Is betterhelp legit?
betterhelp reviews on
TrustpilotAffordable, Accessible Mental Health Care
“BetterHelp makes good-quality mental health care accessible and affordable. You can receive therapy online in whichever way you'd prefer, and financial aid is available. I have been using it for a few months, and it has really helped me. I have attended webinars, used wellness tools, and attended weekly therapy sessions with an excellent therapist. I highly recommend BetterHelp.”
Joan K.
US
Wonderful community
“It was very easy to get my first appointment and to find a qualified and amazing therapist. The connectivity is easy, the sessions are wonderful, my therapist is the best and has helped me tremendously, and I think that BetterHelp is definitely a wonderful place to find the help that you need when you're looking for a therapist. My therapist is in Florida and I live in Maryland and I'm so glad that I was connected with her.”
Anonymous
US
BetterHelp has been a wonderful resource
“BetterHelp has been a wonderful resource for me. It has helped me through many different situations by providing support, guidance, and useful tools. The classes are excellent and have given me valuable insights and strategies to improve my well-being and handle life's challenges more effectively.”
Donna Alexander
US
What do real customer reviews say?
On Trustpilot, betterhelp holds 3.9 across 9,652 reviews on a claimed profile dating to 2015 - solid, but the mixed band, not the stellar one. The recent reviews we verified praise accessibility ("You can receive therapy online in whichever way you'd prefer, and financial aid is available"), therapist quality, and the webinars and worksheets that come with the subscription.
On Reddit, the honest theme is that matching takes attempts: "it did take a couple of tries to find someone I clicked with, but once I did, it felt like a real breakthrough." That's the pattern to expect - the platform works, and the easy therapist-switching exists precisely because first matches often aren't final.
Is betterhelp a scam?
No. A scam takes your money and delivers nothing; betterhelp is a real company delivering real therapy from licensed clinicians to millions of people, with a working refund and cancellation process.
What the "scam" searches usually trace back to is three real but different things: billing complaints (subscriptions renew until cancelled - know the terms), therapist-fit disappointment (first matches often aren't final; switching exists for that), and the 2023 FTC privacy settlement covered below. Those are legitimate criticisms of a legitimate company - worth weighing, but not fraud.
What about the FTC privacy settlement?
In 2023, betterhelp settled with the US Federal Trade Commission over sharing user data - including health questionnaire data - with advertisers like Facebook and Snapchat. That happened; no legitimate review should bury it.
The company has since updated its practices, and the settlement itself forced changes. What it means for you: read the current privacy policy before signing up, and opt out of data sharing where offered.
If privacy is your deciding factor, weigh insurance-billed alternatives too - though those create claims records with your insurer instead, a different trade rather than a free lunch.
Does betterhelp take insurance now?
Who should choose betterhelp - and who shouldn't?
Choose it if you want talk therapy with the largest therapist pool, matching in as little as 2 days, video/phone/chat flexibility, and messaging between sessions. Look elsewhere if medication might be part of your care - betterhelp has no psychiatry, so compare Talkspace (therapy + psychiatry, 4.4 on Trustpilot) - and see our full ranking for the vertical view.
One thing betterhelp is not, by its own admission: a crisis service. In the US, call or text 988 - free, confidential, 24/7.