By Drugs.com
Report updated Apr 17, 2026
Pill Identifier by Drugs.com
For patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals seeking quick medication identification and safety information.
Pill Identifier by Drugs.com is a challenged medical app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 3.4/5 rating from 153 reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate utility for identification, though inaccurate/incomplete database remains a common concern.
What is Pill Identifier by Drugs.com?
Current Momentum
v2.158
Version 2.158 April 2026 Medication Data and Pill Imprint library update.
Active Nemesis
Pill Identifier Search
By Silver Star Apps
Other Rivals
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Snap a photo or upload an image to identify pills instantly using advanced recognition technology
Access detailed information on over 24,000 prescription and OTC medications
Search for medications based on imprint, drug name, color, and shape
How much does it cost?
- Free version with basic search
- Pill Identifier Pro: $9.99/week
- Pill Identifier Pro: $29.99/year
The $9.99/week price point is extremely aggressive for a utility app, creating a 'value gap' when the database fails to identify a pill. This model contrasts sharply with WebMD's free, ad-supported approach.
Who Built It?
Drugs.com
Providing peer-reviewed medication information and identification tools to help patients and healthcare professionals manage drug safety.
Portfolio
2
Apps
Who is Drugs.com?
Drugs.com leverages its established web-based authority and proprietary drug database to maintain a dominant position in the mobile medical reference space. Their moat is built on institutional trust and massive search-driven distribution, allowing them to bridge the gap between professional clinical data and consumer utility. A key strategic signal is the recent shift toward more aggressive monetization, particularly high-friction weekly subscriptions in their utility apps, which tests the limits of brand loyalty against specialized competitors.
Who is Drugs.com for?
- Patients
- Caregivers
- Healthcare professionals requiring verified medication data
- Interaction checks
Portfolio momentum
Maintained an active development cycle with 9 updates across both apps in the last 6 months, including a major release within the last 8 days.
What other apps does Drugs.com make?
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 153 total reviews analyzed · Based on 153 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate utility for identification, but report inaccurate/incomplete database and poor search functionality.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Pill Identifier by Drugs.com?
How's The Medical Market?
How does it evolve in the Medical market?
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | Medical | iOSPaid | #52 | |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Medical | iOSPaid | #56 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Pill Identifier Search
Silver Star Apps
This is the most direct utility competitor, focusing exclusively on the same core 'identify by imprint' and 'identify by photo' use cases with a similar subscription-based monetization model.
Head to Head
Pill Identifier Search currently holds the edge due to stronger sentiment and a more reliable search engine. While the Drugs.com app leverages a powerful brand name, its technical instability and mixed reviews on database accuracy make it a secondary choice for power users.
What sets Pill Identifier by Drugs.com apart
Direct integration with the broader Drugs.com information ecosystem
AI-driven photo recognition is marketed as a core feature rather than a secondary tool
What's Pill Identifier Search's Edge
Significantly higher user satisfaction and rating stability
More reliable search functionality for obscure generic imprints
Contenders
Professional-grade clinical data trusted by healthcare providers
Superior drug interaction checker with multi-drug analysis
WebMD: Symptom Checker
★4.7 (133.9K)WebMD
🚀The dominant consumer health platform that includes a highly popular, free Pill Identification tool used by millions.
Massive, authoritative content library beyond just pill identification
Completely free access to identification tools supported by an ad-model
Medscape
★3.7 (63.9K)WebMD
⚡A high-authority clinical reference tool that competes directly for the professional user base needing reliable drug identification.
Extensive database of over 8,500 prescription and OTC drugs
Visual pill identification tool optimized for clinical environments
Peers
Focuses on adherence and tracking rather than just identification
Includes family sync features and caregiver notifications
Pillboxie
★3.8 (96)Nice Boy LLC
💀A visual medication manager that allows users to 'drop' pills into a virtual pillbox, appealing to the same visual-oriented users.
Highly visual, skeuomorphic interface for pill management
Works without an internet connection for core features
The outtake for Pill Identifier by Drugs.com
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Drugs.com brand authority
- AI-driven photo recognition
- Integration with broader drug info ecosystem
Critical Frictions
- High $9.99/week subscription cost
- Database gaps for common/generic drugs
- Search UI bugs (disappearing filters)
Growth Levers
- Expansion of AI for multi-colored pills
- Professional-tier clinical features
- Offline database access
Market Threats
- Free tools from WebMD
- AI-first startups like Pill Eye
- High churn due to 'no match' results
What are the next best moves?
Fix Search UI Filter Persistence
Users report filters for shape and color disappear when typing imprints, breaking the core search workflow (Sentiment Analysis).
Audit Database for Generic Imprints
High-frequency complaints regarding 'no match' for common drugs like Kenzoflex indicate a database coverage gap that invalidates the Pro subscription value (Sentiment Analysis).
Re-evaluate Weekly Subscription Pricing
The $9.99/week price point is cited as a friction point when technical bugs occur, whereas competitors like Pill Identifier Search offer more stability (Competitor Analysis).
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Reliable search for obscure generic imprints (available in Pill Identifier Search)
- Multi-drug interaction analysis (available in Epocrates)
- Offline mode (available in Pillboxie)
Key Takeaways
The app is currently coasting on the Drugs.com brand name but is at high risk of churn due to a 'value gap'—the $9.99/week price is too high for a database that frequently returns 'no match.' To defend its #25 ranking, the PM must prioritize fixing the search UI and expanding the imprint library to match the reliability of the Nemesis, Pill Identifier Search.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Upset user sentiment driven by database gaps and UI bugs.
v2.158 (April 2026) update shows active maintenance of the imprint library.
High-friction $9.99/week pricing model creates immediate churn when AI recognition fails.