Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAshley’s 2023 TestingOur Most Recent TestingOur Other Testers' Experiences with AmwellPros & ConsFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Ashley’s 2023 Testing
Our Most Recent Testing
Our Other Testers' Experiences with Amwell
Pros & Cons
Final Thoughts
Our Online Therapy MethodologyCurious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Our Online Therapy Methodology
Curious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Throughout the past three years, Verywell Mind has repeatedly testedAmwell’sbehavioral health services, and like theAura app, it is a major player in the online meditation and therapy field. In this review, Ashley Ziegler explains her experience testing Amwell’s online therapy services in 2023. Then, we discuss our findings from our most recent testing in 2024.
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The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
In 2023, we asked Ashley to try Amwell’s individual therapy services for a month to learn about the quality of care the company could provide. These are her personal insights.
Why I Chose Amwell
As a full-time working mom to two young children, I have very little spare time to do, well, much of anything for myself. I love the idea of receivingtherapy onlinebecause I don’t have to take extra time out of my day to travel to and from a therapist’s office. But one thing that really irks me is that most online platforms saddle you with a monthly membership that locks you into a specific number of therapy sessions that may or may not be needed. Also, while these platforms make therapy much more accessible, many of them don’t takeinsurance, leaving those of us with medical coverage topay out of pocketafter we’ve already paid a monthly premium to our health insurance companies (which, at least with my plan, isn’t cheap).
Amwellappealed to me as a result because it didn’t make me pre-purchase therapy sessions, didn’t lock me into a confusing membership, and allowed me to work with a therapist that accepted insurance. So I signed up and tried it and I can say that after testing it for a month, I truly feel that it stands out from its competitors in some of the best ways.
How I Signed Up for Amwell
Signing up for Amwell was very quick and easy through its website.
First, I was asked to fill out some basic demographic questions, including my birthday, height, weight, gender, and location.
GenderNone of these questions were invasive, but I was disappointed to see that only ‘male’ and ‘female’ were available options under the ‘Gender’ drop-down menu.
Gender
None of these questions were invasive, but I was disappointed to see that only ‘male’ and ‘female’ were available options under the ‘Gender’ drop-down menu.
Then, I had to select whether or not I was using insurance. Once I finished that step, I was officially signed up for the platform.
How Much Does Therapy Cost at Amwell?As I noted above, Amwell doesn’t require a monthly membership fee; I simply paid per visit. The price for one 45-minute session is $109 and you are not charged for your appointment until after your session—unlike subscription services, where you typically pay for the whole month upfront. While this rate per session is on the higher end compared to 55 other online therapy services we looked at, you may not need to pay that much if you have insurance.If you’re using in-network insurance, you’ll be charged a copay based on your individual health coverage plan. And the good news is, Amwell is in-network with 126 differentinsurance plans. If your insurance is out-of-network, you’re not out of luck: You’ll pay the regular self-pay price, but Amwell will provide you with documentation that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement—though how much you are reimbursed will depend on your benefits.
How Much Does Therapy Cost at Amwell?
As I noted above, Amwell doesn’t require a monthly membership fee; I simply paid per visit. The price for one 45-minute session is $109 and you are not charged for your appointment until after your session—unlike subscription services, where you typically pay for the whole month upfront. While this rate per session is on the higher end compared to 55 other online therapy services we looked at, you may not need to pay that much if you have insurance.If you’re using in-network insurance, you’ll be charged a copay based on your individual health coverage plan. And the good news is, Amwell is in-network with 126 differentinsurance plans. If your insurance is out-of-network, you’re not out of luck: You’ll pay the regular self-pay price, but Amwell will provide you with documentation that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement—though how much you are reimbursed will depend on your benefits.
As I noted above, Amwell doesn’t require a monthly membership fee; I simply paid per visit. The price for one 45-minute session is $109 and you are not charged for your appointment until after your session—unlike subscription services, where you typically pay for the whole month upfront. While this rate per session is on the higher end compared to 55 other online therapy services we looked at, you may not need to pay that much if you have insurance.
If you’re using in-network insurance, you’ll be charged a copay based on your individual health coverage plan. And the good news is, Amwell is in-network with 126 differentinsurance plans. If your insurance is out-of-network, you’re not out of luck: You’ll pay the regular self-pay price, but Amwell will provide you with documentation that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement—though how much you are reimbursed will depend on your benefits.
Scheduling Sessions
Once I was signed up, I downloaded the Amwell app to my iPhone (and yes, it’s also available through the Google Play store also). Once it was installed I had to enter my login information and was able to access my account. There weren’t any extra questions I had to answer to do this, but it did give me the option to set up Face ID, which I always appreciate because I hate trying to keep track of passwords.
Amwell
Even though I had the app, though, I mostly used my laptop to navigate the platform. After signing in, the website brings you to a landing page where you can select what service you want to make an appointment for, and then it walks you through the steps of scheduling. This page wasn’t difficult to navigate, but if you’re not really paying attention, the way that it’s set up directs you to book an urgent care appointment, so you have to make sure to select “Behavioral Health” on the landing page, and then “Therapy” on the following page.
Since I have a very tightly packed calendar, I opted to search for an appointment based on my schedule. With this approach, I was still able to choose my own therapist, but my selection was limited to whoever had availability on the day I chose.
Appointment availabilityThere was at least one appointment time every day of the week for the upcoming month (including weekends), but appointments on weekdays after 6 p.m. seemed to be booked out for every provider for at least two weeks.
Appointment availability
There was at least one appointment time every day of the week for the upcoming month (including weekends), but appointments on weekdays after 6 p.m. seemed to be booked out for every provider for at least two weeks.
After finding a day and therapist that matched my needs, I had to verify that I was booking the appointment for myself (as opposed to a child), provide my phone number, and provide a credit card in order to hold the appointment. My card was not charged at the time of booking. After I scheduled, I received an email confirmation.
My Therapy Sessions at Amwell
In addition to my confirmation email, I also received a reminder email four days before my appointments and a reminder text one day before my appointments. I appreciated these reminders. I feel like two reminders is a good amount; any more than that it starts to feel like they’re clogging up my inbox. The reminders also told me I could log in as early as 15 minutes before the appointment, and that there was “setup” required before each session.
The first part of the setup was abasic depression screeningasking me to rate how often I experienced certain feelings in the last two weeks, such astrouble sleepingandloss of interestin things I enjoy. Next, I answered a few general intake questions about my diagnoses and/or medications I take, and then I had to do a computer test to make sure my video and audio were working.
Overall, my therapy sessions went well.
There were no technical difficulties with the video calls and I didn’t experience any freezing or sound cutting out. My therapist was very kind. She did a good job of asking engaging questions and then giving me as much time as I needed to answer and talk through my thoughts. I really appreciated that she didn’t offer me any obvious or generic advice.
Appointment durationMy appointments lasted around 40 minutes (even when she was late, I got a full 40 minutes) which is a little under theaverage 45-minute sessionAmwell advertises on its therapy website.
Appointment duration
My appointments lasted around 40 minutes (even when she was late, I got a full 40 minutes) which is a little under theaverage 45-minute sessionAmwell advertises on its therapy website.
However, I didn’t feel like she cut me off to end the sessions; the conversations just came to natural stopping points and I’d rather end on that than try to cram another question into five minutes for the sake of meeting requirements.
At the end of each session, my therapist gave me the option to have her schedule another appointment for me so that I didn’t have to go through the steps of doing it on my own. She wasn’t pushy about scheduling, and when I didn’t take her up on the offer after my last session, she was kind and professional.
How I Communicated Between Appointments
After each appointment, I received a visit summary in my account inbox that included notes on why I was seeking therapy, what we discussed, and my treatment plan and follow-up instructions.
Messaging providerIf there was a need to contact my provider between appointments for some reason, I was able to send her a message through my account’s message center, which works basically like an email.
Messaging provider
If there was a need to contact my provider between appointments for some reason, I was able to send her a message through my account’s message center, which works basically like an email.
This is a nice feature, but it’s important to note that while a lot of platforms promise patients a provider response within a certain number of hours, Amwell does not have a guaranteed response time, so it may be a few days before you hear back from your therapist (so messaging should not be used forcrisis situations). Many other platforms also offer options like asynchronous texting with a provider, and that is not an option with Amwell.
In the summer of 2024, we had a tester in New York try Amwell’s individual online therapy services for a month. This was her first-hand experience.
Amwell, however, offers five different behavioral therapies—one beingpostpartum. This seemed perfect for me, since I am 12+ months postpartum.
Signing Up for Amwell
To start with Amwell, you have to set up an account with your name, email address, and a password. Once you sign up, there is a confirmation email sent and then you are able to search for a provider.
The process of creating an account was fairly straightforward. It was frustrating because I was convinced my insurance should be listed, so I was checking the list multiple times over. (It wasn’t listed, nor was it magically appearing—wasted time and effort on my part.) I felt like it required multiple open browser windows to complete the sign-up process—more than necessary, in my opinion. Not an issue, just a bit of an annoyance. There were also several emails and text messages once I was in the system. I think it was three emails and two text messages before the appointment was booked. They definitely wanted to stay in communication with me.
There was no initial questionnaire to fill out. Once I logged in, it took me to a “pick the type of care you are looking for” selection page (urgent care, behavioral health, specialty care, hospital care, and healthy living). Once inside of “behavioral health,” I then could select between five options: therapy,psychiatry,adolescent therapy, menopause counseling, and pregnancy and postpartum therapy.
I selected the “pregnancy and postpartum therapy,” which took me to a results page with a “no appointments” message.
(At the end of this testing period, I checked again and had the same results. The full language is: “There are no appointments currently available with providers that match your search criteria. Please check back soon as appointment blocks with matching providers may be added.”)
This was frustrating since that’s what I was looking for. I tried a few more times, thinking, again, it was user error, but then I selected “therapy” and got actual provider results.
You are able to book an appointment using dates or providers as your filter.
By looking at the few providers listed (there were four options available, all women, and most showed postpartum as a field they work in), I could select someone who could offer postpartum care even though the search results didn’t work under that specialty.
The person I picked had an appointment within two days, so not a long wait at all.
There is an app that goes with the platform. It allows you to book your appointment and take the video call from there. It does not really offer anything extra or helpful, except a mobile way to schedule. If you wanted to make an appointment and only had your phone, the app is good for that.
My Therapy Sessions
For each session, Amwell asks you to log on 15 minutes early. I thought this was weird, but, indeed, there is a questionnaire that takes five to ten minutes to fill out each time. Those questions include where you are located, who is your emergency contact, general contact information and personal details about you, the main topic to discuss/why you are talking to a therapist, and then typical depression screening questions that load one at a time (which leads to it taking that much longer).
After the first session, I thought that the number of questions would go down, but it was the exact same each time. And for the first session, you cannot fill this out beforehand. So if your appointment is scheduled for 9:00 p.m., you are then asked to join at 8:45 p.m., which is not communicated when you schedule your appointment.
My first impressions of my therapist were good.
I was a little hesitant and skeptical of the whole process, but that was all me and had nothing to do with the therapist. She started with asking basic questions and wanting to get some baseline information. In the first appointment, she offered up some ideas for vitamins to take, books to read, andbreathing techniques, which were nice to have in the toolkit.
After these first suggestions, it was a more open discussion, which is what I would have expected from a therapy session.
About 30 minutes into our first call, though, she mentioned that there was a 40-minute limit (again, first mention of this) and that the call would automatically end at 40 minutes—no warning or anything. So it could happen in the middle of a thought, which is exactly what happened.
It was weird that it timed out like that and with no warning.
During the first session, I wish my therapist would have led the conversation more, asking more questions and getting me to open up—the first session is daunting and just allowing me to talk and guide the conversation, at times, was very awkward, and there were noticeable silences. After the first session, I would have liked more of that, too. I am guarded, so I need the “you mentioned this, maybe in very veiled terms, now tell me more.” I need the coaxing of information and this was much more going where I directed us. A few times, that was nice because I could avoid some topics, but I am there to talk so I wanted a bit more prodding and questioning.
There was no homework assigned really—a book was recommended, as well as one technique of how to approach a conversation, but not what I would say was homework. The conversation technique was helpful, but I think I would have appreciated more ideas like that.
My therapist was more than acceptable, nice, and good. Overall, I found the sessions helpful.
The timing wasn’t ideal (the need to log on 15 minutes early and the strict 40-minute window), but she was helpful and encouraging.
Availability at Amwell
When I was booking appointments, only night availability was offered—from 6:00 p.m. through to 9:00 p.m. for start times. At the end of the testing period, I was able to see appointments earlier in the day that were available from some of the providers, but not many.
You are only allowed to see someone licensed within your state. If I had been traveling, I would have had to talk to a different provider, which I thought was interesting. Each time you logged in for the appointment, you had to confirm your zip code/location.
The only option for care was a video call, which I found to be not helpful.
I realize that this might seem counter-productive, but I wanted to be able to walk around, talk, and maybe put in some laundry during my session. But since it was video, I had to be seated in front of my computer. This also made using my phone out of the question because I didn’t want to hold my phone for the full appointment with video on. Having it be video-only and after-hours was also tricky in terms of wanting to be “presentable” for the call but also wanting to be in comfy sweats because it was 9:00 p.m.
One other thing of note—the cancellation policy is 24 hours with a fee. There was one appointment that I was definitely sick for and wanted to not be there (nor talking nor awake), but I didn’t feel bad until that day so there was nothing I could do. My therapist offered to reschedule once I got on the call, but both of us had no understanding of how that would work and if I would actually get any money back, so I stayed on the call.
How I Felt About Amwell
I paid $109 out-of-pocket per therapy session, which I think is not unreasonable. However, the sessions were not a full hour—only 40 minutes, and one of them even got cut off early, after only 15 minutes. So, because of that, that price out-of-pocket feels a bit high for me. I would rather have a guaranteed time block, the ability to call back if something happens, and other benefits for that price for me to continue with online therapy.
I would not use this company again. While the therapy itself was good, the platform was not great, nor was it for me.
The customer service around it—the logging in 15 minutes early to fill out the questionnaire each time, the fact that the call dropped once and we couldn’t reconnect, that the calls always end without warning after 40 minutes—these are all reasons for me not to use Amwell as a provider or platform.
Compared to my previous experience with online therapy, Amwell was worse than BetterHelp, for lots of reasons: I lacked the ability to do a phone call only, the hours for appointments were less flexible, there was a time limit and hard stop at 40 minutes, and the selection of providers to speak with was limited.
I think Amwell is best for after-hours counseling and for people who don’t want to talk long—after-hours because those were the main times providers had available and the not talking long due to the 40-minute limit. This service is not for someone who is not comfortable with video calls and the tech that comes with a video call.
We tested Amwell’s individual, couples, and kids/teens therapy services seven other times, in New York, Mississippi, California, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida, and unfortunately, many of those experiences were not as positive. However, our couples and teen counseling sessions stood out in a good way.
Our therapists were talented at balancing their attention between the both of us, and we felt as though they were able to really hone in on the specific challenges we were bringing up in therapy, offering tangible advice and making us feel understood.
Our therapists were attentive and kind, and we left our sessions feeling as though our providers had asked thoughtful questions and led us through the answers in a patient and objective way.
Our teen had a similarly great experience with Amwell. We signed him up for therapy to help with his disorganization (he is a teenage boy, after all) and anxiety, and his therapist provided simple and actionable approaches to help him across all his challenges. She suggested he use a calendaring system to mitigate the disorganization, which he was able to implement quickly and easily—we noticed a change right away. In addition, she helped him identify his anxiety triggers and taught him some useful breathing and grounding exercises that he could use when he was stressed. He told us that these techniques were helpful, and he is still actively working on analzying the events that lead to his stress and anxiety using the approaches he learned from his therapist.
We also sought therapy for our 11-year-old son, and things started off great. Our therapist was able to quickly develop a rapport with our son—he was animated and asked questions about our kid’s likes and dislikes that immediately put him at ease. However, we ran into technical problems with our second session. In the middle of answering the follow-up questions leading to our appointment, our browser suddenly quit; when we logged back in, not only was the link gone but the portal was saying that our session had already happened. We called customer support, who told us that our only recourse was to request a refund for the session and reschedule. This left us upset, especially because our son was looking forward to this appointment.
Technical issues abounded in our individual therapy sessions as well.
In one case, we scheduled multiple appointments but never received a way of signing into the session or contacting our therapist; our sessions were canceled and rescheduled over and over, even after switching providers multiple times. When we did manage to connect with a therapist, we told her that we were seeking coaching services regarding an impending career decision that we wanted to discuss. To her credit, this therapist told us immediately that she could not provide those services, and told us that if we quit the session right then, we would not be charged for it (and we weren’t). However, this left us disillusioned with Amwell.
Another therapist we tried for individual counseling wasn’t exactly the right fit, but through no fault of her own—there was nothing she did that was unethical or negative, we simply didn’t click. But one of the best things about Amwell is how easy it is to switch therapists. Because we could choose our own providers, we could just go back to the list of clinicians in our area and choose someone new.
Switching Providers
I think it’s important to acknowledge that the only way therapy is effective, regardless of the platform you use or if you meet with your therapist in person, is if you are able to work witha provider you connect with. We all have different personalities, and sometimes a patient and therapist just don’t click. In this case, the patient should feel encouraged and empowered to meet with a new provider to (hopefully) feel more comfortable and get the treatment they need.
Amwell makes switching therapists incredibly easy.
While I didn’t end up switching therapists, if I had wanted to, all I would have needed to do was not rebook with the one I was working with and then go through the process of scheduling a new appointment and just select a different provider. Quick and easy.
The ease of switching providers with Amwell is something that I think sets the platform apart from a lot of competitors. Many other online therapy companies require patients to contact a customer service representative, put in a special request, or go through the process of re-matching with a therapist, which often takes time and can delay finding effective treatment.
Canceled or Missed AppointmentsIf you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours' notice, you may be charged a $40 cancellation fee. What I found frustrating about this is that I could not find this policy anywhere on the website, such as on the therapy homepage or in the FAQ section. The only reason I discovered it is because it showed up on one of the windows during the appointment scheduling process. This policy also isn’t included in the confirmation email or reminder emails, so it’s very easy to miss.
Canceled or Missed Appointments
If you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours' notice, you may be charged a $40 cancellation fee. What I found frustrating about this is that I could not find this policy anywhere on the website, such as on the therapy homepage or in the FAQ section. The only reason I discovered it is because it showed up on one of the windows during the appointment scheduling process. This policy also isn’t included in the confirmation email or reminder emails, so it’s very easy to miss.
Pros and Cons
ProsNo monthly membership (pay per session)Option to pay with or without insuranceGood appointment availabilityFreedom to choose your own providerSwitching therapists is very easyConsPre-session questionnaire and computer tests require extra time before each sessionNo guaranteed message response time$40 cancellation fee for less than 24-hour notice or no-show
ProsNo monthly membership (pay per session)Option to pay with or without insuranceGood appointment availabilityFreedom to choose your own providerSwitching therapists is very easy
No monthly membership (pay per session)
Option to pay with or without insurance
Good appointment availability
Freedom to choose your own provider
Switching therapists is very easy
ConsPre-session questionnaire and computer tests require extra time before each sessionNo guaranteed message response time$40 cancellation fee for less than 24-hour notice or no-show
Pre-session questionnaire and computer tests require extra time before each session
No guaranteed message response time
$40 cancellation fee for less than 24-hour notice or no-show
Finding effective online therapy is very personal because what works for one person may not be ideal for another. I loved that I was able to choose my own therapist and that the therapist ended up being a good personality match, that I didn’t have to sign up for a membership or pre-pay for appointments, and that I wasn’t bombarded with reminders or marketing emails from Amwell. I think the 45-minute sessions are sufficient and I really appreciated how many appointments were available throughout the day, evening, and weekends.
For me, Amwell is a great fit because it meets my needs.
I was fortunate to find a therapist I liked on my first try, but if I hadn’t, I think there were enough providers to choose from that I would have eventually found one who was a good fit. However, I was looking for a pretty generic talk therapy, so if I were seeking a provider for something more specific I’m not sure that my odds of finding a good match would be very high with the number of providers I had to choose from. Similarly, I think Amwell’s search tool needs to be improved to make it easier to filter out providers for things other thanbinary gender.
Amwell User Survey ResultsWe surveyed 100 Amwell current and past users about their experience using online therapy at this company, and overall, the results aligned with my experience:99% reported having an overall positive experience, rating the company as good, very good, or excellent98% of users felt like their therapist met most or all of their needs95% said they were either likely or very likely to recommend Amwell to a friend100% felt that their therapist’s qualifications were good, very good, or excellent98% thought the company’s value for the money was good, very good, or excellent
Amwell User Survey Results
We surveyed 100 Amwell current and past users about their experience using online therapy at this company, and overall, the results aligned with my experience:99% reported having an overall positive experience, rating the company as good, very good, or excellent98% of users felt like their therapist met most or all of their needs95% said they were either likely or very likely to recommend Amwell to a friend100% felt that their therapist’s qualifications were good, very good, or excellent98% thought the company’s value for the money was good, very good, or excellent
We surveyed 100 Amwell current and past users about their experience using online therapy at this company, and overall, the results aligned with my experience:
Based on my experience, I think Amwell is a great platform for someone who is seeking traditional therapy treatment and who doesn’t want to commit to a membership. I think anyone could benefit from the services Amwell offers, and it’s an especially good option for patients who want to use insurance to help cover the cost of sessions.
8 Best Online Therapy Platforms That Take Insurance
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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