Apps and online care
Supportiv vs Brightside Health
They differ on 8 of 10 things we check. No winner here: the better one is the one that fits what you need and how you'd pay.
Supportiv
You type what is on your mind and are matched within minutes to a small anonymous chat with others going through something similar, kept on track by a trained moderator.
Brightside Health
You complete an online assessment, then see a prescriber by video once a month, a therapist weekly, or both, and message your care team in between.
Where they differ
- Kind of help
- Supportiv: Peer support or coaching
- Brightside Health: A therapist, Medication
- Good for
- Supportiv: People who want to talk to someone right now, anonymously, without signing up; People feeling isolated with a specific struggle (caregiving, grief, stress, loneliness)
- Brightside Health: Adults with depression or anxiety who want medication management by video; People who want therapy and psychiatry from the same service
- Cost
- Supportiv: $24 for a 24-hour pass, or free through some employers and health plans
- Brightside Health: Copay with insurance; $95/month psychiatry or $299/month therapy self-pay
- How you pay
- Supportiv: I'll pay myself
- Brightside Health: Insurance
- Where
- Supportiv: Web
- Brightside Health: iPhone, Android, Web
- Research
- Supportiv: Limited research
- Brightside Health: Some research support
- Privacy
- Supportiv: Grade B
- Brightside Health: Grade C
- HIPAA
- Supportiv: Not stated
- Brightside Health: Yes
The same for both: probably not for (anyone in crisis: call or text 988), sells your data (no).
In crisis or thinking about suicide? In the US, call or text 988. This page is information from our reviews, not medical advice.