MedFinder vs Needle vs RxFinder

All three do the same job: they phone pharmacies and ask whether your medication is in stock. None of them can see live pharmacy inventory. Where they differ is price, how fast you get an answer, and what happens when nothing is found.

Side by side

Competitor details are from their own websites, checked September 26, 2026. Prices change, so check theirs before you buy.

Compared	RxFinder	MedFinder	Needle
Price	$35 for one search$20 each in a 5-pack ($100)$15 each in a 12-pack ($180)	$50 for one search$40 each in a 3-pack ($120)$30 each in a 6-pack ($180)	$1 per call, a la carte$16/month for 20 call credits$59/month for unlimited calls
How you pay	One flat price per search, however many pharmacies it takes No subscription	Flat price per search, no subscription Searches never expire and can be shared	Pay per pharmacy called, or a monthly subscription that renews until cancelled
If nothing is found	Your credit goes back on your account to use again Or ask for a refund to your card within 14 days of purchase	They refund your search (money back, per their refund policy)	Calls are charged either way 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans
How fast	Usually a few minutes while pharmacies are open A search placed after hours waits for them to open	"Most patients receive matches within 2 to 24 hours" Hardest searches "can take up to a few days"	Alerts "within 48 hours" when it's available
Which pharmacies	Independent and chain pharmacies near any US ZIP code	Starts in your ZIP code and widens until it finds one Will look for a pharmacy that takes your insurance	Pharmacies you select, from major chains (a wider network on paid plans)
Also offers	A summary of what each pharmacy told us Shows other strengths a pharmacy said it has

Sources: MedFinder's homepage and pricing page (medfinder.com/pricing); Needle's homepage and pricing page (findneedle.co/pricing). MedFinder and Needle are trademarks of their owners. RxFinder isn't affiliated with either.

What the same money buys

$180 buys 12 RxFinder searches, or 6 MedFinder searches. A single search is $35 with us and $50 with MedFinder.

Needle charges by the call, so its cost depends on how many pharmacies it takes, and for a medication in shortage that is a lot. Our own searches have typically needed 30 or more calls before they were done, and MedFinder says a search “often requires 100+ pharmacy calls.” At $1 a call, that is $30 to $100 or more for one search.

Needle's $16 Base plan includes 20 call credits a month, which covers 20 pharmacies: fewer than one typical search. It is a monthly subscription that renews until you cancel it. Per-call pricing does win when a few calls will do it; a flat price per search caps what a hard one can cost you.

Common questions

Is MedFinder free?

No. MedFinder charges $50 for a single search, or $40 and $30 a search in 3- and 6-search packs, and refunds a search it can't complete. Needle charges $1 a call or a monthly plan. The free way is to call pharmacies yourself, and we've written up how to do that. How to check if a pharmacy has your medication.

How does MedFinder work?

By phone, like everyone else in this space. MedFinder says its AI agents and human staff contact pharmacies in your area, starting in your ZIP code and widening until they find one, then text you the pharmacy's details. Needle says the same thing in its headline: "We call pharmacies." RxFinder calls too, with an automated caller, and shows you the results as they come in.

Does any of these services see live pharmacy inventory?

No. Pharmacies don't publish their stock, and MedFinder says so itself: "there is no easy way to get access to pharmacy-level inventory data." Every service here finds out by asking pharmacies on the phone. Treat any claim of real-time inventory for controlled medications with suspicion.

Why does RxFinder cost less than MedFinder?

We built RxFinder after paying for these services ourselves and finding the prices out of proportion to a handful of phone calls. Our calls are automated and a search usually finishes in minutes, so one search costs $35, or $15 in a pack. The trade-off is real: MedFinder has people who keep going for hours or days, where we answer in minutes. If a search finds nothing, we give your credit back, and you can ask for a refund to your card within 14 days of purchase.

Which one should I use?

If you want an answer in minutes for a one-time search, try RxFinder. If you need someone to keep searching for days, widening the area, with a person to text and a cash refund if it fails, MedFinder is built for that. If you only want a few chain stores checked, or ongoing monitoring of a medication you fill every month, Needle's per-call and monthly plans fit.

Try a search

One flat price, an answer in minutes, and your credit back if no pharmacy has it.

Find your medication