The Best Online Resources for ADHD We Tried and Tested in 2024

We asked 11 people from Indiana, South Dakota, California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, and New York to test Talkspace, an online therapy company that offers therapy services to individuals, couples, and teens 13 years and older who are struggling with mental health-related issues—including ADHD. A few of our testers have ADHD, so we were able to determine how well Talkspace is able to treat this condition. 

One thing we especially liked about our experience with Talkspace was our therapists’ approaches to treating our symptoms, which we mentioned were interfering with work. Our therapists worked in the here and now, providing solution-focused feedback and suggestions that felt useful in the moment. We found this kind of therapy to be especially helpful when dealing with ADHD symptoms and the feelings that can accompany it, like anxiety and stress.

Although we did sometimes have some technical issues and felt that the 30-minute sessions were too short, we ultimately felt like the quality of care we received often made up for that. Most therapists were knowledgeable and engaging and made us feel like they really cared, and we left our sessions feeling better equipped to deal with our symptoms, including those related to ADHD. Plus, in cases when a therapist wasn't a great fit, we were able to switch providers easily.

• Insurance Accepted: Accepts plans from most major insurers, including Aetna, Cigna, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Carelon, and Regence; accepts some Medicare plans; doesn’t accept Medicaid
• Subscription Required: Yes, subscription is required for therapy; there's no subscription for psychiatry, which is pay-as-you-go
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by insurance; a messaging-only therapy subscription plan starts at $69 per week; live therapy plan starts at $99 per week and includes messaging and four live sessions a month; couples therapy starts a $109 per week; psychiatry/medication management costs $299 for an initial evaluation and $175 for a follow-up session; psychiatry bundles include an initial evaluation and three follow-up sessions for $725 (new members only); follow-up session psychiatry bundles also range from $140 per session for nine sessions to $159 per session for three sessions

We surveyed 100 users of Talkspace:

• 92% rated Talkspace as very good or excellent overall
• 89% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at Talkspace
• 97% are likely or very likely to recommend Talkspace to a friend or someone like them
• 24% were seeking treatment for ADHD
  

Since 2013, ADDitude ADHD Experts Podcast has been answering questions about all aspects of living with ADHD—from managing symptoms and seeking a diagnosis to treatment options and educational accommodations. Guests include leading researchers, clinicians, and adults with ADHD who share new research, inspirational stories, and real-world tips for living well with the condition.

The podcast is available for free on ADDitude's website, or you can subscribe on your favorite podcast player. New episodes are released every week, each focusing on a specific topic related to ADHD, such as diagnosis, treatment for ADHD, coping strategies, and mental health. The interviews are informative and provide valuable perspectives from both experts and people who’ve been there. ADDitude also offers a variety of other resources on its website, including articles, webinars, and an online forum.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free resource

We were not able to survey ADDitude ADHD Experts Podcast listeners, but we found it has 4.4/5 on Apple Podcasts and gets many high ratings for content. However, some users did report that the audio quality can be poor on certain episodes.

Teens often face unique challenges when it comes to mental health due to increased pressure at school and at home. Inattention may worsen during adolescence, making it even more important for teens to have resources and support, according to a 2021 review in Biological Psychiatry. Enter the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a grassroots organization that offers support and resources for people living with mental illness and their loved ones.

In 2010, NAMI launched an online ADHD resource center that provides information on symptoms, treatment options, and finding support. The resource center includes a section specifically for teens, with useful tips on talking to friends and family about mental health, managing stress, finding support at school, and social media safety. In addition, NAMI offers a resource directory specifically for teens, with useful references and links to organizations that offer education and support for teens and young adults living with ADHD (and with resources available for a wide variety of other mental health conditions as well).

In addition to the online resource center, NAMI has support groups that provide a space to share experiences, offer and receive support, and learn from others who are going through similar challenges. Some groups are specific to ADHD, while others focus on general mental health conditions. You can use the location finder on NAMI's website to find support groups in your area—both virtual and in-person groups are available. There, you’ll also find a host of other ADHD resources, including articles, videos, webinars, and online discussion groups. Unfortunately, many virtual groups are still location-dependent, meaning you'll only be able to join if there's a virtual option through one of your local NAMI chapters.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free resources

While we did not survey users of NAMI's resources, the nonprofit is well-regarded for offering support and educational programs for both individuals and families. It gets high ratings for its mental health advocacy work at the state and national levels to support early intervention, community support services, and access to affordable mental health care.

The CDC estimates that more than 11% of children ages 2 to 17 years have been diagnosed with ADHD. If you're the parent of a child with ADHD, you may feel overwhelmed and alone. Fortunately, there are evidence-based programs that teach valuable parenting skills and strategies for managing your child’s ADHD behaviors—like the Triple P Online Course.

The course is based on the “Triple P” Positive Parenting Program, which has been effective in reducing behavioral problems and promoting emotional development in children. Parents have also responded positively to the course, reporting a decrease in negative parenting behaviors such as yelling, anger, humiliation, and physical violence.

The course material is divided into modules, each covering a different topic, such as setting limits and expectations, dealing with misbehavior, promoting positive behavior, and coping with stress. There are two courses offered: one for parents of children aged 2 to 12, and one for parents of teenagers. After completing the course, parents have access to a certificate of completion.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Each parenting course is $96.25 and includes unlimited access to the material for 12 months. If you're not satisfied with the course, there is also a 30-day money-back guarantee.
  

Although we were not able to survey users, the online reviews of Triple P Positive Parenting courses are mostly positive, particularly when it comes to common challenges like establishing better routines and navigating sibling rivalries. However, some users did note that for more intense or complex challenges it may not be as helpful.

We tested Amwell’s individual therapy, child therapy, and couples therapy services a total of nine times from New York, Mississippi, California, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida. Although we did not test Amwell’s ADHD services specifically, we had good experiences with Amwell’s therapy services, especially its couples and teen therapy. Our teen’s therapist in particular was able to work with him to address some issues he was having with disorganization, focus, and stress management—all of which traditionally accompany ADHD. We feel confident based on these experiences that Amwell can provide appropriate care for a child (age 10 or up) experiencing ADHD, a parent of a child with ADHD, or an adult living with ADHD. 

As a telemedicine company, Amwell offers virtual care for a variety of mental health conditions, including ADHD. After creating our account, we could schedule an appointment with a licensed provider (who we could request as specializing in ADHD management, if necessary). All our sessions were conducted online via video chat. During our first visits, our providers asked us about our symptoms and medical history to develop treatment plans tailored to our needs. This could come in especially handy for someone who has never received ADHD treatment before and doesn’t know where to start.

Your provider may also recommend medication management. Amwell providers do not directly prescribe controlled substances, such as stimulants to treat ADHD, but its psychiatrists can make recommendations to your primary care physician to help you find the right ADHD medication and dosage. If you don't already have a diagnosis of ADHD but suspect you may have the condition, Amwell can connect you with a psychiatrist for evaluation. It's worth noting, however, that in certain cases we only saw nighttime appointment times, which may not be a good fit for some schedules.

• Insurance Accepted: Amwell accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Emblem Health, Horizon, and UnitedHealthcare; accepts HSA or FSA payments
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by insurance; about $99 for therapy sessions; $199 for initial psychiatry appointment and $95 for follow-up sessions; in one instance, we paid $109 for a therapy session

We surveyed 100 users of Amwell:

• 88% rated Amwell as very good or excellent overall
• 93% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent 
• 98% said that most or all of their needs were met at Amwell
• 95% said they were likely or very likely to recommend Amwell to a friend or someone like them
• 21% were seeking treatment for ADHD
  

If you're looking for an app to help you self-manage your ADHD, we recommend Inflow. The app uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help you understand your condition and develop coping strategies. Inflow also lets you set goals and track your progress over time. Inflow offers four modules dedicated to different areas of concern when it comes to ADHD symptoms: Anxiety, Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Avoidance. By identifying how you personally relate to these and other symptoms of ADHD, Inflow helps you understand how ADHD specifically affects your lifestyle and the way your brain works.

After downloading the app on your Android or IOS device, you'll work through a series of questions that help the app assess your symptoms—this includes things like how well you can focus while others are speaking, getting distracted, and mood shifts. Once you're done, Inflow provides you with a personalized dashboard and a list of activities to help you manage your ADHD. The journal feature lets you track your progress and identify patterns in your symptoms. You can even set goals and reminders to help keep you focused on important tasks. Inflow also offers an online ADHD community, where you can connect with other app users and practice your new coping skills with people who really get where you’re coming from. You also have access to live events with ADHD experts.

While Inflow doesn't offer live support, you can email the team with any questions or concerns. It’s also important to note that Inflow cannot provide an ADHD diagnosis or prescribe medication, and it is not an appropriate substitute for therapy or psychiatric care.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: Yes
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Inflow has a monthly plan that is $48 per month or an annual plan that's $200 per year (about $17 per month); there's also a student discount that's 50% off for subscriptions and an affordability program that offers free access for one year to those who cannot afford a subscription (this program does not include a personal coach)

Although we were not able to survey Inflow users, we found that Inflow has fairly good reviews, with a 4.4/5 rating on the Apple App Store and 4.3/5 at Google Play. Users found the modules helpful and many liked the live events and coaching option. However, some found the subscription too pricey and didn't think that the weeklong free trial was enough time to fully evaluate the app.

Sometimes, the best way to manage ADHD is to focus on developing healthy coping skills, like meditation. Headspace is a mindfulness app that teaches meditation and stress-reduction techniques that helped us filter out distractions and better manage our ADHD symptoms. We tested Headspace with a therapist who has ADHD, and we were extremely impressed with the app’s offerings.

The first thing we did was fill in the mood tracker, which helped us understand how our anxiety and stress levels changed over time while using the app—this was useful in that we got a very clear picture of how our symptoms were affecting us before and after we started with Headspace. We also liked how we got to choose meditations and create our own routine (even though Headspace offers daily recommended meditations). This let us address our ADHD symptoms in the way that was best for us, rather than having to adhere to certain predetermined (and not personalized) exercises. We could choose from a variety of guided meditation exercises, each ranging in length from three to 20 minutes. 

The app also offers courses on topics like anxiety (which can co-occur with ADHD), focus, and sleep—all of which you can try for free for up to 14 days. Other benefits included inspirational "wake-up" stories, soothing bedtime audio stories called “sleep casts” (which may benefit those with insomnia), and an "unwind" feature that helped us wind down at the end of the day. We could also access Headspace's content offline so we could meditate even without an internet connection.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No, but to take advantage of most Headspace features, you need a subscription (free offerings are limited)
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: $12.99 per month (after seven-day free trial); $69.99 per year (after 14-day free trial); $99.99 per year for a family subscription with up to 6 accounts; $9.99 per year for verified students in certain countries; Headspace is also offered as a free mental health benefit by some employers
  

Although we were not able to survey Headspace users, online reviews suggest that customers are happy with the app’s many features, especially the soothing sleep casts and the high production quality of the guided meditations. However, some said they thought the subscription was too pricey.

BetterHelp is a convenient and affordable telehealth platform designed to help you find the mental health support you need, and you can connect with a licensed counselor experienced in treating ADHD. We tested BetterHelp eight times in Missouri, Massachusetts, California, New York, Kansas, and even the U.K., including one tester with ADHD. We appreciated that our therapists gave us “homework” between sessions in the form of worksheets and other educational resources so that we could practice the skills we were learning in therapy—which was especially helpful when dealing with ADHD symptoms.

For the most part, we felt like our therapists were engaged, understanding, and supportive. BetterHelp’s therapists communicate via text, audio, and video, so we could choose the mode of communication that was easiest for us. Plus, we could message our therapist anytime. Messaging is especially useful for people trying to manage their ADHD who might need extra support between sessions as they practice new coping skills. We found that messaging our therapists between sessions was helpful and that their responses were personal and informative, which helped us manage our stress and anxiety while we waited for our next session.

Overall, BetterHelp has a lot to offer, but there are some drawbacks. The service doesn't provide medication management. And, because it's a matching service, we weren’t able to choose our counselor—we were assigned one based on the needs and preferences that we indicated in the sign-up process. In some cases, the initial matching process wasn't a great fit. We even had one therapist who didn't show up for the first session and didn't respond to our messages. We were able to switch therapists in this instance and found the second therapist warm, communicative, and punctual.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: Yes, one monthly subscription plan with weekly rates subject to surge pricing
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by demand and location; typically costs about $70 to $100 per week, for a total of about $280 to $400 billed monthly

We surveyed 100 users of BetterHelp:

• 87% rated BetterHelp as very good or excellent overall
• 87% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at BetterHelp
• 96% are likely or very likely to recommend BetterHelp to a friend or someone like them
• 20% were seeking treatment for ADHD