The Best Mental Health Apps, Tried and Tested

Founded in 2013, BetterHelp is one of the world’s largest and most popular online mental health care companies. A monthly subscription includes one talk therapy session per week via live video, audio, or chat, plus 24/7 unlimited in-app messaging with your therapist. We had eight testers from California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and the U.K. sign up for therapy with BetterHelp. Overall, our positive experiences left us confident that BetterHelp is a great place for starting talk therapy, with the the convenience of joining from your phone or tablet.

BetterHelp therapists help with many common mental health concerns, from grief and stress to relationships, anxiety, depression, trauma, and more. Some providers specialize in serving clients from the LGBTQ+ community.

We felt generally satisfied with the individual therapy sessions we received, and when we didn’t, we liked how easy it was to switch providers. In one case, a therapist was a no-show for our first session and was unresponsive to messages, but we reached out to BetterHelp and quickly got a list of new therapist options. Our second therapist made it to the appointment and was punctual and very communicative.

Unfortunately, BetterHelp practices surge pricing (meaning that the prices shown differ depending on the state and how many therapists are available in that area) and doesn't accept insurance. Still, if you need to start individual talk therapy and you want flexible scheduling and the ability to join from your phone or tablet, BetterHelp is a very accessible option.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: Yes, one monthly subscription plan with weekly rates subject to surge pricing
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by demand and location; typically costs about $70 to $100 per week, for a total of $280 to $400 monthly

We surveyed 100 users of BetterHelp:

• 87% rated BetterHelp as very good or excellent overall
• 87% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at BetterHelp
• 96% are likely or very likely to recommend BetterHelp to a friend or someone like them
• 25% said having multiple session types (texting, phone, video, etc.) was an important factor in their search for a therapy service

We had 11 people sign up for Talkspace so that we could test its various service options, including individual and couples therapy, from California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, Missouri, and South Dakota. Talkspace is one of the most versatile therapy apps on the market, with a wide range of available providers and specialties, including clinicians who specialize in depression.

Overall, our testing experience with Talkspace was positive and helpful: We found most therapists were compassionate and professional and offered important insights and suggestions. We often developed a rapport quickly in our live phone and video sessions, and the app made it easy to access our account and any messages from our therapists. This kind of support is especially helpful for people dealing with depression.

However, it's worth noting that a few therapists were not a good fit and seemed either unprofessional or unfocused in therapy sessions. Thankfully, if you need to switch therapists at any time, you can do so easily—no questions asked. Just know that it may take a few tries before you find a good match, but we think it's important to take time to find the right provider for you.

• Insurance Accepted: Yes, accepts Aetna, Optum, Cigna, Carelon, and Regence health insurance plans; accepts FSA/HSA payments
• Subscription Required: Yes
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Messaging-only plans start at $69 per week; video and messaging therapy starts at $99 per week; video, messaging, and workshops start at $109 per week; Talkspace psychiatry costs $299 with follow-up sessions that are $175. Bundle discounts are also available for users who want to schedule multiple follow-up sessions at a time. 

We surveyed 100 users of Talkspace:

• 92% rated Talkspace as very good or excellent overall
• 89% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at Talkspace
• 97% are likely or very likely to recommend Talkspace to a friend or someone like them
• 27% said having multiple session types (texting, phone, video, etc.) was an important factor in their search for a therapy service

Since it was founded in 2010, Headspace has become one of the leading online platforms for mindfulness, meditation, and self-care. The app’s guided meditations can help you learn to live more in the present, even if you’re a complete beginner. There are plenty of videos and mini-courses to help you ease into a mindfulness practice if you're new to meditation.

We tried Headspace for a month and were really impressed with its massive library of offerings. We could choose from hundreds of exercises within four different categories—Meditation, Sleep, Stress, and Mindfulness. From three-minute “mental resets” to “SOS” meditations to help you calm down to daily themed mindfulness exercises, Headspace helps you fit meditation into a busy day. There are also “sleepcasts” (ambient sounds paired with soothing narratives) to help you wind down at night.

It's worth noting that according to its privacy policy, Headspace may collect personal information that you've shared through its platform or have otherwise shared with it, and share personal information with "certain third-party service providers to help make our Platform function." If this is a huge concern for you, it may not be a great choice.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No, there is a limited free version; but to take advantage of most Headspace features, you need a subscription
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: $12.99 per month (after 7-day free trial); $69.99 per year (after 14-day free trial); $99.99 per year for a family subscription with up to 6 accounts; $9.99 per year for verified students in certain countries; Headspace is also offered as a free mental health benefit by some employers

While we were not able to survey any Headspace users, online reviews suggest that Headspace customers are happy with the app’s many features, especially the soothing sleepcasts and the high production quality of the guided meditations. Many users credited Headspace with taking them from meditation newbies to passionate mindfulness advocates. However, some said they thought the annual subscription was a bit pricey.

Developed as part of Sesame Street’s Little Children, Big Challenges initiative, Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame is aimed at helping children ages 2 to 5 (and their parents and caregivers) develop greater resilience and healthier strategies for coping with stress. The free bilingual app is available for download in the Google Play and Apple App stores for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. 

In the app, your child will interact with a friendly Sesame Street monster to help them deal with one of five common day-to-day challenges. The “Breathe With the Monster” activity will teach your child deep breathing exercises to help them feel better when faced with a tough situation. Parents can even record their own voices saying encouraging phrases that their child will hear as they complete activities.

For parents and caregivers, the app includes free resources for teaching your child problem-solving skills and self-soothing strategies. There are additional materials available on the app’s free companion website, so you can continue to help your child on their mental wellness journey.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free

While we didn't survey users, in online reviews, many parents said their children were able to use Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame to build their emotional vocabulary and develop healthier coping skills when faced with “big feelings.” Many users said they appreciated the deep breathing exercises, which taught their children or students how to regulate their emotions in healthy ways during difficult moments. A few users said they had problems with the app freezing while loading, but others said these technical bugs had since been fixed.

There are countless sobriety counter apps available, but I Am Sober has a number of features that make it stand out from the competition. In comparison to other apps geared at people who are trying to quit using a substance, I Am Sober provides a tracker that allows you to see how long you’ve been sober—down to the second. And although we could not test the I Am Sober app ourselves (we did not think it would be ethical to ask someone living with a substance use disorder to briefly test out an app), we see all the benefits of it.

Some of the app’s unique features include a withdrawal timeline and a space to take a daily sobriety pledge for personal accountability. You can also use a sobriety calculator to determine how much valuable time and money you’ve saved in recovery and a milestone tracker to help you see just how far you’ve come. 

I Am Sober is much more customizable and community-oriented than similar apps. You can add your own visual reminders of what’s at stake, like photos of loved ones or the reasons you decided to quit to help you stay motivated on your recovery journey. There’s also a space to share your story and track your progress with others in recovery. With the premium version of the app (I Am Sober Plus), you can unlock data backup, start an online recovery group, and access more specific peer support groups geared toward particular addictions and compulsions.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free (basic version); $9.99 per month, $27.49 every 6 months, or $39.99 per year (premium version, I Am Sober Plus); $0.99 for in-app purchases such as “motivation packs”

Although we didn't survey users, in online reviews, most I Am Sober users said they found the app encouraging and non-judgmental for people in recovery. Many customers liked the customizable features, such as the ability to upload personal photos and “mission statements,” as well as daily motivational quotes. However, some users shared that comments from the community were inconsistent or even outright rude at times. Others noted that the community support from around the world was invaluable on their road to sobriety.

Often described as the number-one app for sleep, meditation and relaxation, Calm is one of the most popular apps for people who have insomnia or poor-quality sleep. We had testers in New York and Missouri give Calm a try for a month and both were impressed with the wealth of resources that helped them achieve better sleep, as well as the library of themed meditations and music playlists for finding calm and flow throughout the day.

With a Calm Premium subscription, you can listen to sleep stories narrated by celebrities including Matthew McConaughey and P!nk, exclusive soothing music tracks from the likes of Disney, and themed soundscapes that will send you to another world for some better shut-eye. We were impressed by the diverse range of soundscapes and sleep stories and found that they truly worked and helped us ease to sleep faster—much faster, actually.

The only downside is that we wish there were a bit more mindfulness tools in the library, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices or additional categories for journaling. That said, Calm really delivers when it comes to background sounds, music, stories, and themed meditations to help you find calm both day and night. Plus, you can test out Calm Premium with a free seven-day trial before committing to a subscription to see if it's a good choice for you.

• Insurance Accepted: Some Kaiser Permanente plans may cover Calm
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: The free version has limited features. To unlock most of Calm’s offerings, you’ll need one of the following Calm Premium subscriptions: $14.99 per month, $69.99 per year, $399.99 for a lifetime membership; $3.99 per month after free 30-day trial for students; for Amazon Prime Student members it's $8.99 per year after a 3-month free trial for Amazon Prime Student members; $99.99 per year for a family plan with up to six accounts.
  

While we didn't survey users, in available reviews, most users raved about Calm, especially its soothing, beautiful aesthetic and engaging visuals. Many users appreciated Calm’s high-quality guided meditations and well-produced bedtime stories voiced by well-known, experienced voiceover actors. Some said they consistently relied on Calm to help them get a solid night of sleep. 

However, some blind and visually impaired users said they wished the app had more image descriptions and screen-reader-friendly features for better accessibility.

Rooted in the principles of positive psychology and mindfulness, Happify is geared toward helping users experience more positive emotions, boost productivity, and improve overall life satisfaction. You can complete Happify’s games, meditations, and exercises in short bursts of time on the go. It’s a good app to use if you’re looking for a way to boost your personal growth and well-being while you’re riding in the car, waiting in line at the store, or even in between sets at the gym.

Each day the app would present us with around three activities to complete and list the ones that would be available in the coming few days. Happify identifies where you need the most growth, such as building self-confidence, shutting down negative thinking patterns, or achieving greater career success, and provides you with targeted games and activities to complete in just a few minutes each day.

Happify offers lots of great content, but we found the user interface to be a bit disorganized and at times we got lost in some poorly executed mini-games that felt somewhat tedious. There were loads of options at almost every stage, yet it was unclear how the options differed from one another until we actually chose one. Still, we see a benefit in content that's backed by science and created by therapists, even if it was sometimes hard to sort through all the options.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free (basic version); Happify Plus, which comes with many more features, is available at $14.99 per month, $139.99 per year, or $449.99 for a lifetime membership.

Although we didn't survey users ourselves, Happify’s reviews are largely positive, with many users sharing that the app’s gamified approach to mental health helped them get “unstuck” when they were in a rut. Some users reported that Happify’s personalized features allowed them to get a bird’s-eye view of where they needed to grow and how they could reach their goals. Others liked that the games weren’t overly time-consuming, yet were still transformational.

However, a few Happify users thought the paid version of the app was a bit too expensive.

Available in the Apple App Store only, Worry Watch aims to help people with anxiety identify their worry patterns and panic triggers. The app helped us track our anxious thought patterns over time so we could disrupt the “worry cycle." Worry Watch includes a guided journal with follow-up prompts, coping skills for anxiety, a daily mood tracker, and affirmations aimed at reinforcing positive thought patterns.

With the in-app journal, we could write down our everyday worries and challenges and reflect on better ways to confront them next time. By tracking our mood, we could develop greater self-awareness and learn about what triggers our negative emotions. There were also guided coping techniques that helped us relax with breathing techniques and meditation, while the positive reinforcement section offered inspirational quotes and coping strategies. All coping skills had customization options, and we could choose if we wanted music. We could also prompt the app to notify us at certain times to check in, journal, or use a coping skill.

One thing worth noting is that the guided meditations use a robotic voice rather than a human voice. We found this a bit jarring and distracting, making it hard to relax. Otherwise, we thought the app had fantastic resources for coping with anxiety and we appreciated that it's based on evidence-based anxiety treatments. This app is also a good option if you’re concerned about privacy and security: You can work offline and don’t need to sign up with any personal information.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free to download; $2.99 per month or $11.99 per year to upgrade to the premium version

While we did not survey users, many Worry Watch users said they found great anxiety relief while using the app. For example, users were able to let go of their worries more easily with the easy-to-use tracking feature. Others said they liked the app’s journal feature, as it allowed them to get their feelings out and relieve stress on the go without having to set aside a scheduled time each day for journaling.