The Handbook Team knows just how important it is to be able to receive mental health care in a timely way. Yet high session costs, therapist shortages, and the stigma against mental health issues can be barriers to seeking support. Online therapy platforms may help to improve your access to care. If you’re interested in trying online therapy, a service like Amwell could help you get started.
Amwell is a telehealth platform that connects users around the United States to mental and medical health care services. Unlike other online therapy platforms, such as Talkspace or Brightside, you don’t need to sign up for a monthly subscription. Instead, Amwell allows you to book teletherapy sessions by individual appointment. To compare Amwell to other online therapy platforms, the Handbook Team went behind the paywall. Discover our insights below, along with more guidance from mental health professionals.
Our alternative pick: BetterHelp
If you’re looking for a subscription teletherapy service, we recommend BetterHelp. With a large selection of therapists to match with and a wide array of bonus features, the platform is a good choice for those looking for a monthly online therapy plan. Learn more in our BetterHelp review.
Amwell overview
In a mental health emergency:
Online therapists may not be the most appropriate resource to help in a mental health crisis. If you or someone you know is a danger to themselves or others around them, it is an emergency, and cannot wait for an online therapist’s response.
Don’t wait. You can find help immediately by:
- Visiting urgent care
- Calling or texting 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Chatting online at 988lifeline.org
- Calling the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or text your zip code to 435748
All the above options will connect you with trained professionals who can provide crisis support. You can find even more resources, including international options, on our helpline directory page.
Insights from our testers
“It can feel intimidating trying to build a relationship with someone new, but when you have the right fit therapist, it feels easy,” says Katie Ziskind, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and owner of Wisdom Within Counseling.
Many online therapy platforms, such as BetterHelp, use responses from an onboarding questionnaire to automatically match you with a mental health provider. While Amwell also has an entrance questionnaire, it doesn’t use an algorithm to pair you with a therapist. Instead, you can choose your therapist from the beginning, which is one of our tester’s favorite features.
The therapist bios are short, but provide detailed information about a practitioner’s experience, approach, and appointment availability. You can also filter therapist profiles by other criteria, such as gender and language. This helped our tester quickly find a therapist that fit their preferences.
From our tester
“Using Amwell, I found it easy to find a therapist you can connect with, as their bios really help you choose… Although I did not switch therapists, it is extremely easy to do so since you book each appointment individually. Instead of booking again with my therapist, I could easily just book with someone else. Super seamless for people who may be worried about switching therapists.”
Our tester saw therapists of many different ethnicities, but all were women. While our tester prefers to work with a female therapist, they did note that the platform could use more representation from male practitioners.
Additionally, booking an appointment wasn’t as seamless as finding a therapist. When our tester tried to book via the desktop website, the link redirected to an irrelevant page. So, our tester needed to download the mobile app to book their session. They found Amwell’s app easier and more convenient than the desktop site.
Our tester’s therapist arrived 17 minutes late to the first scheduled live video session. However, the therapist stayed over the allotted time, allowing our tester to still experience a full 45-minute session despite the delay.
Our tester enjoyed meeting with their therapist and found them helpful, caring, and professional. They also like that their therapist explained their therapeutic approach, discussed patient confidentiality over telehealth, and mentioned additional mental health care services available via Amwell.
From our tester
“I liked that my therapist mentioned that psychiatry was available on the platform as well. That makes it a lot easier for people interested in both.”
The video session had a slight lag, which caused our tester and their therapist to occasionally interrupt each other. Afterward, our tester also experienced a slight delay of about a week in getting their invoice for the session, as it wasn’t uploaded to the website immediately afterward. Despite these glitches, our tester is pleased with the service they received from their therapist.
What other users are saying
During our November 2023 focus group with online therapy users, participants stated that convenient scheduling is one of the biggest perks of online therapy. Since Amwell allows you to book therapy sessions individually, you have more scheduling flexibility over platforms that require monthly subscriptions.
Our testing experience
Our Handbook Team spent over 10,000 hours researching, testing, and evaluating every detail of different online therapy and psychiatry platforms. Our Handbook Team aims to help you find the mental health care provider who can best suit your unique needs. We strive to thoroughly understand every platform’s features rather than care from individual providers.
To make our reviews and informed decisions, we consulted with more than 60 mental health experts to understand the pros and cons of online therapy. For instance, while online therapy may be helpful for people seeking treatment for mild anxiety and depression, one expert informed us that people with other mental health conditions, like agoraphobia, may benefit more from in-person sessions.
Fill out the intake assessment.
Subscribe as a new user and invite their teen to join the platform.
Get matched with a therapist.
Go through steps to change therapists.
Schedule and attend four weeks of appointments.
Contact customer support with questions.
Explore other platform features, including digital journals and worksheets.
Review billing policies and cancel subscription.
Our Handbook Team explored the Amwell platform and attended online therapy sessions for four weeks. We instruct testers to try the platform through the lens of a real user, paying attention to how easy or difficult it was to find a therapist they could talk to. They log their experience in a diary and share their findings when testing is concluded. We use these findings and our additional research into online therapy platforms to help write this Amwell review.
Compare Amwell with other online therapy platforms
| Cost* | $109 per online therapy session | $260–$400 per | Varies by provider | Varies by provider | Varies by provider |
| Accepts insurance? | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Services | Online therapy, online psychiatry | Online therapy | Online therapy, online psychiatry | Online therapy, online psychiatry | Online therapy, online psychiatry |
| Can prescribe a controlled substance? | No | No | Yes (varies by individual provider) | No | No |
*Out-of-pocket cost without insurance, promos, or discounts.
Amwell cost and payment options
During testing, we found that online therapy sessions on Amwell consistently cost $109 before insurance. Online psychiatry visits cost $279 out of pocket per session.
The platform accepts all major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.
Insurance options
Amwell accepts many insurance plans for mental health care services, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- iCare
- Emblem Health
- UnitedHealthcare
- Rural Carrier Benefit Plan
- Medica
Coverage and copays will vary by insurance company and provider. For instance, some plans may only cover urgent mental health care, while others may pay for online therapy and psychiatry services. You can check to see if your plan is accepted by Amwell before signing up. If you don’t see your plan on the list, have a look at our picks for the best online therapy platforms that accept insurance.
Our final verdict
Although our tester initially experienced technical issues with the video chats and the desktop website, our tester had a positive experience with Amwell and was able to connect with a caring therapist who suited their needs.
Know that it is a true sign of strength to know when you need mental health treatment. Take your time to find the [treatment option] that works for you.
Katie Ziskind, LMFT
At $109 per session, Amwell is more expensive than other more affordable online therapy platforms we’ve tested. Amwell does accept certain insurance plans and provides the ability to book online sessions individually rather than in a monthly subscription, which can help you save on costs.
Frequently asked questions
Amwell is a telehealth platform that connects health care providers with patients. After signing up for an account and linking your insurance, you can choose from various therapists and book individual online therapy sessions as needed rather than paying for a monthly subscription.
During our testing, we found that most online therapy sessions on Amwell cost $109 out of pocket. However, insurance copays may lower your total payment.
Our tester found Amwell’s desktop version glitchy, forcing them to use the app to make appointments. Additionally, our tester experienced technical issues and delays, such as lagging during video chats and a delay with invoice uploads.
Amwell therapists can use a number of different approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and more.
All therapy sessions are online video calls via Amwell’s desktop website or mobile app.
- (n.d.) Is there a shortage of mental health professionals? Illinois Institute of Technology. Link
- Singhal, N. (2024, March). Stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness. American Psychiatric Association. Link
- (2021, November 29). Is online therapy right for you? UCLA Health. Link
- Greenwood, H., Krzyzaniak, N., Peiris, R., Clark, J., Scott, A. M., Cardona, M., Griffith, R., & Glasziou, P. (2022, March 11). Telehealth versus face-to-face psychotherapy for less common mental health conditions: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JMIR Mental Health, 9(3). Link