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We surveyed real Sesame Care users and a HelpGuide staff member personally tested its mental health services. Here’s what we learned about the platform’s usability, provider quality, user satisfaction, and more.
Sesame Care is a telehealth service that’s available in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. The platform offers primary care services and urgent care for certain medical conditions. However, for our testing purposes, we focused only on its therapy services.
Sesame doesn’t accept insurance. You can pay per session or opt for a subscription plan that comes with lower costs. The cost of a therapy session starts at $79, but may vary based on the provider. If you select the Sesame Plus subscription, which costs $10.99 a month, you receive a $10 discount on therapy and other medical services.
To test the platform, our staff researched Sesame Care, surveyed real users, and then conducted hands-on testing. Our staff tester scheduled and attended weekly therapy sessions. She also tested the platform’s other features, reaching out to customer service and exploring the direct messaging tool.
Our staff tester and the surveyed users generally agreed that the platform helped them find quality providers. However, one downside is that Sesame Care doesn’t actually have a therapist-matching tool. Users must browse through the listings and identify the right provider for themselves.
Despite this, 88 percent of survey respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their Sesame Care experience. 77 percent were likely or very likely to recommend it to others.
A HelpGuide staff member used Sesame Care’s therapy sessions for one month. She tried out two different therapists, spending two sessions with each one. She also took notes on the platform’s scheduling, billing, customer service, and direct messaging features.
Before we began hands-on testing, the HelpGuide team spent hours researching Sesame Care, assessing factors like platform security, cost, and provider availability. Our team also surveyed 100 Sesame Care users and collected feedback on their experiences with the service.
Sign-up and using the platform
Our staff tester noted that, unlike similar platforms, Sesame Care doesn’t have a therapist-matching system. Users simply answer a few basic questions to create an account, and then the platform grants access to a listing of providers. There were some pros and cons to this setup. One benefit is that the sign-up process was extremely easy. Our tester was able to create an account, choose a provider, and schedule an appointment on the same day. 86 percent of survey respondents agreed that the sign-up process was easy or very easy.
On the other hand, our tester found it daunting to click through each therapist’s bio to see if they could meet her needs. Instead, she wished that a questionnaire were available to narrow down her options.
Our tester didn’t notice any red flags when it came to privacy and security. But she noted that the platform didn’t offer any assurance that everything was confidential. Survey respondents seemed less concerned about this issue. 81 percent said that they felt confident or very confident that Sesame Care protected their personal information during sign-up.
Usability and support
Our tester commented that the platform was very easy to navigate, both on desktop and mobile. She didn’t experience any technical issues or struggle with using any of the features. Additionally, when she tested the service’s customer support, she received a personalized response within minutes.
87 percent of respondents agreed that the platform was easy or very easy to navigate. The platform also seemed stable. 72 percent of users did not encounter technical issues. When tech problems did arise, the most common ones were poor video and audio problems (21 percent of users). 10 percent experienced app crashes.
Overall, the surveyed users experienced slower customer support than our tester. Of the users who reached out for support, only about 24 percent received a response within 24 hours. 18 percent said they ended up waiting more than three days. Additionally, only 76 percent said their issue was eventually resolved to their satisfaction.
Our session experience
Our tester was impressed with both of the therapists she chose. The first provider was punctual, focused, and engaged. The tester described the 45-minute sessions as structured and free of any technical issues. After the sessions, her therapist sent her a list of resources to use and even checked in on how she was doing via direct messaging.
The second therapist was equally engaged and shared coping tools, such as breathing techniques. Like the first therapist, the second one also sent resources for a tester to consider between sessions. Again, there were no tech issues, and the tester said all of her sessions felt secure and private.
The platform allows for unlimited direct messaging between users and their therapists. Our testers’ therapists were both very responsive between sessions.
Survey respondents also had favorable opinions of their therapists and thought their therapy experiences were helpful. 84 percent were satisfied or very satisfied with the very first therapist they chose. 71 percent said they felt Sesame Care helped them make progress toward their personal goals for therapy. “I learned various techniques to cope with changes in my life and my growing children,” one user reported. “It gave me the resources I needed to handle what I was going through,” another said.
22 percent of respondents switched therapists, and 67 percent of those users found the process to be easy or very easy. Unfortunately, 9 percent said they never found a suitable therapist after trying several options.
About half of the surveyed users said their therapists offered a mix of structured and casual sessions. Common approaches included CBT, mindfulness, solution-focused brief therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
Pricing options and value
Sesame Care doesn’t accept insurance. Instead, you pay an out-of-pocket price per session, with costs often starting at $79 but varying by provider and location. Our tester paid just over $100 per session and thought it was a great value. However, you can also subscribe to Mental Health Rx for $79 a month. It’s a program designed for users with medication management needs, such as those requiring refill requests.
Sesame Care Plus is another option. Under this subscription, you pay $10.99 a month, but receive a discount on various medical services, including $10 off virtual therapy.
Competing platforms, such as BetterHelp, offer additional in-app tools and resources like journals, worksheets, or group therapy classes. This can increase the value of a service, because the user is paying for more than just one-on-one therapy sessions. Sesame itself doesn’t offer additional resources. However, each therapist can offer their own resources that they send via messaging for no additional cost
When asked how they would rate the cost of Sesame Care in relation to the value they received, 29 percent of surveyed users rated it a 5, and 48 percent rated it a 4. These ratings line up well with our tester’s view that the platform is a solid value.
Our tester also noted that the service’s cancellation policy is easily found on the website. You will receive a full refund if you cancel at least three hours before the appointment.
Sesame Care cost
Average competitor cost
Average in-person cost
Therapy, out-of-pocket
$79+
$60-200+
$100-200+
Sesame Care highlights
Sesame Care stood out in the following areas:
Easy-to-navigate platform. With so many medical services on offer, it’s important that Sesame Care maintain a straightforward and easy-to-understand platform. It manages to do just that. Most surveyed users believe that Sesame Care is easy or very easy to navigate. Our hands-on tester held the same opinion.
Quality providers. Our HelpGuide tester, as well as most of the surveyed users, had positive experiences with their selected providers. “I had a really good experience that speaks to how well they select their therapists,” our tester commented. Both of her providers were equally engaging and responsive to her needs.
Where Sesame Care could improve
Based on our survey and hands-on testing, Sesame Care could make a few changes to improve its users’ experiences.
Therapist-matching tool. This is the main drawback that our tester saw with the platform. Other online therapy platforms use an intake questionnaire to automatically pair you with a therapist or give you a list of options. On Sesame, you have to browse through listings and decide for yourself which provider meets your needs. This can be time-consuming and feel tedious.
Improve customer support. Our tester had a fast and positive experience with Sesame’s customer support. However, surveyed users reported slower response times, and roughly a quarter said their particular issue wasn’t resolved after talking to the support team.
Clarify pricing. 33 percent of survey respondents said they dealt with surprise charges. This could be a sign that the platform could better communicate its pricing and subscription plans.
Is Sesame Care right for me?
If you want to use insurance to cover the cost of therapy, Sesame Care likely isn’t the platform for you. Instead, consider reading our review of the best online therapy that takes insurance.
That said, Sesame might be right for you if you want to skip the typical therapist-matching process and select a provider for yourself. Sesame is also a great platform if you’re looking for more than just a therapist. It can also connect you with other medical professionals, such as physicians, psychiatrists, and dentists. The platform’s subscription option reduces the cost of each service.
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