Comparison

WebMD vs AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

WebMD

This app helps you check symptoms, get medication reminders, and find doctors. It also offers prescription savings and information on conditions and drugs.

Highlights
  • Symptom Checker
  • Medication Reminders
  • Prescription Savings
  • Doctor Directory
  • Condition Information
  • Drug Interaction Checker
Features
Read full description

From WebMD, the one healthcare app you need to check symptoms, set medication reminders, learn about conditions and drugs, research treatments and diagnoses, find doctors and specialists in your area, and save on prescriptions at your local pharmacy. Key Features: • Symptom Checker – Choose your symptoms, learn about potential conditions or issues, and lookup treatment and care options. • Medication Reminders – Never miss a dose. You’ll receive reminders when it’s time to take your medications. View daily prescription schedules and instructions, plus pill images with dosage and timing information for each drug. Reminders sync to your other mobile devices when you sign-in with your WebMD account. • WebMD Rx – We partner with major pharmacy chains to find the lowest prescription drug prices, which often beat insurance co-pays. It’s 100% free to use. No registration required. • Doctor Directory – Find the closest doctors and specialists based on your current location or search by city, state or zip. • Conditions – Find medically-reviewed information about conditions relevant to you and learn more about causes, treatments, and related symptoms. • Customization and Saving Functionality – Save your conditions, drugs, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and healthy living articles for secure, easy access and reference. • Drug Interaction Checker – Find and identify potentially harmful and unsafe combinations of prescription medications by entering two or more drugs in question. If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with certain rights regarding our use of your personal information. For more information relevant to our users who are California residents, please review the "California Residents" section of our Privacy Policy linked on this download page or within our app. ABOUT WebMD WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD) is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health-focused publications. More than 95 million unique visitors access the WebMD Health Network each month. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, emedicineHealth, RxList, theheart.org, drugs.com and Medscape Education. SOURCE WebMD Health Corp. WebMD. Better Information. Better Health. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD mobile application. *Prescription savings vary by prescription and by pharmacy, and may reach up to 80% off cash price.

About

AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

This AI-powered symptom checker uses clinically validated medical intelligence to help you assess your condition. It provides insights into urgency, offers guidance on next steps, and supports informed healthcare decisions without replacing professional medical advice.

Highlights
  • AI symptom assessment
  • Conversational symptom checking
  • Urgency assessment
  • Next step guidance
  • Supports healthcare decisions
Features
Read full description

Trusted AI symptom checker powered by clinically validated medical intelligence. What Ask First does - Helps you assess symptoms through a natural, conversational experience - Provides insight into the urgency of your condition - Offers clear guidance on next steps - Supports better healthcare decisions without replacing medical professionals When to use AskFirst: - Abdominal pain - Back pain - Cough - Cold or flu symptoms - Chest pain - Dizziness - Fever - Headache - Pregnant and vomiting - Rash - Sore throat - Urinary symptoms - General medical questions, "Should I go in for this or not?" Ask First is a symptom checker and guidance tool only. It does not replace professional medical advice. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

Screenshots

WebMD4 screens
AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) at none against WebMD's shown. AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). WebMD's advantage is review sentiment (70% vs 43%) and ratings volume (136K vs 64). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WebMD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WebMD has 136K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of WebMD's written reviews are positive against 43% of AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WebMD ships an update every 3 weeks, AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
WebMD versus AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWebMDAskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (136K ratings) — better4.4 (64 ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better43.1% of reviews
Number of ratings136K — better64
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size151 MB1 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperWebMDSense.ly Corporation

Customer experience

WebMD

All ratings135,741 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews603 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative21.2%

AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

All ratings64 ratings
Positive85.9%
Neutral1.6%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive43.1%
Neutral9.5%
Negative47.4%

User reviews

WebMD

From 136K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Useful medical information
  • 🚀 Easy to navigate
  • 💊 Helpful medication reminders
  • 📚 Valuable medical resource
  • 🧠 Informative health articles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 💻 Outdated or missing information
  • 🌙 Lack of dark mode
  • 📢 Excessive ads

AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

From 64 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and efficient appointment booking
  • 👍 User-friendly interface for simple tasks
  • ⏱️ Saves time compared to phone queues
  • 📱 Easy to navigate once familiar with app
  • 🎯 Provides appointment options and flexibility

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and 'Access Denied' errors
  • 🔄 Logging out mid-process without saving progress
  • ❌ Poor age calculation and data handling
  • 😕 Limited diagnostic capabilities beyond triage
  • 🔐 Login and authentication issues

Bugs and requests

WebMD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Medication reminders not working correctly
  • Symptom checker providing inaccurate results
  • App freezing or crashing on launch
  • Notifications not clearing properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved symptom checker
  • Expanded medication database
  • Better location-based features
  • Customizable medication reminders

AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes with 'Access Denied' popup
  • Logs out unexpectedly mid-booking process
  • Age calculation incorrect despite correct birthdate input
  • Login credentials not recognized (NHS and Ask First)
  • Forgot password link not sent
Show 11 more
  • Postcode validation rejects valid postcodes
  • Blank questions appear in symptom checker
  • Microphone input not recognized
  • App hangs and becomes unresponsive
  • Appointment booking fails after multiple attempts
  • Cannot change GP practice once linked
  • Flu vaccine option missing from some app instances
  • Virtual assistant misinterprets typed symptoms
  • Glitches before completing booking process
  • No record of appointment created despite confirmation
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions

Requested features

15 requests
  • Back button to navigate and correct mistakes
  • Ability to save progress and return later
  • Preview available appointments before answering all questions
  • Support for multiple family members with same date of birth
  • Better integration with NHS records and existing systems
Show 10 more
  • Option to speak with human advisor when chatbot fails
  • Unified NHS app combining all services
  • Improved virtual assistant with better AI and natural conversation
  • Review and edit answers before submission
  • Better accessibility features for visually impaired users
  • Ability to add more detail to symptoms and medical history
  • Support for prescription refills and medication management
  • Clearer indication of appointment availability upfront
  • Single login for multiple family members
  • Better support for women's health issues

In-app purchases

None

WebMD

No in-app purchases

None

AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WebMD free?
WebMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) free?
AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WebMD or AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)?
WebMD is rated higher. WebMD averages 4.7 out of 5 from 136K ratings, while AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) averages 4.4 from 64 ratings.
Do WebMD or AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) have ads?
WebMD shows ads; AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) does not.
Which is updated more often, WebMD or AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)?
WebMD ships an update every 3 weeks, and AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) every 2 months. Most recently, WebMD was updated on November 7, 2026 and AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) on November 4, 2026.

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