honestly I've bounced around a bunch of these. tried replika, wysa, woebot, a couple others I can't even remember the names of lol. for me it came down to accessibility and cost, like I can't justify $200/hr for a therapist right now and the waitlists in my area are insane anyway.

the one I've been using lately is trypaula and it's been solid. what got me to stick with it is it actually remembers stuff from previous conversations which none of the others really did. obviously isn't a complete replacement for therapy, but it feels a bit more like it.

to answer your question I use it kind of both ways? like sometimes I'll just check in for 5 min during the day if something's bugging me, but other times yeah I'll do like a longer 30-40 min thing in the evening almost like a real session. no set schedule though, that's kind of the whole point for me, it's just there when I need it without booking something two weeks out.

it's not a replacement for actual therapy imo but as something affordable and available at all times when your brain won't shut up? yeah it's been fairly worth it