Comparison

Talkspace vs Carelon.Engage

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

Carelon.Engage

This app promotes employee well-being through a variety of engaging activities. It offers fitness tracking, creative arts, sports, and recreational games, fostering a healthy body and engaged mind. Users can import activity data from their health apps.

Highlights
  • Fitness tracking (walking, running, cycling, steps)
  • Creative arts and crafts activities
  • Various sports and games
  • Recreational activities and quizzes
  • Integration with Apple HealthKit
  • Location-based activity tracking
Features
Read full description

Democratizing Employee Engagement. Fit body & engaged mind-engines of good life. Self-service engagement experiences. Fitness: Walking, Running, Cycling, Steps, Suryanamaskar Art & Craft- Music/Dance, Photography, Painting/sketching, Rangoli, Cooking Sports: Badminton & TT, Chess/ Carrom, Cricket, Football, Volleyball Recreation: Tambola, Group & Ind. Quizzes, ICE Breakers, Spinning Wheel, Tug of War Other: Learning Leagues, Coaching/Counselling, CSR, Digital Comms, Event, Digitization User interface flow: App->League Section->Walk for health tile-> import activities app user has an option to import his/her activities from Health App to onerupee app as part of the leagues. Location Service: User interface flow: Homescreen->Record button (red color button in the bottom of the screen)->select activity -> start . Map view opens up and start capturing the current location for two reason 1. to calculate the distance traveled 2. to draw a poly-line on the map. Distance based activities like Run, walk, & Cycle require location service and user has a option to enable / disable location permissions. Our app integrates with apple health app (HealthKit) and we integrate with the health app (HealthKit) to read and track your steps & distance based activity data.

Screenshots

Talkspace4 screens
Carelon.Engage4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Carelon.Engage at free against Talkspace's subscription. Carelon.Engage also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). Talkspace's advantage is chart position (#207 vs unranked) and review sentiment (27% vs 17%). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Talkspace ships an update every 6 weeks, Carelon.Engage weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Talkspace versus Carelon.Engage: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTalkspaceCarelon.Engage
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (47K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews26.5% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings47K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#207 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB109 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGroop Internet Platform inc.Cykul Sports LLP

Customer experience

Talkspace

All ratings46,721 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews490 reviews
Positive26.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative69.2%

Carelon.Engage

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

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

Carelon.Engage

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Talkspace

No in-app purchases

None

Carelon.Engage

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Talkspace free?
Talkspace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Carelon.Engage free?
Carelon.Engage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Talkspace or Carelon.Engage have ads?
Neither Talkspace nor Carelon.Engage shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Talkspace or Carelon.Engage?
Talkspace ships an update every 6 weeks, and Carelon.Engage weekly. Most recently, Talkspace was updated on November 3, 2026 and Carelon.Engage on October 25, 2026.

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