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Healthcare · head to head

BetterHelp vs Included Health

BetterHelp logo

BetterHelp

Healthcare

Online therapy and counseling services

From
$50/week
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Included Health logo

Included Health

Healthcare

Care navigation and virtual care in one contract for self funded employers and health plans

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BetterHelp pricing from $50-$90 per week billed every 4 weeks with location and therapist availability variations; Included Health owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.
  • They diverge on capability: BetterHelp covers Video Sessions, Included Health covers Care navigation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BetterHelp and Included Health actually diverge.

Attributes where BetterHelp and Included Health differ
AttributeBetterHelpIncluded Health
Starting price$50/weekOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BetterHelp

  • Video Sessions
  • Phone Sessions
  • Messaging
  • Journaling
  • Worksheets
  • HIPAA
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

Only in Included Health

  • Care navigation
  • Provider quality steerage
  • Expert medical opinion
  • Virtual primary care
  • Virtual behavioural health
  • Virtual urgent care
  • Benefits integration
  • Employer reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BetterHelp

  • Online therapy with licensed mental health professionalsnot Included Health
  • Flexible scheduling with messaging, video, phone, and live chat optionsnot Included Health
  • Access to 150+ worksheets and therapy support modulesnot Included Health
  • Weekly free group seminars with expert therapistsnot Included Health

Included Health

  • A large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisionsnot BetterHelp
  • An employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid fornot BetterHelp
  • A self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programmenot BetterHelp
  • An employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experiencenot BetterHelp

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BetterHelp

  • Pricing from $50-$90 per week billed every 4 weeks with location and therapist availability variations
  • Not suitable for minors or those under legal guardianship
  • Cannot provide official diagnoses, fulfill court orders, or prescribe medication
  • Requires reliable internet access; not appropriate for emergency or crisis situations

Included Health

  • Owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across the whole eligible population, so a plan with low navigation engagement pays for everyone to serve the minority who call.
  • Savings claims rest on avoided costs and changed referral decisions, which are counterfactual by nature, so performance guarantees need very careful definition or they measure activity rather than money.
  • The company is a merger of three organisations with different origins, and members and benefits teams still encounter seams between navigation, virtual primary care and behavioural health that the single brand implies are absent.
  • It sells primarily to large self funded employers, so mid market employers and fully insured plans find both the pricing and the implementation effort disproportionate to their size.

Pricing, plan by plan

BetterHelp

$50/week
  • Standard$50/week
    • Messaging, live chat, phone sessions, video conferencing
    • 150+ digital worksheets
    • Access to 20+ weekly group seminars

Included Health

On request
  • Included Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Navigation and virtual care modules priced separately or bundled
    • Some components offered with performance guarantees tied to measured savings

Which should you pick?

Choose BetterHelp if

  • You need video sessions.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want phone sessions.
BetterHelp review

Choose Included Health if

  • You need care navigation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want provider quality steerage.
Included Health review

Questions people ask

Is BetterHelp or Included Health better?
Neither clearly leads. BetterHelp starts at $50/week and Included Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BetterHelp or Included Health?
BetterHelp starts at $50/week and Included Health at On request.
Does BetterHelp or Included Health run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is BetterHelp best used for?
BetterHelp is most often used for online therapy with licensed mental health professionals, flexible scheduling with messaging, video, phone, and live chat options, access to 150+ worksheets and therapy support modules, weekly free group seminars with expert therapists. Of those, online therapy with licensed mental health professionals and flexible scheduling with messaging, video, phone, and live chat options are not what Included Health is typically brought in for.
What can BetterHelp do that Included Health cannot?
BetterHelp covers Video Sessions, Phone Sessions, Messaging, Journaling. Included Health covers Care navigation, Provider quality steerage, Expert medical opinion, Virtual primary care.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BetterHelp: How much does BetterHelp cost per week?

BetterHelp costs between $50 and $90 per week, with the actual price determined by your location, therapist availability, and therapist preference. Charges are billed every 4 weeks rather than weekly despite per-week pricing.

Source
Included Health: What exactly is Included Health?

The combination of Grand Rounds Health navigation, Doctor On Demand virtual care and the original Included Health concierge service, operating under one brand since late 2021.

BetterHelp: What does BetterHelp subscription include?

BetterHelp includes access to therapy via messaging, live chat, phone sessions, and video conferencing. Subscribers receive 150+ digital worksheets and free access to 20+ weekly group seminars led by expert therapists on various mental health topics.

Source
Included Health: Who pays for it?

The self funded employer or the health plan pays a per employee per month fee. Virtual care visits may also carry member cost sharing depending on plan design.

BetterHelp: Can you cancel BetterHelp anytime?

Members can cancel their BetterHelp subscription at any time without penalties or restrictions. Cancellation is flexible with no long-term commitment required.

Source
Included Health: Is there a minimum size?

No published minimum, but it sells primarily to large self funded employers and the pricing and implementation effort do not suit small organisations.

Included Health: How does it recommend providers?

Through data driven quality analysis rather than a plain directory. Ask specifically how those recommendations are produced and how often they resolve to the company own virtual clinicians.

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