Doximity, Sermo, and Figure 1 are three of the largest physician communities, and doctors often ask which one is worth their time. The honest answer is that they are not really competitors, because they do different jobs: Doximity is a professional network and workflow tool, Sermo is a global peer-discussion platform with paid surveys attached, and Figure 1 is a visual case-collaboration community. Which is most useful depends entirely on what you want from it. Here is what each does well, where each falls short, and how to decide, including the confidentiality line that applies to all three.
Key takeaways
- Doximity is best for US professional networking, workflow tools, jobs, and medical news.
- Sermo is best for global peer discussion, anonymous case crowdsourcing, and paid survey income.
- Figure 1 is best for visual, image-based case learning and crowdsourced diagnosis.
- They are complementary, not interchangeable, and many physicians use more than one.
- Case-sharing means de-identification: the confidentiality rules apply on every platform.
Doximity: the US professional network
Doximity describes itself as the leading platform for US healthcare professionals, with over three million members including more than 85 percent of US physicians. Its strength is professional infrastructure: a verified network you can think of as a medical LinkedIn, plus practical workflow tools such as a dialer that lets you call patients while displaying your office number, a fax service, curated medical news tailored to your specialty, and a large jobs board. For US physicians and residents, its value is less about lively discussion and more about being where the profession is, keeping current, finding roles, and using the workflow features in day-to-day practice. It is less useful for deep clinical case debate or for physicians outside the US.
Sermo: global discussion, cases, and paid surveys
Sermo is a physician-and-HCP-only community with over 1.5 million verified members across more than 150 countries, and it combines three things. First, peer discussion and anonymous case crowdsourcing, where you can post a de-identified case and get input from peers worldwide, often within hours. Second, the world's largest physician-submitted drug ratings database. Third, and distinctively, paid market-research surveys: Sermo reports paying members tens of millions of dollars a year, with individual surveys commonly ranging from around 25 to a few hundred dollars, which makes it a genuine, low-friction side income. You can participate anonymously or under your name. Its strengths are global reach, case input, and income; it is not a source of authoritative guidance, and the advice you get spans many health systems, so it may not map to your local practice.
Figure 1: visual case collaboration
Figure 1 positions itself as the largest community of verified healthcare professionals collaborating on real cases, and its defining feature is that it is image-led. It is built around de-identified clinical images and cases, where clinicians crowdsource a differential, confirm a diagnosis, or simply learn from an "enormous reservoir" of interesting cases across specialties. It is genuinely valuable for visual learning, for dermatology, radiology, and any image-heavy field, and for the specific experience of "once seen, never forgotten" pattern recognition. It is free. Where it is weaker is as a networking or workflow tool, and, like any case platform, it depends on rigorous de-identification to be used safely.
Head to head, by use case
The right choice depends on the job:
| What you want | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| US professional networking and jobs | Doximity | Verified US network, jobs board, workflow tools |
| Medical news for your specialty | Doximity | Curated, specialty-tailored news feed |
| Anonymous case crowdsourcing | Sermo or Figure 1 | Global peer input; Figure 1 if image-led |
| Visual, image-based learning | Figure 1 | Built around clinical images |
| Paid survey side income | Sermo | Established paid-research platform |
| Global peer sentiment | Sermo | 150-plus countries, anonymous discussion |
| Drug ratings from peers | Sermo | Largest physician drug-ratings database |
Most physicians who use these platforms use more than one, because the jobs rarely overlap: Doximity for infrastructure, Sermo for discussion and income, Figure 1 for visual cases.
The confidentiality line applies everywhere
Whichever you use, the same principle holds: sharing a case means removing anything that could identify the patient, and the sum of small details can identify someone even without a name, which matters most for the unusual cases people most want to post. These platforms provide de-identification and verification, but the professional responsibility is yours. Strip identifiers, avoid distinctive combinations of detail, and never post identifiable images without appropriate consent and de-identification.
Where iatroX fits
These are communities and networks, and iatroX is a different kind of tool, so this is a comparison of purpose rather than a contest. Community discussion gives you peer opinion, global perspective, and interesting cases; it does not give you a structured, source-grounded answer or systematic learning. iatroX is built for that layer: ask a clinical question and get a guideline-grounded answer with the source attached, work through reasoning with a Socratic tutor, and turn what you learn into retained knowledge with adaptive practice. Use the communities for discussion, cases, and connection, and use iatroX when you need to check something against a source or actually learn it. You can try iatroX with free sample questions at iatroX, and for the wider map of how doctors use these channels, see how doctors find help online.
Frequently asked questions
Which physician community is best? It depends on the goal. Doximity is best for US networking, workflow, and jobs; Sermo for global discussion, case crowdsourcing, and paid surveys; Figure 1 for visual, image-based case learning. They serve different needs.
Is Sermo worth it for the paid surveys? For many physicians, yes, as a low-friction side income. Sermo reports paying members tens of millions a year, with surveys commonly worth 25 to a few hundred dollars each. It also offers case discussion and drug ratings beyond the surveys.
What is Figure 1 best for? Visual, image-based case learning and crowdsourced diagnosis, which makes it especially useful for image-heavy specialties like dermatology and radiology. It is free and built around de-identified clinical images.
Can I use these platforms to discuss real patients? Only with rigorous de-identification. The sum of details can identify a patient even without a name, so strip identifiers and avoid distinctive combinations, and never post identifiable images without consent and de-identification.
How is iatroX different from these communities? iatroX is not a social network or case-sharing community. It is a source-grounded reference and learning tool that gives guideline-based answers and structured practice. Communities provide discussion and peer opinion; iatroX provides checking and learning.