How I Review Online Therapy Platforms

What every review is based on

Each review opens with a short table called What this review is based on. It has five rows, and rows I haven’t done yet say Not yet rather than disappearing:

1. Prices and plans read on the platform’s own pages, with the date.
2. Insurance, cancellation and refund policies read in full, with the date.
3. The sign-up and matching flow walked through as a new customer.
4. Paid sessions I have used myself, with dates and the plan.
5. Public client reviews analysed, with how many and when.

Where facts come from

• Official pages first. A platform’s own pricing, FAQ, insurance and terms pages are the primary source for prices and policies.
• Third-party sources are labelled. If I use a figure from another publication (for example, a monthly price a platform doesn’t publish), the source list marks it Third party.
• Every source is linked at the bottom of the page, with the date I read it.

When sources disagree

Platforms often contradict themselves: an old FAQ says one thing, a new pricing page another. I don’t quietly pick one. I show both, say which I think is current and why. You’ll find these as plain notes in the reviews.

How I decide who a platform suits

I don’t rank platforms on a single score. The right choice depends mostly on four things, and every review is organised around them:

1. How you’re paying: insurance, out of pocket, HSA/FSA or an employer benefit.
2. Whether you might need medication, which only some platforms provide.
3. How you want to talk: messaging between sessions, live video, session length.
4. Who it’s for: an adult, a couple, a teenager.

How often pages are re-checked

Prices and insurance details are re-read at least every 90 days, and straight away when a reader tells me something has changed. The Prices and policies checked date at the top of each page is the last time that happened. If a re-check changes nothing, only that date moves; if something changes, the page says what.

What I won’t do

• Accept payment for a review, a ranking or a better position.
• Publish testimonials or experiences that didn’t happen.
• Give medical advice or tell you what treatment you need.
• Hide a downside because a platform pays a commission.

Limits

I can verify prices, policies and what a platform promises. I can’t verify how good any individual therapist will be for you; that depends on the match. If a platform doesn’t work for you, most let you switch therapists, and you should.