Lyra vs BetterHelp: 12 Session Limit vs Ongoing Therapy

With online therapy platforms popping up left and right, knowing which you can trust is challenging.

BetterHelp and Lyra have emerged as two trusted platforms. Both impress with their highly vetted counselors, quick account setup, and flexible session options.

While both platforms are helpful, neither is perfect for everyone. Control emerges as the differentiator when comparing BetterHelp and Lyra.

While BetterHelp allows you to pave your own path by cultivating a therapy experience which can connect you with one of 30,000 professionals, Lyra locks users into the constraints of an employer-designed plan with limited therapy sessions.

Overall Best: BetterHelp is our recommended online therapy provider because there is no limit to how long you can keep attending therapy sessions, while Lyra users are typically "cut off" from visits covered by the employer after 12 to 15 sessions.

To get started with BetterHelp, click here to fill in their brief questionnaire.

Discussing Psychology readers get 15% off their first month with BetterHelp.

BetterHelp vs. Lyra: How do they compare?

BetterHelp offers a predictable subscription model that makes squeezing the marrow out of what you’re paying each month easy.

The significant difference between BetterHelp and Lyra is that BetterHelp members aren’t limited by the number of weeks they can do therapy.

That means your therapy process ends when you decide you’ve gotten what you want out of the therapy rather than ends when your allotment of sessions is reached, like it does with Lyra.

Features	BetterHelp	Lyra
Cost of Online Therapy	From $65 to $90 per week, billed every four weeks.	Free for EAP members
Services Offered	Individual talk therapy. Group webinars are also available.	Individual therapy, family therapy, child therapy, mental health coaching, medication management, and care coordination
Average Customer Reviews	4.8 out of 5	4.5 to 4.8 out of 5
Communication Method	Live chat, video and/or audio sessions. Members can message their therapist anytime	In-person, live video, and live messaging
Insurance Accepted	No	Employers fund Lyra. Insurance may be accepted once employees meet the 12-session limit
Payment Method	Credit card or Paypal	The employer pays (EAP)
Provider Website	Click here to visit BetterHelp	Click here to visit Lyra

BetterHelp Online Therapy

First, take a vast network of vetted, credentialed therapists and then factor in easy access to ongoing therapy sessions as required.

This is just a sliver of what makes BetterHelp a platform that sets the bar for online therapy.

BetterHelp’s therapist network allows you to connect with one of 30,000 licensed mental health providers virtually. The platform does an incredible job of reducing the stress of finding a therapist with a simple sign up questionnaire.

Based on treatment preferences, location, and other core points, the BetterHelp algorithm does its magic and connects people with therapists automatically.

If you end up with a therapist who doesn’t feel like a great fit, you can request to change.

Moreover, BetterHelp clients can choose live-chat, phone, or video appointments.

Online therapy prices starting at $65 per week. Cancel anytime.

Lyra Online Therapy

Lyra is an employer-sponsored tool used by corporations and businesses seeking online mental health resources for employees.

Corporations like eBay, Zoom, Morgan Stanley, and hundreds of others have used Lyra. It is an intriguing option for someone looking for a mix of classic and self-guided therapy resources.

Lyra allows you to integrate CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) and behavioral coaching.

The platform also allows clients to bring the online experience to the real world by meeting with a therapist in person.

While Lyra is an employer-sponsored resource, Lyra is committed to keeping member interactions confidential.

BetterHelp vs. Lyra: Pricing

BetterHelp

BetterHelp uses a subscription model. While getting an exact quote without going through the enrollment process is tough, BetterHelp subscriptions typically range from US$260 to US$360, billed every four weeks.

This means the cost works out to be about US$65 to US$90 per week.

You will be billed automatically with renewals until you cancel your membership, so you can simply focus on the therapeutic process without discussing billing with your therapist.

When you enroll, the exact BetterHelp fees you are charged will depend on your location, therapist availability, and selected preferences.

Keep in mind that you are free to cancel at any time.

A full-service subscription package with BetterHelp includes:

• Weekly live sessions
• In-app resources and worksheets
• Your own online digital journal
• Members can also message their therapist anytime

Members can participate in therapy sessions up to four times each four-week cycle.

Lyra

All services are free for people enrolled with Lyra Health through an employer.

However, Lyra does cap the number of sessions covered. Most plans are limited to 12 sessions per year.

Once the cap is reached, employees are responsible for copay or coinsurance costs, which is a recurring theme we’ve found when comparing other EAP therapy providers with BetterHelp.

Services Provided

It’s helpful to get into the “who” before getting into the “what” when comparing the two services.

BetterHelp

Couples and teen counseling are not available directly through BetterHelp.

Instead, these are handled through their sister brands called ReGain and Teen Counseling.

Please note: To support the operation of this website, we are an affiliate with Regain and Teen Counseling. If you purchase products or services through the links provided, we may receive commission at no extra cost to you.

The therapeutic modes offered through BetterHelp include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness therapy
• Emotionally focused therapy (EFT)
• Solution-focused therapy
• Trauma-focused therapy
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Motivational interviewing
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Client-centered therapy
• Psychodynamic therapy
• Much more.

It’s important to emphasize that BetterHelp does not offer access to medical doctors capable of making a diagnosis or prescribing medication but offers access to therapists providing specialty services.

The services focus on, but are not limited to:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Relationship
• LGBTQ+
• Trauma
• Anger management
• Stress
• Addiction
• Eating
• Family conflict
• Grief
• Sleep
• Career
• Life changes
• Intimacy issues
• Much more

Lyra

Lyra takes a different route to BetterHelp, by offering access to therapists, mental health coaches, and physicians.

As a result, the platform can provide therapy, diagnose psychiatric conditions, and prescribe medication.

Lyra’s coordinated approach to care can be facilitated by any of the following:

• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Social workers
• Coaches
• Licensed professional counselors
• Nurse practitioners
• And more

There’s no denying that Lyra outshines BetterHelp when it comes to providing access to a coordinated team of providers capable of addressing complex needs.

Of course, the lack of control over how much access you have until you feel that your process is complete is a significant downside.

Similar to BetterHelp, Lyra’s therapeutic offerings include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP)
• Internal family systems (IFS)
• Biofeedback
• Much more.

Conditions treated by Lyra’s professionals include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Infertility concerns
• Adoption and foster care
• Sex addiction
• And much more.

In addition to individual therapy, couples, teen, and child therapy are included.

Lyra members’ medication management is overseen by mental health physicians capable of prescribing evidence-based medications, tracking symptoms and side effects, and providing on-demand messaging to discuss medication-related concerns.

Click here to get started with Lyra.

Matching with your therapist: Lyra vs BetterHelp

Therapy Details	BetterHelp	Lyra
Psychiatric services available?	No	Yes
Can you choose the therapist you match with?	Choose your therapist after your initial match	Yes
Time taken to match with your therapist	Can be matched within 48 hours	Matched within minutes of submitting application
Are therapists licensed?	Yes	Yes
Frequency and duration of therapy sessions	One session per week. Sessions are 30 or 45 minutes.	The frequency of sessions varies, but there is typically a 12-session limit. After that, employees must pay. Sessions are typically 30 minutes long.

BetterHelp

Once you sign up with BetterHelp, you can be matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

However, remember that BetterHelp is clear that matching can take longer if you’ve specified that you need specific expertise or qualifications. Availability can also delay the process.

Once a match is made, a BetterHelp member can immediately begin chatting with their therapist.

BetterHelp also allows you to change your therapist at any time.

The platform is highly discerning about its counselors.

To meet BetterHelp’s qualification requirements, all counselors must have a master’s or doctorate paired with at least three years and 1,000 hours of experience as mental health professionals.

Online therapy prices starting at $65 per week. Cancel anytime.

Lyra

With Lyra, you can sign up for an appointment with a therapist within minutes of submitting your questionnaire.

Lyra is slightly less transparent about the qualifications it uses to vet providers.

However, the platform shares that it only invites what it refers to as “superior clinicians” to join the Lyra network.

The acceptance rate for professionals who apply to work on the platform is just 5%.

Just like BetterUp, all Lyra coaches admitted to the Lyra platform attended International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited programs before completing four months of specialized work with Lyra clinicians.

Lyra shares that its network employs providers who practice proven treatments. The platform also verifies that each provider offers verified availability near members’ lives and work.

BetterHelp vs. Lyra: Account Setup and Communication

Undoubtedly, BetterHelp and Lyra have taken the trepidation out of seeking mental health resources by designing accessible, intuitive enrollment processes.

It can take just minutes to sign up for either.

A key difference is that you’ll need to submit payment information when signing up for BetterHelp.

Once enrolled, BetterHelp members must wait to be matched with a therapist. After your match you can schedule your first session with your therapist.

With Lyra, new users create their accounts through an employer portal.

After completing a brief wellness questionnaire on Lyra, members can be matched with wellness experts immediately to book appointments as early as the next day.

BetterHelp vs Lyra: Reviews

BetterHelp Apple App Store and Lyra Apple App Store demonstrate that both services consistently enjoy reviews near the five-star range.

This sentiment carries over to practically every other review space, which is very impressive.

However, when looking closely at Lyra reviews, one theme pops up repeatedly: Some reviewers were distressed that their allotted sessions would dry up after 12 visits.

They saw this as having to “start over” with a new therapist after making progress, which can be seen as a significant downside to the Lyra therapy model.

Resources

BetterHelp’s app is a portal for messaging, chat sessions, live audio sessions, and live video sessions.

With BetterHelp there are a variety of resources, worksheets and even an online journal where you can work with your thoughts.

However, the platform resources themselves aren’t necessarily a one-stop shop for mental health.

Regarding resources, this is an area where Lyra is stronger than BetterHelp.

Lyra’s app offers video lessons to learn new skills, digital wellness activities, and meditations to reinforce new strategies and behaviors.

Lyra’s Guided Self-Care program provides many resources that allow a member to make changes at a self-determined pace using a tailored, resource-rich curriculum designed by a coach following a consultation.

Based on the type of therapeutic experience you’re seeking, it’s very likely that “homework assignments” and worksheets can be provided by your counselor on both platforms.

Final Verdict

While both BetterHelp and Lyra represent exciting innovations for mental health, BetterHelp simply does a better job of putting it all together to create an impactful platform that doesn’t stifle users’ pursuit of better mental health with limitations.

BetterHelp’s huge network of more than 30,000 licensed and vetted therapists makes it possible to find your best fit.

With over 3 million users, BetterHelp constantly innovates its services to cater to and benefit various mental health needs.

For many people, what makes BetterHelp the better choice is the freedom to work with a counselor for as long as they feel necessary. Lyra users are typically "cut off" from visits covered by the employer after 12 to 15 sessions.

While BetterHelp sessions are limited to one per week for every four-week billing cycle, there’s no limit to how long you can stay in therapy.

The absence of a limit is essential for avoiding the fear that support will be snatched away from you.

For this reason, we chose BetterHelp as our recommended online therapy platform.

To match with a therapist at BetterHelp, fill in this brief questionnaire.

Online therapy prices starting at $65 per week. Cancel anytime.

FAQ

Which Insurance Does Lyra Accept?

Lyra services are considered EAP services that don’t require insurance coverage.

However, if you wish to continue with Lyra after reaching the allotted session threshold provided by your employer, many insurance providers may cover some portion.

Which Insurance Does BetterHelp Accept?

BetterHelp does not accept insurance.

Can You Get a Free Trial for BetterHelp and Lyra?

No, BetterHelp and Lyra do not offer free trials. However, Discussing Psychology readers are able to claim a 15% discount on their first month with BetterHelp.

Can You Cancel Your Subscription?

BetterHelp allows you to cancel your subscription at any time.

However, you must cancel your membership before the next auto-renewal to avoid being charged for the next billing cycle.

Because Lyra is an EAP, there’s no need to cancel. You can simply choose not to use the service.

However, session cancellation can be an issue. While Lyra sessions are free, your employer may have a cancellation policy that requires you to reimburse them if you miss a scheduled session.

What Customer Support Is Offered?

Both BetterHelp and Lyra offer customer support outside your routine correspondence with your mental health team.

Members of both platforms can easily seek help and support via email.

How We Select Products

Product reviews, comparisons and write-ups are based on personal testing experience, customer review analysis and/or product research.

All product review information is liable to our product review process.

For Emergencies

In the case of an emergency, online therapy is not suitable. If you are at risk of self-harm or require emergency mental health assistance, contact your country/states emergency or suicide hotline.

If you are in the US, your emergency line is: 911. US Suicide Hotline: 988.

For an international list of suicide hotline numbers, visit this link here.