Which is the cheapest online doctor service in Australia?
For eligible Medicare cardholders, NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers at $0, with no after-hours surcharges. The eScript, mental health care plan, and any same-visit specialist or pathology referral are included at no extra charge. NewDoc operates generally between 8 am and midnight, 7 days a week, with availability varying day to day.
Abby Health also bulk-bills most consultations for eligible Medicare cardholders, using a mix of GPs and nurse practitioners. 13SICK bulk-bills consultations only after hours and only if you meet one of its own eligibility criteria, and Hola Health only overnight (11 pm to 6:45 am, for urgent care and script refills). Teldoc bulk-bills only select patient groups, and InstantConsult only patients under 12 months. The remaining six telehealth services compared on this page (InstantScripts, Qoctor, Doctors on Demand, hub.health, EUCA MD, Medmate) are private-pay for consultations with various per-product or per-consult pricing models, though InstantScripts notes Medicare-funded mental health care plans for eligible patients. Mosh is also private-pay for its general services but advertises a bulk-billed mental health consult. HealthEngine, also compared, is a booking platform rather than a provider, so its cost depends on the clinic you book.
Who pays what at NewDoc
| Situation | Cost |
|---|---|
| Medicare cardholder, eligible under current Medicare telehealth provisions (most of Australia) | $0 out of pocket, bulk billed |
| Not eligible for bulk billing (for example, overseas visitors) | Private consultation, up to $69.95 |
Same-day appointments 7 days a week, Australia-wide by video or phone. NewDoc is pure telehealth, and every consultation is with a fellowship-qualified GP (FRACGP or FACRRM).
Australian online doctor services compared
The major Australian online doctor telehealth services compared on this page all offer same-day remote consultations. Where they differ (and where the cost adds up over time) is in their pricing model and bulk-billing eligibility.
NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers under Medicare for eligible cardholders, with the eScript and any same-visit document included at no extra charge, and it is the only service here that does so using fellowship-qualified GPs exclusively. Abby Health also bulk-bills most consultations for eligible Medicare cardholders, using a mix of GPs and nurse practitioners. 13SICK bulk-bills consultations only after hours (it is an after-hours home-visit and telehealth service, and its telehealth bulk-billing applies only to patients who meet its eligibility criteria), and Hola Health only overnight (11 pm to 6:45 am, for urgent care and script refill consultations). Teldoc bulk-bills only select patient groups (otherwise a private fee from $49), and InstantConsult only patients under 12 months. The remaining six telehealth services (InstantScripts, Qoctor, Doctors on Demand, hub.health, EUCA MD, and Medmate) are private-pay for consultations with per-product or per-consult pricing models, though InstantScripts notes Medicare-funded mental health care plans for eligible patients. Mosh is also private-pay for its general services but advertises a bulk-billed mental health consult. HealthEngine, also listed below, is a booking platform rather than a provider, so its cost and bulk-billing depend on the clinic you book. The table below compares all 14 services across the dimensions that affect what you actually pay and what you get.
| Provider | Pricing model | Lowest listed price | Bulk-billed? | Doctor type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NewDoc | Bulk-billed Medicare consult | $0 (Medicare) | Yes | Fellowship-qualified specialist GPs only |
| Hola Health | Per-product fee + overnight-only bulk billing | From $14.90 (medical certificate) | Overnight only (11 pm to 6:45 am daily, urgent care and script refills); other consultations and service types are private per their site | AHPRA-registered doctors and practitioners (their wording: 'online doctors or practitioners') |
| InstantScripts | Per-product fee | $19 (prescription or 1-day medical certificate) | No for consultations; their FAQ notes Medicare-funded mental health care plans for eligible patients | AHPRA-registered doctors |
| InstantConsult | Per-consult fee | $45 (general consultation) | Patients under 12 months only | AHPRA-registered Australian doctors |
| Doctors on Demand | Per-consult fee | $19.90 (smoking cessation, business hours) | No | AHPRA-registered doctors (3+ years registration) |
| hub.health | Per-product fee | $24.95 (medical certificate) | No | Australian-based doctors and nurse practitioners |
| Mosh | Per-program monthly subscription fee (men's and general health) | From $24/month (hair loss prevention plan) | Generally private-pay; the mental health section advertises a bulk-billed practitioner consult to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan | AHPRA-registered doctors and nurse practitioners |
| EUCA MD | Private telehealth (pricing not publicly listed) | Not publicly listed on homepage | No | AHPRA-registered Australian doctors (doctor-led; nurse practitioners not mentioned) |
| Teldoc | Per-consult fee | From $49 (standard consult) | Select groups only (homelessness, under-12-months, sexual health / STI, pregnancy with Medicare or concession card); mental health items bulk-billed for patients experiencing homelessness only | Fellowship-qualified specialist GPs (AHPRA-registered) |
| Qoctor | Per-product fee | From $14.99 (medical certificate) | No | AHPRA-registered doctors (GP/FRACGP status not publicly specified) |
| 13SICK (National Home Doctor) | Bulk-billed after-hours service (home visits and telehealth) | $0 (bulk-billed after-hours; 13SICK eligibility criteria apply) | After-hours, and only for Medicare patients who also meet 13SICK's criteria (eg. a recent visit to a 13SICK-serviced clinic, an urgent problem, ATSI background, homelessness, or a sexual/mental health or COVID booking) | Registered Australian doctors (GP/FRACGP status not publicly specified) |
| Medmate | Per-product fee | From $19.90 (medical certificate) | No (a previously advertised bulk-billed mental health consult was not found on the pages sampled this round) | AHPRA-registered doctors and nurse practitioners |
| HealthEngine | Free booking platform (you pay the clinic, not HealthEngine) | Free to search and book; you pay the booked clinic's fee | Depends on the clinic; HealthEngine offers a bulk-billing filter | Independent clinics (nearly 30,000 practitioners across 10,000+ practices) |
| Abby Health | Bulk-billed Medicare consults; a small number of private services shown up front | $0 bulk billed for eligible consults; private consults from $27 (other services from $9.95) | Yes, most GP and nurse-practitioner consults for eligible Medicare cardholders (services outside bulk billing from $9.95; non-Medicare/private consults from $27 per Abby's site) | AHPRA-registered GPs and nurse practitioners |
Comparison data verified as at 8 August 2026. Each cell reflects the lowest publicly listed pricing or feature stated on the provider's own website. Prices and features change. Check each provider's site for current information before booking. "Bulk-billed" = no out-of-pocket cost for eligible Medicare cardholders. Sources: NewDoc, Hola Health, InstantScripts, InstantConsult, Doctors on Demand, hub.health, Mosh, EUCA MD, Teldoc, Qoctor, 13SICK (National Home Doctor), Medmate, HealthEngine, Abby Health.
Australian Telehealth Price Index: Q3 2026
The index tracks the advertised prices of 14 Australian online-doctor services, re-verified quarterly against each provider's public website. As at 8 August 2026, NewDoc is the only service in the index that bulk-bills every consultation it offers, at $0 for eligible Medicare cardholders, using fellowship-qualified GPs exclusively (a private fee applies without Medicare eligibility). Abby Health bulk-bills most consultations using a mix of GPs and nurse practitioners, with a small number of private services. Advertised starting prices across the paid services range from $9.95 to $49.
| Provider | Standard consult (Medicare cardholder) | Repeat script |
|---|---|---|
| NewDoc | $0 (Medicare) | $0 (Medicare) |
| Hola Health | Bulk-billed overnight only (11 pm to 6:45 am, urgent care and script refills); private from $45 otherwise | From $18.90 (private; overnight script-refill consults bulk-billed for eligible patients) |
| InstantScripts | Private fee | $19 per script |
| InstantConsult | Private fee | Not publicly listed (consultation $45) |
| Doctors on Demand | Private fee | From $29.90 (QuickScript repeat) |
| hub.health | Private fee | $35 (prescription) |
| Mosh | Private fee | Program-based, from $24/month (no standalone per-script price; medication bundled into programs) |
| EUCA MD | Private fee | Not publicly listed on homepage |
| Teldoc | Private fee from $49 (bulk-billed for select groups only) | Not separately listed (issued within the consult from $49) |
| Qoctor | Private fee (not bulk-billed) | From $24.99 (online prescription) |
| 13SICK (National Home Doctor) | $0 after-hours for eligible patients (13SICK criteria apply) | $0 (within a bulk-billed after-hours consult; eligibility criteria apply) |
| Medmate | Private fee | $25 (online prescription) |
| HealthEngine | Set by the clinic you book (HealthEngine is a booking platform, not a provider) | Set by the clinic you book |
| Abby Health | $0 (Medicare) for most consults; non-Medicare/private consults from $27, other services from $9.95 | Not publicly itemised (bulk billed where eligible) |
Methodology: every figure is the provider's own publicly advertised price; per-provider source links appear in the main comparison table's footnote on this page. Verified as at 8 August 2026 and re-checked quarterly. "$0 (Medicare)" means bulk billed with no out-of-pocket cost for eligible Medicare cardholders. Prices change between verification cycles; confirm on the provider's site before booking.
Cite this index: NewDoc (2026). Australian Telehealth Price Index, Q3 2026. Available at https://www.newdoc.com.au/compare-online-doctors-australia#price-index. Reuse permitted with attribution and a link.
How to choose an online doctor service
The right service depends on what you need from a single visit and how often you expect to use the service. The questions below help match the model to your situation.
Are you eligible for Medicare?
If yes, a bulk-billed service is almost always the cheapest option because the consultation is $0 and the eScript or referral is included. NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers under Medicare (operating hours generally 8 am to midnight, 7 days a week, varies day to day). 13SICK also bulk-bills consultations, but only after hours and only for patients meeting its own eligibility criteria, and Hola Health only overnight (11 pm to 6:45 am, for urgent care and script refills). Throughout the day and evening, NewDoc is the service here that bulk-bills consultations for all eligible patients; Teldoc bulk-bills only select groups and InstantConsult only patients under 12 months.
Do you need just a script, or also a referral or certificate?
Private-pay services charge separately for each product. With InstantScripts, for example, a script is $19, a specialist referral is $24, and a multi-day medical certificate is $49, so three items in one visit totals about $92 in document fees. With a NewDoc bulk-billed Medicare consultation, all of those outputs are included at $0 for eligible cardholders at any time in its operating hours. Hola Health's overnight bulk billing covers only urgent care and script refill consultations, and 13SICK's after-hours bulk billing carries its own eligibility criteria, so neither is a reliable $0 path to a referral or certificate.
Do you need ongoing chronic-condition care?
Chronic-condition management means recurring consultations, pathology orders, and script repeats. A bulk-billed Medicare consultation keeps every review at $0 for eligible cardholders, while private-pay services add a fee at every step. For diabetes, hypertension, mental health, or any condition that needs regular monitoring, the bulk-billed approach compounds in your favour.
Do you want a GP specifically, or are you happy with any AHPRA-registered prescriber?
Australian general practitioners (fellowship-qualified) train for many years specifically in primary-care medicine. NewDoc states it uses fellowship-qualified general practitioners only. Some other services do not publicly itemise their practitioner training mix; if this matters to you, check each provider's own site for current information.
Do you need a mental health care plan?
A mental health care plan is the gateway to up to 10 Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions per calendar year. NewDoc bulk-bills mental health care plans for eligible Medicare cardholders, within the same consultation as any other in-visit document. InstantScripts lists mental health care plans at $49 marked 'After Medicare rebate', described as Medicare-funded for eligible patients, and Mosh advertises a bulk-billed practitioner consult to obtain one. Mental health telehealth consultations are also exempt from the standard 12-month face-to-face Medicare requirement, so eligibility is broader than for many other consult types.
Provider profiles
Each provider has a different model and different strengths. The cards below summarise what stands out about each, verified against the provider's public information as at 8 August 2026.
NewDocBulk-billed
- •Bulk-billed via Medicare for eligible cardholders: $0 out-of-pocket for the consultation, eScript, mental health care plan, and any same-visit specialist or pathology referral.
- •Generally available 8 am to midnight, 7 days a week; specific availability varies day to day.
- •Australian-trained, fellowship-qualified general practitioners only.
- •Disaster-zone exemption applies: the standard 12-month face-to-face Medicare requirement does not block first-time NewDoc patients.
- •Private fee available for non-Medicare patients, with the script and any referral still included in the single consultation fee.
Hola Health
- •Bulk billing per their after-hours page: after-hours urgent care and script refill consultations (if clinically appropriate) are bulk-billed for eligible Medicare cardholders during designated periods only, 11 pm to 6:45 am, 7 days a week. Private fees apply for all other consultations and service types.
- •Per-product pricing per their homepage menu: online doctor consult from $45, instant script from $18.90, medical certificate from $14.90, GP referral from $39, chemist delivery from $5.99.
- •Their homepage describes '100 doctors and medical practitioners registered with AHPRA' and offers consults with 'AHPRA-registered online doctors or practitioners'.
- •Earlier verification rounds (to 2026-06-25) recorded wider bulk-billing windows (weekday evenings from 6 pm, weekends, public holidays) and mental health care plans '100% bulk-billed at any time'; neither claim appeared on the pages sampled this round.
InstantScripts
- •Per-product pricing per their public help-centre price list: online prescriptions $19, single-day medical certificates $19, multi-day certificates $49, blood test referrals $24, specialist referrals $24, telehealth consultations from $49, treatment plans from $49.
- •Private-pay for consultations: their homepage FAQ states 'InstantScripts does not offer Medicare bulk-billed Telehealth consultations', while noting it 'does provide Medicare-funded Mental Health Care Plans for eligible patients' (the $49 MHCP price is marked 'After Medicare rebate').
- •One of the earliest entrants in the Australian per-product telehealth space.
InstantConsult
- •Operating hours per their site: 6 am to midnight AEST, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including all public holidays.
- •Bulk-billing only stated for patients under 12 months of age; standard consultation $45 for other patients.
- •Doctor-led only: site does not mention nurse practitioners.
- •Services per public site: consultations, online prescriptions (eTokens), medical certificates, specialist referrals, pathology requests, radiology requests.
Doctors on Demand
- •Operating hours per their site: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays.
- •Lowest listed price is a smoking cessation appointment from $19.90 (business hours, excludes medication and delivery fees). QuickScript repeat prescription is $29.90 (all hours). A standard doctor consult is $62.95 in business hours and $92.95 after hours, each including a $2.95 booking fee. A mental health care plan is offered, with out-of-pocket pricing shown on their FAQ pages.
- •Practitioner pool described as 200+ AHPRA-registered doctors with at least 3 years' registration; multilingual coverage (25+ languages).
- •Schedule 4 controlled substances (eg. benzodiazepines) are not routinely prescribed.
hub.health
- •Operating hours per their site: 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week.
- •Multi-condition telehealth, not single-condition. Service areas include general health, women's health, men's health, sleep, and skincare.
- •Per-product pricing: telehealth consult $49, medical certificate $24.95, prescription $35, sleep consult $49, contraception consult $35.
- •Private-pay only.
Mosh
- •Men's-health-focused multi-condition telehealth: not a general GP service. Program areas: hair loss, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, mental health, weight loss, skin care.
- •Material scope distinction vs NewDoc's general GP scope: Mosh is targeted at men and structured around treatment programs rather than open-scope GP visits.
- •Per-program pricing is publicly listed on getmosh.com.au/pricing (e.g. hair loss from $24/month, ED from $1.50/day, mental health medication from $59/month).
- •Generally private-pay; the mental health section advertises a bulk-billed practitioner consult to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan (psychology then from $52/session with a MHCP, $150 without).
EUCA MD
- •After-hours and weekends advertised as available with no extra cost; specific operating-hours window not publicly stated on the homepage at the verification date.
- •Doctor-led: the site markets AHPRA-registered Australian doctors and does not mention nurse practitioners (it does not explicitly state that it excludes them).
- •Services per public site: doctor-led telehealth consultations, prescriptions, medical/carer certificates, specialist referrals, pathology requests, radiology referrals.
- •Pricing not publicly displayed on homepage; users browse doctor profiles and book directly.
- •Private-pay only: no Medicare bulk-billing mentioned.
Teldoc
- •Telehealth only (secure video or phone); operating hours Mon to Sun, 9 am to 7 pm Sydney time per their site.
- •Standard consults from $49; weekend and public-holiday consults from $69.
- •Bulk billing is limited to specific groups: babies under 12 months, patients experiencing homelessness, sexual health and STI consultations, and pregnancy consultations (Medicare or concession card required). Mental health items are bulk-billed only for patients experiencing homelessness, per Teldoc's price page (citing MBS changes). Other patients pay the private fee.
- •FRACGP-qualified, AHPRA-registered doctors per their site.
- •Does not offer chronic disease management plans, workers' compensation forms, or Schedule 4D/8 controlled medications per their site.
Qoctor
- •Per-product pricing per their site: medical certificate from $14.99, GP appointment $49.99, online prescription $24.99 to $31.99, specialist referral from $29.99, blood test referral $39.99 to $49.99, action plan $31.99. Optional priority queue access $20.99.
- •Private-pay only; no Medicare bulk-billing listed.
- •Telehealth via video or phone; many services use an online questionnaire reviewed by a doctor.
- •Site describes practitioners as AHPRA-registered doctors; GP or FRACGP status is not publicly itemised.
13SICK (National Home Doctor)
- •After-hours service only: Monday to Friday before 8 am and after 6 pm, Saturdays before 8 am and after 12 pm, and all day Sundays and public holidays (24 hours).
- •Per 13SICK's bulk-billed-telehealth page, a bulk-billed telehealth consult requires a Medicare card AND at least one eligibility criterion: a visit to one of its serviced GP clinics in the past 12 months, an urgent medical problem, ATSI background, risk of homelessness, or a sexual health, mental health, or COVID booking. NewDoc bulk-bills all eligible Medicare cardholders without these additional criteria.
- •Offers both home visits (a doctor attends your home) and telehealth. NewDoc is telehealth only and does not make home visits.
- •Available within their coverage area in major Australian cities, with ongoing expansion.
- •Services include ePrescriptions, medical certificates, urgent referrals, and treatment of common conditions such as cold and flu, gastro, skin rashes, headaches, and infections.
Medmate
- •Per-product pricing per their site: telehealth consult $49, online prescription $25, medical certificate from $19.90, blood test $25, travel health advice from $49.
- •Private-pay per product. An earlier verification round recorded a bulk-billed mental health consult advertised on their mental health page; that claim was not found on the pages sampled this round.
- •Telehealth (phone and video), available 24/7. Bundles an online pharmacy with medication delivery, with scripts sent by SMS.
- •Practitioners described as qualified doctors and nurse practitioners (the founder is FRACGP-qualified); the full practitioner mix is not itemised on the page sampled.
- •Key difference vs NewDoc: Medmate pairs the consult with its own pharmacy delivery, while NewDoc bulk-bills the consultation and sends an eScript you can fill at any Australian pharmacy.
HealthEngine
- •HealthEngine is an appointment booking platform and directory, not a doctor service. Patients use it to find and book appointments at independent GP, dental, allied-health and specialist practices (nearly 30,000 practitioners across 10,000+ practices Australia-wide).
- •Free for patients to search and book; the practices pay HealthEngine. You pay whatever the booked clinic charges.
- •Bulk-billing depends on the individual clinic you choose; HealthEngine provides a bulk-billing filter. NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers directly, with no clinic-by-clinic variation.
- •Lists both telehealth and in-person appointments, depending on the practice.
- •Because HealthEngine does not employ doctors or set fees, cost, billing and availability are determined by the clinic you book, not the platform.
Abby Health
- •Per Abby's help centre, eligible Medicare patients pay $0 for bulk billed consultations. Abby lists various services 'from $9.95', and its homepage states non-Medicare or private consultations are 'from $27'. Any fee is shown before you confirm a booking.
- •Care is delivered by both Australian-registered GPs and nurse practitioners. NewDoc, by contrast, uses fellowship-qualified GPs exclusively.
- •Bulk-billing eligibility requires a valid Medicare card and a consultation that fits a telehealth MBS item, confirmed at the time of consultation.
Worked example: a single visit with three needs
Consider a Medicare-eligible patient who needs three things from one telehealth visit: a repeat blood-pressure script, a pathology referral for a lipid panel, and a single-day medical certificate. With a NewDoc bulk-billed Medicare consultation, all three are included in a single $0 consultation. On InstantScripts' public per-product price list, the same three items would be a $19 script + $24 pathology referral + $19 single-day certificate, totalling about $62 in product fees. (Hola Health's overnight bulk billing covers urgent care and script refills only, so a visit needing a referral and certificate falls under its private per-product pricing.)
The cost gap widens for chronic-condition care. A Medicare-eligible patient seeing a GP four times a year for diabetes management with two scripts per visit pays $0 with NewDoc (every review consultation is bulk-billed). On InstantScripts at $19 per script and $49 per consultation, the same year of care would total roughly $348 in product and consult fees on the publicly listed prices.
Beyond cost: what else matters
Cost is the most measurable axis but not the only one. Factors worth weighing include continuity of care (do you see the same GP for follow-ups?), the practitioner's training and scope, whether mental health is bulk-billed or charged separately, how referrals are issued and delivered, and the experience of the booking and consult flow itself.
The right choice depends on what matters most to you. For Medicare-eligible patients who need a daytime consultation, NewDoc's bulk billing is structurally cheapest. For patients who can flex into after-hours, Hola Health's after-hours bulk-billing also reduces cost. For one-off products (a single script or certificate) a per-product service may be simpler. Check each provider's current pricing and feature list directly before booking.
Always check direct sources
Pricing and features change. Every claim on this page was verified against the provider's own public website as at 8 August 2026. Before you book, check the provider's current pricing and feature list directly. We update this page when our verification cycle picks up a change.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026. Editorial policy