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Healthcare · head to head

Koa Health vs Lyra Health

Koa Health logo

Koa Health

Healthcare

Employer and health plan digital mental health, acquired by PsychPlus in June 2026

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lyra Health logo

Lyra Health

Healthcare

Employer purchased mental health benefit with a curated provider network and measurement based care

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Koa Health psychPlus acquired Koa Health in June 2026, so buyers are now contracting with the technology arm of an American psychiatry provider group rather than a European digital health company, and roadmap, data residency and European product investment should all be re-examined before renewal.; Lyra Health covered sessions per member per year are set in the employer contract and vary widely between clients, so employees at two companies both using Lyra can receive very different benefits and the number is never published.
  • They diverge on capability: Koa Health covers Stepped care triage, Lyra Health covers Curated provider network.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Koa Health and Lyra Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Koa Health and Lyra Health differ
AttributeKoa HealthLyra Health

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Koa Health

  • Stepped care triage
  • Self guided digital modules
  • Licensed clinical care
  • Employer and plan reporting
  • Multi country delivery
  • Clinical governance

Only in Lyra Health

  • Curated provider network
  • Measurement based care
  • Self guided digital programmes
  • Dependant and household coverage
  • Higher acuity pathways
  • Employer reporting
  • Global delivery

Both cover

  • Coaching tier

What people use each for

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

Koa Health

  • An employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a cliniciannot Lyra Health
  • A European health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language deliverynot Lyra Health
  • A health system wanting to absorb low acuity behavioural health demand before it reaches scarce psychiatry appointmentsnot Lyra Health
  • A multinational standardising a stepped care pathway across several European markets under one contractnot Lyra Health

Lyra Health

  • An employer whose legacy employee assistance programme has utilisation in the low single digits and cannot demonstrate any clinical outcomenot Koa Health
  • A company with a distributed workforce needing therapist availability outside major metropolitan areas where the health plan network is thinnot Koa Health
  • An employer wanting behavioural health outcomes measured with validated instruments so the benefit can be evaluated rather than merely offerednot Koa Health
  • A multinational standardising mental health support across several countries under one contract and one reporting viewnot Koa Health

Where each one falls short

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

Koa Health

  • PsychPlus acquired Koa Health in June 2026, so buyers are now contracting with the technology arm of an American psychiatry provider group rather than a European digital health company, and roadmap, data residency and European product investment should all be re-examined before renewal.
  • Stepped care only produces savings when triage is accurate, and members routed to a self guided module when they believe they need a therapist commonly disengage entirely, which a utilisation report records as low engagement rather than as a triage failure.
  • Pricing is per employee or per member per month across the eligible population, so an employer with modest engagement pays for everyone in order to serve a minority.
  • Clinician availability and language coverage differ substantially by country, so a multinational contract that reads as one global standard delivers a materially different experience in secondary markets.
  • Koa competes against much larger and better funded benefits vendors in the United States, and the acquisition does not change the fact that its brand recognition with American benefits consultants is low, which affects broker driven shortlists.

Lyra Health

  • Covered sessions per member per year are set in the employer contract and vary widely between clients, so employees at two companies both using Lyra can receive very different benefits and the number is never published.
  • When a member exhausts the employer funded session allowance, care transitions to the health plan network with its deductibles and copayments, or ends, and this handover is the most common source of employee dissatisfaction with the benefit.
  • The per employee per month fee is charged across the whole eligible population regardless of use, so an employer with low utilisation pays for the entire workforce to serve a small fraction of it.
  • Lyra costs materially more than a traditional employee assistance programme, and the business case depends on utilisation rising enough to justify the difference, which is not guaranteed by the contract.
  • International coverage is real but uneven, and a multinational will find provider depth and language availability in secondary markets well below what is available in the United States, which undermines the single global standard the contract implies.

Pricing, plan by plan

Koa Health

On request
  • Koa Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month or per member per month, quoted not published
    • Rate depends on which steps of the care ladder are included
    • Clinical tier access priced separately from digital content access

Lyra Health

On request
  • Lyra Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month fee across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Covered sessions per member per year negotiated separately and varying widely by client
    • Dependant and household eligibility affects the rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Koa Health if

  • You need stepped care triage.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want self guided digital modules.
Koa Health review

Choose Lyra Health if

  • You need curated provider network.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want measurement based care.
Lyra Health review

Questions people ask

Is Koa Health or Lyra Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Koa Health starts at On request and Lyra Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Koa Health or Lyra Health?
Koa Health starts at On request and Lyra Health at On request.
Does Koa Health or Lyra Health run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Koa Health best used for?
Koa Health is most often used for an employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a clinician, a european health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language delivery, a health system wanting to absorb low acuity behavioural health demand before it reaches scarce psychiatry appointments, a multinational standardising a stepped care pathway across several european markets under one contract. Of those, an employer that wants something between a meditation app and a full clinical benefit, with triage deciding which members need a clinician and a european health plan needing a digital mental health offering with clinical governance and local language delivery are not what Lyra Health is typically brought in for.
What can Koa Health do that Lyra Health cannot?
Koa Health covers Stepped care triage, Self guided digital modules, Licensed clinical care, Employer and plan reporting. Lyra Health covers Curated provider network, Measurement based care, Self guided digital programmes, Dependant and household coverage. Both handle Coaching tier.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Koa Health: Is Koa Health still operating?

Yes. PsychPlus acquired it in June 2026 and the brand and platform continue. It is not a shutdown, but the ownership and clinical direction have changed.

Lyra Health: How is Lyra priced?

Per employee per month across the eligible population, billed to the employer. The rate is quoted, never published, and depends on headcount, dependant eligibility and the contracted session allowance.

Koa Health: Who buys Koa Health?

Employers, health plans and health systems. It is not sold direct to individuals.

Lyra Health: How many therapy sessions do employees get?

It depends entirely on what the employer bought. Session allowances vary widely between clients, so ask your benefits team for the contracted number rather than assuming a standard.

Koa Health: How is it priced?

Per employee or per member per month, quoted rather than published, with the rate depending on which steps of the care ladder are in scope.

Lyra Health: Who pays, the employer or the health plan?

The employer pays the per employee per month fee and funds the covered sessions. After the allowance is exhausted, cost typically shifts to the health plan and the member.

Koa Health: Does it provide access to psychiatrists?

Clinical access is included in the higher tiers, and the PsychPlus acquisition adds psychiatry provider capacity in the United States. Confirm what your specific contract covers.

Lyra Health: Is there a minimum headcount?

Lyra does not publish one, but it sells primarily to mid sized and large employers and the commercial model does not suit small companies.

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