Key takeaways
- Free online therapy services are often volunteer-based and are not for people who have severe mental health concerns. However, there are options for low cost therapy.
- Low-cost services accept insurance, like Talkspace, or offer sliding scale fees, like Open Path Psychotherapy Collective.
- Hotlines for mental health crises and urgent support includeCrisis Text Line, Call BlackLine for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and Trans Lifeline.
Best free online therapy services
- Best for emergencies: Crisis Text Line | Skip to review
- Best hotline for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC): Call BlackLine | Skip to review
- Best hotline for trans people: Trans Lifeline | Skip to review
- Best for self-management: Bliss by the Centre for Interactive Mental Health Solutions | Skip to review
- Best for equitable access to therapy: Inclusive Therapists | Skip to review
Best low cost therapy services
- Best low cost service overall: Open Path Psychotherapy Collective | Skip to review
- Best for insurance coverage: Talkspace | Skip to review
- Best for financial aid: BetterHelp | Skip to review
- Best for a CBT therapy program: Online-Therapy.com | Skip to review
Therapy can be expensive, even with online platforms. Truly free online therapy options are rare, and most free therapy options use trained volunteer listeners over fully qualified therapists. The next best option is low cost online therapy, which can help you access mental health services at reduced cost through insurance coverage, financial aid, or sliding scale fees.
We break down our choices of the best free online therapy options and low cost online therapy services below.
There are various free online mental health platforms that can connect you to licensed professionals or provide peer support groups where you can get help through various platforms, from chat and text messaging to video.
Here’s how to determine if your current health insurance covers online therapy. Copays can be as low as $0 depending on your coverage and the platform you choose.
You’re not alone.
Call 988 for help, or visit the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention for immediate help. For emergencies, call 911 to find a local emergency service near you.
Our Healthline scores for hotline services are generally lower than typical because they do not offer services that boost the scores of telehealth services, such as therapist matching. Learn how we rate mental health platforms.
If none of the above free resources offer what you’re looking for, or you have therapy in your budget up to a certain amount, these low cost online therapy services have all passed our vetting standards.
Some offer financial aid, some offer pay-what-you-can services, and some accept insurance.
We selected each free or low cost online therapy service based on key features to ensure that the mental health support offered is secure, budget-conscious, reliable, and appropriately credentialed.
We also considered how long you need to wait for an appointment, whether the service offers 24/7 support, and whether the service offers video and phone chat, live chat, and text messaging.
Each online therapy service also went through our rigorous vetting process after we selected the services based on the features listed above.
Our Medical Standards and Insights team has carefully researched and vetted over 11,000 products and services. We evaluate services for consistency with standards of care and best practices, and we look into each brand’s reputation before sharing products and services on Healthline.
To choose the online therapy platforms on this page, we considered all the platforms that passed our vetting process. Then, we personally tested some of them to narrow down our list even further. Read more about how we review online therapy platforms.
Finding a good online therapist can typically present challenges. Finding one for free is even more difficult.
If you have insurance, a good first step is to call your benefits center or do a quick search online.
You can also check with your health insurance company to see if it can at least cover some of the cost if it can’t cover it all. If you’re a student at a college or university, check your campus services to see if they have a counseling center, or check with the psychology department to see if they’re hosting any free clinics where they can put their skills to the test and help out the public.
Several national organizations, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), can help you find free or low cost online therapists or resources. These organizations usually recommend resources they have worked with before and that they know can help you with your situation.
Need more options?
If you prefer a more personal environment or are experiencing serious issues that require exposure therapy, many in-depth discussions, or more comprehensive care (such as those relating to addiction, eating disorders, or severe depression), you may want to think about seeing a therapist in person.
But everyone is different, and this will be a matter of personal preference. If you have quicker access to an online therapist, you might want to start that way and then switch to in-person if it suits you better overall.
A number of online services offer free or reduced-cost therapy. Some of these free services may be run by peer counselors or coaches and require payment to work directly with licensed mental health professionals. Additionally, certain online services may be covered by some insurance plans or EAPs.
Also, a number of mental health organizations, including SAMHSA and NAMI, can provide free peer counseling over their hotlines or connect you with a free or low cost online therapist. However, the qualifications of the people you speak to may vary.
The benefits of online therapy include:
- accessibility
- time efficiency
- cost-effectiveness
- lack of geographical barriers
- comfort and privacy
Anyone who is willing to listen, focus, and commit to bettering their mental health may benefit from online therapy. However, online therapy is not useful for helping to manage all conditions.
A 2024 review suggests that online therapy helped children and young people with depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online therapy is also a great option if you are having trouble finding a therapist near you who suits your needs.
However, someone with a mental health condition that needs more direct management, such as schizophrenia or psychosis, might need immediate, face-to-face intervention.
Additionally, if you or someone you know is experiencing significant suicidal ideation, in-person therapy might be a better choice.
Free online therapy services are usually run by peers or volunteers who have had some training, while paid online therapists have credentials, a degree, and more. Having someone to talk with could be beneficial for some folks, but others may need more concentrated and practiced care.
If you have a limited budget for mental health care, your insurance doesn’t cover therapy, or you don’t have easy access to care, free online therapy platforms can be an effective option. But keep in mind that the people you talk with when using these services may not be licensed professionals.
Talkspace is not a free therapy service.
There aren’t any free apps that allow you to speak with a therapist. However, there are a range of free apps that can help support your mental health, such as Calm, which can help people with anxiety and sleep problems, and introduce meditation.
People can also use free services like Bliss by the Centre for Interactive Mental Health Solutions to learn about CBT, and text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line on 741741 on for mental health emergencies.
Yes, there are AI therapists offering free services. However, AI therapy is not an ideal source of mental health support and it is unsuitable for those in a mental health crisis.
AI therapy services may increase access for some people, but they also raise concerns regarding misdiagnosis and inaccurate or inappropriate advice, privacy, data sharing, and handling, and a lack of true connection and empathy, which is an important part of therapy.
Users must remain critical of the advice, support, and resources AI therapy models provide and avoid using it as a replacement for more traditional therapy routes.
Managing your mental health doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive.
Various online therapy platforms can help you find support groups or licensed therapists who can help you manage anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions for free or at a very low cost.