"Anonymous" gets used loosely. It can mean "we do not ask your name," "we never know who you are," or "we will not tell anyone unless your life is in danger." Those are different promises. This page says which one each option makes.
It is not a therapist, counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist. It cannot diagnose you, prescribe or change medication, or treat a mental health condition — and if it ever says something that sounds like a diagnosis or medical advice, do not rely on it. No person reads or watches your conversation while it happens, and it cannot call anyone or send help to where you are.
If you might hurt yourself or someone else, or you are not safe right now: call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US, 24/7; free to call, carrier text rates may apply) or chat at 988lifeline.org. If someone is in immediate physical danger, call 911.
FeelBetterBot (AI): no name, email or phone needed to start
- To start, we ask for nothing. No account, name, email or phone number. Open it and type.
- A random key instead of you. Free mode makes up a key like
calm-river-4217and keeps it in a cookie, so the bot can remember themes between visits. It does not ask who you are — but the memory is built from what you tell it, so names or places you mention can end up in it. Because the key links your visits, this is closer to a pen name than to true anonymity. - Who reads it: by standing rule, nobody on our team reads conversations — that is a standing rule, not a feature of the technology. Conversations are not end-to-end encrypted, so a maintainer technically could access one to fix a bug or to send you your own copy when you ask.
- Where your words go: each message is sent to an AI model provider to write the reply; if you use voice, transcription and text-to-speech services handle it too. Those companies have their own data policies, which we do not control. Like any website, our hosting and Google Analytics see technical details such as your IP address and device.
- Erase it: the memory panel has "Erase everything," which permanently deletes the memory tied to your key. It cannot reach copies held by those outside services. ("Forget me on this browser" only clears the key from this browser; the memory is kept.)
- Premium is different: it needs your email and saves your conversations to your account, so it is not anonymous.
The honest summary from our privacy page: treat it like a private cloud notebook — reasonably secure and taken seriously, but not the place for anything you truly could not bear to have exposed.
FeelBetterBot cannot check on you, call anyone, or send help — whether or not you are signed in. No person is watching and it has no way to alert anyone. If you are not safe, the options below have real people who can help.
988 Lifeline: confidential, and you do not have to give your name
SAMHSA, the federal agency behind 988, says you are not required to give personal information. In its words, the counselor "will know your phone number via call or your IP address if you are using chat. Beyond that, they will not know who you are or where you are located." (If you text, assume they see your number.) The 988 Lifeline also notes that calls may be recorded for quality assurance, evaluation or training.
Most crises are worked through with the counselor, without police or EMS. In a small percentage of calls, when there is an imminent risk to someone's life that cannot be reduced during the call, the counselor involves 911 — and SAMHSA says many of those happen with the caller's consent. In that case 911 may be asked to look up a location through your phone carrier or internet provider. If you are not safe, 988 is still the right call or text.
Crisis Text Line: confidential, but not anonymous
Text HOME to 741741. Crisis Text Line says its volunteer Crisis Counselors "only know what texters share with them" — but its privacy policy says it keeps a record of each conversation and may automatically receive your phone number, carrier and IP address. It keeps personal information for up to seven years and may share anonymized data with researchers. You can text the word DELETE to have your data deleted. It says contacting emergency services is rare, and that saying you feel suicidal does not by itself mean it will.
Online therapy with a licensed therapist: usually not anonymous
Therapy with a licensed therapist generally means they know who you are. Therapists are licensed state by state, and most will need to know who you are and where you are located; paid services also need billing details. What you get in return is confidentiality (with legal limits), continuity, and someone licensed to treat you. If that is what you need, our talk to a real person page covers the free and low-cost ways in.
Which one, then?
- You want to say something out loud for the first time, to nobody in particular: an AI chat that does not ask who you are can be a fine first place, especially if you leave out names and identifying details. It is not the place for anything you could not bear to have exposed.
- You are not safe, or not sure you are: 988 or Crisis Text Line. Confidential, and they can actually help.
- You want it to get better over months, not minutes: a licensed therapist. Not anonymous, but you get continuity and someone who knows your history.
"I don't know how to say this" is a fine first message.
Sources, checked 9 October 2026: SAMHSA, 988 FAQs · Crisis Text Line FAQ · Crisis Text Line privacy policy · NAMI, Types of Mental Health Professionals · FeelBetterBot privacy policy.