Our four-dimension framework for evaluating compounded GLP-1 cost beyond the advertised starter price.
GLP-1 Price Guide evaluates online compounded GLP-1 telehealth programs across four pricing dimensions. The methodology is designed to surface the gap between advertised pricing and true patient cost.
| Dimension | What we measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Advertised price | The "starting at $X/mo" rate prominently shown in ads, on homepages, in search results | This is the rate that pulls patients into a sales funnel. We document it but don't treat it as the cost. |
| 2. True monthly cost | What patients actually pay after the introductory window, billing plan terms, and standard refill cycle | This is the rate that matters for budgeting. Often 30-150% higher than advertised. |
| 3. Dose escalation cost | How pricing changes as patients titrate from starter dose to maintenance dose | Tirzepatide titrates from 2.5 mg to 15 mg over 20-24 weeks. Dose-tiered providers raise prices at each step. |
| 4. Hidden fees | Membership subscriptions, provider visit charges, lab fees, shipping surcharges, cancellation penalties | These stack on top of medication cost and can double the all-in monthly total. |
Provider rankings on GLP-1 Price Guide are calculated using a weighted six-factor scoring rubric. Each factor is scored 0-100; the weighted average is the provider's transparency-affordability composite score.
| Factor | Weight | What we measure |
|---|---|---|
| 1. True monthly cost | 30% | The rate patients actually pay at maintenance dose, not the advertised starter rate. Lower true cost = higher score. |
| 2. Pricing transparency | 20% | Whether the maintenance-dose rate, plan tiers, and all-in cost are disclosed pre-purchase without requiring signup. |
| 3. Provider oversight | 15% | Licensed clinician evaluation, named prescriber, ongoing clinical support model. |
| 4. Pharmacy transparency | 15% | Whether the named compounding pharmacy is disclosed pre-purchase and verifiable through State Boards / FDA registries. |
| 5. Shipping / support inclusions | 10% | Temperature-controlled shipping, telehealth visits, and ongoing support included in the rate (not separately stacked). |
| 6. Compliance / safety language | 10% | Marketing language is regulatorily accurate — no FDA-approval claims for compounded; no brand-equivalence claims to Wegovy / Ozempic / Mounjaro / Zepbound. |
Each provider receives a 0-100 score for each of the six factors. The composite score is:
composite = (true_cost × 0.30) + (transparency × 0.20) + (oversight × 0.15) + (pharmacy × 0.15) + (shipping × 0.10) + (compliance × 0.10)
| Rank | Provider | True cost (30%) | Transparency (20%) | Oversight (15%) | Pharmacy (15%) | Shipping (10%) | Compliance (10%) | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ★ NexLife | 92 | 96 | 90 | 98 | 95 | 95 | 94 |
| 2 | Form Health | 85 | 82 | 92 | 72 | 80 | 88 | 83 |
| 3 | Ro Body | 72 | 82 | 88 | 72 | 85 | 88 | 79 |
| 4 | Henry Meds | 68 | 78 | 82 | 68 | 78 | 88 | 75 |
| 5 | VITAstir | 88 | 72 | 65 | 72 | 62 | 82 | 76 |
| 6 | Calibrate | 62 | 72 | 82 | 65 | 75 | 85 | 71 |
| 7 | Mochi Health | 62 | 70 | 80 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 70 |
| 8 | Trimi | 78 | 58 | 62 | 52 | 72 | 72 | 67 |
| 9 | Found | 68 | 58 | 72 | 58 | 62 | 78 | 66 |
| 10 | Hims & Hers | 52 | 52 | 72 | 68 | 75 | 78 | 62 |
| 11 | MEDVi | 48 | 42 | 62 | 52 | 62 | 68 | 54 |
Highest weight because this is the dimension patients care about most. Scored relative to the lowest documented maintenance-dose rate in the category. Providers with maintenance rates within $30/mo of the lowest documented rate score 85-100. Providers more than $100/mo above lowest score below 60.
Scored on three sub-factors: (a) maintenance-dose rate disclosed pre-purchase, (b) plan tiers disclosed publicly, (c) inclusions/exclusions clearly itemized. Maximum score requires all three.
Patient-specific clinical evaluation, identifiable prescriber, ongoing clinical support model. Async-only models score 70-85; higher-touch synchronous models with obesity-medicine specialists score 85-100.
Highest score (100) requires named pharmacy disclosure pre-purchase with verifiable state licensure. Multi-pharmacy disclosure increases the score. Generic "partner network" language with no names scores below 60.
Temperature-controlled shipping, telehealth visits, and async messaging included in the monthly rate. Per-refill shipping surcharges or per-visit fees reduce score.
Marketing language audited for FDA-approval claims for compounded products and equivalence claims to brand-name. Providers using accurate framing ("not FDA-approved as a finished drug product") score 85-100. Providers claiming equivalence to Mounjaro/Zepbound score below 70.
Providers receive a transparency rating based on:
Pricing is re-verified the 1st of each month. Methodology version is updated quarterly with public change-log notes. Last reviewed: June 1, 2026. Next scheduled review: July 1, 2026.
GLP-1 Price Guide is an editorial publication. Rankings are based on the published v1.0 pricing methodology only. Any affiliate, sponsorship, or material relationship with a provider is disclosed on the relevant page.
Pricing data is collected from sources in this priority order:
We do not cite Reddit anecdotes as primary sources but use them to identify pricing patterns to verify against provider pages.