Frequently asked questions
Is the label data really from the FDA?
Yes. Every label comes from the FDA's openFDA database by way of NIH DailyMed and is shown as written. Nothing is rewritten, summarised or AI-generated, and every screen names its source and the date it was retrieved so you can check it. Always confirm against the physical label.
What can it scan?
On manufacturer packaging (the box or bottle as it comes from the drug maker), the striped barcode and the square 2D DataMatrix code now carried on U.S. Rx packaging. A pharmacy-dispensed bottle — the vial with your own name and pharmacist on it — usually has a barcode that identifies your fill for the pharmacy, not the drug, so it typically won't scan. For that, type the NDC printed on the label instead, or search by name. Prescription or over-the-counter, brand or generic; the 2D code also captures the expiry date for you.
What is the small square code on a prescription?
Since late 2025, U.S. packaging for prescription-only (Rx) drugs carries a small square DataMatrix code from the manufacturer, separate from the striped barcode. It holds the drug's NDC, its lot number and its expiration date. It is not a QR code, which has three large squares in its corners. Note this is the manufacturer's original packaging — a pharmacy's own dispensing label, once it's on your bottle, doesn't carry this code.
Is there a free trial, and do you take a card?
7 days with the whole app, and no card is collected to start — you give card details only when you decide to subscribe. If you do nothing, access ends on day 8 and nothing is charged, because we never had a card to charge.
What does it cost after the trial?
$2.99 a week, $5.99 a month, or $39.99 a year. The yearly plan works out at $3.33 a month and covers everyone in the household. Caregiver sharing is free on every plan. On iPhone, iPad and Android the subscription is handled by the App Store or Google Play; on the web it is handled by Stripe.
Is this medical advice?
No. VerifyDrugLabel is an accessibility reader. It reads and verifies label data — it does not interpret it, diagnose, prescribe, or tell you whether a medicine is safe for you. Always verify against the physical label and ask your pharmacist or your doctor before acting.
What happens to my photos and my list?
It depends which one you use. A barcode or 2D code is decoded on your own phone, and only the code is sent to us. If you photograph a label for the app to read, that photo is sent to our AI provider (Groq), read, and discarded — it is never stored by us or by them, and it is never used to train a model. Nothing writes the image to our servers or our logs. We keep the NDC and the extracted text in your history, never the picture. Your medicine list stays private to you and to anyone you deliberately share it with, and it is never sold.
Does it work on my phone and my computer?
Yes — iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with your saved medicines synced across all of them. The same large type, high contrast and read-aloud are on every one.
Can I share my medicine list with family?
Yes. Generate a private, read-only link and a caregiver or family member can see every medicine you've saved, with the full label and read-aloud, without needing an account of their own. Revoke it in one tap. Caregiver sharing is free on every plan.