Comparison

Drugs.com Medication Guide vs Pill Identifier

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

Head to head
About

Drugs.com Medication Guide

Access comprehensive information on over 24,000 medications, including prescription drugs, OTCs, and natural products. Manage your medications, check for interactions, identify pills, and find the lowest prices. Stay informed with FDA alerts and detailed side effect information.

Highlights
  • Medication list with interaction tracking
  • Drug price comparison and pharmacy finder
  • Pill identification by imprint, color, and shape
  • Drug interaction checker
  • Side effects and dosage information
  • FDA alerts and recalls
Features
Read full description

Manage meds, identify pills, check interactions, compare prices and more. Discover detailed, peer-reviewed info on over 24,000 prescription drugs, OTC meds, and natural products all in one place. Key Features - My Med List. Create your health profile and track drug interactions, reminders and alerts, with offline access. - Price Guide. Find the lowest prices for medications and search pharmacies near you. - Pill Identifier. Identify pills by imprint, color and shape to confirm medications with confidence. - Interactions Checker. Check potential interactions between prescription medications, OTC drugs, and supplements. - Q & A. Find answers to thousands of medication-related questions, join support groups or ask a question. - Compare Tool - Compare any medication side-by-side. - Side Effects Checker - Access detailed side effect information for thousands of prescription and OTC medications, from common mild reactions to rare severe effects. - Dosage Information - Reliable dose guidance. - FDA Alerts - Stay up to date with product recalls, safety alerts, and FDA-related news. - Health Professionals - Tailored tools and information for medical professionals, including FDA monographs. Permissions We request limited permissions to improve your experience: - Network access: Required to connect to our database. - Media/Storage: For installation on your local device only, we never access your personal files. - Your location: Used when you choose to find nearby pharmacies when using the drug discount card. About Drugs.com With over 25 million U.S. monthly visitors, Drugs.com is a Webby-nominated health information platform offering peer-reviewed data on more than 24,000 medications. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or healthcare professional, the app provides reliable tools to manage and understand medication use. Note: Drugs.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Do not rely on this app to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare professional. Support & Subscriptions Please visit: https://www.drugs.com/apps/support/ for support and feedback, if its subscription related, our team will prioritize your request.

About

Pill Identifier

Identify medications by appearance, track your dosage schedule, and access detailed drug information. This tool also includes a symptom checker, disease search, and health calculators for comprehensive wellness management.

Highlights
  • Image recognition for pill identification
  • Personal medication tracker with reminders
  • Search by imprint, color, shape, or name
  • Detailed drug information (uses, side effects)
  • Symptom checker and disease search
  • Health calculators (BMI, BMR, etc.)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A pill identifier app is a mobile application designed to help individuals identify and learn about various medications based on their physical appearance, markings, colors, shapes, and imprints. The primary purpose of such apps is to assist users in accurately identifying pills, tablets, capsules, or other forms of medication they may have encountered, especially if they are unsure about the specific drug name, dosage, or usage. Key features of a typical pill identifier app may include: Image Recognition: Users can take a photo or upload an image of the pill, and the app utilizes image recognition technology to match the pill with a comprehensive database of medications. Personal Medication Tracker: Effortlessly manage your medication schedule with our user-friendly tracker. Receive timely reminders to ensure you never miss a dose, and track your adherence for better health outcomes. Search Functionality: Users can search for pills using criteria such as imprint codes, color, shape, size, or drug name, enabling a more refined search. Detailed Information: The app provides comprehensive details about the identified medication, including its generic and brand names, dosage, uses, side effects, precautions, and manufacturer information. Favorites and History: Users can save identified pills as favorites for easy reference and review their search history. Drug Interactions: Some apps offer information about potential interactions between the identified medication and other drugs, helping users stay informed about possible risks. Reminders and Alerts: Optional features may include medication reminder functionalities, allowing users to set reminders for their medication schedule. Symptom Checker: The app provides a list of potential diagnoses or conditions based on the entered symptoms, usually ranked by likelihood or relevance. Diseases Search: The app should have an extensive and up-to-date database of diseases and medical conditions, ensuring that users can find information on a wide range of health issues. Search Nearby Doctors: When you search nearby doctors, the app offers you a list of many doctors, with information on address, contact number, reviews, and opening hours for each doctor. Health Calculator: Lets you calculate Body Mass Index (BMI), Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator (BMR), Body Fat Percentage Calculator (BFP), Ideal Body Weight Calculator (IBW) It's important to note that accuracy and reliability are crucial aspects of a pill identifier app, as users rely on the app for safe and informed use of medications. Users should always consult a healthcare professional for specific medical advice and decisions.

Screenshots

Drugs.com Medication Guide4 screens
Pill Identifier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drugs.com Medication Guide at 87% against Pill Identifier's 0%. Drugs.com Medication Guide also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (4.8 vs 2.1). Pill Identifier's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#73 vs unranked). On 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

Drugs.com Medication Guide is free to download; Pill Identifier costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drugs.com Medication Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drugs.com Medication Guide has 18K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Drugs.com Medication Guide's written reviews are positive against 0% of Pill Identifier's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drugs.com Medication Guide ships an update every 5 weeks, Pill Identifier every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Drugs.com Medication Guide versus Pill Identifier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrugs.com Medication GuidePill Identifier
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.8 (18K ratings) — better2.1 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings18K — better7
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#73 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB26 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperDrugs.comFRIENDSAPP LISTING

Customer experience

Drugs.com Medication Guide

All ratings16,477 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews395 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral3.8%
Negative9.1%

Pill Identifier

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Drugs.com Medication Guide

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Registration process issues
  • Inconsistent search results

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to easily add/remove medications
  • More detailed medication profiles
  • Improved international drug coverage

Pill Identifier

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Drugs.com Medication Guide

No in-app purchases

None

Pill Identifier

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drugs.com Medication Guide free?
Drugs.com Medication Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pill Identifier free?
Pill Identifier costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drugs.com Medication Guide or Pill Identifier?
Drugs.com Medication Guide is rated higher. Drugs.com Medication Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Pill Identifier averages 2.1 from 7 ratings.
Do Drugs.com Medication Guide or Pill Identifier have ads?
Drugs.com Medication Guide shows ads; Pill Identifier does not.
Which is updated more often, Drugs.com Medication Guide or Pill Identifier?
Drugs.com Medication Guide ships an update every 5 weeks, and Pill Identifier every 8 months. Most recently, Drugs.com Medication Guide was updated on November 11, 2026 and Pill Identifier on November 7, 2026.

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