Dr.Mental > OnlineTherapy.com vs BetterHelp

Online-Therapy.Com & BetterHelp | Why Remote therapy Is a Silver Lining

What is e-therapy or telehealth? As opposed to traditional in-person therapy, the number of people seeking therapy services online is on the increase. Telehealth or remote therapy is becoming more necessary as the world grapples with a pandemic that has stifled jobs and forced social distancing on people.

Human beings are continuously under mental frustration and exhaustion. With traditional therapists being too expensive or inaccessible, people need an alternative means to cope. Online and remote therapy services have become a great alternative for people seeking affordability and convenience in therapy.

Around 450 million people worldwide are estimated to deal with mental illnesses in one form or another. Most of these people can barely afford the cost of in-person therapy, and not all those who can afford it can make it to an in-person therapist. Some services have sprung up online, which are trying to fill the gap in online counseling.

BetterHelp & OnlineTherapy.com are two such alternatives that offer online psychotherapy and counseling services. If you are a client dealing with mental issues and disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, and relationships, you’ll find thousands of therapists on BetterHelp  & OnlineTherapy.com.

Why Do E-Therapists Matter?

For a long time, therapy was thought of as the exclusive preserve of people with enough income to afford the colossal sums required by in-person therapists. Coughing up upwards of $200 per session in some cities isn’t anyone’s cup of tea. Therapy online has drastically reduced the price of therapy, from highs of $300 per session to less than $60 weekly.

Some people live in remote areas or are just too busy to visit an in-person therapist. Some also don’t do so well with in-person therapists. Talking to someone remotely without the fear of being judged is a major reason why some people go for therapy online.

This article will compare two of the biggest platforms in the world of e-therapy, i.e., OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp.

What Is OnlineTherapy.com?

OnlineTherapy.com is a comprehensive therapy site that takes clients to the mental position that they want to be in. This website has a good number of highly trained therapists who work with it. In addition to counseling support, OnlineTherapy.com has a complete toolbox with all the programs one needs to become a better and happier version of themselves.

Using CBT, OnlineTherapy.com has a self-help course with all the tools needed to identify, challenge, and overcome mental health challenges. Tools on OnlineTherapy.com include worksheets, journals, and activity plans to keep the client healthy and motivated. If you need help coping with distress, the platform has provided plenty of yoga and meditation videos that can assist one in keeping their focus.

What Is BetterHelp?

This is the world’s largest online counseling platform. BetterHelp connects clients with over 3000 board-certified and licensed therapists who deal with a variety of disorders from depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, OCD, and eating and weight disorders. The website also has counseling and therapy resources for folks who might be dealing with grief, loss, distress in relationships, parenting problems, and trauma.

BetterHelp leverages various technological tools such as live chat, video conferencing, and call therapy to connect clients with licensed counselors and therapists. BetterHelp has weekly, monthly, and quarterly billing rates for its various services. The company has dedicated therapy plans for adults, couples, and teens, and the price is affordable at every tier of service.

OnlineTherapy.com Vs BetterHelp: Which Is the Best One?

Both of these services are hugely popular e-therapy platforms, and there might not be much to the differences between the two if you haven’t tried out their services before. Let’s make a side-by-side comparison of the two services to see which one works best.

OnlineTherapy.com Vs BetterHelp | Services Offered

OnlineTherapy.com and BetterHelp cover the same range of services: treatment and management of disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, etc. These two websites also provide psychotherapy for families, couples, and teens in the areas of grief and loss, parenting, dealing with lost income, loss of jobs, etc.

Both onlinetherapy.com and BetterHelp use the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy technique to diagnose and treat mental illnesses and disorders. OnlineTherapy.com provides the following tools:

  • An 8 module, a self-paced course based on CBT that allows the patient to learn more about their condition and how they can deal with it.
  • Worksheets on which the patient can work hand-in-hand with their therapist and get daily feedback.
  • Action plans where the patient can write their thoughts and what they plan to achieve in the week or month.
  • Meditation and yoga videos.
  • Journal features.
  • Live messaging and chat sessions with the therapist, with occasional video conferencing.

BetterHelp, on the other hand, has the following features and services:

  • A huge number of counselors with experience in a wide variety of areas.
  • Live chat, call, and video conferencing features.
  • Applications for both mobile and desktop.
  • Dedicated therapy features based on the Cognitive Behavioral Technique for adults, teens, couples, etc.

The verdict:

In terms of client involvement and the use of psychotherapy tools that allow the patient to understand the condition, OnlineTherapy.com is the clear winner. While BetterHelp covers a wide array of issues and has a large number of therapists, OnlineTherapy.com provided more patient-centered tools that help them create better outcomes.

OnlineTherapy.Com & BetterHelp | Pricing

Pricing is one of the main reasons why people seek out therapy platforms online. In terms of pricing, both OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp try to remain competitive but also affordable.

OnlineTherapy.com offers three pricing tiers: basic at $31.96/weekly, standard at $47.96/weekly, and premium at $63.96/weekly. The basic tier allows users 25 CBT worksheets with daily feedback from the therapist. The standard tier provides the features of the basic tier with additional live chat and messaging support. The premium tier offers all these features with additional two live chat sessions weekly, with messaging support and express replies.

BetterHelp, on the other hand, has pricing tiers from $60-$80 weekly, and these can be billed weekly, monthly, or quarterly. With BetterHelp, the pricing gets cheaper as you go for longer-term plans. On the premium billing tier, the package includes unlimited texting, video sessions, and phone calls.

The verdict:

On pricing, both services are competitively priced and offer services that are in the same pricing range. There isn’t much to differentiate OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp on pricing. However, for the lowest price tier, OnlineTherapy.com is much cheaper comparatively offering more services.

OnlineTherapy.com Vs BetterHelp | Therapy Plans

BetterHelp offers unlimited messaging as a part of its most basic subscription. However, this might not be enough for patients who need more one-on-one time with their therapists. At the higher end of the pricing tier, there are live video sessions with the therapist, which is the best that BetterHelp can offer.

OnlineTherapy.com, on the other hand, has an array of CBT tools that patients can use to monitor their progress and check their condition. The client can update journals and worksheets, and these are a means of feedback and communication between the client and the therapist.

In addition to the patient being heavily involved in the treatment process, OnlineTherapy.com also provides the same kinds of facilities as BetterHelp. These include live chat, calling, and weekly video therapy sessions.

The verdict:

In terms of therapy plans, OnlineTherapy.com is the clear winner. It makes therapy more involving for the patient, which means that the process is more enjoyable.

OnlineTherapy.com Vs BetterHelp | The Matching Process

BetterHelp has a matching process that involves the client filling out a detailed questionnaire that gives their history and their issue as well. Once this profile intake has been filled out and submitted, a matching AI on the website will define an issue and match the patient with the right psychologist. One thing that is great about BetterHelp is the fact that you can change the counselor that has been assigned at any time along the process. You can also request a different counselor before the therapy begins.

OnlineTherapy.com, on the other hand, has a variety of screening tools that will allow the company to tell what disorder the person is suffering from. One can take a depression test, anger test, or anxiety test by filling out online questionnaires on these disorders. Once the results are generated, the person will likely know the condition they suffer from. An online counselor is then recommended to the client. A request for therapist change can also be submitted before counseling begins.

The verdict:

BetterHelp has a more comprehensive intake process than OnlineTherapy.com in this regard and takes the crown here.

OnlineTherapy.com Vs BetterHelp | Legit or Not?

In terms of legitimacy, both services stand out as platforms that connect professional counselors with clients. Both OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp help clients find board licensed and state-approved therapists with just a few clicks. The professionals on these websites come highly recommended, and there is sufficient proof and track records on both sides to support their legitimacy.

The verdict:

Both sites are legit without any doubt. However, in terms of track record, BetterHelp has been in existence for longer and has a wider network of professionals with impeccable standing.

OnlineTherapy.Com & BetterHelp | The Final Word

Both OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp are highly credible and recommended platforms that connect patients with top professionals at an affordable cost. They both score highly in terms of what they offer, with OnlineTherapy.com scoring highly on the application of CBT tools. Both OnlineTherapy.com & BetterHelp are reasonably priced and have different pricing tiers to cater to different market needs.

BetterHelp has faster and more efficient matching due to its AI tools that are built on cognitive behavior and techniques. BetterHelp also has a wider network of therapists of good professional standing who can treat a wide variety of disorders. OnlineTherapy.com will be a favorite for clients because of its use of tools that heavily involve the client.

DrMental is an online platform that avails resources that one can use to find out more about therapy online and general mental health. You can learn more about therapy resources, different mental issues, and how we work on our blog page.