Review: Cue Health Cue Reader

I’ve tried a dozen at-home Covid tests over the past year. If it’s on the shelf at a drugstore, pharmacy, or grocery store, I’ve probably used it multiple times. But whenever I open a test like BinaxNow or QuickVue, I still reach for the instruction manual, mostly out of fear that I’ll mess up a crucial step. It’s been a constant reminder of why I prefer using Cue Health’s Cue Reader diagnostic tool over any other at-home test. It’s free of tubes, solutions, cassettes, and test strips.

I wasn’t always a fan of this Covid-19 test kit. Last year, I initially passed on recommending it due to its mind-boggling $444 starting price, which has since dropped to $394 (and is still expensive). It just felt wrong during a pandemic when millions of people were losing jobs and cutting expenses due to the unpredictable times. It was much wiser to just spend roughly $25 on an at-home test (half of which was covered by insurance) and receive eight free tests per month. Plus, there was always the option to take a free Covid test at a local testing site.

However, the Biden administration has suspended its free at-home Covid test program due to a lack of funding from Congress. The federal funding for free Covid testing locations and partial insurance coverage for at-home tests (in addition to free vaccines and medication) are also running out. This might mean that restocking your at-home stash may become more expensive these next few months. Suddenly, investing in a Cue Reader doesn’t feel so outlandish.

Photograph: Cue Health

Cue Health's at-home test centers around a small central hub called the Cue Reader, which can detect a virus’ genetic material. Known as a molecular test, it’s typically more accurate than an antigen (also known as a rapid test) and comparable to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, with the ability to identify small traces of SARS-CoV-2 earlier—potentially even a day or two before you start feeling any symptoms. That can be critical when trying to prevent the spread of the virus. Cue says its test has an accuracy rate of 97.8 percent (just behind the single-use Lucira at-home molecular test, which the company claims is 98 percent accurate). According to this independent study, Cue's at-home molecular test also demonstrated 99.4% accuracy compared to lab-based PCR tests.

The Cue Reader is compact and doesn’t look ugly. I keep it on my desk, but I can also see it resting on an entryway table or kitchen counter. It’s easy to travel with too. I threw it in my luggage when I went to California this past summer, but I also stash it in my duffle when I go home to visit my parents. It’s rechargeable, so you don’t have to worry about replacing batteries (I just keep it plugged in at my desk). 

What I love most about this system is actually taking the test—something I never thought I’d say. Yes, you still need to swab your nostrils, but the rest is just so darn easy and doesn’t feel like a science experiment. There are no tubes of solution. Instead, the Cue Reader handles everything. It works via Bluetooth, so you’ll need a smartphone to use the Reader, but it’s simple to set up. Download the app, make an account, and pair the Cue Reader to your phone. When you’re ready to take a test, open the app for a walkthrough of each step. There are so few steps that it’s easy to memorize—no instruction manual needed. 

The Reader comes with a few cartridges, and just like how you’d push Super Mario World into the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, you first need to push one of these cartridges into the reader and wait for it to warm up. Once the app says the cartridge is ready, swab your nose with the included wand and insert it into the cartridge. That’s it! After 20 minutes, you can check your results on your phone and, if needed, send the results as a PDF through email or text. Cleanup is also a breeze, though perhaps just as wasteful as other at-home kits—remove the cartridge from the reader and throw it out. 

As with any smartphone-connected product, the Cue Reader is susceptible to hacks. Back in April, a security researcher was able to manipulate positive and negative test results within the Cue app. This wasn’t the first Bluetooth–enabled Covid test to be compromised; last year, security researchers were able to manipulate results from Ellume tests. Affected tests were pulled from online retailers and store shelves. Cue Health has since patched the bug that enabled the hack in the Reader and its app, but this is still a risk that doesn’t exist with antigen at-home tests. 

The problem with the Cue Reader is its staggeringly high price. It costs $199 for the reader alone or $394 for the reader and a pack of three tests. Buying Covid tests separately will set you back $195 for a 3-pack or $650 for a 10-pack. Yikes. If you sign up for the Cue+ membership for $20 a month, you’ll get 20 percent off your first purchase and discounted prices on tests. (The membership also comes with Cue Care, where you can get prescribed antiviral treatment for $79 per session along with supervised testing for $20 a session.)

If it helps, Cue is HSA- and FSA-eligible, so you may be able to use either to make the cost more stomachable (depending on your insurance provider). You can also check with your health plan to see whether you can be reimbursed for Cue Health tests. 

It’s difficult to justify the high price when the company had a round of layoffs this summer. It also keeps promising features that have yet to materialize—for years it has talked about designing other cartridges that will let you test for respiratory health, sexual health, wellness, and metabolism with the same Cue Reader. There’s some positive movement here though, as it recently applied for emergency use authorization with the FDA for a new Cue Flu cartridge.

There are a couple of slightly more affordable at-home molecular Covid tests worth talking about. Detect’s Covid-19 Starter Kit is $55 and comes with a reusable hub and a test. It has a 97.3 percent accuracy, but you’ll have to wait more than an hour for results rather than 15 to 20 minutes. The testing process is far more convoluted (I hate it) and nowhere near as simple as Cue. But it is tremendously cheaper—additional tests cost $49. 

There’s also the aforementioned Lucira test kit, which is $68 per pack. Even though it’s the most accurate, it’s so much more wasteful. It’s single-use and powered by AA batteries, so you throw the whole thing out after you test, including the AA batteries that power it (I usually save the batteries for another device). 

I like using the Cue Reader the most, and seeing how there’s a possibility that Covid testing won't be free or as accessible for much longer, I like to think of it as a long-term investment. The average out-of-pocket cost for a Covid-19 test is more than $185, according to the American Health Insurance Plans trade association. The average cost per test with Cue Health is $65, and you don’t need to leave the house. 

You can get by perfectly fine with antigen tests, but it’s also important to remember that molecular tests are more accurate and can detect Covid-19 earlier. I also don’t have to deal with a bunch of packaging, separate components, or any kind of liquid solution. Cue is easier than a rapid test but just as fast. Going through a 10-pack isn’t as speedy as you might think since you don’t have to test again if you’re negative, unlike rapid tests.

The pandemic isn’t over; new strains are forming. The Cue Reader gives me some peace of mind—even if it costs an arm and a leg, but in these trying times, that might be OK.