Checked Aug 31, 2026
What GLP-1 programs actually charge. The 2026 telehealth price report.
The same GLP-1 costs up to three times as much depending only on where you buy it. Across 21 US cash-pay programs we check every Monday, the all-in price runs $149 to $448 a month for the same drug class. For semaglutide the range is wider still: $178 a month compounded to $1,349 for branded Wegovy at the retail pharmacy. The FDA has not approved the compounded end.
The cheapest published all-in cash price across the GLP-1 programs we track is $149 a month (compounded, at Strut Health). The most expensive cash-pay path with a published all-in is $448 a month, at LifeMD. That is a $299 a month gap for the same drug class, a 3.0x range, before insurance.
- The cash spread is $149 to $448 a month across the programs we track, a 3.0x range for the same drug class.
- 6 of the programs we track advertise a teaser price below the real ongoing cost. The biggest verified gap right now is Hims & Hers: $188 first month, then $448/mo ongoing.
- Compounded semaglutide (from $149 at entry tiers, $178 flat ongoing) undercuts branded Wegovy (from $299 all-in through the programs we track, $1,349 retail). The FDA has not approved the compounded product.
- Prices move both ways, and the ongoing rate is where the increases land. Noom swung between $249 and $279 across June (now $249), Found removed its cheapest 12-month tier, Ivim raised its floor by $25/mo.
- Insurance cuts the effective cost by up to about 90%, from branded cash prices of $299 and up down to a $25 to $50 copay when prior authorization is approved.
- Compounded tirzepatide ($199 to $299) runs at or below the branded Zepbound vial price ($299 to $449 by dose). The FDA has not approved it.
- 3 of the programs we track do not publish a complete all-in maintenance price (Henry Meds, 9amHealth, Push Health). Strut Health publishes an entry price only; its row below is annotated.
The cash-pay spread, lowest to highest
These are the verified all-in monthly figures (membership, medication and fees together) each program publishes, the same headline number our chart and price index rank by. Programs marked “insured” quote an insurance-dependent floor, with cash prices substantially higher. A “steps up by dose” note means the published cost rises above the figure shown at higher doses. 3 programs with no published all-in figure are named under the table.
| Program | All-in monthly | Medication | Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strut Health | $149 (steps up by dose) | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Found | $169 (steps up by dose) | Compounded semaglutide | 12-mo lock-in |
| Ivim Health | $175 (steps up by dose) | Compounded semaglutide | 6-mo prepay |
| Mochi Health | $178 | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Shed | $199 | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Calibrate | $224 (insured) | Branded | 3-mo minimum |
| Noom Med | $249 (steps up by dose) | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Lemonaid Health | $298 (steps up by dose) | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Medvi | $299 | Compounded semaglutide | Month-to-month |
| Knownwell | $299 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | Month-to-month |
| Amazon Pharmacy | $299 (estimated) | Wegovy pill | No lock-in |
| Sam's Club Member Health | $299 | Wegovy pill | No lock-in |
| Hone Health | $315 (steps up by dose) | Liraglutide | Month-to-month |
| CVS MinuteClinic | $328 (estimated; steps up by dose) | Wegovy | No lock-in |
| GoodRx for Weight Loss | $338 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy injection | Month-to-month |
| Walgreens Weight Management | $348 (estimated; steps up by dose) | Wegovy | No lock-in |
| Sesame Care | $358 (estimated; steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | Month-to-month |
| Costco / Success by Sesame | $358 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy injection | Month-to-month |
| Ro Body | $373 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | Month-to-month |
| WeightWatchers Clinic | $373 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | 12-mo lock-in |
| Hims & Hers | $448 (estimated; steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | Month-to-month |
| LifeMD | $448 (steps up by dose) | Wegovy pill | Month-to-month |
Source: our price index, field for the all-in monthly cost, checked every Monday against each program's published pricing. No published all-in figure: Henry Meds, 9amHealth, Push Health. Henry Meds moved pricing behind signup in June 2026; Embla is employer-only; Push Health rates are provider-set.
Teaser price vs real maintenance price
The most common pricing trap is the headline number that applies only to month one or the starter dose. The verified gaps, largest first:
| Program | Advertised teaser | Real maintenance | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hims & Hers | $188 first month | $448/mo ongoing | +$260/mo |
| Ro Body | $188 first month | $373/mo ongoing | +$185/mo |
| Mochi Health | $138 first month | $178/mo ongoing | +$40/mo |
| Noom Med | $129 to start (first 4-week supply) | $249/mo ongoing | +$120/mo |
| WeightWatchers Clinic | $25/mo membership for 3 months | $74/mo membership, med separate | +$49/mo membership |
We list both the entry price and the maintenance price on every program row, and the mechanics are in how GLP-1 telehealth pricing works.
Compounded vs branded: what differs
The single largest driver of the price spread is compounded versus branded. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly make the branded drugs under FDA new-drug approval. The FDA has not approved the compounded route and does not review it for safety, effectiveness or quality.
| Molecule | Compounded (telehealth) | Branded direct (cash) | Branded retail (cash) | Insured copay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | $178 to $299/mo | $299/mo Wegovy pill, $349/mo injection | $1,349/mo (Wegovy) | $25 to $50/mo |
| Tirzepatide | $199 to $349/mo | $299 to $449/mo (Zepbound vials) | $1,086/mo (Zepbound) | $25 to $50/mo |
| Orforglipron (Foundayo) | Not compoundable | $149/mo (lowest dose) | No generic | $25/mo with card |
Retail and direct prices from the Wegovy and Zepbound drug pages. Full path-by-path breakdown in the GLP-1 cost guide.
Price moves so far in 2026
Across 14 weekly checks from May 25 to August 24, 2026, most tracked prices held steady. The confirmed market moves ran mostly upward, and they landed on the ongoing maintenance rate, not the teaser. The only reduction came from Eden switching to a membership model, not a straight price cut.
| Date | Program | Old | New | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | NovoCare (Wegovy pill, 4mg dose) | $149/mo | $199/mo | Higher (from Aug 31) |
| Jul 20, 2026 | Sesame Care | $358/mo | $398/mo | Higher |
| Jul 13, 2026 | Eden | $209/mo | $198/mo | Lower (moved to a membership model) |
| Jun 29, 2026 | Shed | $189/mo | $199/mo | Higher |
| Jun 29, 2026 | Ro | $444/mo | $448/mo | Higher |
Every price change is logged with a date on the price-change record.
Methodology
We track the all-in monthly cost for each GLP-1 telehealth program operating in the United States. All-in means the membership fee plus medication where the program bundles both; where medication bills separately, we report the program fee plus the published cash medication price or, for insurance-first programs, the program fee plus the typical copay. We track the maintenance-dose price, not the starter or intro tier.
Prices are checked every Monday against each program's published pricing page, help center, or official pricing communications. Where a program's live site blocks automated access, we confirm through a web search of the program's own published materials. We do not sign up, pay, or purchase to verify a price; we read the figure the program publishes. Where a program does not publish its maintenance price, we flag the row rather than estimate. All prices are in US dollars, cash-pay, United States only. The tracking window for this edition is May 25 to August 24, 2026, fourteen weekly checks.
GLP Chart. “GLP-1 Telehealth Price Report 2026.” August 2026 edition. glpchart.com/glp1-price-report-2026. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link. For the live numbers behind this report, updated every Monday, see the price index.
Frequently asked questions
Why does semaglutide cost $178 a month at one program and $1,349 at the pharmacy?
The $178 a month (Mochi Health) is compounded semaglutide, prepared by a 503A pharmacy under prescription. The $1,349 a month is the retail cash price for branded Wegovy from Novo Nordisk. The compounded product is not FDA-approved and is not Wegovy. Different regulatory pathway, different manufacturing oversight, very different price. Insurance can cut the branded price to $25 to $50 a month for patients who qualify and get prior authorization approved.
Are the teaser prices legal?
Nothing in the data suggests any program advertises its intro price unlawfully. What is documented is that 6 of the programs we track advertise a first-month or entry-dose price below the ongoing maintenance cost, sometimes by more than $200 a month. The practice is widespread. A shopper who compares on the advertised entry price and does not read the fine print will be surprised when month two bills.
Which programs have lock-in contracts?
Four require a multi-month commitment for their lowest price: Found (12-month plan for $169 a month cash), WeightWatchers Clinic (12-month commitment), Calibrate (3-month minimum, paid upfront), and Embla (12-month curriculum). Ivim Health requires a 4-month medication prepay to reach its cheapest per-month rate.
How often do GLP-1 prices change?
Confirmed moves land most months, in both directions. Noom Med's Full-Dose GLP-1Rx moved between $249 and $279 a month across June 2026 (the verified rate now: $249), Found removed its cheapest 12-month tier, and Ivim eliminated its cheapest prepay tier, raising its floor by at least $25 a month. A first-month intro cut is the most common reduction, and it does not change the ongoing price. Live changes are logged with dates on the price-change record.
Does insurance actually work for these drugs?
For some patients, yes. Calibrate, WeightWatchers Clinic and 9amHealth are built around insurance-first models for branded Wegovy or Zepbound. When approved, the copay typically runs $25 to $50 a month versus branded cash prices from $299 a month. The catch: prior authorization is not guaranteed, approval can take two or more weeks, and some employers exclude weight-loss GLP-1s entirely. Compounded programs do not accept insurance.
What is the cheapest way to access tirzepatide?
The cheapest published compounded tirzepatide all-in is about $199 to $299 a month. Mochi's tirzepatide tier is $278 a month flat, Noom's GLP-1Rx Plus is $299, and Found starts at $199 on the 12-month plan (its compounded semaglutide is cheaper at $169). The branded alternative, Zepbound vials through LillyDirect, runs $299 to $449 a month cash. Compounded tirzepatide carries the highest active regulatory exposure of any GLP-1 here, with Eli Lilly pursuing litigation against compounders through 2025 and 2026.
See the live chart of every program →
