Last checked: June 2026. We update this page when either app changes materially. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Full disclosure: Medication Timer is our app. MyTherapy is a good product with a deserved reputation, so this page focuses on understanding what each one was built for.
MyTherapy, made by Munich-based smartpatient GmbH, is one of the most recommended free medication reminder apps available. Unlike Medisafe, it has stayed free, and for an individual managing their own prescriptions it remains a solid choice.
The main difference between the two apps is who they are designed around. MyTherapy is designed around one person following their own treatment plan. Medication Timer is designed around a household, where the person holding the phone is often not the person taking the medicine.
The short version
MyTherapy may suit you if you are managing your own medications and want a free, mature reminder app with persistent alerts, health measurements, mood tracking and a monthly adherence report for your doctor.
Medication Timer may suit you better if you are managing medicines for other people as well as yourself, such as children, a partner or ageing parents. This is especially true for as-needed medicines during illness ("can I give paracetamol again yet?"), antibiotic courses, variable doses like warfarin, or situations where several caregivers need to see the same up-to-date picture.
Side-by-side comparison
| Medication Timer | MyTherapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed around | Households and caregivers | One person's treatment plan |
| Price | Free (unlimited family members and medications); Family Care US$19.99/yr for shared coordination, trends and reports | Free |
| Family member profiles | Unlimited, each with their own medications and history | One user per account |
| Caregiver model | Caregivers log in separately and see the same picture: doses, timers, temperatures (Family Care) | Team feature can alert trusted contacts if a dose is missed |
| Medication reminders | Daily, weekly, hourly and variable-dose routines | Strong daily scheduling with persistent alerts |
| As-needed (PRN) safety timers | Minimum intervals, daily limits, clear "safe to dose" countdown | As-needed logging without interval or limit safety logic |
| Variable-dose routines (e.g. warfarin) | Different doses on different days, alongside INR tracking | Limited |
| Illness episodes (Care sessions) | Fevers, symptoms, doses and antibiotic courses in one timeline per illness | Not available |
| Health measurements | INR, blood pressure, heart rate, SpO₂, respiratory rate, weight, glucose, with targets and trends | Blood pressure, glucose, weight, mood and more |
| Reports for doctors | Family reports across members and any period (Family Care) | Monthly PDF adherence and health report |
| Platforms | iOS, Android and web | iOS and Android |
| Ads / data selling | None, ever | Their privacy policy states it does not hand personal data to third parties without consent; works with research partners |
Where Medication Timer has the edge for families
1. The household is the unit, not the user
In MyTherapy, an account belongs to one person and their treatment plan. On MyTherapy's own App Store page, a user asks whether there is a feature for monitoring their parents' medications, and the developer's reply is that the suggestion will be forwarded to the team. That gap is what Medication Timer was built to fill. Every family member gets a profile, and every dose, temperature and symptom belongs to a named person.
2. A live shared picture, rather than missed-dose alerts
MyTherapy's Team feature can let a trusted contact know when a dose was missed, which is useful as far as it goes. Caregiving usually needs more than an alert after the fact, though. It needs the current picture: what has been given, what is due, and whether it is safe to dose again. With Family Care, each caregiver logs in separately and sees the same timers, doses and temperatures as they happen, on iPhone, Android or the web.
3. Help with as-needed dosing
Scheduled daily adherence is where MyTherapy is strongest. As-needed medicines are a different kind of problem. When you log a dose of paracetamol or ibuprofen in Medication Timer, it works out the minimum safe interval and daily limit, then shows a countdown, or a clear "too soon" state if it is too early. For parents trying to remember whether the last dose was at midnight or 1am, that removes a lot of the guesswork that a daily reminder schedule was never meant to handle.
4. Illness as an episode
Care sessions group everything from one illness into a single timeline: doses, temperatures, symptoms, notes and antibiotic courses, closed out when your family member recovers. This week's flu stays separate from last month's ear infection. (More: Family tracking when illness strikes.)
5. Variable doses like warfarin
Warfarin patients take different doses on different days, adjusted after each INR test, which is an awkward fit for fixed daily schedules. Medication Timer supports variable-dose routines alongside INR tracking with targets and trends. (More: Warfarin management after heart surgery.)
Where MyTherapy has the edge
MyTherapy does several things well, and for some people these will be the deciding factors:
- It is entirely free, with no subscription and no medication caps. For an individual, that matters.
- Persistent reminders. Alerts that keep nudging until you confirm or snooze help people who sleep through ordinary notifications.
- The monthly PDF report of adherence and measurements is polished, and many doctors are already familiar with it.
- Mood tracking alongside medications, which Medication Timer does not offer.
- Maturity and scale. A decade of development, a large user base, many languages, and German data-privacy standards behind it.
If you are one person with your own treatment plan and no caregiving responsibilities, MyTherapy may well be all you need, at no cost.
Switching, or running both
There is no automatic import between the apps, but most households are set up in about ten minutes:
- Create your free account on iOS, Android, or the web. The web app is handy for initial setup on a bigger screen.
- Add family members. Unlimited on the free plan.
- Add medications and routines. The guided setup walks you through common medications, your first as-needed timer, and your first health reading.
- Try a Care session next time someone is under the weather. It is the quickest way to see how Medication Timer approaches things differently.
Some people keep MyTherapy for their own daily prescriptions and use Medication Timer for the household. That combination works fine, and there is no lock-in either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is MyTherapy free? Yes, MyTherapy is free. That makes it a strong option for individuals, so the comparison with Medication Timer mostly comes down to household needs rather than price.
Can MyTherapy track medications for my whole family? MyTherapy is built around one user per account, with a Team feature that can alert trusted contacts about missed doses. Medication Timer provides unlimited family member profiles in one app, with shared caregiver access on the Family Care plan.
Does Medication Timer have persistent reminders like MyTherapy? Medication Timer sends mobile reminders for routines and as-needed timers, and anything not yet marked as taken stays visible as due on Today.
What does Medication Timer cost? The free plan includes unlimited family members, unlimited medications, as-needed safety timers, and temperature and symptom logging, with 3 routines or health readings per family member. Family Care is US$19.99/year at the current founding price (rising to US$59.99/year).
Which is better for warfarin? Medication Timer supports variable-dose routines with INR tracking, targets and trends, which suits warfarin's changing doses. MyTherapy's scheduling is built around fixed daily patterns.
Medication Timer is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always follow your clinician's directions and local dosing guidance. MyTherapy is a trademark of smartpatient GmbH; claims about it reflect publicly available information as at the "Last checked" date above, and we welcome corrections.
