I've been using my phone for over a decade to find a night-duty pharmacy or one I can reach during a road trip. I tried generic maps, forum lists, the apps each major chain ships (every one asks for an account and runs its own promo treadmill) and eventually I built what I wanted to exist. If you've landed here, this article explains why the HartaFarmacii iPhone app is worth a download and what it does that the website on your phone browser doesn't.
What the app does, briefly
HartaFarmacii is an independent comparator for Romanian pharmacies: 4000+ pins on the map covering every major chain (Catena, Dr.Max, Dona, Help Net, Tei, Mattca, Springfarma) plus independent pharmacies, with phone, address, opening hours and a one-tap 24/7 filter. For OTC products you also get a price comparison between chains and a recent trend chart so you can decide whether to buy now or wait. Drug data comes from CANAMED (the official catalog the Romanian Ministry of Health publishes). Pharmacy data is OpenStreetMap with manual checks; hospital data comes from the Ministry of Health.
Why a native iOS app and not just the website
The website works fine in any browser. The app, though, takes advantage of everything iOS gives you when you're out and about:
- Native MapKit map with clustering. Markers collapse automatically as you zoom out and break apart smoothly when you zoom back in. On older iPhones (12 / 13) it's noticeably faster than the Leaflet site running in Safari, with no tearing during fast pinch-zooms.
- Offline cache for an instant cold start. The list of 4000+ pharmacies is cached locally for a week. If you're on the metro with no signal, the map still loads instantly from the last successful fetch. It's not a fully offline app (price data needs a live connection), but you won't get a blank screen when you lose signal exactly when you need the nearest pharmacy.
- Real-time location — optional, refusing it doesn't break anything; the app falls back to Bucharest. When you allow it, the "nearest" button finds you in about a second.
- One-tap 24/7 filter right above the map. On the mobile site the filter is buried in a menu; in the app it's a permanent toggle with a green badge on markers.
- Quick Actions on the Home Screen. Long-press the app icon for instant "nearest", "favorites", "hospitals" and "search pharmacy" — without even opening the app.
- Home Screen widget. The nearest pharmacy refreshes in the background and shows up in your Today View swipe.
Features I use the most
Favorites with a tap on the heart
When you tap a marker, the pharmacy detail sheet has a heart in the top-right. Tap it once and the pharmacy is saved locally on the device (no cloud sync — no account). The favorites list lives on the first tab, with the distance calculated in real time from where you are. In practice I save my neighborhood pharmacy plus two or three night-duty backups in areas I visit often.
Barcode scanner for OTC
EAN/UPC scanner — point the camera at the box, the app identifies the product and shows the price comparison across chains right away. Useful when I see something at a pharmacy and want to check whether someone has it cheaper before I buy.
Search by symptoms and drug classes
If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, the symptoms section (headache, fever, allergies and so on) suggests molecules and matching products with direct links to the pharmacology articles. For tougher cases there are class guides (antibiotics, NSAIDs, antihistamines, etc.) with sources cited from the Romanian ANMDMR plus EMA and BNF.
Hospitals and emergencies on the same map
Filterable separately from pharmacies, marked with a cross. ERs get a red badge and are automatically treated as 24/7 in the filter — so you have somewhere to go regardless of the hour.
Vet clinics and pet shops
Recently added: animal-care locations across Romania too — vet clinics and pet shops, over 2500 places. Filterable separately, with phone and hours, for when the dog or cat needs help outside normal working hours.
Three languages with one toggle
Romanian, English and Hungarian, switchable from settings without closing the app. Useful for Hungarian speakers in Cluj or Mureș and for travelers visiting Romania who need to find something at 3 a.m.
Privacy — why there's no account
No login, no email asked, nothing synced to the cloud. Your location stays on the device (used locally only for distance and the "nearest" button). Favorites live in UserDefaults — uninstall and they're gone. For anonymous analytics and ads we use Firebase plus AdMob, but only if you accept the GDPR consent at first launch; refusing doesn't lock you out of anything. Full privacy policy: hartafarmacii.ro/en/privacy.
Ads and the premium option
The app is free and funded by discreet ads (a banner under the map plus an occasional native ad in the search list). For people who want it clean, a one-time "Premium Lifetime" upgrade at 4.99 RON removes them forever. Single payment, no subscription, no auto-renew. The money helps me keep the price scrapers running daily and the server up. It's not an aggressive freemium model — every important feature is free.
What the app doesn't do
So you don't leave with the wrong impression:
- It doesn't sell medicines. We're not an online pharmacy. You see where a product is cheaper and then walk in (or call ahead).
- It doesn't reserve products. Stock can vary between what we have indexed and what's physically in the pharmacy. If the product is critical, call ahead before you travel.
- It is not medical advice. Articles and molecule information are informational; for diagnosis or treatment go to a doctor or ask the pharmacist.
- It doesn't yet cover the Dona chain offline. Dona blocks our automated scraping — for them you'll see the locations on the map, but the prices are partial.
Tech requirements
iPhone with iOS 17 or later. Works on iPad in compatibility mode. The bundle is small (~5 MB on first download), no exotic SDKs. We don't use Push Notifications — no discount spam.
How to download
The app is free in the App Store, Medical category (secondary Navigation). Search HartaFarmacii on the App Store or open the link directly: apps.apple.com/app/id6762528920. The Android version is in the works — if you'd like a heads-up when it lands, subscribe to the newsletter or follow the announcements on the site.
Feedback
I build the app solo. If you find bugs, missing features or want a pharmacy added to the map, write to me at contact@hartafarmacii.ro. I read everything that comes in and updates ship in days, not months.
FAQ
- Do I need an account or to register?
- No. Open the app, accept the GDPR consent, start using it. Favorites are saved on the phone, not in the cloud.
- Does it work without internet?
- Partially. The map and pharmacy list stay available for a week from the last fetch (local cache). For prices, comparisons and articles you need a connection — that data is too volatile to cache indefinitely.
- How much battery does location use?
- We use "when in use" only — location is requested only while the app is in the foreground. Nothing runs in the background. Battery impact is negligible.
- Why isn't it on Android too?
- In progress. iOS came first to validate the interface before porting; Android follows once the 1.0.x features stabilize.
- Do favorites sync across devices?
- No — choosing not to require an account means favorites are local. If you change phones, you lose them (a tradeoff we accepted for zero tracking).
- What data do you collect about me?
- Only anonymous metrics (aggregate events through Firebase Analytics) and an Apple identifier for ads (IDFA, only if you accept ATT). We don't ask for name, email, phone, or send your location to a server. Full policy: hartafarmacii.ro/en/privacy.
- Can I try it before installing?
- The best test is on your iPhone — installation is free and you can delete it anytime. The site (hartafarmacii.ro/harta) shows the same data as the app, plus the price comparison.
In short
If you open hartafarmacii.ro on your phone often, the app will feel faster and more useful day-to-day. If you go to a pharmacy once a month, the website is enough. The app is for people who want an instant map, a 24/7 filter that's always visible, favorites saved with a tap and a Home Screen widget. Free, no account, with the option to remove ads through a single 4.99 RON payment if you like what we do and want to support the project.
Download from the App Store: apps.apple.com/app/id6762528920.