A Tampa Bay resident filling a common generic could pay about $6 at one source, about $15 with a discount card and $32 through a Medicare drug plan. That's the example a new prescription price-comparison site is using to explain why it exists.
BetterBuyRx launched in September. It puts cash prices, discount-coupon prices and mail-order pharmacy prices for the same prescription into one list, sorted from cheapest to most expensive. Searching is free, and so is the site's discount card. You don't need an account or insurance to use it, the company says.
What the founder says happened
Founder Naufil Shah "Don" Daud explained the idea in a Sept. 23 post on X. A friend had asked him what his medication would cost, Daud wrote, so he looked up the antidepressant Lexapro on BetterBuyRx. Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs listed it at $6.14. The BetterBuyRx coupon showed a $15.43 cash price, and GoodRx showed $29, he wrote.
When the friend took the coupon to the pharmacy, Daud wrote, "the pharmacist pulled up his Medicare part D plan, his total was $32."
"The same prescription is different prices from different providers to different pharmacies," Daud wrote. "A pharmacy across the street will have a different price for the same dose & count."
The Tampa Bay Observer could not independently verify the prices in the friend's example. Drug prices change often and vary by dose, quantity, pharmacy and plan.
Daud also wrote that "a lot of providers have pushed back via email" because they don't want to be on a comparison site. He said he added some of them anyway "because it's public data on the internet," and that the site "will try to show you the cheapest price, regardless if I have a partnership with them or not."
How the site works, and how it says it stays free
BetterBuyRx describes itself as a public benefit corporation that works "to maximize your savings, not our profits." According to the company:
Searching, comparing and price-drop alerts are free, and an optional "Gold" account is free with no credit card.
Results are sorted lowest-first, and no pharmacy or coupon program can pay for placement, including BetterBuyRx's own card.
Its card works at more than 72,000 pharmacies nationwide.
Prices come from coupon networks, published store generic lists, mail-order pharmacies such as Cost Plus, and the federal NADAC wholesale benchmark. The NADAC figures are shown only for reference. Each price is listed with its source and when it was checked.
The site doesn't say plainly how it makes money. Its terms of service say BetterBuyRx "does not earn a commission from any Third-Party Pharmacy except where expressly disclosed." The site also sells paid telehealth programs, including compounded weight-loss medications starting at $215 a month. Its own disclosure notes that compounded drugs "are not FDA-approved."
The terms also say the prices are estimates that "may change before you reach the counter." They don't include taxes, dispensing fees or delivery charges. Using the site also means agreeing to binding individual arbitration, though users get 30 days to opt out.
"Millions of Americans overpay for prescriptions because the price is hidden until they are standing at the counter. BetterBuy Rx was built to end that. We compare cash prices across pharmacies and coupon programs, No pharmacy or no coupon network can pay to rank higher. If a cheaper option exists, including ones we make nothing on, it shows up first.” Daud said.
Why it matters in Tampa Bay
Drug costs weigh heavily on Floridians, especially older ones. In AARP's 2025 Vital Voices survey of Floridians 45 and older, 65% said they were very concerned about paying for prescription drugs, one of their top monthly costs.
In a 2023 survey of more than 1,300 Florida adults by the Healthcare Value Hub, 53% said they were worried about affording prescription drugs. Twenty-eight percent said they had skipped a fill, cut pills in half or skipped doses in the past year because of cost.
The same thing happens nationally. A May 2025 KFF poll found that in the previous 12 months, 21% of adults hadn't filled a prescription because of cost, and 15% had cut pills or skipped doses.
Comparison tools aren't new. GoodRx and the federal TrumpRx site offer free coupons and price lookups too. BetterBuyRx says what sets it apart is putting several coupon programs, pharmacy cash prices and mail-order options in a single list.
What to check before you switch
Compare against your insurance. BetterBuyRx says that for people with coverage like VA, TRICARE or a Medicare Part D plan, "your plan may be cheaper than any cash price shown here." Medicare Part D also has an annual out-of-pocket cap.
Know what counts toward your deductible. A cash or coupon purchase often doesn't count toward your plan's deductible or out-of-pocket limit. Ask your pharmacist or plan before you pay outside your insurance.
Confirm the price at the counter. The site says no comparison tool can guarantee a pharmacy's final price.
Check the exact drug. Make sure the dose, form and quantity match your prescription. Don't switch medications, or move to a compounded drug, without talking to your doctor.