Curology Alternatives: Other Online Prescription Skincare Services

Start with Pori, our iPhone app, if you want to track your skin and check ingredients; it isn't a prescription service, so pair it with one. For the prescription itself, the main Curology alternatives are Musely and Nurx, plus Hers and Hims in the US, and Dermatica in the UK. Nurx can bill insurance, and Musely's Acne Cream costs about what Curology does. Apostrophe closed in March 2025.

We make Pori, so we've put it first; here's what each service does well. Below we compare the services on the actives they offer, price, how you reach a provider and which countries they serve, using each company's own pages as of October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you sign up.

Quick comparison

The Curology alternatives, ranked

1. Pori: track results and check ingredients

Pori is the app we make, and it does a different job from the rest of this list. A selfie gives you a 0 to 100 skin score in about 10 seconds, with sub-scores for hydration and moisture, pores and texture, pigmentation and tone, anti-aging and elasticity, and overall health, plus a skin-age estimate. The Pro ingredient scanner reads a barcode or a photo of the label and flags each ingredient as beneficial, use with caution or avoid for your skin type, using fixed rules over a curated list of about 250 ingredients. A skin diary, before-and-after comparisons and progress charts help you see whether a new prescription is working.

Where it falls short: Pori doesn't prescribe, diagnose or treat anything, it's iPhone-only, and its barcode coverage is thinner in the US than the biggest product databases. It's a companion to a prescription service, and every other option here is stronger if what you need is medication.

2. Musely: the closest like-for-like swap

Musely is the most direct replacement for Curology's acne bottle. Its Acne Cream lists tretinoin, clindamycin, niacinamide and azelaic acid as its four actives, costs $32 a month, with each auto-refill bottle lasting about two months, and is prescribed by a board-certified doctor who Musely says reviews requests within 24 hours. It ships from a US-licensed pharmacy, offers a 60-day results guarantee if you use it consistently, and is HSA/FSA eligible.

Musely's strength is range: it also sells a tretinoin Anti-Aging Cream at $34 a month, rosacea treatments and a Spot Cream with up to 12% hydroquinone or 17% azelaic acid at $37 a month. On price it's within a few dollars of Curology, so switch for the formula or the range rather than to save money. Our Curology vs Musely comparison and Musely review go deeper.

3. Nurx: cheapest if you have insurance

Nurx is the best choice if you want standard prescriptions billed to insurance. After a $40 medical consultation, a provider licensed in your state can prescribe topical or oral treatment, and Nurx lists out-of-pocket prices such as tretinoin cream at $60 for a 2-month supply, azelaic acid at $90 for 3 months, clindamycin solution at $40 for 2 months and spironolactone at $45 for 3 months. With coverage, Nurx says some medications can cost as little as $0. You get unlimited messaging with providers, free shipping and automatic refills.

For anti-aging, Nurx sells a compounded ReviveRx Cream with azelaic acid 10%, niacinamide 4% and tretinoin at 0.025%, 0.05% or 0.1%, at $90 for a 3-month supply after a $30 consultation. The trade-off is that most of its acne options are single-ingredient generics, so you may use two products instead of one combined bottle. It also doesn't prescribe isotretinoin, and it treats patients only in the states where it operates. See our Nurx dermatology review.

4. Hers and Hims: one account for skin and other care

Hers and Hims, from the same company, suit people who already use them for other prescriptions. When Hers launched its Clear Skin System, the company described a customizable acne cream with up to five ingredients: tretinoin, clindamycin, azelaic acid, zinc pyrithione and niacinamide. That announcement dates from 2021, and the same release introduced Hims' Anti-Aging Cream with three prescription ingredients in three strengths. The Hers app and Hims app list treatments for acne and fine lines through online consultations with licensed providers. We couldn't verify current list prices from their sites, so compare them during sign-up.

Hers and Hims are also where former Apostrophe patients were sent. Apostrophe, which Hims & Hers had acquired, was discontinued on March 7, 2025, with all subscriptions canceled that day and customers pointed to Hims or Hers.

5. Dermatica: the UK option

Dermatica is the pick for readers in the UK, where Curology doesn't operate. Its ingredient list is broad: prescription tretinoin 0.015–0.1%, adapalene 0.1–0.3% and clindamycin 1%, plus benzoyl peroxide 2.5%, niacinamide 4% and tranexamic acid 3–5%, with hydroquinone 4% for pigmentation and ivermectin or metronidazole for rosacea. Including benzoyl peroxide matters, because the AAD's 2024 acne guidelines give it a strong recommendation and advise combining treatments that work in different ways.

The first month costs £2.90, then £24.99 a month, or as little as £18.67 a bottle on a 12-month plan, with a fresh bottle about every 28 days and free check-ins. Eligible customers can add a 16-week doxycycline course for £39.99. Dermatica's US site says it's no longer accepting personalized formula requests, so this is a UK-only choice for now. Our Dermatica review covers it in full.

Which Curology alternative is cheapest?

With insurance, Nurx usually is, because generic tretinoin or clindamycin may be covered. Without insurance, the monthly costs are close: Curology works out to $29.95 a month, Musely's Acne Cream is $32, and Nurx's tretinoin is $30 a month plus the $40 consultation. In the UK, Dermatica's 12-month plan brings it to £18.67 a bottle. If you want anti-aging care, Curology's sister brand Agency charges $130 per 60 days for Night Renew Rx, more than any of these.

What should you check before switching?

• Your current formula. Write down the actives and strengths on your Curology label so a new provider can start from what worked.
• Where you live. Curology is US-only, Nurx treats patients only in states where it operates, and Dermatica serves only the UK.
• Whether it's compounded. Custom creams from Curology, Musely, Hers, Hims and Dermatica are compounded, and the FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, meaning it doesn't verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before sale. Nurx also prescribes standard generic medications such as tretinoin cream, clindamycin and minocycline.
• Timing. Curology says it takes 6 to 8 weeks to judge a response, and the AAD says acne treatment needs at least 6 to 8 weeks. Leaving at week four may mean dropping something that was about to work.
• Pregnancy. Tell any new provider if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, since tretinoin and some other actives may need to come out of your formula.

When is an in-person dermatologist the better alternative?

When acne is severe, scarring or hasn't cleared after two or three months of good treatment. Curology and Nurx both say they don't prescribe isotretinoin, and Curology notes that it requires in-person care with blood tests and, where relevant, pregnancy tests. The AAD guidelines strongly recommend isotretinoin for severe acne, acne that causes scarring or major distress, and acne that hasn't responded to standard treatment. A board-certified dermatologist can also check whether what looks like acne is rosacea, fungal folliculitis or perioral dermatitis, which need different care.

How do you know if the new service is working?

Take the same photo, in the same light, every week or two from the day you switch. A skin score or acne count that trends down over 8 to 12 weeks tells you more than how your skin looks on a single bad morning. Pori's before-and-after view and progress charts are built for that, and our guide to tracking acne progress explains how to set up consistent photos. An app can show you change; it can't diagnose, so bring the photos to your provider when you check in.