GoodRx Review

Sunday, May 18th

2025 Online Pharmacy Reviews

GoodRx

• Thousands of prescription medications offered
• Many OTCs available too (Tylenol, Allegra)
• Pick up prescriptions at local pharmacies; some mail order options available
• Free to use
• Can pick up your prescriptions same day
• Has helped Americans save over $15 billion
• Extra benefits with GoodRx Gold membership ($11.99/month for individuals, $19.99/month for families): free home delivery on eligible medications, telehealth visits starting at $21.99, over 1,000 prescriptions available for under $10, 100% satisfaction guarantee
• "A+” rated and accredited by the BBB
• In business since 2011

Founded in 2011, GoodRx quickly became one of the most well-known names in the prescription discount space by making it easier for people to afford their medications - whether they have insurance or not. This platform is a popular tool for saving money on prescription medications - the numbers indicate that Americans have saved over $15 billion by using it - but its main function isn't as its own online pharmacy. Instead, GoodRx works primarily like a price comparison and discount service, helping you find the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies and sometimes even through mail-order services.

Transparent pricing at pharmacies near you

When you use GoodRx (either through the website or app), you enter the name of your medication and your location. GoodRx then shows you a list of nearby pharmacies and their current prices for that medication, including any available discounts or coupons. GoodRx negotiates these discounts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which act as middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies. The PBMs give GoodRx access to their network pricing, which allows the company to provide discounted rates to consumers. When you find the best price, you can either print out a GoodRx coupon or show the app at the pharmacy to get the discount.

No insurance needed - and you might be better off without it

One of the reasons GoodRx is so popular is that you don't need insurance to use it. In fact, GoodRx prices are often lower than insurance copays - especially for generic medications. Some pharmacies even have exclusive partnerships with GoodRx, offering deeper discounts to people using the service.

Sign up for GoodRx Gold if you need meds delivered

While GoodRx helps you save on prescriptions, it doesn't usually handle the medication itself. It's more of a price comparison and discount tool that you can use at a local pharmacy - wherever you get the best price and the most convenience. However, if you sign up for a GoodRx Gold membership, you can get your meds shipped from an American pharmacy that has partnered with GoodRx. You'll pay $11.99/month for an individual plan and $19.99/month for a family plan; your membership comes with free shipping on all prescriptions, telehealth visits (for medication refills or even to treat common medical conditions) starting at $21.99, and even greater discounts on prescription meds.

You'll know exactly what you'll pay

So, all that being said, let's look at the medications we used as a comparison across all of the online pharmacies in our review: atorvastatin (Lipitor), metformin (Glucophage), and levothyroxine (Synthroid). Keeping in mind that the in-store prices were for pharmacies in our test area in the Southeast, here's some of what we found at GoodRx:

• Atorvastatin 40 mg, 30 tablets: $3.70 with a first-time discount as a new GoodRx member (not the Gold plan), $8.49 at Walmart with a $7.50 first-time discount. Regular prices started around $15 per fill. Lipitor started around $586.95 for the same dosage and quantity.
• Metformin 500 mg, 60 tablets: Walmart came in at the lowest cost at $4 (and GoodRx very helpfully pointed out that Walmart's everyday retail price was lower than any other GoodRx-listed pharmacy, so no need to use the GoodRx discount there). Walgreens was priced at $4.22 with a $12.50 new member discount and $16.72 thereafter. Going over to the brand-name Glucophage, all GoodRx-listed pharmacies came in at $70.19, also no GoodRx discount needed.
• Levothyroxine 50 mcg, 1 tablet: GoodRx had an offer for just $2 at Walgreens with a new-member discount and then $2.73 per tablet afterwards. But, GoodRx told us that Walmart's everyday retail price was just $1.64/tablet. Jumping over to the brand-name Synthroid, GoodRx had quite a few options; the first one on the list was Abbvie's "Synthroid Delivers Program” for $25/month on a 90-day prescription, $27/month on a 60-day prescription, or $29.50/month on a 30-day prescription. Otherwise, the lowest one-tablet price on Synthroid was $4.25 at Walgreens.

OTC meds available too

How about OTC medications? You can definitely get those through GoodRx as well. We looked up a bunch of basics, from Tylenol/acetaminophen to common allergy meds, and it wasn't hard to get what we needed - though we were a little confused when the site kept referring to "prescriptions” for OTC remedies.

Data privacy track record isn't great

Let's move on to GoodRx's reputation. The company has earned the Better Business Bureau's highest "A+” rating and accreditation. However, the BBB also had a lengthy alert about some shady data-sharing practices in the past: monetizing users' health information by selling it to social media platforms, who then used it for targeted ads for people who purchased particular medications. Yikes! That's why GoodRx had to pay a $1.5 million fine to the FTC in 2023, also with the requirement of changing such practices.

PBMs can be part of the problem

Also, despite its success, GoodRx has faced additional criticism over the years. One major issue is that while GoodRx helps people find lower prices, those discounts depend on deals with PBMs, which are known for their complex and sometimes opaque pricing structures. Critics argue that this system contributes to inflated drug prices in the first place.

You might be surprised

Final take? GoodRx has made a huge impact by giving people more control over how much they spend on medications. It's especially valuable for those without insurance or with high deductibles. Even if you have insurance, it's worth checking GoodRx before filling a prescription - you might be surprised at how much you can save. The platform's combination of transparency, convenience, and savings has made it a go-to resource for millions of Americans trying to manage their healthcare costs. However, the fact that this isn't a true online pharmacy unless you pay for a monthly membership took a bit off of GoodRx's rating here, and we're mindful of those earlier issues with mishandling user data too. Still, we give GoodRx a very high score overall.