Skip to content

Your profile

We use this to sort calculators, pre-fill typical numbers and highlight what applies to you. It stays in your browser — no account, no personal details.

What's on your mind?

Patient tool · Prescriptions & bills

Prescription cost comparison calculator

Compare brand vs generic, 30-day retail vs 90-day mail order, and discount card prices for a year.

Editorial review in progress · How we review

Uses 2026 figures
$
$
$

Enter 0 if not available.

$

Enter 0 if you don't have one. Cash purchases usually don't count toward your deductible.

Your results will appear here.
Adjust the numbers, then press Calculate.

Assumptions
  • 12 retail fills or 4 mail-order fills per year for a daily medication taken all year.
Practice owner? Add this to your website

Embed this calculator

Free for any website: a practice site, blog or program page. It's ad-free, resizes itself, and matches light or dark mode. Add ?theme=dark or ?theme=light to the iframe URL to force a theme, or accent=1f6feb (a hex color) to match your brand. Or pick colors in the embed library.

The same medication can cost very different amounts depending on whether you buy the brand or a generic, fill 30 or 90 days at a time, or pay cash with a discount card. This calculator compares a full year of each option.

How it works

Enter what you pay for:

  • A 30-day supply of the brand-name drug at a retail pharmacy.
  • A 30-day supply of the generic at a retail pharmacy.
  • A 90-day supply of the generic by mail order (enter 0 if your plan doesn't offer it).
  • The cash price with a discount card for a 30-day supply (enter 0 if you don't have one).

The calculator multiplies each by the number of fills in a year: 12 for 30-day fills and 4 for 90-day fills. It shows the lowest-cost option and how much it saves compared with the brand.

Example

A daily medication costs:

  • Brand: $75 a month, or $900 a year.
  • Generic at retail: $15 a month, or $180 a year.
  • Generic by 90-day mail order: $30 per fill, or $120 a year.
  • Discount card: $12 a month, or $144 a year.

Mail order is cheapest, saving $780 a year compared with the brand.

More ways to save

Ask your pharmacist whether a lower-cost drug in the same class would work for you, or whether a different dose or tablet size costs less. Check your plan's drug list (formulary) for preferred medications, which often have lower copays. Drug makers also offer savings programs for some brand-name medications. Always talk with your prescriber before changing how you take a medication.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are generics as good as brand-name drugs?

The FDA requires generics to have the same active ingredient, strength and effect as the brand. Some medications have special considerations, so ask your prescriber or pharmacist before switching.

Do discount card purchases count toward my deductible?

Usually not, because the purchase doesn't go through your insurance. If you're close to your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum, using insurance may be better.

How do I get a 90-day supply?

Ask your prescriber to write the prescription for 90 days, then check your plan's mail-order pharmacy or a retail pharmacy that offers 90-day fills.

Keep going

Related patient tools

All patient tools