7 Popular Medication Reminder Apps Available for Apple and Android

Remembering to take your medications can be tricky, especially if you’re taking several at different times during the day. In the U.S., almost 25% of people take 3 or more medications a day. Over 10% of people take 5 or more medications a day.

Research has shown that almost half of people struggle to take their medications as prescribed. Taking medications can get even harder when you have more to take. So, what tools are available to help you remember to take them?

Many people turn to pillboxes and calendars to take their medications as scheduled. But if you own a smartphone, you have access to simple tools, such as mobile apps, to remind you when to take your medications.

Here, we’ll talk about medication reminder apps — which ones are popular, why they’re relevant, and what to know.

What are some popular medication reminder apps?

There are well over 350,000 health-related apps on smartphones available through the Apple App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). With so many apps out there, you may be wondering: How do I find the right app to help me with my medications?

We’ve put together a list that includes popular medication reminder apps available for Apple and Android devices. This list includes common medications that many people would likely use. But these apps aren’t specific to particular conditions. For example, there aren’t any apps included on this list that are only meant to help manage Type 2 diabetes medications.

Most of these apps work by having you type in each of your medications. For each medication, you input its name, dose, how often you take it, and when you’d like to be reminded to take it. For example, you could type in that you take lisinopril 5 mg once a day at 8AM for blood pressure. An app can send an alert to remind you to take lisinopril at 8AM. You repeat this process for each medication that you take. This process is similar for all apps mentioned in this list.

Good to know: You may have questions regarding data security or access to data that you share in an app. For this, we recommend that you read the terms of use provided by the apps to determine if they seem appropriate to your individual needs.

1. Medisafe (free/paid, iOS, and Android)

Medisafe has been around for more than a decade. It’s a favorite for many people and its core features are free to use.

To use the app, you start off by entering the details of your medications. After you do this, the app builds a report of when you take your medications and sends alerts accordingly. The app also generates adherence reports that you can share with your healthcare team, family members, or caregivers, making it easier to coordinate your medication routine.

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• Assessing your options: Medication reminder apps aren’t the only option for helping you stay on track. Read on for other creative ways to remember to take your dose.

• Organizing your pills: Pill organizers are a common tool for coordinating medications. Learn about the different types of pill organizers and mistakes to avoid when organizing your pills.

• Too many medications: Taking many medications can be a problem if they’re doing more harm than good. Here are steps you can take if you think you’re taking too many medications.

What’s more, Medisafe can remind you when you’re low on medication and due for a refill. It can also provide medication interaction warnings, such as to avoid certain foods or alcoholic beverages with your medications.

Upgrading to Medisafe’s premium version unlocks additional tools, such as enhanced customizations, unlimited caregiver reports, improved body measurement statistics, and more.

2. Dosecast: My Pill Reminder App (free/paid, iOS, and Android)

Dosecast is free, but it also has premium features you have to pay to unlock.

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Dosecast’s basic features allow you to enter your oral medications, set up custom reminders for each dose, and receive alerts to help you stay on schedule. This is done similarly to Medisafe, the app described above.

Features that require a fee include:

• Syncing your data across multiple devices

• Tracking different medication types (such as injections or eye drops) in addition to oral pills

• Setting up refill alerts

• Using a drug database while entering medications to make the setup process easier

• Taking photos of your medications so you can tell the difference between each one

• Keeping a personal log of your medication history to see when you missed your medications

3. EveryDose (free/paid, iOS, and Android)

EveryDose is similar to the apps mentioned above. It’s a free app with customizable medication reminder features and alerts. The app also has an embedded artificial intelligence (AI) assistant called Maxwell. This chatbot can answer your medication-related questions and help you better understand the medications you’re taking.

While EveryDose is free to use for basic reminders and tracking, premium features are also available. Paid features include advanced medication management tools, enhanced reporting options, and additional customization for reminders and notifications.

4. MyTherapy Pill Reminder (free/paid, iOS, and Android)

The MyTherapy Pill Reminder app allows you to create customizable reminders of when to take your medications. You can track your doses in a sharable logbook and add freehand notes, too.

This app also allows you to track where you inject your medications, such as your upper arm or stomach. You can also track other health information, such as your mood, body weight, and blood pressure.

Most of this app’s core functions — such as medication reminders and health metric tracking — come at no cost. But advanced reporting and extra support features are available through in-app purchases.

5. Medications (free, iOS)

Apple’s Medications app is now fully available on iPhone and Apple Watch, offering a built-in tool for medication management. It’s free to use and requires no additional downloads for users with compatible Apple devices (iOS 16.0, watchOS 9.0 or later).

This app allows you to input your medications and supplements, set custom reminders for each one, and receive alerts directly on your devices. If you’re an Apple Watch user, you can even incorporate the app into your watch face. You can also log when you take each medication, creating a record that can be referenced later.

A notable feature of the Medications app is its ability to check for potential drug interactions based on your medication list. The app also provides information about each medication, including usage instructions and side effects. What’s more, the Medications app enables you to share medication data with your healthcare team or family members.

6. CareClinic (free, iOS, and Android)

CareClinic is another health management app that goes beyond just medication reminders. Like other apps, you can enter your medications, doses, and typical schedule to receive timely alerts. But CareClinic also allows you to track symptoms, vitals, and mood, among other health metrics.

The app offers a health diary feature, too, where you can log daily activities, appointments, and notes, helping you keep a detailed record of your health. CareClinic also supports medication adherence reports that you can share with your healthcare team.

Available for both iOS and Android, CareClinic is free to use. But it also offers several optional premium features. Notable examples include web dashboard access and advanced analytics.

7. GoodRx Medicine Cabinet (free, iOS, and Android)

GoodRx Medicine Cabinet is a feature within the broader GoodRx app. It’s designed to help you track, manage, and save on your prescriptions in one place. GoodRx Medicine Cabinet is free to use and is available on iOS and Android.

After you add your medication(s) in the dashboard, Medicine Cabinet can send alerts to help you take your medications on time and order refills when needed. The app also analyzes your prescription list and recommends the pharmacy offering the lowest overall price, making it easier to maximize your savings.

As a bonus, you can earn reward points each time you use a GoodRx coupon or pick up your prescription. These points can be redeemed for discounts on prescriptions or digital gift cards from popular retailers.

Why is it hard to determine the ‘best’ medication reminder app?

There’s limited evidence to say what the best medication reminder app is. Defining what is best can be challenging, considering you could base this on consumer ratings or clinical study data.

At this time, there’s not a standard measure to determine which apps are good or bad. As such, no gold standard tool exists. But most researchers and clinicians agree that certain things should be considered when deciding which apps may be better than others. This includes factors such as:

• If there’s available evidence to show if the app works

• If the app has good security

• If data collected from the app are used with the user’s consent

• If data can be shared with those who can use it for your care 

There’s also not much evidence to support whether apps really work to change how people take their medications. Even though there’s not a lot of evidence, many users feel that these apps help them take their medications more consistently and provide some benefit.

How do you set medication reminders on your phone?

If you don’t want to download an app, there are other ways to use your smartphone to set medication reminders.

For instance, if you take your medications just once a day, you could set a simple daily alarm on your phone. You could also use a general reminder app — such as Apple’s Reminders app, which comes preinstalled when you purchase an Apple device — on your phone to jog your memory. This may be more helpful if you tend to silence alarms.

If you prefer spoken reminders, you can integrate a voice assistant (such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri) to remind you to take your medications through your phone.

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Written by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.

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