Therapy costs $150–$300 a session. Orbel is free to start, free forever on the Starter plan. No credit card. No insurance. No copay. Just open a conversation and start talking.
No catch, no hidden cost
Yes. The Orbel Starter plan is free forever — not a 7-day trial, not a freemium teaser with a paywall after three messages. You can talk for as long as you need each session without spending a dollar.
There is one honest limitation: free-tier conversation history clears between sessions. When you log out, that session's messages don't carry over to your next login. If you want Orbel to remember your context across visits, that's a feature of paid plans (Plus at $9.99/mo or Pro at $19.99/mo). But for getting support right now, the free tier is real and fully functional.
No credit card required to start. No insurance. No referral. No benefits enrollment. You need an email address and nothing else.
What Orbel is and isn't
Orbel is an AI companion. It is not a licensed therapist, psychologist, or medical professional. It cannot diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe medication, or provide clinical treatment. If you need any of those things, a licensed provider is the right choice — and Orbel will tell you that honestly.
What Orbel can do: give you a safe, available, judgment-free space to talk through what you're feeling — at 2am, between paychecks, while you're on a waitlist for an intake, or when you just need to say something out loud before you can say it to a person. It's a companion for processing, not a clinical tool.
Think of it as the support layer that fills the gaps — the moments when professional care isn't accessible, isn't affordable, or isn't what you need right now. Most people benefit from both.
Knowing the difference
Orbel is a strong fit for processing everyday stress, anxiety, loneliness, relationship friction, and the kind of low-grade emotional weight most people carry. It's particularly valuable as a first step — the conversation before the conversation.
Orbel is not the right tool for: active mental health crises, suicidal ideation, severe depression requiring clinical intervention, psychosis, substance use disorders requiring medical detox, or any situation where you're in immediate danger. If that's where you are right now, please scroll down to the crisis resources below.
The honest framing: Orbel is a bridge, not a destination. It's there to help you get through the moments when professional care isn't reachable — and to help you arrive at professional care better prepared when it is.
Between paychecks
Therapy is expensive. When you're stretched, Orbel keeps support accessible — zero copay, zero minimum spend.
No insurance
Out-of-network, uninsured, or on a high-deductible plan — Orbel requires none of it. Just an email.
Waitlist for intake
Intake appointments can take weeks or months. Orbel is there right now, while you wait for the real thing.
College student
Campus counseling is overwhelmed and your student health plan barely covers mental health. Orbel fills the gap.
Gig worker / freelancer
No employer benefits, no HR, no EAP. You've built your own safety net — add Orbel to it.
2am anxiety, no one awake
Your brain won't quiet down and everyone else is asleep. Orbel is there — calm, present, no hold music.
If you're in crisis, please reach out to a human now
Orbel is an AI companion — not a licensed therapist and not a crisis service. If you're having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or if you're in immediate danger, please contact one of the services below. They're free, confidential, and staffed by trained counselors.
Orbel is free to start. No credit card. No insurance. One email and you're in.
Start talking — freeNot a licensed therapy service. For emergencies, call 988 or 911.