I started getting info on OneDrop in my FB feed a few months ago, and read up on it. It's not cost-effective, IMO, for anyone who doesn't test 4+ times per day. For anyone who has had diabetes for awhile, whose a1c is steady and who just doesn't need to test constantly, the kit is expensive and all that's provided is overkill - at least, for Type 2. Type 1 will always need mucho test strips.
However - for a brand-new diabetic who needs to learn everything from step one, and who will (theoretically) be testing nonstop, it's a good deal if you can afford it; it would indeed be cost-effective in those circumstances - IF you are paying for it all yourself. If insurance is paying for your diabetes supplies and you test 3X per day, your insurance will cover your needs for free or a co-pay.
There is another subscription meter & testing strip "service" at mydario dotcom. Their testing device must be used with an iPhone as the meter giving results - no Android app :-(
They sell everything separately. The device is about the size of the Ultra Mini. Inside it are the strips and lancets and there is a place to put the lancet to poke yourself. To get your reading, you have an app on your phone. There is a tiny attachment which plugs into older iPhones that have a headphone jack, the other end being where you put your test strip. They are in the process of doing one with a lightning plug for newer phones.
Right now the device is $30. The test strips are either pay as you like OR monthly sub. For me, I would do 50 strips/mo. and pay $75 for a 90 day supply; that's $25/mo and right on par with inexpensive drugstore strips. Or I could just order "as needed" and the cost would be slightly higher per strip.
The real advantage to the My Dario is only for iPhone users who like small, unobtrusive all-in-one on-the-go testing, and who don't test frequently.
I'm "the other side of the coin" when it comes to testing. Any newly diagnosed T2 diabetic, or any T2 diabetic whose numbers are often fluctuating, should test as much as they can, as they're still learning.
But if and when your a1c becomes stable over 2-3 of them, you're in a good place number-wise, and you pretty much know what triggers you and what doesn't - no real reason, IMO, to test every meal or food forever.
My old boss was diagnosed about a month or two before I was. I would talk to her once in a while about testing, when I was testing religiously after every morsel of food. One day a few months on I mentioned something and she said she only tested once in a while, because her a1c's were very good, her diet didn't vary, so - no point. It was another six months or so before I stopped testing constantly. Now, I let my a1c be my guide - it's good, I'm good. I test when I specifically want to know something - like how are my morning #s, or did my ER Metformin and the Prandin I took before my Thanksgiving dinner really cover me, kind of thing.
Just putting this out here to say that while new diabetics should test very frequently in order to learn, it doesn't mean that you'll necessarily "have to" always, down the road apiece.
And yes, OneDrop is GREAT for new diabetics IF you're "paying for your diabetes" on your own (and quite probably worth doing for the question-answering alone when you're new), but if your insurance is paying for regular meters & strips (no insurance pays for OneDrop or Dario), you don't really need to pay more than a co-pay. My ins happily paid for 100 strips/mo. If you really need more you can buy an extra 25/mo yourself. For anyone who has no insurance and/or is low on funds, going the CVS, Wal-Mart or Walgreens route with their materials is very cost-effective.
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