| InnerHub | BetterHelp | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59.90 AUD per session, flat, shown on every page | Subscription from around $110 AUD a week (first-month promotions from around $80), billed four-weekly; price confirmed at checkout |
| Billing model | Pay per session, only when you book one | Ongoing subscription that bills whether you attend sessions or not, until cancelled |
| Getting a therapist | Matched to what you share, with the full profile (degree, country, experience) shown before you book; changing is free | Matched by questionnaire; you can request a change after matching |
| Practitioners | Experienced overseas professionals, not AHPRA-registered, credentials stated per profile with issuing country | Large network including AHPRA-registered Australian psychologists for Australian users |
| Session format | 50 minute live video inside our own platform | Live video, phone, and ongoing async messaging with your therapist |
| Medicare | Outside Medicare: no referral needed, no rebate available | Outside Medicare: no referral needed, no rebate available |
| Scale and track record | New Australian platform, with independent reviews still accruing | Operating since 2013 with tens of thousands of therapists and millions of users worldwide |
BetterHelp details reflect publicly available information as at August 2026 and can change; verify current pricing and features at betterhelp.com.
The short version
Two different models
BetterHelp is built around always-on access: a large network and messaging between sessions, priced as a subscription. InnerHub is built around something simpler: a real conversation with a therapist matched to you, at a price you can keep paying, with nothing billed between sessions.
If you skip a fortnight on a subscription, you still pay for that fortnight. If you skip a fortnight here, you pay nothing. The rest of the differences are in the table above.
Is BetterHelp cheaper if I go weekly?
Usually not for Australians. At around $110 AUD a week, a four-week cycle lands above $440 whether you book every session or not, once any first-month promotion ends. Four weekly InnerHub sessions cost $239.60, and a fortnight you skip costs nothing. If you value unlimited messaging between sessions, BetterHelp's model may still suit you: that is a genuine difference, not a trick.
What is genuinely better about BetterHelp?
Scale and product maturity. A very large therapist pool, a polished app, async messaging, and a decade of operating history. If you want the biggest network and message-based contact between sessions, they built that. And for Australians, their network includes AHPRA-registered psychologists, at a subscription price. What we built instead is a flat visible price, sessions you only pay for when they happen, and full transparency about exactly who you are talking to before any money moves.
What about privacy?
Worth reading up on for any platform. In 2023 the US Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with BetterHelp over sharing user health data with advertising platforms; the company changed its practices. Our own position is on Our Standards: your session content and health information are never sold or shared with advertisers.
Are either of you covered by Medicare?
No, neither. Both platforms sit outside the Medicare system, so neither needs a referral and neither attracts a rebate. The comparison that includes Medicare is a different one: a subsidised psychologist with a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which we cover in What therapy costs in Australia.
Try one session
One session, $59.90. If it is not for you, that is the whole cost of finding out.
For adults 18 and over. InnerHub does not provide crisis support: if you need urgent help, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.