Comparison

Dovee vs Lasting

Lasting (owned by Talkspace since 2020) is the highest-profile self-guided marriage counseling app on the App Store. Dovee is the AI Relationship Assistant for couples - voice-first, talks to each partner separately, and synthesizes both sides. Both are for couples who want to do the work between (or instead of) therapy sessions. They get there very differently.

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TL;DR

The short answer

Lasting is a content library you tap through - structured audio sessions on conflict, sex, repair, trust. It's clinically grounded and Talkspace-backed. Dovee is something you talk to: real voice sessions with each partner privately, then synthesized insights for both of you. If you want curriculum, Lasting. If you want an assistant that actually hears your specific relationship and reacts in real time, Dovee.

About Lasting

Founded
2017 - by Steve Dziedzic & Liz Colizza, M.A., LPC
Parent
Talkspace (acquired Nov 2020)
Pricing
$39.99/month, 7-day free trial
Scale
3M+ couples per Talkspace

Lasting launched in 2017 out of the Praxis faith-driven accelerator. Founded by Steve Dziedzic - The Knot's first Entrepreneur-in-Residence and a certified relationship educator - with psychotherapist Liz Colizza. The product is structured around CBT and Gottman-style audio sessions: both partners take an onboarding assessment, get matched to a session series (communication, conflict, intimacy, trust, repair), and complete 5-minute audio lessons individually then discuss together.

Talkspace acquired Lasting in November 2020. Since the acquisition, product development has visibly slowed - the app footer still reads "©2022 Lasting, a Talkspace company" - and Talkspace's strategic focus has shifted toward teen mental health and Medicare expansion. Lasting is positioned as the self-guided tier; Talkspace Couples Therapy (~$436/mo with a live therapist) is the upsell.

Dovee comes at the same problem from the opposite direction. Instead of pre-recorded curriculum, Dovee runs real voice conversations with each partner separately, builds memory across sessions, identifies which Gottman or EFT pattern your relationship is in, and surfaces the next small action - not the next module.

Head-to-head

FeatureDoveeLasting
Voice-first conversations
✓
~Audio playback only
Talks to each partner privately
✓
~Solo sessions, then discuss
Synthesizes both perspectives
✓
×
AI / real-time response
✓
×Pre-recorded only
Daily nudges and check-ins
✓
~
Tracks 13 relationship dimensions
✓
~Pulse assessment
Built on Gottman / EFT frameworks
✓
✓CBT + Gottman
Cross-partner mediation
✓
×
Always available, no scheduling
✓
✓
Crisis routing (988, DV hotline)
✓
~
Solo use when partner isn't ready
✓
✓
Live human therapist option
×
×Talkspace upsell at $436/mo
Active product iteration
✓
×Slowed post-acquisition
Price
✓
~$39.99/mo
✓ Yes~ Partial× No

Where they differ

Content library vs. live assistant

Lasting is a finite content library. There are roughly 300 audio sessions across topic series. You take the assessment, you're matched to a series, you complete the lessons. When you've completed them, the product has done what it was designed to do. The model is course-based.

Dovee's take: Dovee is an open-ended assistant. There is no "finishing." Every week your relationship changes; Dovee picks up where it left off, surfaces what's new, and adapts. Memory persists. The model is conversational, not curricular.

How each partner participates

Lasting works best when both partners actually complete sessions together. If one partner drops off, the model breaks - the discussion-after-the-session piece doesn't happen. Many couples end up with one partner doing the homework and the other passively listening.

Dovee's take: Dovee was built for the case where partners can't always sync up. Each of you has a private channel - you can both be active in the relationship work without doing every session at the same moment. Dovee synthesizes what each of you said into something useful for both.

The Talkspace context

Lasting is structured as the entry-level tier into Talkspace's broader couples-therapy ecosystem. The implicit pitch is: do the app first, then graduate to a live therapist at ~$436/mo if you need more. Lasting's product velocity has slowed; the footer still says 2022. Most active development in the Talkspace org has gone toward teen mental health, not couples.

Dovee's take: Dovee is purpose-built as the AI Relationship Assistant - voice-first, dual-perspective, daily. It isn't a funnel for something else. The product is the product.

Privacy & each partner's space

Lasting's model has both partners on shared accounts working through shared sessions. Privacy is at the conversation layer, not the data layer - you choose what to share when you discuss after each session.

Dovee's take: Dovee gives each partner a private channel by default. Each partner says what's actually on their mind without performing for the other. Dovee's synthesis respects disclosure controls - what one partner shared in confidence stays in confidence; what they're ready to surface gets translated for the other.

Which one fits your situation

Pick Lasting

We're recovering from a major rupture (infidelity, broken trust) and need structured repair work

Lasting's Trust + Repair series is specifically designed for this. It's deep, slow, and well-researched. If you'll do the homework, it works.

Pick Dovee

We can't seem to start the conversation about what's actually wrong

Lasting assumes you'll talk after each session. If you can't talk in the first place, the assumption breaks. Dovee starts with each partner speaking privately and translates between you.

Pick Dovee

One partner won't engage with anything new

Lasting's joint-discussion model requires both partners to show up consistently. Dovee works solo first - you can start, and your partner can join when ready.

Pick Lasting

We want to be guided through a clinical-style curriculum together

If you and your partner are both motivated and want a structured program with a beginning, middle, and end, Lasting is genuinely good at this.

What to pick, when

Both products help couples. They’re built for different jobs. Here’s the honest read.

Pick Dovee if…

  • You want an AI that actually understands your specific relationship, not pre-recorded modules.
  • You'd rather talk than tap through audio lessons.
  • You want each partner to have a private channel where they can be honest without rehearsing.
  • You want daily, not session-based.
  • You want a product that's still being actively built, not one that's been static for two years.

Pick Lasting if…

  • You and your partner are both committed to a structured curriculum and will actually do the homework.
  • You specifically want Talkspace's clinical pedigree behind the content.
  • You want a self-guided program with a clear beginning and end.
  • You're considering Talkspace Couples Therapy later and want the on-ramp.

Pricing & value

Lasting is $39.99/month flat with a 7-day free trial - roughly $480/yr if you keep the subscription. Most users complete their assigned series within 2-3 months, so the cost per active month of use can be high. Dovee's tier model lets you pick the engagement level you need; you can use Dovee daily without ever "completing" a curriculum.

FAQ

Is Dovee a replacement for Lasting?

They solve adjacent problems differently. Lasting gives you a clinical curriculum to work through together. Dovee gives you an AI Relationship Assistant that hears both of you and helps in real time. Some couples use both - Lasting for structured work, Dovee for daily.

Is Lasting still being developed?

Public signals suggest product development has slowed significantly since Talkspace acquired Lasting in 2020. The app's footer still reads 2022. Talkspace's recent product focus has been on teen mental health and Medicare expansion, not the Lasting app itself.

Does Lasting include a real therapist?

No. Lasting is self-guided. If you want a live licensed therapist, Talkspace's separate Couples Therapy product is around $436/month. Lasting itself does not include human therapist time.

How is Dovee different from Lasting on the frameworks (Gottman, EFT)?

Both reference Gottman and Lasting also leans CBT. The difference isn't the framework - it's how the framework gets used. Lasting plays you a session about the Four Horsemen. Dovee listens to your actual fight, names the horseman it heard, and helps you make a repair attempt in the moment.

Can I use Dovee solo if my partner uses Lasting?

Yes. Many couples use one product solo and the other together. Dovee works fine as a solo space - you can invite your partner later.

Speak to Dovee

The AI Relationship Assistant for couples. Voice-first. Hears both of you. Helps you stay close, daily.

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