- We spent more than 10,000 hours researching over 70 online mental health platforms, and our testers signed up for the 20 most popular platforms to bring you our top picks.
- Our testers used each platform for at least four weeks, focusing on the sign-up process, therapist selection, therapy session quality, and customer service interactions.
- We surveyed over 2,000 online therapy users, held focus group interviews with both users and therapists, and consulted over 60 mental health experts.
- We interview licensed therapists and board-certified psychiatrists to understand best practices in mental health care and how platforms may support (or not support) their users’ mental health effectively.
- Our pages are updated regularly to reflect our ongoing testing of new online mental health platforms like Hers and to update pricing and service information.
- Learn more about how we tested Hers
Key takeaways
- Like Hims, Hers is not a good option for anyone new to psychiatric care, especially if they’re new to medication therapy or haven’t had a live session (in-person or virtual) with a psychiatrist before.
- None of our testers in three states were contacted for a live session with a prescriber before being prescribed their medication.
- Hers mental health offers prescriber assessments, a prescriber messaging portal, select medications, and medication delivery.
- Subscriptions range from $29–$49 per month, and the platform doesn’t take any form of insurance.
- Alternatives to Hers mental health include Brightside Health, Talkspace, and Sesame Care.
Online mental health care can offer a lifeline to many who need support, especially those who belong to rural and at-risk populations. Hers, a women’s telehealth platform, provides mental health services that we researched and tested in detail. Our testing results reveal some concerning aspects of Hers that we think our readers should know. In this review, we delve into the specifics of Hers’ mental health services, highlighting the areas where it falls short.
Alternative to Hers mental health
Hers highlights
Our experience with Hers
Similar to our experience with Hims, we found that Hers has limited mental health support. It doesn’t offer online therapy, including online cognitive behavioral therapy. Its online psychiatric care consists of a messaging portal and eight mental health prescription medications to choose from. Our testers weren’t asked to schedule a live session with a provider before they were prescribed medication.
If you’re looking to begin medication treatment or change your current dose, it’s important to know that medications can have adverse effects for some people. Antidepressants, for example, can have serious side effects for some people and even make their depression worse.
Most antidepressants come with a warning about the risk of suicidal ideation in those under age 25, which makes scheduled follow-up care essential. And as one of our medical experts explained to us, antidepressants can sometimes unmask an underlying bipolar disorder, triggering a manic episode.
This platform may not be a safe option for anyone who is new to psychiatric care or medication therapy, as other online psychiatry options can offer more opportunities to interact consistently with a provider of your choice.
Alternatives to Hers
Hers doesn’t offer online therapy sessions on its platform. For alternative online therapy options, check out our review of the best online therapy platforms.
For online psychiatry, Brightside Health is our pick for best overall provider because users can use their insurance benefits if they’re in-network with the provider, request video consultations, and message their providers anytime.
Read more about other options for online psychiatry in our review of the best online psychiatry platforms.
Who should use Hers: If you haven’t changed your current medication or dosage, don’t have new symptoms, and regularly see a primary care or psychiatry provider, Hers can be a convenient way to receive medication delivery—if your medication is one of the eight they dispense.
Who shouldn’t use Hers: If you’re new to psychiatric care, don’t have a diagnosis yet, have an underlying condition, had complicated prior treatment, want to change your medication or dosage, or wish to start medication therapy, you may want to seek a live, face-to-face evaluation. This can be done in-person or virtually (online) to ensure you receive a comprehensive workup and treatment plan. Hers doesn’t offer many treatment options outside of anxiety and depression-related concerns. For example, people with substance abuse may not be adequately supported through Hers, as they don’t offer online addiction counseling.
In a mental health emergency
Online psychiatry providers 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, it is an emergency and it cannot wait for an online therapist’s response. Don’t wait. You can find help immediately by:
- Calling 911
- Visiting your local urgent care or emergency room
- Calling or texting 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Chatting online at 988lifeline.org
- Calling the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline at 800-662-4357 or texting 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.
What is Hers?
Hers is a telehealth platform geared toward supporting women’s health. It offers online access to prescribers, and subscriptions for prescription and non-prescription treatments for weight loss, mental health, hair regrowth, sexual health, and skin health. It also sells non-prescription supplements for gut health, sexual wellness, mental wellness, and hair health. The platform shares the same parent company as Hims, a telehealth platform supporting men’s health.
How does Hers mental health work?
Hers mental health offers subscriptions that cover mental health assessments, messaging with prescribers, medications, and medication delivery. Subscriptions are available for three, six, and 12 months. Hers offers eight types of medications commonly prescribed for anxiety and depression:
- Bupropion XL (Wellbutrin XL).
- Buspirone HCl (Buspar).
- Citalopram (Celexa).
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta).
- Escitalopram (Lexapro).
- Fluoxetine (Prozac).
- Sertraline (Zoloft).
- Venlafaxine (Effexor).
Prescribers on Hers don’t offer other treatments, and they don’t prescribe controlled substances, which can be a problem for those seeking treatment for conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For example, stimulant medications such as methylphenidate (Concerta) for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cannot be prescribed through the platform. Hers also doesn’t offer online therapy for ADHD. Similarly, Hers warns that people who are primarily struggling with substance abuse should seek in-person care.
Our testers in three different states tried Hers and Hims to sample what a typical user might experience on the platform. They all received a prescription within minutes of submitting their online assessment, and as a result didn’t feel comfortable with the lack of a live consultation to discuss their mental health assessment.
Our Handbook team medical advisory board emphasizes the importance of live assessments for anyone requiring psychiatric care to thoroughly examine how someone presents themselves, thought patterns they express, their mannerisms, and more. The psychiatrists we consulted also cautioned that treating a patient based on one initial intake form could be dangerous.
From one of our Hers testers
“I think having that human connection is important. Getting a mood-changing drug without meeting a physician is a bit concerning, especially because the prescription is approved within seconds. The approval seems automatic and impersonal.”
As of June 2024, online mental health care isn’t available to Hers users in Alaska and Arkansas. This means that although Hers claims to have prescribers in all 50 states, it doesn’t offer mental health support for all states.
How to sign up for Hers mental health
Here are the steps our testers went through to sign up for a Hers mental health subscription:
- Select Mental Health from the menu options and click Get Started.
- Fill out the health assessment that asks about your main mental health concerns.
- Hers asks you to create an account and verify your identity by asking for information like your address, social security number (SSN), a photo of your ID, and a photo of yourself.
- Enter your payment information (credit card only) and choose a subscription option.
- A provider on Hers will assess your responses and prescribe treatment as necessary..
How to match with an online psychiatry provider
Users on Hers don’t get to choose an online provider. Once you submit your assessment, it will be reviewed by a provider, who will then prescribe a treatment. On the messaging portal, users aren’t guaranteed to connect with their original prescriber. Rather, an available provider will review their concern and provide guidance.
Simon Faynboym, psychiatrist and medical director at Neuro Wellness Spa in Long Beach, California, highlights the drawback of online psychiatry platforms like Hers that don’t guarantee contact with the same provider: “Patients may get different providers at different virtual visits, decreasing the chance for rapport,” which is the trusting relationship built between a patient and provider.
Faynboym supports providers who can offer the option of an in-person assessment when necessary, such as mental health providers in private or group practices.
Provider messaging on Hers mental health
Hers users can message providers through a messaging portal on the platform. The portal can be used to connect with a prescriber about medication or treatment questions and to update your medical information. The messaging portal is not a live chat, so users will have to wait for an available provider to review their concerns before receiving a response.
Hers medication delivery
Delivery is estimated to take between two to five business days. Our testers were surprised when the orders they made on Thursday and Friday were received the following Monday. However, delivery times will depend on your location. A Hers user we interviewed mentioned waiting a week in between deliveries of a new medication or a new dosage of their medication. Having to wait for medication delivery can make treatment adjustments less seamless compared to picking up a prescription at a local pharmacy.
From our research and testing, we learned that users can request that their prescriptions be sent to their local pharmacy through the Hers messaging portal. There’s no extra charge, but users who choose to fill their Hers prescriptions at a pharmacy will have to cover the cost of the medication and any applicable delivery fees charged by the pharmacy.
Additional features
Along with their medication subscription, our Hers tester was given access to videos that provided information to support the various health concerns Hers addresses. Our tester noted that related mental health video programs include:
- A mindfulness program: A series of nine videos and slides that cover topics like guided online meditations and mindfulness.
- A sleep program: A series of six videos and slides that cover topics like sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and techniques to quiet your mind.
Our tester also noted that another helpful feature of the Hers app is a treatment reminder. Users can set notifications to take their medication at the same time every day so they won’t forget.
What other users are saying
In our June 2024 survey of 600 online psychiatry users, 1 in 3 (33 percent) respondents said they chose online psychiatry because it was easier to manage their medications virtually than in person. A Hers user we interviewed says that it was difficult to talk to a provider with questions about adjustments to their treatment.
In the same survey, 75 percent of respondents reported attending a video or phone visit before receiving their prescription—a stark difference from the experiences of our testers. Since live consultations may not be offered to all users, subscribers on Hers may not get the interaction typically expected from online psychiatry services.
How much does Hers cost?
Hers mental health subscriptions cost between $29–$49 per month, depending on the billing cycle you choose:
- $49 monthly for a three-month subscription, paid as $147 every 90 days ($588 a year).
- $39 monthly for a six-month subscription, paid as $234 every 180 days ($468 a year).
- $29 monthly for a 12-month subscription, paid as $348 annually.
All mental health medications on the platform cost the same, and users who are new to the platform won’t be charged unless they’re prescribed one of the eight medications available on Hers.
Compared to Brightside’s psychiatry plan, which costs $95 per month, a $49 monthly Hers mental health subscription is much more affordable—almost half the cost. However, Hers doesn’t offer live consultations with its prescribers, and for the medication cost alone it is still more affordable to fill your prescription at a local or online pharmacy than it is to pay $49 a month for a Hers subscription.
Out-of-pocket costs without insurance for a medication like sertraline (generic Zoloft) can cost about $6 for a 30-day supply. This is more than eight times less expensive than getting that same medication through Hers. Common mental health medications like sertraline and duloxetine can also be free with insurance coverage, depending on the plan you have.
Is Hers covered by insurance?
Hers is not covered by insurance, and the platform advises that it doesn’t provide receipts for out-of-network reimbursement, either. In addition, users cannot use funds from their health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for the fees.
For online mental health options that take insurance, read our recommendations for the best online therapy that takes insurance.
How to save money on Hers
Users who choose an annual subscription can save $120 compared to the six-month subscription and $240 compared to the three-month subscription. Hers doesn’t offer discounts for students or seniors.
Our experience with Hers customer service
You can only contact Hers customer service through a contact form on the Hims support site. Through testing we found that Hers users can also email customer service ([email protected]) or call 800-368-0038 for its support line. Though the platform says it has 24/7 support, our testers’ queries were answered within one to three business days, and we still had to email back and forth to get the answer we were looking for.
Our Hers testing experience
Our Handbook Team testers continually consult with online therapy users and experts to better understand the user experience and mental health as a whole. We spend thousands of hours researching and testing online therapy platforms in-depth to give our readers an inside look at how these platforms can support mental health.
We had a team of testers research and test Hims and Hers. Our testers went through the process of signing up for the service, seeing whether they would be prescribed medication, and timing how long it took the company to ship and deliver their medication. We tested the platforms’ messaging portal to communicate with prescribers, clarify treatment questions, and contact customer service via email. Finally, we compared payment plans on Hers to other online psychiatry options, and medication costs from Hers versus insurance or out-of-pocket costs.
Fill out the intake assessment.
Subscribe as a new user.
Get matched with a prescriber.
Communicate with prescriber through messaging portal.
Receive medication and note dosage instructions.
Contact customer support with questions.
Explore platform features such as treatment guides and extra resources.
Compare Hers to other online psychiatry platforms
Compared to other top online psychiatry platforms we’ve researched and tested, we found Hers has limited offerings for people seeking mental health care online.
Hers mental health offers the same eight mental health medication treatment subscriptions as Hims, a platform specialized in men’s health. Read our full Hims mental health review.
Unlike Brightside, which also has a subscription-based platform for online psychiatry, users on Hers have the option for delivery of medications covered by the subscription. However, users on Brightside can request live consultations with their providers, whereas users on Hers may not have this option. Rather, users on Hers message their providers for any questions or adjustments to their treatment. Learn more about Brightside Health in our comprehensive Brightside review.
For those who prefer a pay-per-session model for online psychiatry sessions, Talkspace and Sesame are worth considering. Talkspace takes insurance and offers a bundle that includes a 60-minute initial evaluation with 30-minute follow-up visits. For more on Talkspace’s online psychiatry and therapy, read our full Talkspace review.
Sesame doesn’t take insurance, but users can choose their providers and see the upfront cost per session before booking, which are typically more expensive than a Hers monthly subscription. It offers some medications through its medication delivery service, called SesameRx, which can cost as low as $2 for a 30-day supply, depending on your medication. Read our Sesame review for more information about its online psychiatry and medication delivery.
| Monthly cost for online therapy* | – | – | $299 | $276–$436 | Varies by provider |
| Monthly cost for online psychiatry | $49† | $49† | $95–$349 | $299 for initial online psychiatric evaluation; $175 for follow-up online psychiatry sessions | Varies by provider |
| Cost of medication included? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Insurance accepted? | No | No | Yes, including Medicare and Medicaid in some states | Yes, including Medicare in some states | No |
| Standout feature | Messaging anytime | Messaging anytime | Self-care lessons | Bundled psychiatry packages | Select $2 prescription medications |
| Services | Medication management and delivery | Medication management and delivery | Individual therapy; Psychiatry | Individual adult and teen therapy; Couples therapy; Psychiatry | Individual therapy; Couples therapy; Family therapy; Psychiatry |
* Cost for four live online therapy sessions a month without using insurance.
† Charged as $147 every 90 days.
Our final verdict
While the Handbook team thinks Hers may be a good platform for those seeking assistance in some areas, like hair loss, you may want to look elsewhere for mental health treatment. Users typically interface with prescribers through a messaging portal, but they’re not guaranteed to connect with a provider they can build an exclusive provider-patient relationship with. In contrast, options like the best online group therapy platforms can provide the type of human connection that’s important for mental health.
Those who have been stable on one of the medications Hers offers may find its medication management and delivery to be convenient. But this service is unlikely to be a good fit for people who are dealing with more than anxiety and depression symptoms, have never been evaluated by a mental health professional, or have never used the medications they are requesting, since some medications can have serious adverse effects.
Our mental health experts recommend instead getting a full psychiatric evaluation in person or via a live video consultation on another platform.
Frequently asked questions
Hers is $49 monthly, paid as $147 every 90 days. If you choose the six-month subscription, Hers costs $234 every 180 days, which is equal to $39 per month. Similarly, an annual subscription to Hers costs $348, which is equal to $29 per month.
Hers has licensed providers in all 50 states and Washington, DC., though as of July 2024, online mental health care isn’t available to Hers users in Alaska and Arkansas.
Hers offers the following medication treatment options for anxiety: escitalopram (generic Lexapro), sertraline (generic Zoloft), bupropion XL (generic Wellbutrin XL), fluoxetine, (generic Prozac), buspirone HCl (generic Buspar), citalopram (generic Celexa), venlafaxine (generic Effexor), and duloxetine (generic Cymbalta).
- Palmer, C.S., Brown Levey, S.M., Kostiuk, M., Zisner, A.R., Woodward Tolle, L., Richey, R.M., & Callan, S. (2022, December). Virtual care for behavioral health conditions. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 49(4): 641–657. Link