designed to make mental health support more accessible by removing the barriers of traditional in-person therapy—like waitlists, travel time, and cost.
When you sign up, you’re matched with a licensed therapist based on your preferences and needs. You can then communicate through live video sessions, phone calls, live chat, or unlimited messaging, depending on what feels most comfortable for you.
BetterHelp covers a wide range of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues, trauma, and more. While it doesn’t accept insurance, its flexible subscription plans are often more affordable than traditional therapy.
What Is Talkspace?
Talkspace is a popular online therapy platform that connects users with licensed mental health professionals through messaging, live video, and audio sessions. What sets Talkspace apart is its acceptance of many major insurance plans, making it a more affordable option for those with coverage.
After signing up, you can either be matched with a therapist or choose one from a list based on your preferences. Therapy is available through unlimited messaging and scheduled live sessions, and you can communicate with your therapist five days a week.
Talkspace offers services for individual therapy, couples therapy, teen therapy, and even psychiatric care with medication management, making it a comprehensive mental health solution. It’s designed to support issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and more.
BetterHelp vs Talkspace Cost
When comparing value, BetterHelp generally offers a more affordable starting price, especially for those who qualify for its financial aid program, which can lower weekly costs to under $50. While Talkspace provides more plan variety and potential discounts for longer commitments, its prices remain higher overall, particularly for options that include live sessions or workshops. For budget-conscious users seeking unlimited messaging and occasional live sessions, BetterHelp tends to deliver better value for the money.
How Much Does BetterHelp Cost?
BetterHelp offers a weekly subscription that usually ranges between $65 and $100, billed every four weeks. They also provide a financial aid program that can reduce the cost by up to 40%, potentially lowering your weekly fee to around $48.75. Keep in mind, this financial aid needs to be renewed every 90 days. Unlike some other platforms, BetterHelp does not accept insurance, so all payments are made out-of-pocket.
How Much Does Talkspace Cost?
Talkspace offers three subscription plans, with pricing based on the format you choose. The Messaging Therapy plan, which lets you message your therapist anytime, costs about $69 per week. The Video Sessions plus Messaging plan, which includes thirty-minute live video sessions along with messaging, costs around $99 per week. Finally, the Video, Messaging, and Workshops package, which adds access to therapist-led workshops, is priced at approximately $109 per week. You can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or biannually, with quarterly and biannual payments providing 10% and 20% discounts, respectively.
BetterHelp vs TalkSpace Discount
| Feature | BetterHelp | Talkspace |
| Standard Weekly Cost | $65 – $100 per week (billed monthly) | $69 – $109 per week |
| Discount Options | Financial aid (up to 40% off) and reduced-fee discounts for students, veterans, low income, etc. | 10% discount for quarterly payments; 20% discount for biannual payments |
| Financial Aid | Available, must reapply every 90 days | No financial aid program |
| Discount Application | Applied based on qualification during sign-up or request | Applied automatically based on payment frequency |
| Insurance Accepted | No | Yes, with many major insurers |
BetterHelp vs Talkspace Sign Up Process
BetterHelp’s sign-up process emphasizes personal and therapy preferences, while Talkspace starts with a clear, budget-focused approach and also offers psychiatry services and insurance options. Overall, both platforms provide a straightforward and user-friendly way to connect with the right therapist for your needs.
BetterHelp Sign Up Process
Caption: BetterHelp offers individual, couples, and teen therapy.
When you visit BetterHelp’s website, you first choose whether you want individual therapy, couples therapy, or teen therapy. Then, you answer a series of questions that match you with the right therapist and guide you to sign up and pay for your chosen service.”These questions cover details such as your location, gender identity, age, relationship status, religion, and preferences for a therapist (e.g., religious, direct, etc.). You’ll also answer questions about your background, including whether you’ve had therapy before, what brought you to seek therapy today, and other related topics.
Talkspace Sign Up Process
Talkspace begins by asking about your budget—specifically, whether you have insurance (for U.S.-based users) or will be paying out of pocket. Next, you’ll select the type of therapy you need, such as individual, couples, teen, or psychiatry. From there, you’ll answer questions about your current feelings, the type of therapist you’d like to be matched with, and basic background details, including your date of birth.
BetterHelp vs Talkspace Privacy
BetterHelp and Talkspace both gather user data to operate their services, which raises important privacy considerations for anyone seeking online therapy. Both platforms have also faced public scrutiny over their handling of sensitive information.
Overall, while privacy concerns exist with both, BetterHelp stands out as the better option in terms of transparency and trustworthiness.
BetterHelp’s Poor Privacy Policy
BetterHelp collects a variety of user data to operate its services and, with user consent, may share certain information with third-party companies for advertising purposes. This data includes visitor information like IP addresses, time spent on the app or site, and browser or device details; personal information submitted in questionnaires for therapist matching; and account details such as demographics and email addresses. More concerning is that BetterHelp also collects therapy-related data—such as information shared with your therapist, worksheet responses, and other personal entries—which can raise serious privacy concerns for users sharing deeply personal or sensitive issues.
Another notable concern is data retention. For members who have started therapy, BetterHelp may keep records for up to ten years. In 2023, the company faced public scrutiny when it was fined $7.8 million for disclosing consumers’ sensitive data to third parties, including Facebook and Snapchat. These incidents highlight the importance of understanding how your personal and therapy data is handled before committing to any online counseling platform.
Talkspace Privacy Policy
Talkspace collects a wide range of personal data, starting from account creation details such as your name, address, date of birth, contact information, employer, payment details, subscription type, and reasons for seeking therapy. It also gathers data you provide during therapy sessions, including chat transcripts, documents shared with your therapist, and information from symptom trackers. Additionally, the platform collects persistent identifiers like IP addresses, browser types, ISPs, geolocation, and referrer URLs. According to its policy, Talkspace may share this information with service providers for business, marketing, analytics, technical, and operational purposes, as well as in other situations disclosed at the point of collection.
The company also states it may disclose personal data to government and law enforcement agencies to comply with legal or regulatory obligations. However, Talkspace’s history raises further concerns. Past controversies have included allegations of mishandling customer data internally and manipulating app store reviews using a burner phone. These issues, combined with the breadth of data collected, may give potential users pause when considering the platform for their mental health needs.
My Experience With BetterHelp
Affordability is the main reason I chose BetterHelp. I’m not completely comfortable with their privacy policy. My therapist mentioned that they are required to report to UK social services if they detect any concerning situations. Still, I find the service to be good value for money, especially if you get a discount.
I applied for financial assistance and got a 40% discount on my weekly subscription. This allowed me to use their services and connect me to a therapist I’m comfortable with. BetterHelp also has extra resources such as live group sessions on different mental wellness topics—you do need to show your face when you attend these. They also run webinars you can sign up for, and if you miss one, you can catch the recording later.
If you’re in need of immediate therapy but are concerned about the cost, you can also apply for financial aid, which appears in the app before you sign out. Alternatively, you can sign up using this link to receive two free sessions.
Which One Is Better?
In this BetterHelp vs. Talkspace comparison, we found that while both platforms have privacy concerns, BetterHelp is a better choice if you are outside the U.S., want to connect with a therapist, and need a more budget-friendly option. On the other hand, if you want to use your insurance or access psychiatry services, Talkspace is the better option. Regardless of your choice, it’s important to remember that neither platform has particularly strong privacy protections.
