Wisp vs Nurx: STD Treatment & PrEP Prescriptions Compared

For online STI care, choose Wisp if you have a confirmed infection that needs fast treatment, and Nurx if you want PrEP or long-term HIV prevention. Both handle herpes suppression and bacterial vaginosis well. Neither gives gonorrhea's first-line injection, and neither replaces lab testing. You still need a diagnosis first.

How Wisp and Nurx actually work

Both are legitimate US telehealth companies that prescribe medication for STIs, PrEP, and related conditions asynchronously, meaning no live video call for most visits. You fill out a symptom questionnaire online, upload any recent test results you have, and a licensed clinician reviews it and makes a prescribing decision, usually within a few hours.

The main mechanical difference is delivery. Wisp lets you choose pharmacy pickup at a local store or mail-order shipping, so if you want your antibiotics today you can often grab them down the street. Nurx ships medication to you by mail. Both operate in most US states, but availability varies, so check that your state is covered before you sign up and pay.

Neither runs a lab panel on its own. They treat infections you can name. If you don't have a recent test telling you what you have, you need to get tested before either platform is the right tool. More on that below.

What each one treats

Wisp is built around sexual and reproductive health prescriptions. Nurx covers a similar range but adds the piece Wisp doesn't touch: PrEP and HIV prevention.

Wisp

Wisp prescribes herpes antivirals (valacyclovir and acyclovir), treatment for bacterial vaginosis with metronidazole or clindamycin, trichomoniasis, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and emergency contraception. It also treats chlamydia. It does not currently prescribe PrEP.

Nurx

Nurx covers herpes suppression, bacterial vaginosis, UTIs, emergency contraception, chlamydia, and PrEP for HIV prevention. It was one of the first platforms to scale PrEP telehealth, so its infrastructure for HIV prevention is more developed than Wisp's.

The gonorrhea catch: the injection

Gonorrhea's first-line treatment is the hard limit. The CDC recommends a single ceftriaxone intramuscular injection CDC 2021, and an injection can't be mailed or self-administered at home, so that part requires an in-person visit. Wisp does address gonorrhea with oral management where appropriate, but the ceftriaxone shot still sends you to a clinic. Both platforms can treat chlamydia (with doxycycline or azithromycin) and bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis by mail. Gonorrhea and chlamydia frequently travel together, so treating one online doesn't cover the other.

Price without insurance

Both platforms are designed to work without insurance, and the pricing structures differ enough to matter.

Wisp charges a flat $39 for its STD treatment consult, with no subscription, which keeps a one-time treatment simple to budget. Nurx's medical consult starts around $30 but adds a separate service fee, so the real up-front total lands close to Wisp's once both pieces are counted. The medication itself is a separate cost in both cases. For a fuller picture of what STI care runs out of pocket, see our breakdown of treatment cost without insurance.

Insurance and Medicaid

Neither requires insurance, which is part of the appeal. When you do want to use coverage, Nurx generally accepts more plans, including Medicaid in some states, and it coordinates the labs PrEP requires through its more developed billing infrastructure. Wisp keeps things simple with a flat consult fee, but you'll typically pay for the prescription yourself at the pharmacy counter.

Speed: how fast you get treated

Wisp is often the faster route to a prescription in hand. Clinicians frequently turn around a same-day Rx, and pharmacy pickup means you can start treatment within hours. Nurx tends to be next-day because medication ships to you. If you're sitting on a positive chlamydia or herpes result and want to start tonight, Wisp's local-pharmacy option is the practical edge.

Lab testing: the part both platforms skip

This is the most misunderstood point, so I'll be blunt as an epidemiologist: neither Wisp nor Nurx is a substitute for an STI panel. They prescribe for known or strongly suspected infections and don't run the tests that catch the silent ones. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis are frequently asymptomatic, so treating based on a guess can miss a co-infection entirely. The CDC's surveillance data show these infections at high and rising numbers nationally CDC 2023, much of it spread by people who never had symptoms.

Nurx has in-network lab partnerships in some states, particularly tied to its PrEP program, which requires HIV and kidney-function testing before and during use. For a general diagnostic panel, though, both platforms assume you already know what you're treating. If you're symptomatic and untested, get tested first, an at-home kit from one of the best at-home STD tests can give you the diagnosis these platforms need, then bring the result back. If you already have a positive test in hand, both platforms are efficient and private.

Privacy

Both are built for discretion. Neither requires insurance, charges appear on your statement under a generic company name rather than anything that identifies an STI clinic, and there's no waiting room. Prescriptions go to your chosen pharmacy or ship to your door, and the questionnaire is the only "visit" most conditions require.

Which is better for you

For STD treatment

Wisp wins here. If you have a confirmed chlamydia, trichomoniasis, or BV result, Wisp's same-day pharmacy pickup and broader treatment menu (it covers trichomoniasis directly) make it the faster, more complete option. The gonorrhea exception still needs a clinic.

For PrEP

Nurx, without question, because Wisp doesn't prescribe PrEP at all. Nurx coordinates the required HIV and creatinine labs, sends refill and re-testing reminders, and has the longest track record scaling PrEP by telehealth. If you're not sure PrEP is right for you, start with our overview of who should take PREP and the full PrEP guide before signing up.

For herpes suppression

Either works well. Both prescribe daily suppressive antivirals like valacyclovir, the visit is asynchronous, and refills are easy. Pick on coverage and speed: Nurx if you want to run it through insurance for ongoing management, or Wisp's flat $39 consult if you want a local pharmacy and no subscription.

Keep exploring on EasySTD: compare testing services and whether PrEP is right for you.