Kry vs Teladoc

Why Switch from Teladoc to Kry?

Teladoc is the largest telehealth provider in the United States, but for European patients and organizations, using a US-based healthcare platform raises serious concerns. Health data is among the most sensitive personal information — classified as a “special category” under GDPR requiring enhanced protection. When your medical records, consultation notes, and health history are processed by a US company, they fall under American jurisdiction, including potential government access through the CLOUD Act and FISA.

Kry (known as Livi in France and the UK) from Swedish company Kry International AB provides video consultations with licensed European doctors, digital prescriptions, specialist referrals, and mental health support — all built on European infrastructure with full compliance to GDPR and national health data regulations. Founded in Stockholm in 2015, Kry has become one of Europe’s leading digital healthcare platforms, serving millions of patients across Sweden, France, the UK, Germany, and Norway.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Kry (Livi)	Teladoc
Video consultations	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Licensed doctors	✅ EU-licensed per market	✅ US-licensed
Digital prescriptions	✅ Yes (where permitted)	✅ Yes
Specialist referrals	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Mental health support	✅ Psychologists available	✅ Yes
Chronic care management	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
European availability	✅ SE, FR, UK, DE, NO	⚠️ Limited EU presence
Health data jurisdiction	Sweden/EU 🇪🇺	United States 🇺🇸
GDPR compliant	✅ Native	⚠️ US-based compliance
National health insurance integration	✅ Yes (varies by market)	❌ US insurance only
EU health data regulations	✅ Full compliance	❌ Not applicable
Average wait time	✅ Minutes	✅ Minutes
Mobile app	✅ iOS and Android	✅ iOS and Android

Pricing

Healthcare pricing varies significantly by country and insurance coverage:

• Kry (Sweden): Covered by public healthcare; patient pays standard fee of 250 SEK (€22) per consultation
• Livi (France): €25 per consultation; reimbursed by Assurance Maladie (typically 70%) and complementary insurance (remaining 30%)
• Kry (Germany): Available through select health insurance plans; out-of-pocket from €29/consultation
• Kry (Norway): Covered by public healthcare with standard patient copay
• Kry (Private/uninsured): From €29/consultation depending on market and service type
• Teladoc (US): $0-$75 per visit depending on insurance; subscription plans from $30/month for uninsured
• Teladoc (International): Limited availability; pricing varies

In most European markets, Kry integrates with national health insurance systems, meaning consultations are partially or fully covered for patients. This integration with public healthcare infrastructure is a fundamental advantage over US-based platforms that have no connection to European insurance systems.

Privacy & Data Sovereignty

Health data is the most sensitive category of personal information, and Kry treats it with the protection it demands:

• Health data classified as “special category” under GDPR — Kry applies the enhanced protections required by Article 9 of the GDPR for processing health data
• Swedish company — Kry International AB is headquartered in Stockholm, operating under Swedish and EU data protection law
• All health data stored on European infrastructure — medical records, consultation notes, prescriptions, and health history never leave EU-hosted servers
• National health data regulations — beyond GDPR, Kry complies with specific national health data laws in each market (Sweden’s Patient Data Act, France’s Health Data Hosting certification, etc.)
• No health data monetization — Kry’s business model is healthcare delivery, not data selling; your medical information is never shared with advertisers or data brokers
• Doctor-patient confidentiality — all consultations are subject to the same medical confidentiality laws as in-person visits
• Data minimization — only the health data necessary for your care is collected and retained
• Patient access rights — full GDPR rights apply, including access to your medical records, data portability, and the right to request deletion (subject to mandatory medical record retention periods)

The contrast with US-based telehealth platforms is stark. In the United States, health data protection under HIPAA is narrower than GDPR’s protections, and the CLOUD Act allows US authorities to compel access to data stored by US companies regardless of where it is physically located. For European patients, keeping health data under EU jurisdiction is not just a privacy preference — it is a legal and ethical imperative.

Migration Guide

Switching from Teladoc (or any US-based telehealth platform) to Kry is straightforward:

1. Check availability in your country — Kry operates as Kry in Sweden, Germany, and Norway, and as Livi in France and the UK. Visit kry.se or livi.co.uk to confirm service availability in your area.
2. Download the app — install Kry or Livi from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). The app is the primary interface for booking and attending consultations.
3. Create your account — register with your personal details. In markets with national insurance integration (Sweden, France, Norway), you will be asked to provide your insurance information for reimbursement.
4. Verify your identity — Kry uses secure identity verification to protect your account and comply with healthcare regulations. This may involve ID verification or integration with national digital identity systems (like BankID in Sweden).
5. Book your first consultation — select the type of consultation you need (general practitioner, mental health, specialist), choose an available time slot or join the queue for the next available doctor.
6. Attend your video consultation — at your appointment time, the app connects you with a licensed doctor via video. Describe your symptoms, answer questions, and receive your diagnosis, treatment plan, prescription, or referral.
7. Receive digital prescriptions — if your doctor prescribes medication, the prescription is sent electronically to your local pharmacy. Pick up your medication at your convenience.
8. Transfer your medical records (if needed) — request your medical records from your previous telehealth provider and share relevant information with your Kry doctor during consultations. In markets with integrated health records (like Sweden’s journaling systems), previous consultations are accessible to future doctors with your consent.

Estimated time: 10-15 minutes for account setup; consultations available within minutes to hours. Difficulty level: Easy — the app handles scheduling, video calls, prescriptions, and follow-ups.

Real-World Use Cases

• A Swedish parent used Kry at 11 PM when their child developed a high fever and rash. Within 15 minutes, a pediatrician assessed the child via video, determined it was a non-emergency viral reaction, prescribed an appropriate fever reducer (sent directly to the family’s local pharmacy), and provided clear guidance on when to seek emergency care. The consultation was covered by the Swedish public healthcare system at the standard patient fee, avoiding an unnecessary emergency room visit that would have cost the system significantly more.
• A French company with 200 employees partnered with Livi to provide digital healthcare access as an employee benefit. Employees used Livi for routine consultations — common colds, prescription renewals, skin conditions, and mental health check-ups — reducing sick leave by 18% in the first year. Consultations were reimbursed through the national health insurance system, making the service essentially free for employees while reducing pressure on local general practitioners.
• An expatriate living in Germany struggled to find an English-speaking doctor in her area with reasonable wait times. Through Kry, she was able to consult with English-speaking doctors licensed in Germany, receive prescriptions valid at local pharmacies, and get referrals to German specialists. The digital format eliminated the language barrier that had previously made healthcare access stressful, and all her health data remained under German and EU jurisdiction.

Company Background

Kry was founded in 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Johannes Schildt, who experienced firsthand the frustration of long wait times and limited accessibility in traditional healthcare systems. His vision was to make high-quality healthcare accessible to everyone through technology, without compromising on the standards of care that patients expect from in-person visits.

Sweden provided an ideal launchpad for a digital healthcare company. The country’s advanced digital infrastructure, high smartphone penetration, universal healthcare system, and progressive approach to telemedicine regulations created an environment where digital consultations could be integrated into the existing healthcare framework rather than existing as a separate, parallel system. Kry partnered with Swedish healthcare regions to provide consultations reimbursed through the public system — a model that proved digital healthcare could complement rather than compete with traditional care.

The company expanded internationally, launching in France as Livi (to better resonate with the French market), in the UK, in Norway, and in Germany. In France, Livi became one of the leading teleconsultation platforms, fully integrated with the Assurance Maladie national health insurance system. This integration — where patients can consult a doctor through Livi and have the cost reimbursed by their national insurance just as with an in-person visit — demonstrated the viability of European digital healthcare at scale.

Kry has raised significant funding from European and international investors, growing to serve millions of patients and employing hundreds of healthcare professionals and technologists across its markets. Despite this growth, the company has maintained its focus on clinical quality, requiring all healthcare providers on the platform to hold full licenses in their country of practice and adhering to national clinical guidelines. The company has also invested heavily in mental health services, recognizing the growing demand for accessible psychological support across Europe.

The name “Kry” comes from the Afrikaans word meaning “to get” or “to receive” — reflecting the company’s mission of making healthcare something everyone can access when they need it, not just when they can get an appointment weeks in the future.

Security & Compliance

Kry maintains the highest security and compliance standards appropriate for handling the most sensitive category of personal data — health information.

• GDPR Article 9 compliance — full adherence to the enhanced protections required for processing special category health data
• Certified health data hosting — in France, Livi uses HDS (Hébergeur de Données de Santé) certified infrastructure, as required by French law for storing health data
• Sweden’s Patient Data Act (Patientdatalagen) compliance — meeting Sweden’s specific requirements for electronic health records
• End-to-end encryption for all video consultations and data transmission between patients, doctors, and the platform
• Data stored exclusively on European infrastructure — no health data is transferred to or processed in non-EU jurisdictions
• Medical record confidentiality — all consultations are bound by the same doctor-patient confidentiality laws as in-person visits
• Access controls — only the healthcare professional treating you can access your consultation data; internal staff access is strictly limited and audited
• Identity verification — secure patient identity verification prevents unauthorized access to medical records and prescriptions
• Regular security audits and penetration testing of all systems handling health data
• Data breach notification — procedures in place to notify patients and authorities within GDPR’s 72-hour timeframe in the event of any data breach
• Compliance teams in each market ensuring adherence to country-specific healthcare regulations and data protection requirements

Integration Ecosystem

Kry integrates with European healthcare infrastructure in ways that US-based platforms cannot.

• National health insurance integration — consultations are reimbursed through public healthcare systems in Sweden (Försäkringskassan), France (Assurance Maladie), Norway (Helfo), and select German insurance plans
• Electronic prescriptions — digital prescriptions sent directly to local pharmacies through national e-prescription systems
• National health record systems — in Sweden, consultations are documented in the national journaling system, accessible to future healthcare providers with patient consent
• Specialist referral pathways — doctors on Kry can refer patients to in-person specialists through established referral networks
• Digital identity verification — integration with national digital identity systems (BankID in Sweden, FranceConnect in France) for secure patient authentication
• Lab test ordering — doctors can order laboratory tests at partner facilities, with results returned digitally
• Mobile app for iOS and Android with full consultation booking, video calling, medical record access, and prescription management
• Multi-language support — consultations available in local languages with some markets offering multilingual doctor options
• Corporate wellness programs — API integration for employers offering Kry as an employee health benefit

Who Should Switch?

Kry is ideal for:

• European patients who want video consultations with locally licensed doctors under EU health data protection
• Employers seeking to offer digital healthcare benefits that integrate with national insurance systems
• Privacy-conscious individuals who understand the sensitivity of health data and want it kept under EU jurisdiction
• Busy professionals who need convenient access to healthcare without long waiting times or travel
• Expatriates in Europe who benefit from multilingual doctor access within the local healthcare framework

The Bottom Line

Kry delivers the convenience of telehealth with the regulatory rigor and data protection that health data demands. As a Swedish company operating across Europe, it integrates with national health insurance systems, employs locally licensed doctors, and keeps all health data under EU jurisdiction — protections that no US-based telehealth platform can match.

Teladoc may be the larger company globally, but for European patients and organizations, the choice is clear: health data belongs under European protection. Kry’s integration with public healthcare systems, compliance with national health data regulations, and focus on European markets make it the natural digital healthcare choice for anyone living or working in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kry the same as Livi?

Yes. Kry and Livi are the same company and platform. The service operates as Kry in Sweden and as Livi in France, the UK, and several other markets. The rebranding to Livi in certain countries was done to adapt to local market preferences, but the underlying technology platform, company (Kry International AB), and quality standards are identical.

Are the doctors on Kry real licensed physicians?

Yes. All healthcare professionals on Kry are fully licensed doctors, nurses, or psychologists in the country where they practice. Kry verifies credentials and licenses before any healthcare provider can use the platform. In Sweden, doctors are licensed by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen); in France, by the Ordre des Médecins. Each market follows its national medical licensing requirements.

Can Kry doctors write prescriptions?

Yes. Doctors on Kry can issue digital prescriptions where medically appropriate and legally permitted. The prescription is sent electronically to your local pharmacy, where you can pick up your medication. Prescription rules vary by country — for example, in Sweden, e-prescriptions are standard practice, while other markets may have specific regulations about remote prescribing.

Is my health data safe with Kry?

Kry takes health data protection extremely seriously. As a Swedish company, Kry complies with GDPR (which classifies health data as a special category requiring enhanced protection) and additional national health data regulations in every market they operate. All health data is encrypted, stored on European infrastructure, and accessible only to the healthcare professionals involved in your care. Kry does not sell or share health data with third parties.

How much does a Kry consultation cost?

Costs vary by country and insurance coverage. In Sweden, consultations are covered by the public healthcare system with the standard patient fee (around 250 SEK). In France, Livi consultations are reimbursed by the national health insurance (Assurance Maladie) and complementary insurance. In markets without public insurance integration, out-of-pocket costs start from approximately €29 per consultation. Many private insurance plans also cover Kry consultations.