Medisafe app no longer free from January 1st 2026

fredflower

I've been using the Medisafe app for several years to keep track of my medication and supplements. I've found it very useful to prevent me forgetting, overdosing or totally forgetting a med name during a medical appointment.

From January 1st 2026 users will have to pay a subscription fee or lose access. It's a fairly small amount to some, though when chronically ill and surviving on less money than I was as a student 30+ years ago, it's money I'd rather spend elsewhere. Also the app isn't so perfect that I'd want to pay for it.

What FREE alternatives are there that are easy to use and do all the things you may need. I have some meds that are 3 times a week, sometimes the odd med for 4 times a day, etc., so I'd need it to not be too rigid.

I'd welcome recommendations on what's good and what to avoid.

Also, is there an easy way to extract the information already held in Medisafe just in case I need to refer back in the future?

Thanks 😊

Murphybear

I’ve just had a look, there are loads of free apps that look similar. 

tsanders

I had exactly the same issue. I’ve found TOM an excellent alternative and I asked them and it will stay free forever. Design seems very good and easy to enter your meds (including uploading a photo of each of your meds!). I think this will be the one for me. 

tsanders

You can only download (via email) your Medisafe meds history for the last 12 months. I took screenshots of each med listed as it gives ‘last taken’ date for old previous meds. TOM allows you to programme which days of the week for a med. It also can remind you to keep up your hydration. I’m finding it very flexible. 

fredflower

Murphybear said:

I’ve just had a look, there are loads of free apps that look similar. 

Not very helpful. I did look in the app store and was overwhelmed by the number of apps and no matter how many reviews I read I was still no further forward, hence me asking here.

fredflower

tsanders said:

I had exactly the same issue. I’ve found TOM an excellent alternative and I asked them and it will stay free forever. Design seems very good and easy to enter your meds (including uploading a photo of each of your meds!). I think this will be the one for me. 

Thanks. I took a look but there were several reviews mentioning it not working without WiFi. On the rare occasions I'm out and about I'd want to still receive notifications, plus there have been times when I've been without WiFi for days at home.

I've downloaded MedTimer after seeing it recommended by some users in their updated Medisafe reviews. It seems fairly user friendly and so far I've had no problems setting up my meds and reminders. Seeing I can enter the standard refill size for a med, so when I get new meds I just press 'refill' to add them, is already an improvement on Medisafe.

I hope TOM continues to serve you well. 😊

neatdash

I'm the developer of one of the alternatives, so I'll be upfront about that — but it seems relevant to share here.

I built PillNow partly because Medisafe going paid left a gap for people who just need a solid free-ish alternative without a subscription. It's £1.59 one-time, no ongoing cost, no medication limits.

The thing that makes it different: you photograph each pill bottle when you set up a medication, and that photo shows up full-screen every time the alarm fires. Useful when you're managing several different pills and want visual confirmation of the right one. Works completely offline, no account needed.

The alarm is persistent — won't go away until you tap Taken, Snooze or Skip. Not just a notification you swipe by accident.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neatdash.pillnow

Happy to answer any questions about it.

fredflower

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970366#Comment_81970366

What happens if a user has several pill reminders at the same time? Having a visual of the packaging is great if you're taking meds straight from the packaging but if you're taking several meds you are more likely to dispense into a pill box.

For me having a persistent alarm would drive me nuts and if I'm not near my meds I'd probably select skip just to get the app to stop pestering me, then potentially forget to take them later.

For me to pay a one-off fee I'd want to try it first to make sure it was right for me.

Just my thoughts. I wish you well.

DailyDoseWise

Re: Free Medisafe alternative — I built one

I was frustrated by the same change and decided to build a replacement. It's called DoseWise — unlimited medications, local notifications, no subscription, and your data never leaves your phone.

It works on both iOS and Android. You pay once ($3.99) if you want extras like PDF export for your doctor — but the reminders are completely free, forever, with no medication limit.

I'm still finishing it up before the App Store submission. If you'd like to be notified when it's live, I've set up a quick waitlist here: https://tally.so/r/9q2Y2K

Happy to answer any questions about how it works.