How to Build a Prescription Discount App like GoodRx

Medicines are expensive, no doubt. If you have insurance, medicines seem to be an unavoidable addition to your medical bills. However, several prescription discount apps like GoodRx enable users to buy medications at discounted prices from pharmacies. 

These apps provide discount coupons that users can redeem at medical shops and buy prescribed medication at lower prices.

Imagine, you visit a pharmacy and ask for prescribed drugs that cost you $100, for example. What if you get a 20% instant discount on these medicines? You get a happy feeling. GoodRx-like apps provide this type of happiness to millions of US citizens by giving them discount coupons redeemable for instant discounts at local pharmacies. 

This is why GoodRx has gained immense popularity and created significant market share in the healthcare industry. According to reports, GoodRx has helped US citizens save approximately $65 billion and the healthcare system over $5 billion since its inception. 

This has made prescription discount app development a highly profitable idea for business owners and entrepreneurs. But, they don’t know where to start. If you are also one of them, do not worry, we have your back! 

This blog explains how you can build a prescription discount app like GoodRx and open new doors of success in the healthcare sector. So, without any delay, let’s start. 

What is the GoodRx App?

Let’s understand the GoodRx app before developing a similar prescription discount application. 

GoodRx is one of the leading prescription discount and healthcare mobile applications that allow users to buy medications at discounted prices from pharmacies. Users get discount codes that they can redeem at over 70,000 pharmacies to get medicines at lower prices. 

Moreover, the application also offers other healthcare services like a nearby pharmacy locator, 24/7 telehealth services, medication refills, pill reminders, a personal medicine tracker, and more. 

On Google Playstore, the GoodRx has 10M+ downloads and 4.7 ratings (at the time of writing). 

Its top features are as follows: 

• Digital discount coupons 
• Pill reminder 
• Medication tracker and refills
• Nearby pharmacy locator 
• 24/7 telehealth services 
• Rewards for additional discounts 

Now that you have learned about the GoodRx app, let’s understand how you can develop a similar prescription discount app. 

How to Build a Prescription Discount App Similar to GoodRx 

Here is your step-by-step guide to developing a GoodRx-like prescription discount healthcare app. 

1. Planning the Development 

The first stage is planning the prescription discount app development by determining the target market, the type of app you will develop; native or cross-platform, and the functionalities you will be providing in the app. 

There are many apps like GoodRx in the market, hence, you must come up with a unique selling proposition to make your app stand out from them. 

Furthermore, to develop a successful prescription discount app, you need to collaborate with leading pharmacies in the targeted market, so that your users can get medicines at discounted prices using your application. 

2. Legal Compliance 

You need to get FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for developing a healthcare mobile application like GoodRx. 

Also, your prescription discount app must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which sets standards for the protection of sensitive patient information. 

If you are targeting the European Union, you must take care of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs data protection and privacy.

3. Development 

After the required permissions have been fulfilled, hire dedicated developers to build the prescription discount app. Another option is to outsource the project to a leading healthcare app development company. 

Both options have their pros and cons, so we advise you to carefully analyze and choose the best option that aligns with your requirements. 

4. Design the User Interface

With your development team, start designing the app’s user interface. The user interface is the element in the app with which the user interacts. Therefore, it must be engaging, properly structured, and easily navigable. Otherwise, the users will abandon the app. 

Hence, design the UI keeping the user perspective in mind. The tabs and buttons must be of appropriate size, use calm colors, and avoid tiny texts, as your user base also has elderly people. 

Check out our YouTube video for more tips for designing the UI/UX. 

5. Code the Backend Infrastructure 

After designing the UI/UX, develop a robust backend infrastructure to manage user details, medicine prices, pharmacy details, coupons, transactions, and more. 

You can use any of the top backend frameworks to streamline the app’s backend development. However, the framework you choose fulfills your requirements well.

6. Integrate APIs 

While developing the backend, integrate APIs (application programming interfaces) to empower with advanced functionalities. You must integrate several APIs, such as: 

• RxSense: provides access to prescription pricing and pharmacy discounts.

• Google Maps API: offers geolocation services, including mapping and places APIs to find nearby pharmacies.

• PayPal or Stripe: for payment processing services and APIs for mobile and online payments.

• Auth0: Provides authentication and authorization services.

• Firebase: Offers a real-time database, user authentication, and analytics services.

*Please note that the above-mentioned APIs are suggestions only. You can use other APIs for developing your prescription discount app as per your unique requirements.

7. Testing 

Post development phase, test your prescription discount app before you launch it for general public use. You can release a Beta version of your app for a limited number of users and monitor how it is working. 

Also, keep a tight eye on the feedback from users. Fix bugs and make relevant changes suggested by the users. 

8. Launch the App 

After testing, launch the prescription discount mobile app for the public use. Publish it on the Play Store and App Store. 

Moreover, promote your application using different marketing channels, like running advertisements, or the app store optimization. 

You can also rely on influencer marketing to promote your prescription discount mobile app among your target users. 

Hence, this is how you can develop a custom prescription discount healthcare app similar to GoodRx. If you need professional assistance, feel free to contact our experts. 

Top Features For a Prescription Discount Application 

In this section, we have listed the top features to integrate into a prescription discount application.

• Signup and Login: This allows users to sign up and log in in simple steps. 

• List of Medicines: This feature shows the list of medicines available in real-time at a particular pharmacy 

• Drug Price Lookup: Users can search for drug prices by entering the medication name manually, or scanning the prescription barcode using their device camera. 

• AI-powered Medication Recommendation: This feature leverages artificial intelligence to provide personalized medication recommendations. 

• Medication Information: This feature shows detailed information on medicines and drugs. 

• VR-Powered Telehealth Services: Apps like GoodRx offer telehealth services. You can do beyond by providing telehealth services using virtual reality. 

• Discount Coupons: This feature shows discount coupons that users can redeem at local pharmacies. 

• Nearby Pharmacy Locator: Powered by GPS technology, this feature allows users to find a pharmacy near their current location. 

• User Ratings and Reviews: This feature allows users to rate their experience and write reviews about buying medicines from a pharmacy at a discounted price. 

• Alerts: This feature alerts users to take medicine at a specific time, using push notifications. 

•   Medicine Tracking and Refills: This feature allows users to track medicines on a calendar, and alerts in advance when the stocks require refills. 

• 24/7 Chat Support: This generative AI-enabled feature addresses user queries and provides solutions around the clock. 

Hence, these are the top features for developing a prescription discount mobile app similar to GoodRx. 

Technology Stack for Building a GoodRx-Like Prescription Discount App 

You will require the latest tools and technologies to develop a successful prescription discount app. The following is the technology stack that you can use for developing an app like GoodRx. 

This is only a suggested technology stack for developing a prescription discount app. You can choose other tools and technologies to build your custom application.   

Read More: How AI Is Transforming the Healthcare Industry: Discover the Top Ways

How to Make Money From Prescription Discount Apps 

The number rule for any business is to get returns for the investment made. The more, the better. When you develop a prescription discount app like GoodRx, you invest thousands of dollars, hence, you must earn it back from the app itself. 

Therefore, here are some of the monetization strategies that you can use to generate revenue from a prescription discount mobile app. 

1. Partnership Fees 

The first way to make money from prescription discount apps is to charge partnership fees from pharmacies. You partner with local pharmacies and increase their customer base by offering discount coupons on medicines. In return, you can charge partnership fees from them and increase your revenue. 

2. Advertisements 

Another strategy to monetize prescription discount apps is running advertisements on the app. You can charge other businesses to run their advertisements on your application. However, remember not to overdo it, otherwise, it will affect the user experience. 

3. Consultation Charges

In the prescription discount app, you can offer telehealth services like GoodRx offers. You can charge consultation charges against connecting users with verified doctors and medical professionals around the clock. 

4. Affiliate Marketing 

Affiliate marketing is also a proven monetization strategy to make money from a prescription discount mobile application. You can earn commissions by promoting affiliated products, such as health supplements and medical devices, or services like telemedicine services related to healthcare, wellness, or prescription management. 

5. Subscriptions 

Last but not least, subscriptions are one of the best ways to generate revenue from prescription discount apps similar to GoodRx. You can offer your app’s services on a subscription basis, that is, users need to buy a subscription to use the prescription discount mobile app. 

So, this is how you can generate revenue by developing a prescription discount mobile app like GoodRx and grow your business.  

Conclusion 

When it comes to healthcare bills, prescription discount apps like GoodRx provide a big relief to people. Medicine prices are surging every year, and this is where prescription discount apps prove a boon as they allow people to buy medicines at a discounted price. 

By developing a prescription discount mobile app, you can help people by giving them discount vouchers redeemable at pharmacies. In return, you can generate revenue using the monetization strategies discussed in this guide. 

Not only this, your brand image also be enhanced in the healthcare industry which will benefit your business in the long run. 
So, what are you waiting for? Connect with Quytech, the leading healthcare app development company, and build your custom prescription discount app tailored to your specific requirements. For more details, please visit: www.quytech.com

Frequently Asked Questions 

Below are some frequently asked questions related to prescription discount app development. 

Q1. What is a prescription discount app? 

A prescription discount app is a type of healthcare application that allows users to buy medicines at discounted prices from pharmacies. 

Q2. What are the benefits of developing a prescription discount app? 

There are various benefits of creating a prescription discount app, such as: 

• You can help people reduce their medical bills by offering discount coupons for buying medicines. 
• You can generate revenue using different monetization strategies. 
• You can enhance your brand image in the healthcare industry. 

Q3. Can I build a prescription discount app as per my needs? 

Yes, you can build a prescription discount app according to your needs. 

Q4. What are some top features of a prescription discount app? 

The top features of the prescription discount app are: 

• List of Medicines
• Drug Price Lookup 
• AI-powered Medication Recommendation
• VR-Powered Telehealth Services
• Discount Coupons
• Nearby Pharmacy Locator
• Push Notifications 
• Medicine Tracking and Refills 
• 24/7 Chat Support

Q5. How much does it cost to develop a prescription discount mobile app? 

The cost of developing a prescription discount app depends on various factors like the complexity of development, tools and technologies used, the size and location of the development team, and more. 

Hence, we suggest contacting our team and sharing your requirements to know the cost of development.