LiviPod vs MedaCube: Automatic Pill Dispenser Comparison

Checked September 13, 2026. Every MedaCube claim on this page is quoted from MedaCube's own published pages and linked so you can read it yourself. This page is re-checked monthly. Prices and policies change, so check both sites before you buy.

The short answer

Start with what these two have in common, because it matters. Neither one charges a subscription or a monthly fee. MedaCube's FAQ states that "there are no subscription fees for the MedaCube" and that "you own the MedaCube after purchase". So the usual argument in this category, monthly fee against no monthly fee, does not apply here. Both companies sell you hardware and you keep it.

That leaves four differences that actually decide it.

  1. Price. The MedaCube 2.0 is listed at $2,499.00, marked down from a regular price of $3,199.00 shown on their own store. A LiviPod ten medication configuration, ten pods plus a Base Station, works out to $1,199.00. A 3 Pod Starter Set is $369.00 and a single pod is $129.00.
  2. How many medications you really get. MedaCube's product page advertises 16. Their FAQ describes the unit as arriving with 12, and says additional bins are purchased separately from their website. Those are not the same number, and the section below shows what reaching 16 actually costs.
  3. Soft gels and half tablets. LiviPod takes them as they are. MedaCube's FAQ says they should not be loaded without first putting each one inside an empty gelatin capsule, by hand, every time you refill. There is a section below on what that actually involves.
  4. Whether you can reach your pills when the power is out. MedaCube locks, so it needs a battery. LiviPod does not lock a pod, so it does not need one. That is one design decision with two different answers, not a feature one product has and the other lacks.

Side by side

  LiviPod MedaCube 2.0
Business model Buy once, own it. No subscription, no monthly fee, no cancellation fee. Buy once, own it. MedaCube's product page states "$0 monthly fee for software updates and support." One exception below under connectivity.
Price 1 Pod Starter Set $129.00. 3 Pod Starter Set $369.00. 5 Pod $449.00. 8 Pod $849.00. Base Station $149.00. Pods and the Base Station are sold separately. A ten medication configuration, ten pods plus a Base Station, works out to $1,199.00. $2,499.00, listed against a regular price of $3,199.00 on their own store, with the free 1 year limited warranty. $2,899.00 with the 2 year comprehensive warranty, against a regular price of $3,699.00. Free ground shipping.
Medications held One pill type per pod, up to 10 pods on one power adapter or one Base Station. Every pod is the same size, so ten means ten. Twelve as it ships, sixteen if you buy more bins. Their product page advertises "Load up to 16 medications for up to 90 days" and does not say how the bins are configured. Their FAQ does: the typical configuration is "8 standard sized bins and 4 large bins for 12 different medications," and "You can purchase these additional bins from the MedaCube.com website." See the section below.
Cost per medication $1,199.00 divided by 10 medications is $119.90 per medication. At the 12 medication configuration their FAQ calls typical, $2,499.00 divided by 12 is $208.25 per medication. Reaching the advertised 16 requires buying 8 more bins at their listed $45.00, so $2,859.00 divided by 16 is $178.69.
Buying in stages Yes. Start with one pod at $129.00 and add pods as your routine changes, up to 10 pods on one power adapter or one Base Station. No. The unit is one purchase at one price. Individual bins are listed separately at $45.00 each.
Capacity per container Approximately 150 ml per pod, roughly 90 to 150 average size tablets, fewer for larger capsules. Every pod is the same size. Two sizes, and they are not interchangeable in count. Standard bins hold "roughly one-fourth of a cup" and large bins "roughly three-quarters of a cup." Their FAQ states "The bins are sized to hold up to a 90-day supply of most medications."
Soft gels and gel caps Supported as they are. LiviPod handles most pills, soft gels and caplets, including vitamin E type caplets, straight out of the bottle. Not as they are. Their FAQ states "Half tablet and liquid filled gel caps should NOT be loaded directly into the MedaCube without first over encapsulating with empty gelatin capsules," and advises checking with a prescriber before using empty gelatin capsules.
Half tablets Supported. A Fit Kit is included with every Starter Set to tune the fit for your specific pills. Same restriction as gel caps. Half tablets "should NOT be loaded directly" without over encapsulating each one first.
Multiple pills in one dose Each pod releases its own pill type at the same scheduled time. Combines a dose into one cup. "The MedaCube was designed to hold 20 or more pills in each dose, but it depends on the size of the pills," and generally a dose works if the pills fit into a 30 ml cup.
Footprint Each pod is 2.82 in W x 4.08 in D x 6.05 in H, 13 oz. Put them where you want, in one room or several. One unit, 10 in W x 10 in D x 10 in H, and per their FAQ "A little less than 10 pounds."
Getting pills out with no power By hand, immediately. A pod needs power to release a pill, so an outage stops automatic dispensing, but the pod opens from the top and the pills are right there. There is no battery because there is nothing to unlock. Your schedule and history are preserved and resync when power returns. Not by hand. The unit is locked, so access depends on the battery, which their FAQ states is "rated to deliver medication doses on the programmed schedule for one full day." They also advise you to "perform a test of the MedaCube battery every 90 days" by unplugging it.
Locking The optional Base Station has a lockable cover and a lockable drawer. Pods used on their own do not lock. Locked by design. Their FAQ describes solid materials and "a strong metal lock," a tilt sensor that notifies the caregiver, and doses and the schedule that can each be PIN protected. Their how it works page states "The unit should always be locked unless a caregiver is loading it." A separate metal security case is sold at $499.00.
Loading and controls Pour one pill type into each pod. No controls on the device. A pod glows when a dose is ready. Everything is scheduled and dispensed from the free app. Load bins at the unit, unlock first. It dispenses at the unit and no phone is required to take a dose.
Internet loss Bluetooth from your phone keeps running the pods, including dispensing. Internet is required for initial setup, then per their FAQ "the MedaCube can run without any Internet connection using its internal clock to dispense the medications on time."
Connectivity and any recurring cost Bluetooth to your phone. No Wi-Fi requirement, no cellular plan, no recurring cost of any kind. Built in Wi-Fi. If the home has no Wi-Fi, their FAQ states you can order a cell modem "for an extra $30 per month and a one-time $99 activation fee." That is the one recurring charge in the MedaCube lineup, and it applies only to homes without Wi-Fi.
Caregiver monitoring The free LiviPod app for iOS and Android, which also tracks an unlimited number of additional medications alongside your pods. An internet portal plus text or app notification. Their product page describes "Secure cloud connection for remote caregiver access."
Non pill medications The app tracks an unlimited number of additional medications stored outside the pods. Reminder only. Their how it works page states the reminder system "can be used for non-pill form medications such as insulin, inhalers, etc."
Warranty 1 Year Limited Hardware Warranty, not tied to any ongoing payment. 1 year manufacturer's warranty. A 2 year comprehensive warranty is sold separately at $499.00, or bundled at purchase for $2,899.00 instead of $2,499.00, a $400.00 difference. Their warranty page states the warranty period "is not extended if we repair or replace a warranted product."
Returns 30 day money back guarantee. Return shipping is not included, and we say so in the same place every time. Their two pages disagree. Their FAQ states a "30-day money-back, no-questions-asked, satisfaction guarantee" and adds that they even pay return shipping. Their refund policy states "You are responsible for return shipping costs unless the return is due to our error (e.g., wrong item shipped) or a defect covered by warranty." See the section below.
Parts and add-ons Pods are the unit of expansion at $129.00 for a 1 Pod Starter Set or $125.00 as a volume pack single. Extra bins $45.00, keys $20.00, power kit $45.00, metal security case $499.00, per their product listing.

About that 16 medications number

This one is worth slowing down on, because the number on the product page and the number in the FAQ are not the same.

MedaCube's product page says "Load up to 16 medications for up to 90 days" and lists "16 medications, up to 90-day supply." Their how it works page repeats it: "The MedaCube can hold up to 16 different medications, with up to a 90-day supply of each." Neither page says how the bins are configured.

Their FAQ says it plainly: "In the typical configuration the MedaCube has 8 standard sized bins and 4 large bins for 12 different medications. Two standard sized bins can be substituted for each large bin. The MedaCube can be configured with up to 16 standard sized bins."

Read that arithmetic carefully. The unit you receive holds 12 medications. Reaching 16 means giving up all four large bins and replacing each one with two standard bins. Their FAQ describes a standard bin as "roughly one-fourth of a cup" and a large bin as "roughly three-quarters of a cup." So a 16 medication MedaCube is a unit with no large bins in it at all, and every one of its 16 bins is the smaller size.

Those extra bins are a separate purchase. Their FAQ says so: "You can purchase these additional bins from the MedaCube.com website." Bins are listed on their store at $45.00 each. We could not find any statement, on their product page, their home page or their FAQ, that 16 bins are included in the purchase price.

So the 16 on the product page is an upgrade path, not the unit that arrives. Going from the 12 medication configuration to 16 means adding 8 standard bins, because each of the 4 large bins is replaced by 2 standard bins. At their listed $45.00 per bin, 8 bins is $360.00, which puts a 16 medication MedaCube at $2,499.00 plus $360.00, or $2,859.00, and leaves the 4 large bins you already paid for sitting unused. That figure is our arithmetic from their published bin price, not a price MedaCube quotes.

That is a real difference in how the two products count. A LiviPod pod is a pod. Every one is the same 150 ml, and if you want ten medications you buy ten pods and you have ten medications at full capacity. There is no configuration where adding a medication shrinks the room available for the others.

  Medications Container size
MedaCube, typical configuration per their FAQ 12 8 standard at roughly one-fourth cup, 4 large at roughly three-quarters cup
MedaCube, maximum advertised, requires buying additional bins 16 16 standard at roughly one-fourth cup, no large bins
LiviPod, 10 pods 10 10 pods at approximately 150 ml each, all the same

What over encapsulating actually means

This phrase appears in MedaCube's FAQ and it is easy to skim past, so here is what it describes.

A half tablet has a raw cut edge and a soft gel is slippery and squeezable. Neither one behaves like a hard, dry, uniformly shaped pill, which is what a bin and a dispensing mechanism are built around. Over encapsulating means buying empty gelatin capsules, opening one, placing the half tablet or the soft gel inside, and closing it back up, so the unit is handling a hard capsule instead of the pill itself.

You do that once per pill. Not once per prescription. If a medication is taken twice a day and you are loading a 90 day supply, that is 180 capsules to fill by hand before the bin goes in, and you do it again at every refill for as long as that medication is on the list. MedaCube's FAQ also advises checking with a prescriber before using empty gelatin capsules, and notes that many half pills or liquid filled capsules have an equivalent whole pill formulation, which is their suggested way around it.

LiviPod does not ask for any of that. Soft gels, gel caps and caplets, including vitamin E type caplets, go in as they come from the bottle. A Fit Kit is included with every Starter Set so the pod is sized to your actual pill the first time you load it.

Read the refund policy, not the FAQ

Both companies offer 30 days. The difference is what you find when you read past the marketing page.

MedaCube's FAQ describes a "30-day money-back, no-questions-asked, satisfaction guarantee" and adds that they even pay return shipping. Their own refund policy says something different: "You are responsible for return shipping costs unless the return is due to our error (e.g., wrong item shipped) or a defect covered by warranty."

The same policy adds two things the FAQ does not mention. If packaging or accessories come back missing or damaged, "we may deduct reasonable charges (up to 10% of purchase price) from the refund." On a $2,499.00 unit, 10 percent is $249.90. And past 30 days, "standard returns for refund are not accepted," replaced by a discretionary buy back of "Up to $200 USD, based on the unit's condition and our assessment," which the policy calls "optional and not a right."

We are not going to tell you which of MedaCube's two pages is the operative one. That is a question for them. We are telling you to read both before you send $2,499.00, and to ask which document governs if you have to return it. LiviPod's answer is one sentence in one place: 30 days, and return shipping is not included.

The lock and the battery are one decision

MedaCube has a battery backup and LiviPod does not, and it is worth understanding why before treating that as a straight advantage.

A MedaCube is locked. Their how it works page states "The unit should always be locked unless a caregiver is loading it." Once you build a sealed unit with a metal lock, a power cut becomes a real problem, because there is no way to reach the pills by hand. The battery is what solves the problem the lock creates. Their FAQ rates it at "one full day" of scheduled doses and asks you to test it every 90 days by unplugging the unit.

A LiviPod pod is not locked when it is used on its own. That is why a power cut is not the same event. The pod opens from the top, the pills are right there, and the schedule and history are preserved and resync when power returns. There is no battery because there is nothing standing between you and the pills.

So the honest way to put it is that these are two answers to one question. If restricting access is the reason you are shopping, MedaCube is built for that and LiviPod is not, and the battery is part of what makes that work. If your concern is a household where the pills need to be reachable and an outage should not turn into a problem, LiviPod removes the failure point instead of backing it up.

What it actually costs

Both products are one time purchases, so nothing is climbing in the background for either one. The comparison is a straight configuration cost.

Configuration Medications One time cost Cost per medication
LiviPod 1 Pod Starter Set 1 $129.00 $129.00
LiviPod 3 Pod Starter Set 3 $369.00 $369.00 divided by 3 is $123.00
LiviPod 5 Pod Starter Set 5 $449.00 $449.00 divided by 5 is $89.80
LiviPod 8 Pod Starter Set 8 $849.00 $849.00 divided by 8 is $106.13
LiviPod 10 pod system with Base Station 10 $1,199.00 $1,199.00 divided by 10 is $119.90
MedaCube 2.0, typical configuration, 1 year warranty 12 $2,499.00 $2,499.00 divided by 12 is $208.25
MedaCube 2.0, 16 medications, 8 added bins at their listed $45.00 16 $2,499.00 plus $360.00 is $2,859.00 $2,859.00 divided by 16 is $178.69
MedaCube 2.0, typical configuration, 2 year warranty 12 $2,899.00 $2,899.00 divided by 12 is $241.58

If the home has no Wi-Fi, MedaCube's cell modem adds a one time $99.00 activation fee and $30.00 per month. Over three years that is $30.00 x 36, or $1,080.00, bringing a $2,499.00 unit to $3,678.00. LiviPod uses Bluetooth from your phone, so there is no equivalent charge.

The $1,199.00 figure is a configured ten medication total, ten pods plus a Base Station, shown so ten medication totals can be compared directly. It is not sold as a single listed item. Pods and the Base Station are priced separately on livipods.com.

Where MedaCube is the better choice

There are real cases where MedaCube fits better.

  • No smartphone, and no reliance on one. This is the big one. MedaCube dispenses at the unit itself and, after setup, keeps running on its internal clock with no internet. LiviPod has no controls on the device and requires a smartphone to dispense. If the person taking the pills will not use a phone, or should not have to, LiviPod is the wrong product for them and MedaCube is the right one.
  • Access has to be restricted. If the reason you are shopping is that someone should not be able to reach the pills between doses, MedaCube is built for exactly that, with a metal lock, a tilt sensor that alerts a caregiver, and PIN protection on doses and on the schedule. A LiviPod pod on its own does not lock, and the Base Station's lockable cover and drawer are not the same thing as a sealed unit.
  • More than ten medications. MedaCube can be configured for up to 16, with the bin size trade described above. LiviPod supports up to 10 pods on one power adapter or one Base Station.
  • One dose, many pills, one cup. MedaCube combines a whole dose into a single cup and is designed for 20 or more pills per dose. LiviPod releases each pill type from its own pod.

The trade is straightforward. MedaCube is a heavier, sealed, self sufficient single unit and it costs roughly twice as much. LiviPod is modular, costs less, starts at one pod, takes soft gels and half tablets as they are, and leans on your phone to do the work.

Common questions

Does MedaCube require a subscription or a monthly fee?

No. MedaCube's FAQ states that "there are no subscription fees for the MedaCube" and that "you own the MedaCube after purchase". Their product page lists a "$0 monthly fee for software updates and support." The one exception is homes without Wi-Fi, where their FAQ describes an optional cell modem at an extra $30 per month plus a one time $99 activation fee. LiviPod has no subscription and no monthly fee under any configuration, because it connects over Bluetooth from your phone.

How much does a MedaCube cost?

The MedaCube 2.0 is listed on their own product page at $2,499.00 with the free 1 year limited warranty, shown against a regular price of $3,199.00, or $2,899.00 with the 2 year comprehensive warranty against a regular price of $3,699.00. Ground shipping is free. A LiviPod 3 Pod Starter Set is $369.00 and a ten medication configuration works out to $1,199.00.

Does a MedaCube really hold 16 medications?

Up to 16, in a specific configuration. Their FAQ states the typical unit has 8 standard bins and 4 large bins for 12 different medications, that two standard bins can be substituted for each large bin, and that it can be configured with up to 16 standard bins. So 16 is only reachable by removing every large bin, which leaves all 16 bins at the smaller size their FAQ describes as roughly one fourth of a cup. The product page advertises the 16 without mentioning any of that. A LiviPod pod is always the same size, so ten pods is ten medications at full capacity.

Is there a cheaper alternative to MedaCube?

LiviPod is less expensive at every comparable configuration and is also a one time purchase with no monthly fee. A ten medication LiviPod configuration is $1,199.00 against $2,499.00 for a MedaCube, and you can start with a single pod at $129.00 rather than buying the whole unit at once. What you give up is the metal lock, dispensing without a phone, and capacity above ten medications.

What does over encapsulating a pill mean, and does LiviPod need it?

It means putting a half tablet or a soft gel inside an empty gelatin capsule by hand so the unit is handling a hard capsule instead of the pill. MedaCube's FAQ states that half tablets and liquid filled gel caps "should NOT be loaded directly into the MedaCube without first over encapsulating with empty gelatin capsules," and advises checking with a prescriber before doing it. It is one capsule per pill, at every refill, for as long as that medication is on the list. LiviPod does not need it. Soft gels, gel caps and caplets go in as they come from the bottle.

Why does MedaCube have a battery backup and LiviPod does not?

Because a MedaCube is locked and a LiviPod pod is not. Their how it works page states the unit should always be locked unless a caregiver is loading it, so with no power there is no way to reach the pills by hand and the battery is what covers that. Their FAQ rates it for one full day of scheduled doses and asks you to test it every 90 days. A LiviPod pod opens from the top, so the pills are reachable during an outage without any battery, and the schedule and history are preserved and resync when power returns.

Who pays return shipping on a MedaCube?

Their own pages give two different answers. Their FAQ describes a 30 day no questions asked satisfaction guarantee and adds that they even pay return shipping. Their refund policy states that you are responsible for return shipping costs unless the return is due to their error or a warranty defect. The refund policy also allows a deduction of up to 10 percent of the purchase price if packaging or accessories are missing or damaged, which is $249.90 on a $2,499.00 unit. Ask MedaCube which document governs before you buy. LiviPod is 30 days with return shipping not included, stated the same way everywhere.

Does MedaCube need internet?

For initial setup, yes. After that their FAQ states it can run without any internet connection using its internal clock, though they recommend keeping it connected so notifications and the caregiver portal keep working. LiviPod uses Bluetooth from your phone, so it keeps dispensing without Wi-Fi, but it does need the phone nearby.

Sources

All MedaCube facts on this page were read on September 13, 2026 from MedaCube's own published material. MedaCube is a product of PharmAdva.

MedaCube also maintains a second listing of the same unit at $2,299.00 with the 1 year warranty and $2,699.00 with the 2 year warranty. The figures on this page use their main product page.

LiviPod specifications and prices are from livipods.com as of September 13, 2026.

See LiviPod Starter Sets and pricing

MedaCube is a trademark of PharmAdva. LiviPod is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by PharmAdva or MedaCube. This comparison is provided for information only and is not medical advice.