Loading comparison
Hub Health and InstantMed both offer legitimate telehealth care with AHPRA-registered doctors, but they're built for different kinds of patients. Hub Health runs a membership model built around ongoing treatment programs. InstantMed is pay-per-request with no subscription. Here's how the two actually compare.
Hub Health is built for patients who want an ongoing treatment program with a care team. InstantMed is built for patients who want a single clinical outcome — a certificate, a script, a consult — without signing up for anything. If your needs are episodic, InstantMed's pay-per-request model is usually simpler and cheaper. If you're committed to a long-running program like weight or hair loss, Hub Health's membership may suit you better.
Two legitimate telehealth services, two very different business models. Here's how to think about the decision.
The biggest difference between these two services isn't clinical quality — it's business model. Hub Health runs structured, ongoing treatment programs. You join a program, pay a recurring fee, and receive regular clinical touchpoints, often with a dedicated care team alongside the doctor. It's designed for conditions where continuity of care genuinely matters — weight management, skin, hair — where a single consult isn't usually enough.
InstantMed runs on the opposite philosophy: you pay once for the specific thing you need, and when it's done, nothing recurs. That maps well to episodic needs — a medical certificate when you're unwell, a repeat script for a medication you already take, a one-off consult about a new symptom. There's no program to join and no monthly bill.
Neither model is objectively better. They serve different use cases. The right question isn't 'which service is best' — it's 'what kind of care do I actually need, and which model fits that shape?'
For a single request, pay-per-request is almost always cheaper. If you need one medical certificate this year, paying InstantMed's $19.95 is hard to beat. The membership model only starts to look better when you're using multiple services a month and the per-service value exceeds the membership fee.
For treatment programs, the calculation is different. A weight management program typically involves multiple doctor reviews, medication, coaching, and support over months. If Hub Health bundles those into one monthly fee and you'd be paying for each of those components separately elsewhere, the membership can win on total cost — even though the headline number is higher.
The honest answer: do the maths on your actual usage, not a hypothetical heavy user. Most Australians use telehealth episodically, not continuously. For that profile, pay-per-request usually wins.
Hub Health's target patient is someone committing to an ongoing treatment journey — often in hair loss, weight management, or skin care — where the clinical work extends over months and benefits from a dedicated care team. If that's what you're looking for, a structured program service makes sense.
InstantMed's target patient is someone who needs a specific clinical outcome and wants to get on with their day. Most of our volume is medical certificates, repeat scripts, and quick consults — services that are well-suited to async telehealth and don't require an ongoing relationship. We deliberately don't try to be a long-running program provider.
These are complementary, not directly competing. It's perfectly reasonable to use Hub Health for a long-running program and InstantMed for a same-day medical certificate in the same month. Different tools, different jobs.
All clinical decisions are made by AHPRA-registered doctors following our clinical governance framework. We never automate clinical decisions.
It depends on how often you need care. For a single request, InstantMed's pay-per-request pricing — From $19.95 for a medical certificate, $29.95 for a repeat script — is usually cheaper than a membership. For ongoing treatment programs where you need multiple touchpoints a month, a membership can work out similar or better. Compare the total monthly spend, not just the headline number.
Yes. There's nothing stopping you from using both, or moving between them. If you're currently on a Hub Health program, cancel through their account portal when you're ready. InstantMed requires no sign-up beyond creating an account at checkout — you only pay for what you use.
InstantMed offers one-off consults for hair loss, weight management, and men's and women's health. Hub Health's model is more structured around ongoing programs with a care team. If you want a single doctor review and an eScript, InstantMed will handle that. If you want a multi-month coached program, Hub Health is purpose-built for that.
Yes. Both InstantMed and Hub Health use AHPRA-registered Australian doctors and operate under the same regulatory framework. You can verify any doctor's registration on the AHPRA public register. Both services comply with Australian Privacy Act requirements for handling health information.
Medical certificate and prescription requests that a doctor declines receive a 100% refund. Consult requests that are declined receive a 50% refund — the doctor has still reviewed your case and written a clinical note. Hub Health's refund policy varies by program; check their terms before subscribing.
No. InstantMed has no subscription and no ongoing commitment. You pay for the service you need, once. The only recurring option is the repeat prescription subscription ($19.95/mo) for patients who specifically want automated monthly repeats — and that's opt-in at checkout, not a default.
InstantMed is optimised for fast medical certificate turnaround — most requests are reviewed within about 30 minutes, 24/7. Hub Health isn't primarily built around same-day medical certificates, so InstantMed will usually be the faster option if that's what you need.
Both services operate as private telehealth without routinely billing Medicare for async consultations. If Medicare rebates are important to you, a bulk-billed GP (in person or telehealth) is the better fit. Both private services are paid out-of-pocket.
See why Australians choose InstantMed for their healthcare needs.
Get startedThis information is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about your health. Content on this page has been reviewed by AHPRA-registered Australian doctors but does not replace a personalised medical consultation.