We know trying to find the best online pharmacy can be challenging, with the overwhelming number of pharmacies operating online these days, how do you know which one to choose? Well, you will be pleased to know that we have decided to do all the work for you, analysing the most popular online pharmacies by looking into their different functions for example, their process, cost, services and reviews. 

So, what is the best online pharmacy UK? This could depend on many things and your personal preference; however, many people say that legitimacy is the most important concern when looking for an online medicine order as unfortunately, there are a lot of not-so-legitimate pharmacies online.  

How do you tell whether it is a legitimate online pharmacy?  

The first thing that you should always check is whether the pharmacy is registered with the GPHC (General Pharmaceutical Council), the pharmacy's registration number should be displayed clearly on their website. This is just one of many things you can do to check whether a UK pharmacy is legitimate. 

Check out our blog on how to spot fake medications for more information. 

How do I compare online pharmacies? 

Once you are satisfied that the pharmacy is legitimate, there are many factors you may want to look at, such as the price of medicines, services, customer loyalty schemes, introductory discounts, regular discounts, range of products, prescription fees, customer reviews and product information.  

Using some of our competitors we will provide you with a brief analysis of some of the factors above, this is so you can make an informed decision about which online pharmacy is best for you.  

Please note: The information below is as of 17.08.23 and is subject to change. 

Online pharmacy comparison 

Why do online pharmacies charge a prescription fee? 

Like brick-and-mortar stores, a company must cover the cost of their overheads, such as their staff salaries. Therefore, they will include a small charge to cover this somewhere in their prices.  

Some online pharmacies used to request a small online prescription fee, this is normally the amount charged by the doctor for online prescribing.  

Some online pharmacies did request a small prescription fee, however, these days it’s rare to find many online pharmacies still doing this. This is mainly due to the considerable amount of online competition. 

So, let’s look at whether any online pharmacies are still charging a prescription fee: 

As already mentioned, it is quite common these days that online pharmacies do not charge an online prescription fee. In the table above, as an example, you can see that Dr Fox still charges a prescription fee of up to £4 depending on how much you spend with them. 

So now I'm sure you’re wondering why most online pharmacies do not have an online prescription fee so why does Dr Fox? Well, Dr Fox has a different marketing strategy than most online pharmacies. Their prices are one of the cheapest online BUT a prescription fee will be added to your order during checkout when you order medication online, ultimately not making them as cheap as they appear to be.  

Dr Fox's prescription fees: 

Online pharmacy price comparison 

Using five of our competitors, we have compared two of our top-selling products, sildenafil tablets, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and orlistat capsules, a weight loss aid.  

Which is the cheapest online pharmacy?  

As you can see from the table above, Oxford Online Pharmacy is offering the lowest price for these medicines.  

Although, at first glance, Dr Fox looked like the cheapest online pharmacy, once we added the prescription fee this wasn’t the case.  

So, if you are looking for the lowest price treatments, always check to see whether you will be charged a prescription fee on top.