Plan B is one of the clearest examples in American healthcare of paying extra for a name. The brand-name box costs $40 to $50 at most pharmacies, while a generic box two inches away on the same shelf contains the identical 1.5 mg dose of levonorgestrel for $11 to $20. Because people usually buy emergency contraception in a hurry, most never compare.
This guide covers what Plan B and its generics actually cost as of August 28, 2026, what the prescription-only alternative ella runs, and every route to getting emergency contraception free or nearly free. Prices vary by pharmacy and region, so treat the figures below as national reference points.
What Does Plan B Cost Without Insurance?
The table combines Planned Parenthood’s published cost ranges with live pricing from GoodRx and SingleCare as of August 28, 2026.
| Option | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan B One-Step (brand) | $35-$40 | $49.41 | $50+ |
| Generic levonorgestrel (My Way, Take Action, EContra, Aftera) | $11 | $28.18 | $45 |
| Generic with a free discount coupon | $15.87 | $16-$23 | $28 |
| Online generic (Wisp, AfterPill) | $12.50 | $20-$25 | $25 |
| ella (ulipristal, prescription only) | $44 | $55.93 | $65.66 |
| Planned Parenthood or Title X clinic | $0 | sliding scale | varies |
A few of those numbers deserve context. SingleCare’s pharmacy fill data puts brand Plan B One-Step at an average retail price of $49.41 for the single tablet, with its coupon bringing it as low as $16.55. GoodRx shows the generic averaging $28.18 retail with coupon prices from $15.87. And SingleCare’s per-pharmacy fill data shows how wide the spread gets: generic levonorgestrel recently averaged just $4.46 at Walmart versus $36.49 retail at Kroger.
Online, Wisp sells a generic levonorgestrel morning-after pill starting at $12.50, and Planned Parenthood points to AfterPill, which ships a generic for $20 plus $5 shipping. Mail-order options are for stocking your medicine cabinet ahead of time, not for the moment you actually need a pill, since levonorgestrel is taken as soon as possible within 72 hours of unprotected sex according to its labeling.
It is also worth knowing what the store shelf actually looks like, because the naming is confusing by design. Plan B One-Step is the original brand. Everything else (Take Action, My Way, Option 2, Preventeza, My Choice, Aftera, EContra, and various store brands) is the same single 1.5 mg levonorgestrel tablet from different manufacturers. Planned Parenthood lists them all as interchangeable in medicine and effectiveness. The box that costs the least is the right box.
What Drives the Price
Brand vs. generic. This is almost the whole story. Planned Parenthood is blunt about it: all levonorgestrel brands have the same amount of medicine and the same effectiveness, no matter how much they cost. The $30-$38 gap between Plan B One-Step and a store generic buys the name on the box.
Where you buy it. The same generic pill ranged from about $4 to $36 across major chains in SingleCare’s recent fill data. Dollar-store and supermarket pharmacies, Walmart, and online sellers tend to sit at the low end; convenience locations and some grocery chains sit at the high end.
Which pill it is. ella (ulipristal acetate) is a different medication with a longer 120-hour labeled window, and it is prescription-only, so it costs more: $45.87 retail at Walmart and $65.66 at CVS per GoodRx’s August 2026 pharmacy listings, plus whatever a prescriber visit costs if you do not use telehealth.
Urgency. Buying ahead of time means you can order the $12.50 online generic. Buying tonight means paying whatever the open pharmacy charges. The manufacturer’s ella mail-order program charges $90 for next-day delivery, nearly double the pharmacy counter price, and that premium is pure urgency.
Locked cases and counter placement. Some stores keep emergency contraception locked up or behind the pharmacy counter. That does not change the price, but it stops people from comparing boxes. Ask the clerk to see the generic, not just the brand.
Cash Price vs. Insurance
Emergency contraception flips the usual insurance logic. Because levonorgestrel is over the counter, insurance generally will not pay for it at the register. But if you get a clinician to write a prescription for it, most plans must then cover it at $0 under the preventive-care rules, according to Planned Parenthood. So insurance saves you money only if you plan ahead and route the purchase through a prescription.
Paying cash without a coupon is the most expensive common path: around $49 for the brand. Paying cash with a free GoodRx or SingleCare coupon for the generic runs $16-$23 at major chains. Buying a generic at a low-price retailer can beat even the coupon. Our GoodRx vs. SingleCare comparison explains how the two cards differ and why it is worth checking both, and our fair price checker can tell you whether a quoted price is in the normal range before you pay.
One more insurance note: ella is prescription-only, which means insured buyers can often get it for $0, and the manufacturer advertises $0 out of pocket with most commercial insurance. For cash payers, telehealth bundles below are usually the cheapest legitimate route.
If you have Medicaid or think you might qualify, it generally covers emergency contraception as well, and several states run family planning programs that extend contraceptive coverage to people who do not qualify for full Medicaid. The rules vary by state, so the fastest way to find out what applies to you is to call a local Title X clinic or health department and ask; screening people into these programs is part of what they do.
How to Pay Less
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Buy the generic, every time. My Way, Take Action, EContra, Aftera, Option 2, My Choice, and store brands are all the same 1.5 mg levonorgestrel dose. Planned Parenthood’s published range for generics is $11-$45 versus $40-$50 for Plan B One-Step. If the shelf only shows the brand, ask the pharmacist for the cheapest levonorgestrel they carry.
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Run a coupon even though it is over the counter. Pharmacies can ring emergency contraception through the pharmacy counter with a discount card. GoodRx lists generic levonorgestrel from $15.87 and SingleCare cuts brand Plan B to $16.55 at participating pharmacies as of August 2026.
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Keep one in the medicine cabinet. Planned Parenthood recommends buying before you need it, and that is also the money move: the cheapest options (Wisp’s $12.50 generic, AfterPill’s $20 mail-order pill) ship on ordinary timelines. Sooner is better for effectiveness, so having it on hand beats a midnight pharmacy run on both fronts.
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Use a free or sliding-scale clinic. Planned Parenthood health centers, local health departments, and Title X family planning clinics (a 4,000+ clinic network funded by HHS primarily for people with low income or no insurance) can provide emergency contraception free or at reduced cost. Title X sites also offer pregnancy testing and counseling, STI testing, and ongoing birth control on the same sliding scale, so one visit can cover several needs. Find one through the federal clinic locator at reproductivehealthservices.gov, and see our guide to free and sliding-scale clinics for how these programs work.
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If you have any insurance, get a prescription. A quick telehealth or clinic visit that produces a prescription usually converts a $49 shelf purchase into a $0 covered claim. Some state programs also cover emergency contraception for residents who qualify; your local health department or Title X clinic can tell you what exists in your state.
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Compare telehealth bundles for ella. Wisp lists ella at $44 and Nurx at $45 per pill plus a consultation fee, prescription included, with optional $15 overnight shipping. Against a $46-$66 pharmacy price that still requires you to obtain a prescription somewhere, the bundle usually wins for cash payers.
Plan B vs. ella: The Price Angle
These are different drugs with different labeled time windows: levonorgestrel is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, while ella’s labeling covers up to 120 hours. Which one is right for a given situation is a question for a pharmacist or clinician, not a price chart, and this guide is consumer cost information, not medical advice.
From a pure cost standpoint, though, the pattern is consistent: levonorgestrel generics are the budget option at $11-$28 cash, and ella runs $44-$66 including telehealth routes. If cost is the barrier to either one, the free-clinic path above exists precisely for that situation.
The delivery-speed economics differ too. Because levonorgestrel is over the counter, the fastest option (walking into any open pharmacy tonight) is also a cheap one if you grab the generic. ella requires a prescription, so speed costs extra: Nurx charges $15 for overnight shipping on top of its $45 pill, and the manufacturer’s own mail-order program charges $90 for next-day delivery versus roughly $46 at a Walmart or Walgreens pharmacy counter with a GoodRx coupon. If ella is what you and a clinician land on, a same-day pharmacy pickup with the prescription sent electronically is usually both the fastest and the cheapest combination.
Bottom Line
Never pay $50 for the name on the box. The generic next to it is the same medicine for $11-$20 at low-cost retailers, or $16-$23 with a free coupon at major chains. Buy one ahead of time online for around $12-$25 and the entire question disappears. And if money is tight, Planned Parenthood and Title X clinics can hand you the same pill for free.
Emergency contraception is also a good moment to price the rest of your reproductive healthcare. Our guides to birth control costs without insurance and STD testing costs without insurance cover what ongoing prevention actually costs when you are paying cash.