Guide
Platform Comparison
A side-by-side comparison of the six psychic chat platforms we review, so you can match the right one to what you need.
Last updated July 28, 2026
On this page
Six platforms, one table. Instead of six separate reviews to cross-reference, this page puts the attributes that actually differ — format, vetting, pricing, and what each site is genuinely built for — side by side, so you can see where they overlap and where they genuinely diverge before you commit any time to one.
Every platform here also appears in our full ranking, which weighs the same attributes into a single score. This page is for when you already know roughly what you want — video versus chat, budget versus curated — and just need to see the trade-offs laid out plainly.
The full comparison
Read this table left to right per platform rather than column by column — the interesting comparisons here are usually between rows that share a founding era or a format, not across the whole set at once. We’ve marked any figure a platform doesn’t publish rather than filling the gap with a guess.
| Platform | Founded | Formats | Vetting | Intro offer | Pricing model | Mobile app | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasamba | 1999 | Chat, phone, email | Advisor screening process | 3 free minutes with a new advisor | Per-advisor rate, not published as a flat figure | Not detailed in our review | Longest track record & multi-channel access |
| Keen | 1999 | Chat | Not detailed in our review | Not detailed in our review | Competitive, tiered by advisor | Full-featured app | Largest selection & best filtering |
| Purple Garden | Recent entrant | Chat, video | Not detailed in our review | Not detailed in our review | Low starting rates (figure not published) | App-first design | Live video readings |
| California Psychics | 1995 | Phone-first, chat available | ~2% acceptance; tiered (Popular/Preferred/Premier) | Not detailed in our review | Premium, tiered by advisor level | Not detailed in our review | Strict advisor vetting |
| Psychic Source | 1989 | Chat | Not detailed in our review | As low as $1/minute for new users | Standard rate not published; discounted intro | Not detailed in our review | Deep love & relationship specialization |
| Oranum | Not stated in our review | Chat, live video streaming | Public streams double as a preview before you pay | Free public streams before you pay anything | Credit-based; rate not published | Not detailed in our review | Free preview before any payment |
A few patterns jump out reading across the rows: only two platforms — Purple Garden and Oranum — lead with live video, only Kasamba offers phone and email alongside chat, and vetting details are only explicitly published by Kasamba, California Psychics, and Oranum’s stream-first model. Where a cell says “not detailed in our review,” that’s a genuine gap in what the platform publishes, not an oversight on our part.
Keen vs Kasamba
Both platforms have been running since 1999, which makes this the closest head-to-head on the list. Keen wins on sheer selection and its mobile app; Kasamba wins on a documented screening process and a genuine free-minutes offer with every new advisor.
Choose Keen if
- You want the largest pool of advisors to filter through
- You mostly read on your phone
- Tiered, competitive pricing matters more than a specific free offer
Choose Kasamba if
- A documented screening process matters to you
- You want the option of phone or email, not just chat
- You want a clear, stated free-minutes offer with any new advisor
Purple Garden vs Oranum
Both lead with video, but the model is different. Purple Garden is a booked, app-first video reading; Oranum is a free public stream you watch before paying for a private session at all.
Choose Purple Garden if
- You want a clean, modern app experience
- You’d rather book a private video session directly
- Low starting rates matter for trying several advisors
Choose Oranum if
- You want to watch an advisor’s style before spending anything
- You like the idea of a public audition before going private
- You’re comfortable with a credit-based payment system
California Psychics vs Psychic Source
Two of the longer-running platforms here, but built for different needs. California Psychics is the curated, vetted, phone-first choice; Psychic Source is the specialist pick for love and relationship questions with an unusually low intro rate.
Choose California Psychics if
- Strict advisor vetting is your top priority
- You prefer phone-based readings
- You want a tiered system matched to experience level
Choose Psychic Source if
- Your question is specifically about love or relationships
- You want the lowest published intro rate on this list
- You want a deep roster of relationship specialists
None of these three head-to-heads has a universally “correct” winner — each pair is genuinely close on our scoring, and the right choice depends more on the format and specialty you need than on which platform edges out the other overall. Treat the three pairings above as a shortcut past the full six-way comparison, not a replacement for it.
Which should you pick?
If you’ve read this far and still aren’t sure, work through these in order — each one should eliminate a platform or two until you’re left with an obvious starting point:
- If you want breadth and a documented screening process, start with Kasamba.
- If you want the largest selection and a strong mobile app, start with Keen.
- If you want to see your reader, start with Purple Garden or Oranum.
- If your question is specifically about love or relationships, start with Psychic Source.
- If you want the most tightly vetted roster and prefer phone, start with California Psychics.
If two of these still apply equally to you, that’s a reasonable sign to try the introductory offer on both rather than agonizing over the choice — that’s exactly what those offers are there for.
How we compare
We build this comparison directly from our own testing and the platforms’ publicly stated policies, not from marketing copy. Where a platform doesn’t publish a specific figure — a flat per-minute rate, for instance — we mark the cell as not detailed rather than estimate one.
This page is refreshed on the same cycle as our full ranking, so a change to a platform’s stated pricing or vetting process should show up here within roughly 30 days of us catching it.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. That relationship never affects how a platform is scored or where it appears in this comparison.
Which platform is cheapest overall?
It depends on the advisor, not just the platform — per-minute rates vary within every site here. Psychic Source publishes the lowest specific intro rate we found, at $1/minute for new users.
Do any of these platforms overlap in the advisors they list?
Advisors typically work on one platform at a time, though some do appear across more than one. Our directory tracks profiles individually rather than assuming platform exclusivity.
Is video always better than chat?
Not necessarily — it’s a different experience, not a strictly better one. Chat gives you a written transcript and more anonymity; video adds tone and presence.
How often is this comparison updated?
We revisit it whenever we re-score the underlying platforms, which happens on roughly a 30-day cycle.
Should I just pick the highest-ranked platform overall?
Not necessarily. Our overall ranking is a good default if you have no strong preference, but this comparison exists precisely because the right platform for a video reading or a love-specific question isn’t always the single highest-scoring one.
See the full ranking
Read our complete, scored ranking of all six platforms in one place.
Compare the top-rated chat platforms
Re-scored every 30 days. No sponsored placements.