About PillID

PillID is a free pill identification tool. Search by imprint code, shape, or color to identify an unknown tablet or capsule. No account, no paywall, no prescription required.

83,923 Medications in database

100% Free, always

NLM Data source

0 Accounts required

Why PillID Exists

Finding a pill identifier that actually works is surprisingly hard. Most sites are cluttered with ads, require account creation, return poor results, or are simply too slow to be useful on a phone. People trying to identify a medication — whether it's an unfamiliar pill found at home, a medication without its label, or a generic that looks different from what was prescribed — deserve a fast, accurate, free answer.

PillID was built to be that tool. It loads fast, works on any device, and returns results from a trusted government data source without getting in your way.

Our Data

Drug identification data comes from the U.S. National Library of Medicine Pillbox Archive — a public domain dataset compiled by the NLM before the archive was retired in 2021. The dataset covers FDA-approved oral solid medications and contains imprint codes, shapes, colors, drug names, NDC numbers, and active ingredients for over 83,000 drug products.

Data currency note: The Pillbox archive covers medications approved and in distribution through approximately 2020. Drugs approved after that date, newly launched generics, or recently reformulated products may not appear in our database. If you cannot find a pill, contact a licensed pharmacist — they have access to current commercial databases.

Pill images, where available, are sourced from the FDA's National Drug Code directory via public R2 storage. Not every pill has an image — image coverage varies by manufacturer and NDC.

Editorial Standards

PillID publishes educational drug information in addition to pill identification. Our editorial principles:

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No Dosing Advice

We never publish specific dosing instructions, mg-per-dose recommendations, or titration schedules. Available strengths may be listed, but how much to take is always between you and your prescriber.

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Primary Sources Only

Drug information is drawn from FDA prescribing information, NLM MedlinePlus, and peer-reviewed clinical literature — not secondary summaries or third-party commercial databases.

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Factually Conservative

When evidence is limited or actively debated, we say so. We do not state uncertain claims with false confidence, and we flag when off-label use is involved.

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Updated as Guidance Changes

Drug scheduling changes, new FDA warnings, and updated clinical guidelines are incorporated as they occur. Pages carry a last-reviewed date for transparency.

What PillID Is Not

⚠ PillID is NOT a substitute for a pharmacist, physician, or poison control center. It is an educational identification and reference tool only. Do not use PillID to make clinical medication decisions, confirm a diagnosis, or determine whether a medication is safe for you specifically. Individual responses to medications vary — always verify with a licensed healthcare provider.

In a medical emergency, call 911. If you believe someone has ingested an unknown substance or overdosed, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (US) immediately — they are free, confidential, and available 24/7.

The Team

PillID is built and maintained by a small independent team. We are not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company, health system, or government agency. The site has no investor backing and does not sell user data. Revenue comes from non-personalized display advertising.

We built PillID because we wanted it to exist. That's it.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or content feedback: contact us here. If you've found a factual error in our drug information, please include a link to the primary source so we can verify and correct it quickly.

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