Without insurance, Rula costs $150 per session for individual therapy and $165 for couples or family therapy, for a 60-minute session. Psychiatry is $225 for the first visit and $175 for follow-ups. With insurance, Rula says patients pay about $15 per session on average, and there is no subscription or platform fee; you pay only what your plan requires. The fee to watch: cancel within 24 hours or miss a session and you’ll be charged $99 for therapy or $150 for psychiatry.
Rula works differently from apps like BetterHelp and Talkspace, which are subscriptions if you pay out of pocket. You pay per session, the way traditional therapy works, and your insurance does most of the heavy lifting. Here is exactly what that means for your wallet.
Rula pricing at a glance
What Rula costs without insurance
Individual therapy: $150 per 60-minute session. Weekly sessions work out to about $600 to $650 a month, or about $300 to $325 a month if you meet every other week.
Couples or family therapy: $165 per session. For other choices, see our guide to online therapy for couples.
Psychiatry: $225 for a 60-minute intake, then $175 for each 30-minute follow-up.
If Rula is out of network for your plan, Rula does not bill out-of-network insurance directly. You can pay the self-pay rate and ask Rula for a superbill, a detailed receipt you can send to your insurer for possible reimbursement if your plan has out-of-network benefits.
Without insurance, Rula costs more per month than subscription platforms. BetterHelp runs $70 to $100 a week and Talkspace $69 to $109 a week. What you get for Rula’s higher price is a traditional hour-long session with a therapist who can also coordinate with a psychiatric prescriber if you need one.
How Rula pricing works
Rula is not a subscription. You pay for each session you attend, and with insurance your cost is whatever your plan says: a copay, coinsurance, or the negotiated rate until you meet your deductible. Rula’s own example is simple: if your plan’s copay is $20, that is the most you would pay for a session.
Before your first appointment, Rula checks your benefits and gives you an estimate. The final amount is set when your insurer processes the claim, so if your deductible or coinsurance applies differently than expected, your cost can change. Rula keeps a card on file and charges known copays after each session; deductible charges usually come after the claim is processed, which Rula says typically takes 3 to 4 weeks.
What you’ll pay with insurance
Average: about $15 per session. Most people with a straightforward copay plan pay a flat amount each session.
If you have a deductible, you pay the negotiated session rate until you meet it, then your normal copay or coinsurance. Costs are often highest early in the year.
If you have coinsurance, you pay a percentage of the negotiated rate rather than a flat fee.
If you have Medicare, Rula accepts it in all 50 states. With Original Medicare you typically pay 20% coinsurance after your Part B deductible; Medicare Advantage plans vary.
If you have Medicaid, Rula accepts some managed Medicaid plans in select states, and Medicaid patients can see therapists but not psychiatric providers. Check your plan during signup, and see our guide to online therapy that takes Medicaid.
What a year looks like: weekly sessions at the $15 average come to about $780 a year. At a $30 copay, about $1,560. Compare that with roughly $7,800 for a year of weekly self-pay sessions.
To check which plans Rula and other platforms take, see online therapy by insurance and our guide to finding a therapist who takes your insurance.
The fees to know about
Late cancellations and no-shows. Cancel or reschedule within 24 hours of your appointment, or miss it, and Rula charges $99 for therapy or $150 for psychiatry. Insurance does not cover these fees. Rula’s policy also treats arriving more than 15 minutes late as a no-show (more than 10 minutes for a psychiatry follow-up).
Automatic follow-up bookings. When you book your first therapy appointment, Rula automatically schedules four follow-up sessions. Cancel any you don’t want more than 24 hours ahead to avoid fees. If you cancel the initial appointment, those four are cancelled too.
Payment plans. If a bill ends up larger than expected, Rula says payment plans are available on request, and it also offers healthcare financing through CareCredit.
Is Rula cheaper than BetterHelp or Talkspace?
| Platform | With insurance | Without insurance | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rula | About $15 average | $150/session | Per session |
| Talkspace | $0 for most, $15 average (per Talkspace) | $69-$109/week | Subscription, or per session with insurance |
| BetterHelp | About $23 where covered | $70-$100/week | Weekly or monthly |
| Headway | Typically $20-$50 | Insurance required to sign up | Per session |
With insurance, Rula is among the cheapest options, and it accepts plans the others don’t, including Medicare everywhere and Medicaid in select states. Without insurance, subscriptions cost less per month. For the head-to-head comparisons, see Rula vs BetterHelp and Rula vs Talkspace.
How to lower your Rula costs
Get the estimate before booking. Rula’s benefits check shows your expected cost upfront.
Check your deductible. If you haven’t met it, early sessions may cost more than your copay.
Use HSA or FSA funds for eligible mental health costs.
Manage the auto-booked sessions so you don’t pay late fees for appointments you never planned to keep.
Ask about a payment plan if you get an unexpected bill.
If self-pay is out of reach, community mental health centers often offer free or sliding-scale care. See our guides to the cheapest online therapy and how much online therapy costs.
Common questions
How much is Rula without insurance? $150 per 60-minute session for individual therapy and $165 for couples or family therapy. Self-pay psychiatry is $225 for the intake and $175 for each follow-up.
How much is Rula with insurance? Rula says patients pay about $15 per session on average, though your cost depends on your plan and deductible.
Does Rula charge a subscription? No. There is no subscription or platform fee; you pay per session.
Can I use HSA or FSA funds? Yes. Rula accepts HSA and FSA cards as a payment method, or you can submit a receipt to your HSA or FSA provider for reimbursement.
Does Rula take Medicare? Yes, in all 50 states. It also accepts Medicaid in select states.
What happens if I miss a session? You’ll be charged $99 for therapy or $150 for psychiatry, including for cancellations within 24 hours.
Is Rula legit? Yes. See our full look at whether Rula is legit and our Rula review.
The bottom line
Without insurance, Rula costs $150 a session, which is steep next to subscription apps. If you have insurance, Rula is one of the most affordable ways to get traditional, hour-long therapy, at about $15 a session on average with no subscription. Either way, keep an eye on the 24-hour cancellation window, since a missed session costs $99.
Sources
- Rula: therapy cost, insurance, and self-pay rates
- Rula: online therapy, plans accepted, and Zoom sessions
- Rula on Medicare and Medicaid coverage
- Rula: Medicare therapists
- Rula help center: insurance, self-pay rates, and superbills
- Rula help center: Medicaid coverage
- Rula help center: understanding credit card charges
- Rula cancellation and no-show policy
- Rula follow-up appointment booking
- Rula payment plans and financing options
- Medicare.gov: outpatient mental health care costs
One important note: if you are in crisis or considering harming yourself, please reach out now. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Immediate human support is available.