Comparison

Talkspace vs NOCD

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Talkspace

Access licensed therapists for online mental health support through text, audio, and video messaging. Receive personalized support and custom podcasts to aid your mental wellness journey. Insurance and employer coverage options are available.

Highlights
  • Licensed therapist matching
  • Unlimited messaging (text, audio, video)
  • Daily responses from therapists
  • Personalized Talkcast podcasts
  • Insurance and employer coverage
  • HIPAA compliant security
Features
Read full description

Talkspace is an online therapy app that connects adults and teens (13+) with licensed therapists in their state for text, audio, and video therapy — covered by many U.S. insurance plans and employers. More than 1 million people have used Talkspace for online therapy. Read member reviews at www.talkspace.com/reviews. Talkspace uses clinician-informed, responsible AI tools to support care that always stays human-first: every member is treated by a licensed therapist. HOW DOES TALKSPACE WORK? Tell us your preferences and get matched with a licensed therapist in your state, often the same day. Send unlimited text, audio, picture, or video messages anytime and receive responses at least once a day, 5 days a week — so you can process things as they happen instead of waiting for a weekly appointment. WHAT CAN TALKSPACE HELP WITH? Talkspace therapists treat a wide range of mental health needs, including anxiety, depression, stress and burnout, relationship challenges, trauma and PTSD, substance use, and grief. Whatever brings you to therapy, you'll be matched with a therapist experienced in your area of need. IS TALKSPACE FOR TEENS? Yes. Talkspace offers online therapy for teens ages 13–17 with therapists specialized in adolescent mental health — including school stress, anxiety, and self-esteem. Parental or guardian consent is required to get started. DOES TALKSPACE OFFER PSYCHIATRY OR COUPLES THERAPY? Yes. In addition to individual therapy, Talkspace offers psychiatry (evaluation and medication management with licensed prescribers) and couples therapy — all online, in the same app. IS TALKSPACE COVERED BY INSURANCE? Yes. Talkspace is in-network with leading U.S. health plans and partners with many employers, so most covered members pay a copay similar to an in-person visit. Enter your insurance or employer details at checkout to check eligibility in seconds. HOW MUCH DOES TALKSPACE COST? Many members pay only a copay through insurance. Without insurance, choose a subscription plan that fits your needs and budget. Visit our Help Center for pricing details. IS TALKSPACE EFFECTIVE? Talkspace has been shown to be as effective as face-to-face therapy: in one study, 81% of participants found Talkspace as effective or better than in-person therapy, and users showed significant improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms within 2 months. Talkspace has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Business Insider. Research: research.talkspace.com | Press: talkspace.com/press WHO ARE THE TALKSPACE THERAPISTS? The Talkspace network includes thousands of licensed therapists across all 50 states, all vetted and credentialed according to NCQA standards. If your first match isn't the right fit, you can switch therapists anytime. IS TALKSPACE SECURE? Your safety and security are our #1 priorities. Talkspace is protected with banking-grade encryption and externally audited for HIPAA compliance. Full Privacy Policy: talkspace.com/public/privacy-policy WHAT IS TALKCAST? To help you stay engaged between sessions, your therapist can create Talkcast personalized podcasts: after your therapist reviews a script based on your therapy goals, our AI engine generates a custom recording you can listen to anytime. WHO IS TALKSPACE BEST FOR? Talkspace is ideal for anyone who wants therapy that fits a busy schedule, prefers messaging a therapist over weekly appointments, wants to use insurance for mental health care, or is starting therapy for the first time and wants a low-pressure way to begin. CONNECT WITH US Questions or feedback? Email support@talkspace.com or visit talkspace.com. Follow Talkspace on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

About

NOCD

Access online therapy and support for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Get matched with a licensed therapist specializing in ERP therapy and utilize tools and community support between sessions to manage your condition.

Highlights
  • Online OCD therapy matching
  • Live video sessions with ERP specialists
  • Personalized treatment plans
  • 24/7 OCD therapy tools
  • Therapist messaging
  • Community support groups
Features
Read full description

NOCD offers online OCD therapy and in-between session support, right in the NOCD platform. Get matched with a licensed OCD therapist in your state and do live, face-to-face video sessions with a therapist trained in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the gold standard treatment for OCD. NOCD was created by people with OCD, along with some of the world's top experts. Online therapy sessions with an OCD specialist: - Match with an OCD therapist who fits your preferences - Personalize your OCD treatment plan - Do live video sessions with a therapist who specializes in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the gold standard treatment for OCD Additional support between sessions: - Use OCD therapy tools 24/7 - Message your therapist anytime - Interact with a community who knows what you’re going through - Dozens of weekly support groups with others in NOCD Therapy WHAT IS OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)? OCD is a common psychiatric disorder that involves repetitive, unwanted thoughts that cause anxiety, and compulsive behaviors done in an attempt to reduce this anxiety. Commonly misunderstood as nothing more than a personality quirk, OCD usually involves intense distress and can become completely debilitating when left untreated. IS NOCD THERAPY EFFECTIVE? NOCD live video therapy has been shown to be as effective as face-to-face therapy. Our model has been backed by research from the Columbia University Medical Center, which found a reduction in OCD severity by an average of 40% in 8 weeks of NOCD Therapy. WHO ARE NOCD THERAPISTS? NOCD’s extensive therapist network includes licensed counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Every NOCD Therapist receives specialty training in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective OCD treatment. All NOCD therapists are managed by our clinical leadership team of experts who have 20+ years of experience treating OCD and have designed some of the world’s top OCD treatment programs. IS NOCD SECURE? Our services are powered by AWS and Aptible, both of which are fully SOC2 and HIPAA compliant. Your therapy data is stored in our EHR that also complies with all HIPAA requirements. All medical notes and records are only accessible by you and your therapist. Furthermore, in addition to internal privacy safeguards, we regularly enlist security researchers to assess our services for vulnerabilities. For more information, find our complete Privacy Policy at https://www.treatmyocd.com/privacy-policy/, and Terms of Use at https://www.treatmyocd.com/terms/ Download the NOCD app today and schedule a free phone call with our care team to learn how we can help you regain your life from OCD.

Screenshots

Talkspace4 screens
NOCD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: NOCD at free against Talkspace's subscription. NOCD also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 27%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Talkspace's advantage is chart position (#191 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Talkspace against 4.9 for NOCD. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 47K and 17K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 27% of Talkspace's written reviews are positive against 61% of NOCD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Talkspace ships an update every 6 weeks, NOCD fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Talkspace versus NOCD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTalkspaceNOCD
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (47K ratings)4.9 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.8% of reviews60.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings47K — better17K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB150 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperGroop Internet Platform inc.NOCD INC

Customer experience

Talkspace

All ratings46,721 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews493 reviews
Positive26.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative69.0%

NOCD

All ratings17,452 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews214 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral4.7%
Negative34.6%

User reviews

Talkspace

From 47K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient online therapy
  • 👍 Helpful therapists
  • 💡 Innovative concept
  • 🔒 Secure platform

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unresponsive customer service
  • 💰 Expensive pricing
  • 🕰️ Slow therapist response times
  • 🔀 Difficulty switching therapists
  • 🚫 Lack of in-network insurance coverage

NOCD

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective ERP therapy
  • 👍 Supportive community
  • 🚀 Accessible mental health treatment
  • 👍 Helpful tools and features
  • 🚀 Life-changing results

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Billing and payment issues
  • 👎 Inconsistent therapist quality
  • 👎 Overwhelming app interface
  • 👎 Discriminatory policies
  • 👎 Lack of personalization

Bugs and requests

Talkspace

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Technical issues with app and website
  • Glitches in booking and rescheduling appointments
  • Inconsistent therapist availability and communication

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to schedule live sessions
  • Option to extend session credits beyond monthly cycle
  • Improved user interface and navigation
  • More transparency around billing and cancellation policies

NOCD

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Timer issues when switching apps
  • Unreliable push notifications

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved calendar integration
  • Trigger warning and content filtering
  • Better data tracking and analytics
  • More inclusive and diverse representation

In-app purchases

None

Talkspace

No in-app purchases

None

NOCD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Talkspace free?
Talkspace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NOCD free?
NOCD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Talkspace or NOCD?
NOCD is rated higher. Talkspace averages 4.8 out of 5 from 47K ratings, while NOCD averages 4.9 from 17K ratings.
Do Talkspace or NOCD have ads?
Neither Talkspace nor NOCD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Talkspace or NOCD?
Talkspace ships an update every 6 weeks, and NOCD fortnightly. Most recently, Talkspace was updated on November 11, 2026 and NOCD on November 11, 2026.

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