A colleague of mine, a surgeon with a schedule that makes most people wince, asked me last year which GLP-1 service he should use. He had maybe four minutes to think about it. That conversation made me realize the real problem: it is not that there are too few options. It is that no one has laid out the decision criteria clearly enough so that a busy person can self-sort in under ten minutes.
Here is how I’d walk anyone through it.
The Five Criteria That Actually Matter
Before any brand name comes up, get clear on these:
- Insurance or cash? Branded Wegovy and Zepbound can drop dramatically with good coverage. Without insurance, compounded programs often cost less than $300 a month.
- How much hand-holding do you want? Some platforms are essentially a prescription and a shipping label. Others involve weekly coaching calls and dietitian check-ins.
- Compounded or branded? Compounded meds are not FDA-approved. That is not a scandal, but it is a fact you need to sit with.
- Speed. Some services ship in 24 hours. Others take a week to complete intake.
- Do you want only a GLP-1, or are you interested in broader metabolic support? Most platforms are GLP-1 only. A few are not.
Now, here is where each brand fits.
If You Have Good Insurance and Want the Real Brand Names: Hims and Hers or Ro
Hims and Hers stopped offering compounded semaglutide after a March 2026 settlement and now routes new patients to branded products. Injectable Wegovy runs about $299 a month through the platform, oral Wegovy around $249, and Zepbound around $399. The catch? With commercial insurance and the manufacturer savings card, you may pay close to nothing. The app is genuinely fast to set up.
Ro (its weight program is called Ro Body) charges a membership starting around $39 for the first month and roughly $149 monthly after that, with medication billed on top. What I like about Ro specifically is that it has a real prior-authorization team in-house. If you plan to fight your insurer for branded meds, that matters a lot.
If You Want Clinical Depth Without Breaking the Bank: Mochi Health
Mochi uses board-certified obesity-medicine physicians, not general-practice clinicians who signed up to moonlight. Compounded semaglutide starts around $99 a month, tirzepatide around $199. They also accept insurance for branded drugs if you qualify. For a busy professional who wants a real clinical relationship and not just a rubber-stamp prescription, Mochi punches above its price point.
If You Want One Platform for GLP-1s AND Everything Else: FormBlends
Most weight-loss telehealth brands sell one category of medication. FormBlends operates differently: a licensed physician intake, a licensed pharmacy dispensing, and a catalog that covers compounded GLP-1s alongside a wide range of other peptides, all under the same clinical roof. That matters if you are the kind of person who does not want three separate vendors for semaglutide, BPC-157, and anything else in your protocol.
Compounded semaglutide is priced at $299 per vial, which is the same number as Hims and Hers’s branded injectable before any insurance savings kick in. Tirzepatide sits at $349. Neither price has a membership fee stacked underneath it. You see the number before you create an account.
Purity is published per product. Semaglutide comes in at 99.1 percent, tirzepatide 99.3 percent, for example. Most compounding vendors either bury that information or present a single generic certificate. FormBlends posts the number per compound.
For non-GLP-1 peptides like BPC-157 or the growth hormone secretagogues in the catalog, the human clinical evidence is thin and mostly preclinical. Be clear-eyed about that. What FormBlends offers is a prescriber in the loop and a licensed pharmacy dispensing, which separates it from the unregulated research-chemical corner of the internet. Currently available in 47 states, with cold-chain shipping included.
If You Want the Fastest Possible Shipment: Henry Meds
Cash-pay only, no insurance accepted, but Henry Meds routinely ships within 24 to 72 hours of approval. First-month pricing typically runs $179 to $249. Ongoing monitoring is lighter than what you get from Mochi or Form Health. Fine if you are experienced with GLP-1s and just need a reliable supply chain.
If Budget Is the First Filter: Sesame
Sesame’s weight-loss program starts at about $59 a month on an annual plan and includes telehealth visits with unlimited messaging. Medication is billed separately. For someone primarily focused on keeping platform costs low while accessing a licensed prescriber, it is hard to find a cheaper entry point.
If You Want Maximum Personalization and Can Afford It: Form Health
Form Health pairs you with both a physician and a registered dietitian. Plan on roughly $299 a month for the program, plus labs and medication on top. Expensive. But if you are managing a complex history and want real clinical attention rather than async messaging, this is the most thorough option on the list.
If You Like the Coaching-First Model: Calibrate or Found
Calibrate wraps GLP-1 prescriptions inside a 12-month behavior-change program with a strong focus on helping insured patients get prior authorizations approved. The program fee is separate from medication. Better suited to patients who want structure around the prescription.
Found takes a similar combined approach at around $99 a month for platform access, medication billed separately. Less insurance-navigation focus than Calibrate, but the coaching-plus-medication framing is comparable.
If You Just Need a Quick Appointment and Flexibility: PlushCare
PlushCare’s membership runs about $19.99 a month. It prescribes FDA-approved branded drugs only: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro. Individual visits, labs, and any prescription costs are charged separately. Same-day appointments are available. Good for someone who already has insurance coverage mostly sorted and just needs an easy clinical touchpoint.
The Short Version
| What You Need | Start Here |
| Insurance, branded meds, fast onboarding | Hims and Hers or Ro |
| Clinical depth, affordable compounded | Mochi Health |
| GLP-1 plus broader peptide catalog, cash pricing | FormBlends |
| Fastest shipping, cash-pay only | Henry Meds |
| Lowest monthly platform cost | Sesame |
| Premium personalization | Form Health |
| Coaching-first, 12-month structure | Calibrate or Found |
| Quick visit, insured, branded only | PlushCare |
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved products, full stop. Branded options have the approval, the clinical trial data, and often the insurance path to make them affordable. Your decision should reflect your own health history, not just price. Run the final call by whoever actually manages your care.
Sources
- FDA.gov: information on compounded drug products and 503A pharmacy regulations
- Examine.com: evidence summaries for semaglutide and GLP-1 receptor agonists
- Cleveland Clinic: GLP-1 medication overview
- GoodRx.com: current retail and coupon pricing for Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound
- Drugs.com: drug information and FDA approval status for branded GLP-1 medications
- Verywell Health: telehealth and weight-loss medication access reporting
- Healthline: overview of GLP-1 medications and how telehealth platforms work
[internal: placement 2nd or 3rd | structure: Decision-guide framing, criteria-first]
