How to make an app for a pharmacy

A medical store has thousands of items, short expiry dates and regular customers who need the same medicines every month. An app for the counter keeps track of what is running low, what is about to expire, and whose refill is due.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the owner and one or two counter staff. If they use separate phones, or the owner wants to check stock from home, connect your own Supabase database so everyone sees the same list.

The screens a pharmacy app needs

Stock: Search medicines by name or salt; quantity, rack number, batch and expiry date
Expiring soon: Items expiring in the next 30, 60 or 90 days, so you can return or sell them first
Reorder list: Items below their minimum quantity, grouped by distributor, ready to send on WhatsApp
Regular customers: Customers with monthly medicines, their refill date and a WhatsApp reminder button
Home delivery: Today's delivery orders with address, items, amount and delivered or not
Udhaar: Customers who pay at the month end, what they owe and a polite WhatsApp reminder
Distributors: Each distributor's name, phone and what you buy from them

Features worth asking for

Expiry alerts on the list, coloured by how close the date is
A reorder list sent to the distributor on WhatsApp in one tap
Monthly refill reminders for diabetic, BP and thyroid patients you already serve
Rack or shelf number for each item so new staff find it fast
Udhaar khata for regular customers with a running balance
A delivery slip as a PDF with the customer's address

Where the data lives

If one counter phone is enough, the data can stay on it. If staff use separate phones or the owner checks stock from home, connect your own Supabase database from the chat and ask for sign-in for each person.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Stock, Expiring soon, Reorder list, Regular customers, Home delivery.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your pharmacy, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my medical store, Verma Medical Store in Lucknow. Screens: stock, expiring soon, reorder list, regular customers, home delivery, udhaar and distributors. Each item has name, salt, rack number, batch, expiry date, quantity and a minimum quantity. Show items expiring within 90 days. Make a reorder list by distributor that I can send on WhatsApp. Regular customers have monthly medicines and a refill date with a WhatsApp reminder button. Keep udhaar balances for customers who pay monthly. Delivery orders with address and a PDF slip. Green and white colours.

Tips for a pharmacy app

Don't type in your whole stock on day one. Start with fast-moving items and those that expire quickly, then add the rest.
Set a minimum quantity only for items you reorder often; otherwise the reorder list gets too long to be useful.
Customers' medicines say a lot about their health. Keep the customer list private, use sign-in, and follow the law on customer data.
Keep selling prescription medicines only against a valid prescription; the app is for your records, not a way around the rules.
Use the same medicine names as on your distributor bills so searches match.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to barcode scanners, billing machines or your billing software, and it doesn't send SMS by itself. It is not an online medicine shop for customers; orders still come to you on WhatsApp or phone.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can the app scan medicine barcodes?

Yes, if you ask for it: the installed Android app can scan a medicine's barcode with the phone's camera. It doesn't connect to separate barcode scanners, and you can also search items by name or salt.

Can the app remind me before medicines expire?

Yes, it shows an expiring-soon list for the next 30, 60 or 90 days whenever you open it. If you ask for it, the installed app can also show a reminder on your own phone at a set time.

Can customers order medicines through the app?

It is possible with an online database and a customer screen, but you must still check prescriptions as the law requires. Most stores keep orders on WhatsApp and use the app for their own records.

Can it replace my billing software?

No. It is for stock, expiry, refills and udhaar alongside your billing. AppCub doesn't connect to billing or accounting software.

How do refill reminders work?

Each regular customer has a refill date. The app lists who is due, and one tap opens WhatsApp with a ready message, which you send from the store's number.

Can two branches share one stock list?

Yes, with your own Supabase database. Ask AppCub to add a branch field to each item so each store sees its own stock.

Make your pharmacy app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building