Choosing an app and what it costs
Is an AI mental health app worth trying if I'm on a tight budget?
By Siri Bandagiriye · Yes. Start with a free tier; you don't need to pay to find out if an app helps. In Canada, also use free human support: 988 for crisis, Kids Help Phone for young people, and provincial or community mental health services.
Yes, start with the free tier. You don't need to pay to find out if an app helps you.
If you're on a tight budget and struggling, also look at free human options: 988 for crisis, Kids Help Phone for young people (1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868), and your provincial or community mental health services. Many settlement agencies, schools and community groups offer free counselling too.
An app is a good addition, but it shouldn't be the only thing you can afford.
What the research says
In 2022, among girls and young women in Canada aged 15 to 29 with a mental health or substance use disorder who didn't get counselling, 37.2% said therapy was unaffordable.1
Even free public counselling can mean a wait. In 2025–26, CIHI reports half of Canadians waited up to 36 days for ongoing community mental health counselling, and 1 in 10 waited 4.5 months or longer.2
Kids Help Phone's texting service is free, confidential and available across Canada 24/7 in English and French. Text CONNECT to 686868.3
Written by Siri Bandagiriye
I've been a Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher for 30 years, and for six years a chaplain with Correctional Service Canada, sitting with people in crisis. I built Saati in Halifax as a companion for the ordinary hard days. If you'd like to see what it's like, it's free to try.