Cerebral

Best Telehealth Services: Top Picks by Category

Telehealth has become a mainstream part of healthcare — a 2024 report from the American Hospital Association found over 70% of U.S. healthcare providers now offer some form of virtual care. Since no single platform does everything best, here's a breakdown of the top brands people actually use, organized by need:

General Primary Care / Overall Best

• Teladoc Health — a popular choice for general services, and also a leader for general primary care.
• Sesame Care — often cited as the best overall pick for affordability and ease of use.
• Amazon One Medical — Amazon's acquisition of One Medical created one of the most integrated primary-care telehealth experiences.
• Doctor on Demand — offers a wide range of professionals who are on-staff team members rather than hourly contractors, plus chat-based coaching for issues like healthy habits, sleep problems, and work stress. Without insurance, a 15-minute doctor visit costs $99.
• Amwell — a top contender if you need something that integrates tightly with health systems.

Men's Health

• Ro and Hims — the leading platforms for men's health. Ro in particular covers a wide range of treatments including sexual health prescriptions for ED and STIs, hair loss solutions, customized skincare, and GLP-1 weight loss medications. It originally launched as the men's health platform Roman but has grown into a comprehensive telehealth network for both men and women.

Women's Health

• Hers and Maven Clinic — lead the way for women's health.

Mental Health & Therapy

• BetterHelp — the largest online therapy platform, though it does not prescribe medications — best for people who need talk therapy, CBT, or counseling rather than psychiatric medication management.
• Cerebral — rebuilt its reputation after early controversies and now offers solid psychiatric telehealth with medication management from licensed prescribers.
• Talkiatry — a top pick specifically for psychiatric care.
• A budget-friendly CBT option exists too: one of the most affordable structured CBT platforms offers worksheets, journals, yoga, and live sessions from $40/week, and is best for anxiety, depression, and stress (though it doesn't accept insurance, its out-of-pocket cost is lower than most competitors).

Weight Loss / GLP-1 Programs

• Ro and Found — the top choices for weight-loss programs.

Specialist Access

• Teladoc and MDLive — lead for specialist access. MDLive specifically provides a device-agnostic, virtual care platform that can improve early diagnosis of critical care needs and ensure faster, more seamless referrals to high-performing providers.

Budget-Friendly / Small Practice Tools

• Doxy.me — often recommended for smaller practices thanks to its free, easy-to-use setup.

How to Choose

The right platform really depends on your specific situation: choosing the best telehealth service comes down to matching your specific needs with a provider's style—whether that means live video appointments or fast, text-based medical reviews. If cost transparency matters to you, opting for a transparent, cash-pay platform lets you completely bypass insurance red tape and unexpected fee changes.

The "best" telehealth service depends on what you need—everyday sick visits, mental health therapy, prescriptions, or specialist care. Here are the top telehealth brands people actually use, broken down by category:

🩺 Best Overall / General Medicine

• Teladoc – The biggest and most established. Great for colds, flu, infections, allergies, skin issues, and mental health. Works with most major insurers and employers.
• Amwell – Very similar to Teladoc. Strong network of board-certified doctors, and it integrates with many health systems and insurance plans.
• MDLive – Reliable for urgent care, behavioral health, and dermatology. Often cheaper if you pay cash (~$82 per visit).

💰 Best for Cash Pay / No Insurance

• Sesame – Transparent, flat rates (often $29–$49 for urgent care). You see the price upfront. Good for quick prescriptions and lab orders.
• PlushCare – Accepts insurance, but also has a very user-friendly cash-pay option. Good for ongoing care, weight loss, and refills.
• GoodRx Care – Cheap visits ($49 or less) and great for finding discounts on prescriptions.

🧠 Best for Mental Health / Therapy

• BetterHelp – The most popular therapy platform. Text, video, or phone sessions with licensed therapists. Not for psychiatry (meds), but great for ongoing counseling.
• Talkspace – Similar to BetterHelp, but also offers psychiatry (medication) in many states. Works with some insurance.
• Cerebral – Focused on anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Includes therapy + medication management in one subscription.

💊 Best for Prescription Refills / Men’s & Women’s Health

• Hims / Hers – Very popular for hair loss, ED, skincare, anxiety, and birth control. Easy online forms and discreet shipping. Not ideal for complex care.
• Ro – Similar to Hims/Hers but broader: also offers weight loss with GLP-1s, fertility, and men’s health. Prescribers + pharmacy all in one.

🧬 Best for Specialist Care

• DermatologyOnCall – If you need acne, rash, or skin issue treatment, this is top-tier. You send photos and get expert derm advice.
• Maven Clinic – Best for women’s and family health: fertility, pregnancy, parenting. Often covered by employers.
• 17Health – Good for ongoing chronic care (diabetes, hypertension) with actual primary care doctors.

🏥 Also Worth Mentioning

• CVS MinuteClinic Virtual – Great if you already use CVS. Fast, and they can send prescriptions to the CVS next door.
• Walmart Health Virtual – Simple, low-cost visits for urgent care and behavioral health.
• K Health – AI-powered symptom checker plus real doctors. Very fast and cheap, but less continuity of care.

Quick Tips Before You Choose:

• Check your insurance first – Teladoc, Amwell, and MDLive are often free or low copay if your plan covers them.
• Ask about prescriptions – Some services handle controlled substances; others won’t.
• For therapy, look for a match, not just a brand – BetterHelp and Talkspace let you switch counselors easily.
• For weight loss / GLP-1s – Ro, PlushCare, and Sequence (now part of WeightWatchers) are the most commonly used.

Bottom line: If you just want a quick sick visit, go with Teladoc or MDLive. If you want therapy, BetterHelp is the most popular. If you need cheap no-insurance care, use Sesame.