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Kooth and SympathiQ both offer mental health support to UK users — but they solve different problems, for different people, in different ways. This page compares both honestly so you can pick what fits your situation, not ours.
Kooth is likely the better fit if you:
SympathiQ is likely the better fit if you
Neither is universally better — they serve different people.
Kooth is a UK digital mental health platform founded in 2001 and now operated by Kooth plc (publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange, ticker KOO). Its core service is free, anonymous mental health support commissioned by NHS trusts, local authorities, schools, and universities — meaning Kooth is available at no cost to eligible users in the relevant catchment areas, funded by the commissioning bodies.
Kooth's primary user base is children and young people aged 10–25, though its adult services (delivered through certain NHS trust commissions and employer contracts) have expanded in recent years. Support is delivered mainly through text-based chat with qualified counsellors, moderated peer support forums, self-help journals, and mood-tracking tools.
Kooth is a well-regarded service with a strong evidence base for supporting young people's mental health, and its anonymous-by-design model is a genuine strength for users who want support without leaving a digital footprint.
SympathiQ is a UK digital wellness platform connecting adults with vetted therapists, wellness counsellors, coaches, dietitians, and fitness specialists for paid one-to-one sessions. Every practitioner on the platform is independently verified for current accreditation with a recognised UK body (BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BABCP, or BPS) and valid professional indemnity insurance before they can list.
The model is pay-per-session. There is no subscription, no membership, and no long-term commitment. You browse practitioner profiles, filter by specialism (anxiety, burnout, career, relationships, nutrition, fitness), see the exact fee upfront, and book a specific 50-minute session by video, phone, or in some cases in-person. If the fit isn't right, you can switch practitioners without penalty.
SympathiQ is UK-based, ICO-registered, and GDPR-compliant. Support ranges from clinical mental health work to preventative wellbeing coaching — you choose the level that fits.
Primary audience
Kooth: Children & young people (10–25) via NHS/local commissioning; adults via specific contracts
SympathiQ: Adults (18+) paying privately
Access model
Kooth: Free at point of use if eligible (postcode, school, employer)
SympathiQ: Pay per session, universal access
Cost per session
Kooth: Free for eligible users
SympathiQ: £30–£110 depending on practitioner and format
How you pay
Kooth: Not applicable — commissioned
SympathiQ: Direct card payment per session (Stripe)
Session format
Kooth: Primarily text chat, some live chat, peer forums, journals
SympathiQ: Scheduled 50-minute sessions: video, phone, or in-person
Practitioner choice
Kooth: Assigned from pool
SympathiQ: You choose from vetted profiles, can switch freely
Practitioner type
Kooth: Trained counsellors
SympathiQ: BACP/UKCP/HCPC/BPS registered therapists, plus coaches, dietitians, fitness specialists
Specialism filtering
Kooth: Limited
SympathiQ: Filter by issue, modality, language, availability
Session length
Kooth: Chat-based, varies
SympathiQ: 50 minutes standard
Booking model
Kooth: Drop-in / queue for live chat
SympathiQ: Book a specific time slot in advance
Anonymous use
Kooth: Yes (core feature)
SympathiQ: No — matching requires basic profile info
Peer forums
Kooth: Yes (moderated)
SympathiQ: No
Age scope
Kooth: 10–25 (adults through specific contracts only)
SympathiQ: 18+
Crisis support
Kooth: Trained escalation to emergency services
SympathiQ: Not a crisis service — see safety note below
UK data compliance
Kooth: UK GDPR, NHS Digital standards
SympathiQ: UK GDPR, ICO-registered
Company
Kooth: Kooth plc (public, LSE:KOO)
SympathiQ: SympathiQ Ltd (private, UK)
Refunds
Kooth: Not applicable — commissioned
SympathiQ: Handled on-platform per cancellation policy
Kooth is genuinely the better fit in several situations.
SympathiQ is likely the better fit in these scenarios.
Kooth is free for users in commissioned areas or through specific employer/university contracts, regardless of age. However, Kooth's core service was designed for young people (10–25), and adult access depends on your NHS trust, employer, or educational institution commissioning it. If you're an adult and not eligible for a free Kooth service, private options like SympathiQ start at £30 per session with no subscription.
Kooth's core NHS-commissioned service typically serves users aged 10–25 (some areas 11–25 or 10–24). Kooth's adult offerings run through specific separate commissions and employer contracts, and are not universally available. If you're an adult and want mental health support, check kooth.com to see whether your area or employer offers it — and consider private alternatives like SympathiQ if not.
Kooth is primarily text-based: you chat with a counsellor via typed messages (either asynchronously or in live chat when available). SympathiQ sessions are scheduled 50-minute video calls (with phone and in-person options depending on the practitioner). Text-based support suits people who process better in writing or want lower-commitment interactions; video suits people who want the depth and rapport of a traditional therapy session.
Both use qualified practitioners. Kooth's counsellors are trained and typically accredited with UK bodies like BACP. SympathiQ practitioners are also required to hold current accreditation with BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BABCP, or BPS, and this is verified independently before they can list. The main difference is scope: SympathiQ includes coaches, dietitians, and fitness specialists alongside therapists, whereas Kooth focuses on mental health counsellors.
Both can help. Research consistently shows that scheduled video therapy (SympathiQ's model) produces strong outcomes for anxiety, depression, and stress. Text-based support (Kooth's model) is also effective, especially for young people and users who prefer written communication. The "better" choice depends on your age, eligibility, and personal preference for format — not on the effectiveness of the underlying support.
Yes. Nothing stops you from using a free Kooth service if you're eligible AND booking a paid SympathiQ session — for example, using Kooth for lightweight peer support and SympathiQ for structured 1:1 work with a specific therapist. Some users combine services this way.
If SympathiQ sounds like the right fit, you can browse UK practitioners, see their fees, and book a session in the next few minutes — with no subscription, no long-term commitment, and no penalty for switching if the first counsellor isn't quite right.
Browse SympathiQ practitionersStill not sure? Visit kooth.com to check if you're eligible for their free service — we'd rather you get the right support than any support. Also comparing: SympathiQ vs BetterHelp.
SympathiQ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Kooth or Kooth plc in any way. This comparison is prepared by SympathiQ Ltd based on publicly available information about Kooth's services as of August 2026. Kooth's services may have changed since publication. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. If any factual claim on this page is inaccurate, please contact us at hello@sympathiq.com and we will review and correct.