The best Buoy Health alternatives are tools that check your symptoms and tell you what to do next, and for most US adults our top pick is Pymander, a free AI doctor you text (Pymander publishes this site). Buoy still offers its AI symptom checker, but its homepage now also promotes articles written by clinicians, product reviews and Top 10 lists, and it offers programs through employers and health plans. Ada and Ubie are solid free options if you prefer a guided questionnaire, and the WebMD Symptom Checker gives a quick list of possible conditions. None of them replace a clinician, and in an emergency you should call 911.
Pymander: a free AI doctor you text
- Free, by text: no app, no account, no insurance, 24/7 for adults in the US.
- A full consult, not a checklist: it asks follow-up questions, gives you a plan, and tells you when you need a clinician or emergency care.
- Remembers you: your history carries over between visits.
- Published results: top five on HealthBench Hard and 98.2% on the USMLE.
Pymander makes this site. It is a medical AI system, not a licensed doctor, and it does not prescribe.
What is Buoy Health now?
Buoy is a Boston-based digital health company that came out of the Harvard Innovation Labs. It is led by its co-founder and CEO, Andrew Le, MD. Its core product is still an AI symptom checker: you talk through your symptoms, get feedback on likely causes and how serious they look, and Buoy points you to a care option. If you give permission, it checks back in by text.
The site has changed around that checker. The homepage now has 3 parts: the AI chat, health content written by clinicians, and a section of reviews and Top 10 lists. When we checked in October 2026, a banner on Buoy's pages advertised a $10 a month prescription refill offer that links to a separate company's website.
Buoy also works behind the scenes. Its terms of use describe programs offered through employers, health plans and health care providers, including a program sponsored by Humana. In June 2022, Buoy announced a care marketplace that it said includes more than 3 dozen care solutions. HealthTap, which offers virtual primary and urgent care, was one of the partners Buoy added that year. Those 2022 announcements are the most recent releases on its press page.
Is Buoy Health still free?
Buoy's site does not list a price for its symptom checker. The paid things you may see on Buoy, such as the prescription refill banner or services in its marketplace, come from other companies with their own prices and terms. Buoy's terms say it makes no guarantees about third-party services and is not responsible for their pricing.
If you get Buoy through your employer or health plan, extra terms set by that program may apply. Check your plan's benefits page to see what is included.
How do the Buoy alternatives compare?
Here is what each option is good for, based on each company's own site as of October 2026.
- Pymander (our pick for most US adults): a free AI doctor you text. No app, no account and no insurance needed, 24/7, for adults in the US. It asks follow-up questions, gives you a plan, and tells you when to see a clinician or get emergency care. It remembers your history between visits. It placed top five on HealthBench Hard and scored 98.2% on the USMLE. It is a medical AI system, not a licensed doctor, and it does not prescribe.
- Ada: a free symptom checker app for iPhone and Android, and you can also start a symptom assessment on its website. Ada describes it as an AI-powered symptom assessment optimized by clinicians, and it has a medical library created by its doctors. It reports 15 million users, and its app page lists 7 languages. Good if you want a thorough, structured interview.
- Ubie: a free AI symptom checker from a Japanese health startup. It uses a 3-minute questionnaire that it says was developed by doctors and is supervised by 50+ medical experts. Your free report covers when to see a doctor, likely causes and treatment information. Good for a quick, structured check.
- WebMD Symptom Checker: you enter your age and sex, then pick one or more symptoms, including by body location, to see possible conditions and treatments. WebMD says it may use generative AI to produce results. Its page does not list a price. Good for a fast look at possibilities, with a large health library behind it.
- Your health system or health plan: some services that used to target consumers now sell to health systems and insurers. K Health, for example, now describes itself as AI-enabled care built for health systems, with partners such as Mass General Brigham and Mayo Clinic. If your doctor's group or plan offers a symptom tool or virtual care, it may be free or covered for you.
How accurate are symptom checkers like Buoy?
Treat any symptom checker as a starting point. A 2015 study in the BMJ tested 23 free online symptom checkers on 45 standard patient cases. They listed the right diagnosis first 34% of the time and within the top 20 58% of the time. They gave the right triage advice 57% of the time, and they tended to send people to care when self-care would have been fine.
That study is old, and these tools have changed since. But the main limit still applies: a checker only knows what you tell it. A tool that asks follow-up questions and remembers your history can work with more context, but a clinician with an exam and tests is still the one who diagnoses and prescribes.
When should you get care?
In an emergency, call 911Get care the same day if your symptoms are getting worse or not improving, or if a symptom checker or AI tool tells you to be seen soon.
Call 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain or discomfort lasting 2 minutes or more, fainting, sudden confusion or unusual behavior, being unable to speak, sudden dizziness, weakness or vision change, sudden severe pain, bleeding that will not stop, coughing up or vomiting blood, severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea, or swelling of the face, eyes or tongue.
If you are thinking about hurting yourself or someone else, call or text 988, or call 911 if you are in danger now.
How our AI doctor decides when to send you to care ›Which Buoy alternative should you pick?
Pick based on how you like to get help and what you need next.
- You want to text a question and keep talking: Pymander. Ask follow-ups in the same thread, and it remembers your history next time.
- You want a detailed questionnaire in an app: Ada.
- You want a short check in a few minutes: Ubie or the WebMD Symptom Checker.
- You want a visit with a licensed clinician: check what your health system or insurance covers, since none of the tools above prescribe on their own.
- Your symptoms are severe or getting worse fast: skip the apps and get care now.
Common questions
What are the best Buoy Health alternatives?
For most US adults, our pick is Pymander, a free AI doctor you text with no app or account (Pymander publishes this site). Ada and Ubie are good free options if you prefer a guided questionnaire, and the WebMD Symptom Checker gives a quick list of possible conditions. If your health system or insurer offers its own symptom tool or virtual care, that is worth checking too.
Does Buoy Health still exist?
Yes. Buoy's site still runs its AI symptom checker. The homepage now also promotes content written by clinicians, reviews and Top 10 lists, and its terms describe programs offered through employers and health plans.
Is Buoy Health free?
Buoy's site does not list a price for its symptom checker. Offers you may see on Buoy, such as a $10 a month prescription refill banner, come from other companies with their own prices and terms. If you use Buoy through an employer or health plan, that program may have its own terms.
Is Ada better than Buoy?
They aim at slightly different things. Ada runs a detailed, structured symptom assessment and has a medical library created by its doctors. Buoy focuses on pointing you to a type of care. Both are starting points, not diagnoses.
Can a Buoy alternative prescribe medication?
No. Pymander does not prescribe, and the symptom checkers above give possible causes and next steps, not prescriptions. A licensed clinician decides on prescriptions, so use these tools to understand your symptoms and decide where to go next.
Pymander is not a replacement for a physician and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions about a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911.