Facts checked September 25, 2026
AI acne apps compared
Skinli is ours. We make it, and it is on this list. Read this page knowing that. Below are the acne apps and online services people ask about most, with the same facts for each one: price, who looks at your skin, whether it can prescribe medicine, and where it runs. Every fact about another company links to where we found it.
By Nick, Founder of Skinli.
How we compared them
- We picked the tools that came up when we searched for acne apps and online acne treatment in September 2026, plus the ones people name on Reddit and in "best acne app" lists.
- For each one we read its own pages and store listing, and Apple's own catalog data for ratings, on September 26, 2026, unless a row says another date. Prices are copied as listed, in US dollars unless marked.
- When a fact comes only from the company, the table says "according to" that company. Ratings are from the US App Store unless marked.
- We did not run a medical test of any tool, and we did not test Skinli against them. No company paid to be on this page.
- We left out two we checked: Perfect Corp's free skin scan, which is a demo for businesses, and Agency, a Curology brand that treats aging, not acne.
The apps and services side by side
Prices and ratings as shown on September 25, 2026. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| Name | What it is | Price | Who looks at your skin | Prescription | Where it runs | Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkinliOurs | Web app. One face photo and a few questions give a morning and night acne plan with products sold without a prescription. | Free right now. No sign-up to see your plan. | AI only. No doctor. If you save a photo, you and the Skinli site owner can see it. | No | Any web browser | None. No app and no reviews yet. |
| CurologyFull comparison | Prescription acne cream picked by a licensed provider and mailed to you. | $5.45 shipping for a 30 day trial, then $29.95 a month. | A physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, according to Curology. | Yes | Website. No US App Store app. | No US app. |
| NurxFull comparison | Prescription acne cream or pills after an online visit. | $40 visit fee, then medicine from $25 a month without insurance, plus a $3 support fee in months with an order. | A licensed provider, according to Nurx. | Yes | Website and app | Not listed here. The Nurx app covers many services, not only acne. |
| MuselyFull comparison | Prescription acne cream mixed by a pharmacy and mailed to you. | $30 a month on auto-refill, or $86 for one order. | A board-certified doctor, according to Musely. | Yes | Website and iPhone app | 4.74 from 23,515 (the app covers all Musely creams) |
| Hims & HersFull comparison | Compounded prescription acne cream by mail, after a free online visit. | From $29 a month, according to its acne pages. | A licensed medical provider, according to Hims & Hers. | Yes | Website, and the Hims and Hers apps | Hims 4.80 from 95,593. Hers 4.59 from 13,608. Both apps cover many services. |
| Nolla | Skin scan app with a prescription service for acne, redness, wrinkles and dark spots. | From $19.99 a month, according to its site. The US App Store lists plans from $3.99 a week. | A licensed US medical provider reviews every diagnosis and prescription, according to Nolla. | Yes, a custom compounded prescription, according to Nolla | iPhone app. Nolla says you can also start in a browser, and that it is not offered in 7 US states. | 4.91 from 12,695 |
| Dermatica | UK prescription acne cream by mail, after an online consultation. | First month £2.90, then £24.99 every 28 days. | A team of doctors, nurses and pharmacists, according to Dermatica and England's Care Quality Commission. | Yes, including tretinoin, clindamycin and azelaic acid | Website. UK addresses only. Dermatica says its US service closes on December 16, 2026. | No app. Trustpilot 4.2 from 8,704 reviews. |
| MDacneFull comparison | Web quiz that builds a kit of MDacne's own acne products sold without a prescription. | US: $9 shipping for the first kit, then $78 every 2 months. | The kit comes from a quiz. MDacne says a dermatologist answers questions by chat. | No | Web browser. MDacne says it retired its app in August 2026. | No app. Trustpilot 4.3 from 6,750 reviews. |
| SkanFull comparison | Selfie scanner app for acne, redness, pores and more, with product matches. | Free download. Paid plans from $1.99 a week to $39.99 a year. | AI only | No | iPhone and Android | 4.79 from 9,811 (September 25, 2026) |
| TheaFull comparison | iPhone skin app with a skin expert you message and a paid dermatologist upgrade. | $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year. | A Thea skin expert helped by AI. Thea says a dermatologist is an extra upgrade. | Only through the dermatologist upgrade, according to Thea | iPhone | 4.82 from 16,206 |
| AcneTrackFull comparison | Acne app with a pimple scanner, routines and daily photos. | Free download. Premium from $9.99 a month. | AI only | No | iPhone and Android | 4.66 from 903 |
| SkinPal AIFull comparison | Selfie scanner app with eight skin scores, one of them acne. | One free scan, then from $2.99 a week to $39.99 a year. | AI only | No | iPhone, Android, and free browser tools | 4.66 from 111 |
| PimplFull comparison | iPhone skin journal with a face scan that scores acne, redness and more. | Free download. Paid plans from $6.99 a week, or $99.99 once. | AI only. Pimpl says the scan runs on your phone. | No | iPhone, iPad and Mac, iOS 26 or later | 5.0 from 2 |
| Skinive | Scanner app for moles, rashes, acne and other visible skin concerns. | Basic features free, according to Skinive. US App Store plans from $4.49 a week to $49.99 a year. | AI only. Its listing says it is not a doctor or an acne treatment service. | No | iPhone and Android | 5.0 from 4 in the US App Store, listed since August 15, 2026. Google Play 3.5 from 1,914. |
| La Roche-Posay Spotscan+ | Acne photo grader on La Roche-Posay websites that suggests La Roche-Posay products. | Free, according to La Roche-Posay. | AI. The brand says it was made with dermatologists, and that from grade 3 of 5 you should see one. | No | Web browser. We did not find it on the US site, which offers a general tool called MyRoutine AI. | No app. |
| The INKEY List Acne Analyzer Pro | Acne photo scanner on a skincare brand's store that builds a routine of its products. | No price shown on the page. | AI only. For people 16 or over, according to the page. | No | Web browser with a camera | No app. |
Where Skinli is weaker
- No doctor. No doctor, nurse or dermatologist looks at your photo or your plan. The prescription services in this table have a licensed clinician.
- No prescription. Skinli can only suggest products sold without one. If those do not work, you need a doctor or one of the prescription services above.
- No accuracy test. Skinli has not been tested against a dermatologist's grading, and no outside group has reviewed it.
- No app store listing, so no ratings. Skinli runs in the browser, and there are no reviews of it anywhere yet.
- New. The site went live in September 2026. Most tools in this table have a year or more of history.
- Acne only. It does not score wrinkles, dryness, dark circles or moles.
What it does offer: the full plan is free right now, you do not need to sign up to see it, it runs in any browser, and it names ingredients instead of brands, so any drugstore brand works. How Skinli works
When a prescription service is the better choice
- You used benzoyl peroxide and adapalene every day for 12 weeks and still break out.
- Your acne follows your period and sits along your jaw. A provider can prescribe spironolactone, and Nurx lists it.
- You want tretinoin or clindamycin, which need a prescription.
- Your pimples are deep, painful or leaving scars. See a dermatologist in person: this can need isotretinoin, which Nurx says it does not prescribe online.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding. Ask your own doctor before starting any acne product.
What research says about accuracy
We found no independent published test of the acne grading in any consumer app in this table, and no AI acne-grading software on the FDA's list of AI-enabled medical devices (content current as of September 4, 2026). La Roche-Posay published a 2019 study of its own grading algorithm, written with its employees and paid consultants. It reported that the algorithm's acne grade reached 68%, similar to the dermatologists in the study.
Research models do better in studies than anyone has shown for phone apps. A 2025 review in the British Journal of Dermatology pooled 19 studies of AI models that grade how severe a skin disease is. For acne, their sensitivity was 89.7% with one grading scale and 69.8% with another. A 2026 study in Cureus tested four consumer skin apps on photos of moles and skin growths, not acne, and found 22% overall accuracy.
So use any of these tools to follow a trend in the same light, week to week, and go to a doctor for a diagnosis.
See what Skinli gives you before you decide.
One photo and a few quick questions. Free, and no sign-up to see your plan.
Analyze my skinFrequently asked questions
What is the best AI acne app?
It depends on what you need. For a free plan with drugstore products, Skinli is one option, and we make it, so weigh that. For a prescription, the services in the table with a licensed clinician, such as Curology, Nurx, Musely and Hims & Hers, can prescribe medicine an app cannot. For tracking many skin concerns, the scanner apps cover more than acne.
Are AI acne apps accurate?
Nobody has shown it for the apps in this table. We found no independent published test of their acne grading, and no AI acne-grading software on the FDA's list of AI-enabled devices. Research models score well in some studies, but those were not the apps on this page. Use an app to follow a trend, and see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Which acne apps are free?
On September 26, 2026, Skinli's full plan was free with no sign-up, and La Roche-Posay said its Spotscan+ tool was free. Skinive says its basic features are free. Most scanner apps are free to download but charge weekly, monthly or yearly for full use, and SkinPal AI gives one free scan. Prescription services charge for the medicine.
Can an acne app prescribe medicine?
Only when a licensed clinician is part of the service. Curology, Nurx, Musely, Hims & Hers, Nolla and Dermatica each say a clinician reviews your visit before prescribing. Scanner apps and Skinli cannot prescribe anything. They can only point you to products sold without a prescription, such as benzoyl peroxide and adapalene.
Is Skinli better than these apps?
Not in every way. Skinli is free, needs no sign-up to see your plan, runs in any browser and works with any drugstore brand. It also has no doctor, cannot prescribe, has no accuracy test and no reviews yet, and went live in September 2026. If you need a prescription or a person to check your skin, another option in the table fits better.
Sources
Checked on September 25, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check each company's own site before you pay.
Research on accuracy
- FDA: List of AI-enabled medical devices (independent source)
- Cai and others, British Journal of Dermatology 2025: AI models for skin disease severity (PubMed) (independent source)
- Shah and Agarwal, Cureus 2026: accuracy of AI apps on a skin image set (PubMed) (independent source)
- Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris (American Academy of Dermatology, 2024) (independent source)
Curology
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Curology page.
Nurx
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Nurx page.
Musely
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Musely page.
Hims & Hers
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Hims & Hers page.
Nolla
- Nolla home page (who reviews, states) (from the company itself)
- Nolla skincare page (price, what is included) (from the company itself)
- Apple catalog data for Nolla Derm (rating, rating count, seller) (independent source)
- Nolla Derm in the US App Store (in-app prices) (from the company itself)
- Beauty Independent on Nolla's US launch, September 18, 2025 (independent source)
Dermatica
- Dermatica acne page (price, medicines) (from the company itself)
- Dermatica help: who reviews my consultation? (from the company itself)
- Dermatica help: what countries do you deliver to? (from the company itself)
- Dermatica US page (US service closing) (from the company itself)
- Care Quality Commission assessment of Central Medical Solutions, Dermatica's prescriber (independent source)
- Dermatica reviews on Trustpilot (independent source)
MDacne
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs MDacne page.
Skan
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Skan page.
Thea
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Thea page.
AcneTrack
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs AcneTrack page.
SkinPal AI
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs SkinPal AI page.
Pimpl
Listed with every fact on the Skinli vs Pimpl page.
Skinive
- Apple catalog data for Skinive (rating, rating count, US release date) (independent source)
- Skinive in the US App Store (in-app prices) (from the company itself)
- Skinive on Google Play (rating, description) (from the company itself)
- Skinive FAQ (free features) (from the company itself)
La Roche-Posay Spotscan+
- La Roche-Posay Spotscan+ page (free, how it works) (from the company itself)
- L'Oreal article on Spotscan+ (grades, dermatologist advice) (from the company itself)
- Cosmetics Business on the Spotscan launch, April 15, 2019 (independent source)
- Seité and others, Experimental Dermatology 2019: the Spotscan grading study, written by La Roche-Posay employees and paid consultants (from the company itself)
The INKEY List Acne Analyzer Pro
- The INKEY List Acne Analyzer Pro page (from the company itself)
- The INKEY List acne analyzer scan page (age and consent) (from the company itself)
- Cosmetics Business on the Acne Analyzer Pro, April 8, 2024 (independent source)
Skinli gives simple tips for skin with pimples. It is not a doctor. It cannot tell you what is wrong the way a doctor can. If your pimples hurt, are deep under the skin, are getting worse, or will not go away, see a doctor.