CBT without a Therapist: Helpy vs OpenCouch
CBT without a Therapist: Helpy
cbtwithai.comOpenCouch
github.comSide by side
| Figure | CBT without a Therapist: Helpy | OpenCouch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 0 |
| Spec score · AI Mental Health Chatbots | 9.3 (#1) | 7.1 (#18) |
| Intended users | The product is presented for people experiencing anxiety, stress, panic, burnout, or emotional overwhelm, and for people seeking self-guided practice alongside CBT, DBT, or ACT. | The maker describes OpenCouch as a pre-beta AI companion for self-reflection and guided wellness exercises with persistent memory and safety routing. |
| Purpose | Helpy is an AI assistant in a self-help platform built around CBT, with materials drawing on CBT, DBT, and ACT. | OpenCouch is a chat companion for day-to-day emotional support, self-reflection, and practical coping. |
| Support | The site lists email support and says replies usually arrive within one business day. | The project directs bug reports and feature requests to GitHub Issues and asks users to report safety concerns privately. |
Plans
CBT without a Therapist: Helpy
- FreeFree
- Full Access$29, paid once
- Full Access$29, paid once
In their own words
CBT without a Therapist: Helpy
CBT without a Therapist: Helpy is a self-help platform centered on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), with materials drawing on DBT and ACT. Its thought journal helps users distinguish facts from assumptions, identify cognitive distortions, and assess how well thoughts fit reality. Helpy’s AI assistant asks clarifying questions and may suggest a thought record, grounding, or breathing practice. The service offers audio and written exercises, along with screening questionnaires for anxiety, mood, sleep, and burnout; results are not diagnoses. An anxiety program is available, with its first module free, while other programs are described as forthcoming. Helpy runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The free plan includes unlimited journal use, limited AI chat replies, the full exercise library with audio, and the first module of every course. Full Access costs $29.00 USD as a one-time payment and includes unlimited conversations and journal entry analysis. Optional end-to-end encryption is off by default. When users request an entry review, its text is decrypted on their side and sent to the AI. Helpy is not medical care, therapy, or a substitute for professional care.