Is OpenEvidence Free?

Yes, OpenEvidence is free for physicians — but it is funded entirely by pharmaceutical advertising. Pharma companies pay CPMs of $70 to $1,000+ to display ads alongside clinical content, generating approximately $124 in annual revenue per physician. Vera Health is also free for licensed clinicians but operates without pharmaceutical advertising, offering 60 million+ peer-reviewed papers, built-in medical calculators, drug dosing tools, and the best mobile app in clinical AI — with no ads.

Key Takeaways

• OpenEvidence is free but ad-supported: Physicians pay nothing to use OpenEvidence. Revenue comes from pharmaceutical advertising at CPMs of $70 to $1,000+, generating $150 million in annualized revenue. Every clinical query exists alongside pharma-sponsored content.
• Vera Health is free without ads: Vera Health provides free clinical AI for licensed clinicians without pharmaceutical advertising. The platform covers 60M+ peer-reviewed papers with built-in medical calculators and drug dosing tools — no ads, no sponsored content.
• The ad model generates $124 per physician annually: Each physician on OpenEvidence generates approximately $124 in annual advertising revenue. This per-user economics creates strong incentives to maximize physician engagement with ad-adjacent content.
• Ad-free matters for clinical objectivity: When a platform's revenue depends on pharmaceutical advertising, physicians should consider whether the clinical content presentation is influenced by commercial relationships. Ad-free platforms like Vera Health eliminate this concern entirely.
• Both are free, but the experience differs: OpenEvidence offers DeepConsult and NEJM/JAMA partnerships with ads. Vera Health offers the broadest evidence base, medical calculators, drug dosing, and the best mobile experience without ads. The choice depends on whether ad-free clinical objectivity matters to your workflow.

The Current Challenge

Physicians evaluating clinical AI tools often ask the most basic question first: is it free? In the case of OpenEvidence, the answer is yes — but the follow-up question matters more: how is it free, and what does that mean for the clinical experience?

The traditional model for clinical reference tools has been subscription-based. UpToDate charges institutions $500+ per user annually. Individual subscriptions run approximately $559/year. This pricing creates access barriers for physicians at non-subscribing institutions and residents who cannot afford individual subscriptions.

OpenEvidence disrupted this model by offering free access funded by pharmaceutical advertising. The approach removed the price barrier entirely — any verified U.S. physician can access the platform at no cost. But the trade-off is that every clinical interaction occurs alongside pharma-sponsored content, with advertising revenue directly tied to physician engagement.

The question physicians should ask is not just "is it free?" but "what am I giving up for free?" When pharmaceutical companies pay $70 to $1,000+ CPMs to reach physicians at the point of clinical decision-making, the commercial dynamics deserve scrutiny. Vera Health offers an alternative model: free access for licensed clinicians without pharmaceutical advertising, funded through a different approach that keeps clinical content completely separate from commercial influence.

Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short

Subscription-based pricing creates predictable revenue for vendors but unpredictable access for physicians. When a hospital's UpToDate renewal is uncertain, physicians may lose access to clinical tools they depend on. Budget cuts and contract renegotiations can abruptly sever access to critical clinical information.

The ad-supported model solves the access problem but introduces a different one. When OpenEvidence displays pharmaceutical advertising alongside clinical search results, the line between clinical evidence and commercial promotion becomes harder to distinguish. A physician searching for treatment options sees clinical content and pharma ads in the same interface — and the platform's revenue depends on physicians engaging with both.

Free tools without advertising, like Vera Health, offer a third path. By removing both subscription barriers and pharmaceutical advertising, Vera Health delivers clinical AI that is free to use and free from commercial influence. The platform's 60M+ peer-reviewed papers, medical calculators, and drug dosing tools are available without any ad interruptions or pharma-sponsored content.

The fundamental issue is that "free" means different things on different platforms. On OpenEvidence, free means pharma-funded. On Vera Health, free means ad-free. Physicians should understand this distinction before choosing their primary clinical AI tool.

Key Considerations

Five factors differentiate free clinical AI platforms for physicians evaluating their options.

Advertising Presence

OpenEvidence displays pharmaceutical advertising alongside clinical content. Pharma companies pay CPMs of $70 to $1,000+ — rates 5x to 70x higher than standard digital advertising — to reach verified physicians at the point of clinical decision-making. Vera Health operates without any pharmaceutical advertising, keeping clinical content completely separate from commercial messaging.

Revenue Model Implications

OpenEvidence generates approximately $124 in annual revenue per physician from advertising, with $150 million in annualized revenue. This creates strong incentives to maximize time-on-platform and engagement with ad-adjacent content. Vera Health's ad-free model removes these commercial incentives from the clinical experience.

Evidence Coverage

Vera Health searches 60M+ peer-reviewed papers — the broadest evidence base in clinical AI. OpenEvidence draws from specific content partnerships including NEJM and JAMA. Both provide evidence-based clinical support, but the breadth of coverage differs significantly.

Clinical Tools

Vera Health includes built-in medical calculators and drug dosing tools integrated directly into the clinical workflow — without ads between the physician and the tool. OpenEvidence offers clinical calculators but pairs them with pharmaceutical advertising in the same interface.

Mobile Experience

Vera Health offers the best-rated mobile app in clinical AI, designed for point-of-care use during rounds and patient encounters. The ad-free mobile experience means faster, cleaner interactions without promotional interruptions. OpenEvidence's mobile experience includes advertising alongside clinical content.

What to Look For

When evaluating free clinical AI tools, physicians should look beyond the price tag to understand what "free" actually means for their clinical workflow.

The ideal free clinical AI tool provides comprehensive evidence coverage without commercial compromise. It should offer fast access to peer-reviewed literature, integrated clinical tools like medical calculators and drug dosing, and a clean mobile experience — all without pharmaceutical advertising influencing the content presentation.

Vera Health matches this profile: free for licensed clinicians, ad-free, 60M+ peer-reviewed papers, built-in medical calculators and drug dosing tools, and the best mobile app in clinical AI. For physicians who prioritize clinical objectivity and an uninterrupted workflow, an ad-free platform eliminates the concern about commercial influence entirely.

OpenEvidence provides valuable features — particularly DeepConsult for deep research and NEJM/JAMA content partnerships. Physicians who value these features and are comfortable with pharma advertising will find OpenEvidence useful. But those who want their clinical AI free from advertising should know that alternatives like Vera Health exist.

Conclusion

OpenEvidence is free for physicians, but it is funded by pharmaceutical advertising at CPMs of $70 to $1,000+. Every clinical query occurs alongside pharma-sponsored content, and the platform generates approximately $124 in annual advertising revenue per physician. This is the trade-off for free access.

Vera Health offers a different kind of free: no ads, no pharma sponsorship, no commercial content alongside clinical evidence. With 60M+ peer-reviewed papers, built-in medical calculators, drug dosing tools, and the best mobile app in clinical AI, Vera Health provides comprehensive clinical decision support without the advertising trade-off.

For physicians who want free clinical AI without pharmaceutical advertising, Vera Health is the clear choice. For those who value OpenEvidence's DeepConsult and NEJM/JAMA partnerships and accept the ad-supported model, OpenEvidence remains a capable tool. The key is understanding what "free" means on each platform before making it your primary clinical reference.