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Healthcare · head to head

Included Health vs Zocdoc

Included Health logo

Included Health

Healthcare

Care navigation and virtual care in one contract for self funded employers and health plans

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zocdoc logo

Zocdoc

Healthcare

Find and book doctors instantly online

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zocdoc has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Included Health owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.; Zocdoc doctors can cancel appointments with little notice
  • They diverge on capability: Included Health covers Care navigation, Zocdoc covers Doctor Search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Included Health and Zocdoc actually diverge.

Attributes where Included Health and Zocdoc differ
AttributeIncluded HealthZocdoc
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown2007

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Included Health

  • Care navigation
  • Provider quality steerage
  • Expert medical opinion
  • Virtual primary care
  • Virtual behavioural health
  • Virtual urgent care
  • Benefits integration
  • Employer reporting

Only in Zocdoc

  • Doctor Search
  • Online Booking
  • Reviews
  • Insurance Verification
  • Reminders
  • Telehealth
  • Practice Management Systems
  • EHRs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Included Health

  • A large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisionsnot Zocdoc
  • An employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid fornot Zocdoc
  • A self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programmenot Zocdoc
  • An employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experiencenot Zocdoc

Zocdoc

  • Patient Carenot Included Health
  • Medical Recordsnot Included Health
  • Practice Managementnot Included Health
  • Telehealthnot Included Health

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Included Health

  • Owning both the navigation recommendations and the virtual care delivery creates a structural incentive to steer members to the vendor own clinicians, and an employer should require disclosure and measurement of how often that happens.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across the whole eligible population, so a plan with low navigation engagement pays for everyone to serve the minority who call.
  • Savings claims rest on avoided costs and changed referral decisions, which are counterfactual by nature, so performance guarantees need very careful definition or they measure activity rather than money.
  • The company is a merger of three organisations with different origins, and members and benefits teams still encounter seams between navigation, virtual primary care and behavioural health that the single brand implies are absent.
  • It sells primarily to large self funded employers, so mid market employers and fully insured plans find both the pricing and the implementation effort disproportionate to their size.

Zocdoc

  • Doctors can cancel appointments with little notice
  • No direct messaging between patients and providers outside of appointment booking
  • Providers incur booking fees even if patients no-show or cancel after 24 hours

Pricing, plan by plan

Included Health

On request
  • Included Health$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month across the eligible population, quoted not published
    • Navigation and virtual care modules priced separately or bundled
    • Some components offered with performance guarantees tied to measured savings

Zocdoc

Free
  • PatientFree
    • Find doctors
    • Book appointments
    • Read reviews

Which should you pick?

Choose Included Health if

  • You need care navigation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want provider quality steerage.
Included Health review

Choose Zocdoc if

  • You need doctor search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want online booking.
Zocdoc review

Questions people ask

Is Included Health or Zocdoc better?
Neither clearly leads. Included Health starts at On request and Zocdoc at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Included Health or Zocdoc?
Zocdoc has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Included Health and Free for Zocdoc.
Does Included Health or Zocdoc run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Zocdoc for free?
Yes. Zocdoc has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Included Health starts at On request.
What is Included Health best used for?
Included Health is most often used for a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions, an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for, a self funded plan wanting expert second opinions before high cost elective surgery, where a changed recommendation pays for the programme, an employer replacing separate navigation and telehealth vendors with one contract and one member experience. Of those, a large self funded employer whose members cannot tell which specialist to see and who currently absorbs the cost of poor referral decisions and an employer that has bought several point solutions and needs one front door that routes members to the ones already paid for are not what Zocdoc is typically brought in for.
What can Included Health do that Zocdoc cannot?
Included Health covers Care navigation, Provider quality steerage, Expert medical opinion, Virtual primary care. Zocdoc covers Doctor Search, Online Booking, Reviews, Insurance Verification.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Included Health: What exactly is Included Health?

The combination of Grand Rounds Health navigation, Doctor On Demand virtual care and the original Included Health concierge service, operating under one brand since late 2021.

Zocdoc: Is Zocdoc free for patients?

Yes, searching for and booking appointments on Zocdoc is completely free for patients. There are no search fees, booking fees, or cancellation fees. Patients only pay their insurance copay or self-pay rate for the actual care.

Source
Included Health: Who pays for it?

The self funded employer or the health plan pays a per employee per month fee. Virtual care visits may also carry member cost sharing depending on plan design.

Zocdoc: Does Zocdoc verify that doctors accept my insurance?

Zocdoc supports over 1,000 insurance plans and filters results to show only providers who accept your specific plan. However, Zocdoc cannot guarantee in-network status, as plans with similar names can differ by employer group or region. Final verification is always confirmed by your insurer and the provider's office.

Source
Included Health: Is there a minimum size?

No published minimum, but it sells primarily to large self funded employers and the pricing and implementation effort do not suit small organisations.

Zocdoc: What specialties and types of providers does Zocdoc cover?

Zocdoc features a network of over 250,000 providers across 200+ specialties, including primary care physicians, dentists, OB-GYNs, dermatologists, psychiatrists, eye doctors, orthopedic surgeons, and therapists.

Source
Included Health: How does it recommend providers?

Through data driven quality analysis rather than a plain directory. Ask specifically how those recommendations are produced and how often they resolve to the company own virtual clinicians.

Zocdoc: How much do providers pay to use Zocdoc?

Zocdoc charges healthcare providers a one-time booking fee per new patient, with pricing varying by specialty and local market. The exact fee is quoted individually to practices.

Source
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