Our 9 Online Provider Picks for Birth Control

Pandia Health is a unique women’s health startup, founded by medical professionals that prioritize inclusively, accessibility, and excellent user experience. It offers 148 brands of birth control pills, two patches, and two rings—among the most of all the companies we reviewed. In fact, the only birth control it doesn’t offer is the IUD, which requires an in-person appointment to be inserted, and the shot. Pandia Health’s wide range of birth control options, medically responsible approach to prescribing, and ease of use make it one of the most comprehensive online companies that supply birth control. 

The company takes a holistic approach to sexual health, evidenced by offering emergency contraception, at-home STI testing kits, and tons of educational blog posts. We were impressed with how much it centers patient care. For example, providing at-home STI tests saves individuals the long commute, potential shame, and fear of going to a doctor’s office to get tested. 

Getting birth control from Pandia Health is super easy. If you already have a pre-existing prescription from your doctor, you’ll just need to provide either your home pharmacy information or your doctor’s contact details. From there, you’ll receive free deliveries of your prescription with automatic refills as well as extra treats like candy, stickers, and tea. If you have a prescription already, Pandia Health is available in all 50 states.

If you don’t have a prescription, you’ll need to complete an online form that gathers more information on your medical background. This will be reviewed by a doctor. From there, you’ll be prescribed the medication that best fits your needs, with free shipping, automatic refills, and fun surprises with your delivery. If you need a medical consultation, it’s $25 and only available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. The price of birth control itself varies based on insurance coverage—with insurance, it can be free; without insurance, it starts at $7.

Sometimes you need contraception quickly and the prospect of waiting days to receive a prescription isn’t an option. Yet, having to pay increased fees to access same-day care may feel like another barrier to receiving the birth control support you need. Enter Sesame Care. Sesame offers same-day medical consultations for $39 and birth control is just $5, including shipping. Additionally, you can opt for same-day pharmacy pickup. We value that Sesame also offers excellent transparency—each provider has reviews you can read before making your selection. The majority of birth control providers have between 4- and 5-star ratings. 

While its same-day offerings are enticing, it is important to note a few drawbacks. First, Sesame Care doesn’t accept insurance. While its medical consultation and birth control pricing is comparable to an insurance copay, this may be an issue for some. However, you can receive a superbill to submit for reimbursement from your insurance company, if you’d like. You can also use a health saving account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) for payment. The other drawback is that Sesame only offers birth control pills. If you’re hoping to receive the patch, ring, or emergency contraception, this isn’t the service for you. Finally, Sesame is currently available in California, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

It is critical that teens have access to birth control to avoid unintended pregnancies, and healthcare providers play a huge role in ensuring this access. As such, providers who offer quality, non-judgmental, and convenient care work towards supporting teens to avoid unwanted pregnancies. We feel Twentyeight Health does just that. It offers birth control and sexual health treatment options for those under the age of 18. It offers an easy sign-up process, affordable pricing, and audio consultation with doctors.

To get started, you’ll pay an annual medical consultation fee of $26 and fill out a medical questionnaire. If you’re hoping to get in touch with your doctor after that, you can schedule an audio consultation for free. In addition to over 100 brands of birth control, you can also order the morning-after pill, the abortion pill (if you’re based in New York or California), herpes treatment, and prenatal vitamins. Twentyeight Health accepts insurance, including Medicaid, and maintains that most insurance plans will cover the cost of contraceptives, making prescriptions free. 

Services are available in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. While there are some age restrictions based upon the state of residence, Twentyeight Health offers instructions on how to still access birth control even if you are underage. For example, if you are under the age of 18 in Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, or Wyoming, you can have your legal guardian email their consent, along with a picture of their ID and your ID.

Nurx offers a range of birth control options and is in-network with most major insurance companies, including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare. Something that sets it apart from other companies that accept health insurance is that it is available in 36 different states and has unique forms of birth control. For example, you can order a form of birth control that is administered in a shot you can give to yourself in the privacy and comfort of your home. Additionally, you can receive the ring and the patch, as well as various forms of the pill. 

Most insurance plans cover the cost of birth control, making it free. Plus, Nurx doesn’t require an appointment and offers free shipping, so the process of getting your medication is quick and without extra costs. Similar to other companies, you request your prescription online, a doctor reviews your medical history, and then your medication is delivered with automatic refills. 

We also like how Nurx approaches offering medication for those who don’t have insurance. It can be frustrating when some platforms focus on accepting insurance and don’t share what those who won’t be using insurance can expect. But Nurx provides transparent information on out-of-network pricing . Be warned, though—some prescriptions, like the patch, can be as expensive as $180 monthly.

A drawback to receiving birth control online is that many services don’t require or include consultations with doctors. This can be off-putting, particularly for those who are trying a type of birth control that’s new to them and are feeling side effects, or who have pre-existing medical issues that affect hormonal contraceptives. Blink Health, however, offers unlimited access to medical providers with its monthly subscription model. The subscription is quite a perk—it ensures you have unlimited access to a virtual doctor should you have questions about your medication at any time. Ordering contraceptives online can feel impersonal, and having the ability to message your provider whenever you need, as often as you need, may provide peace of mind. 

The subscription is just $10 for the initial medical consultation and $10 a month after that, clocking in at significantly less than its competitors. Blink Health also accepts insurance, so you may pay nothing for your medication and simply be responsible for the monthly subscription fee. Keep in mind that telehealth services for birth control pills are currently only available in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas. Another thing to be aware of is that Blink Health is not suitable for first-time birth control users. You have to opt to use a contraceptive you’ve been on before, so it is best for those who are already on birth control and simply need to cut down on costs.

Hers is much more than an online company that offers birth control. It also offers other sexual health products, like condoms, lubricants, cold sore treatments, yeast infection medications, and even herpes treatment. We appreciate this holistic approach to sexual wellness, plus the convenience of being able to purchase everything from birth control to cold sore treatments in one spot. 

Getting a prescription through Hers is simple. It lays all the steps out clearly, from filling out an intake form to receiving a free medical consultation to telling you when you can expect your medication to arrive. Additionally, it succinctly explains the types of birth control it offers, which can save some time for those who have an idea of what medication they’re looking for. 

Another aspect we love is that Hers provides tons of educational content on its blog, including ways to determine the best birth control for you, birth control side effects, and if alcohol will impact the efficacy of birth control. Some fine print to be aware of: Hers doesn’t accept insurance and you can’t pay with HSA or FSA funds. Monthly plans start at $12 and vary based on the type of pill you choose. While there isn’t an additional fee for the initial medical consultation, any follow-ups will run you $5. Hers has generic versions of common birth control pills like Aubra, Yasmin, Yaz, Tri-Lo-Sprintec, and more. However, it only has birth control pills, so if you’re looking for the shot or the patch, this isn’t the right service for you.

There are some circumstances where you may be more comfortable receiving birth control from a doctor who is always available. Perhaps it is your first time ever going on the pill or maybe you’re back on it shortly after giving birth. Either way, you might have a lot of questions and find the option of simply filling out a questionnaire and receiving contraceptive recommendations from a doctor a bit impersonal. HealthTap offers excellent medical support through same-day video consultations and the ability to receive insight from a network of over 90,000 doctors at any time. 

With HealthTap, you can expect to work with the same doctor throughout your time with the company. This saves you the hassle of having to repeat your health history every time an issue comes up. Since sexual health is an intimate topic, being able to build trust and rapport with a provider is an invaluable resource. If you end up having a question after your video consultation, you can shoot your doctor a message and expect to hear back within one business day. If you’re hoping to receive answers sooner, you can visit a vast online forum where hundreds of members post questions and one of HealthTap’s 90,000 doctors provide public responses. Not only is this useful for receiving the information you need quickly, but it may also help you feel less stressed or alone when navigating a side effect.

A subscription is $15 per month but is charged every three months at $45. Each video appointment costs $44. The price of medication will depend on your insurance. Speaking of insurance, HealthTap accepts major insurance plans including from Cigna, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare. HealthTap virtual doctor visits are available throughout the country.

HealthTap does have some downsides: It doesn’t share a lot of information about the types of birth control it prescribes and it is clear that all prescriptions are at the discretion of the provider. This isn’t too different from an in-person clinic, but if you’re dead set on receiving a certain medication, this may not be the platform for you. Additionally, HealthTap does not accept prescriptions from outside providers.

Planned Parenthood is known for local clinics that offer sexual health services at accessible costs (sometimes $0). Planned Parenthood Direct is its app—a recent development that aims to make sexual health services even more convenient. It offers free overnight shipping of emergency contraceptives and can direct you to a local center if you need a quicker, lower-cost option. 

Currently, just one contraceptive option is offered through the app. This contraceptive, Ella, will run you $80, and Planned Parenthood Direct does not accept insurance. While the convenience of overnight shipping may make the extra cost worth it, for some it simply may not be feasible. If that is the case for you, you will be directed to a nearby center where you can receive Plan B, a lower-cost emergency contraceptive. Additionally, you can receive more information on how to purchase Plan B over the counter. Planned Parenthood Direct is currently available in all states except Alabama, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Choosing to have an abortion is a deeply personal decision. However, for many, the act of going to a clinic to receive an abortion can be dangerous if they reside in an area where abortions are not widely accepted. Hey Jane takes an accessible approach to reproductive healthcare, offering medical abortions either based on a sliding fee scale or via abortion fund support. Additionally, you can opt to use your health insurance; however, Hey Jane is only in-network with Aetna (that said, you can opt to use your HSA/FSA to pay for your treatment). You can also have your medication delivered to a post office box. Additionally, Hey Jane is flexible when it comes to forms of ID accepted—with the goal of non-discrimination based on immigration status, you can opt to use any form of ID. You simply have to snap a photo of you holding your ID and upload it during the intake process.

Additionally, Hey Jane has a private, peer-to-peer support program for its patients. "The Lounge" is a community where you can communicate with other Hey Jane patients who are also navigating a medical abortion experience. To join, you’ll have to message the company on Spruce, its HIPAA-compliant messaging app used for all patient communications. 

At the time of publication, Hey Jane is available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Washington. Pregnancies of 10 weeks' gestation or fewer are eligible for medical abortion through Hey Jane. Gestational age is measured from the first day of your last period. This service is only available to those over the age of 18. If you’re under the age of 18, visit ineedana.com to learn what your options are.