Sildenafil Price Comparison: How Much Does It Cost in the UK?

Generic sildenafil starts from around £1.37 a tablet at UK online pharmacies, making it significantly cheaper than branded Viagra. Prices vary by dose, pack size, and where you buy. This guide breaks down what you'll actually pay across your main options.

Generic sildenafil vs branded Viagra#

Viagra was the original brand, launched by Pfizer in 1998. When the UK patent expired in 2013, other manufacturers could produce sildenafil under its generic name. Generic tablets contain exactly the same active ingredient (sildenafil citrate) in the same doses and are regulated to the same standards by the MHRA. The clinical effect is identical.

The price difference is substantial. Branded Viagra Connect 50mg costs from £4.00 a tablet at Totiva (in a 16-tablet pack), rising to £4.87 a tablet in a pack of four. Generic sildenafil 50mg can be as low as £1.37 per tablet for larger packs. That gap adds up quickly if you're using it regularly.

How prices break down by dose and pack size#

The cost per tablet drops as pack size increases. Here's how that looks at Totiva, using their current published prices.

Sildenafil 50mg#

Sildenafil 100mg#

Viagra Connect 50mg#

If you use sildenafil roughly twice a week, a 16-tablet pack of 50mg generic works out to around £2.75 a week. Branded Viagra Connect at the same frequency would cost roughly £8 to £10 a week, depending on pack size.

What about the NHS?#

Sildenafil is available on the NHS, but the eligibility rules are specific. You can receive it free on prescription only if you have one of a defined set of conditions, which include diabetes, prostate cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, polio, severe pelvic injury, single kidney, renal failure requiring dialysis, or spina bifida. This is not an exhaustive list: NHS regulations set out other qualifying conditions, and a GP may also prescribe on the NHS where they judge that ED is causing you severe distress. If you're unsure whether you qualify, ask your GP.

If you qualify, a GP can prescribe generic sildenafil at no cost to you in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (where prescriptions are free). In England, you pay the standard NHS prescription charge per item. This charge is reviewed regularly, so check the current figure on the NHS website. Depending on how many tablets are prescribed, the per-tablet cost of an NHS prescription in England may be higher or lower than a private pack, so it's worth comparing.

For everyone else, ED is not routinely funded on the NHS, so private purchase is the norm.

Buying over the counter without a prescription#

Sildenafil 50mg is also available without a prescription under the Viagra Connect brand at UK pharmacies. You can walk into a high street or supermarket pharmacy and buy it after a brief consultation with the pharmacist. It's the same 50mg sildenafil, legally supplied without a written prescription.

The convenience is useful, but the cost per tablet is higher than getting generic sildenafil through an online pharmacy. Over-the-counter Viagra Connect also only comes in 50mg, so if a clinician has assessed you as suitable for 100mg, the prescription route gives you access to a more effective dose.

Sildenafil alternatives: tadalafil prices#

Not everyone gets the best result from sildenafil, and the response varies from person to person. If the 50mg dose isn't giving you reliable results, the 100mg dose is worth discussing with a clinician before switching treatment.

If sildenafil simply doesn't suit you, tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis) is the main alternative. It lasts up to 36 hours rather than sildenafil's 4 hours, which suits men who prefer not to time a tablet around sex. Daily low-dose tadalafil is another option: a tablet every day, so you're covered continuously. See the tadalafil dosage guide for a fuller comparison, or the Cialis price guide to compare costs directly. You can also view sildenafil, tadalafil and the other available treatments side by side on Totiva's ED service page.

Here are Totiva's standard tadalafil prices, checked on 10 October 2026. They exclude first-order discounts.

Daily tadalafil 2.5mg#

Daily tadalafil 5mg#

Tadalafil 10mg#

Tadalafil 20mg#

Cialis Together® 10mg#

As with sildenafil, the cost per tablet or per day generally falls as pack size increases, so it's worth checking whether a larger pack suits how often you plan to use treatment.

Choosing a legitimate UK online pharmacy#

Online prices vary, and so does pharmacy quality. Before buying sildenafil anywhere online, check that the pharmacy is registered with the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council). You can search any pharmacy at pharmacy.org.uk in seconds. An EU-approved distance selling logo (a green cross with a white flag) should also appear on the website.

Avoid any site that sells sildenafil without a consultation, offers prices that seem implausibly low, or has no UK address. Counterfeit sildenafil circulates through unregistered sites and can contain wrong doses or harmful ingredients. If the price seems too good to be true, it usually is.

If you're buying from an online doctor service, check that the prescribing service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as well. Legitimate services carry both GPhC and CQC registration numbers.

How the online consultation works#

First-time buyers sometimes hesitate because they're not sure what the consultation involves. At a regulated online pharmacy, it's a short questionnaire covering your health history, current medications, and any relevant conditions. It takes around 5 minutes. A UK-registered clinician reviews your answers and approves treatment if it's safe for you.

You won't be asked for any intimate photos, although a separate identity face match may still be required to confirm who you are. The consultation is free at Totiva, and you only pay once a clinician has approved your treatment. The key questions will cover whether you take nitrates (sildenafil cannot be combined with nitrates used for angina, a dangerous interaction explained in more detail in the sildenafil and nitrates guide), your blood pressure, and any cardiovascular history.

A note on timing and food#

Take sildenafil 30 to 60 minutes before sex. A heavy, fatty meal delays absorption and can push that window out by an hour or more. On an empty stomach, the effect is more predictable. The 50mg or 100mg dose lasts up to 4 hours. For more detail on timing, see how long sildenafil takes to work.

For a full look at your ED treatment options and current prices, Totiva's ED service lists all available treatments with transparent per-tablet pricing.