Journal · Data

Which GLP-1 provider matchups are within $20 a month?

Released: October 15, 2026 · Last reviewed: November 10, 2026

How did we build the list?

Our matchup index has 630 provider pairs. A pair gets a price verdict for a molecule only when both providers’ own pages, read on October 15, 2026, print an all-in price that applies at the maintenance dose (tirzepatide 10 mg a week, semaglutide 2.4 mg a week) or at every dose. That left 110 verdicts across 74 matchup pages. Prices billed every 4 weeks are converted to a monthly average: 13 fills a year divided by 12, so $199 every 4 weeks counts as $216 a month. The methodology has the full rules.

How far apart are most matchups?

Most verdicts are not close. Brand benchmarks and bundle programs sit $200 or more a month above the lowest compounded prices, and a $200 monthly gap is $2,400 over 12 months. In the close pairs, the headline price is the least useful number.

Which matchups are within $20 a month?

One pair is tied outright: OrderlyMeds and PlexusDx both list compounded semaglutide at $149 a month. Two tirzepatide pairs are $2 apart: HealthRX and Sprout Health, and OrderlyMeds and TMates. Lavender Sky Health lists the same $189 one-month tirzepatide price as PlexusDx, but its required $40 follow-up consult every 6 months adds about $7 a month, so the two sit $7 apart.

What decides a close matchup? Four worked examples

HealthRX vs Sprout Health, tirzepatide: billing cycle and first month

HealthRX’s monthly plan renews at $214 a month; Sprout Health bills $199 every 4 weeks. On renewal prices alone a year costs $214 × 12 = $2,568 at HealthRX and $199 × 13 = $2,587 at Sprout, because 4-week billing adds a 13th charge. HealthRX’s first month changes the order: its pricing table lists $239 for the first month, which makes the year $239 + $214 × 11 = $2,593, $6 more than Sprout; its Subscribe & Save offer of $99 for the first month makes it $99 + $214 × 11 = $2,453. On 12-month plans HealthRX’s prepaid year is $2,148 and Sprout’s is $1,788, so Sprout costs $360 less if you commit up front.

Lavender Sky Health vs PlexusDx, tirzepatide: fees and plan length

Both list $189 for a one-month supply at 10 mg a week. Lavender Sky Health also requires a $40 follow-up consult every 6 months on active treatment, and new patients pay a $65 first consult, so a first year month to month is $189 × 12 + $80 + $65 = $2,413. PlexusDx lists no membership or consult fee, so 12 months at $189 is $2,268, or $1,548 on its 12-month plan billed up front. Lavender’s price also depends on which pharmacy fills the order; $189 is its cheapest one-month plan covering 10 mg a week.

NexLife vs PlexusDx, tirzepatide: monthly vs prepaid

On October 15, 2026, NexLife listed $169 a month month to month; PlexusDx lists $189, so NexLife costs $20 a month less, $240 over a year of monthly billing. On 12-month plans PlexusDx is lower: $129 a month, $1,548 billed up front, against NexLife’s $139 a month, $1,668 over 12 months. The $120 saving at PlexusDx comes with paying the year in advance, so check what each program refunds if you stop.

OrderlyMeds vs PlexusDx, semaglutide: same sticker, different year

Both list compounded semaglutide at $149 a month. OrderlyMeds shows no longer plan on the page we read, so a year is $149 × 12 = $1,788. PlexusDx offers $99 a month on a 12-month plan, $1,188 billed up front. Same monthly price, a $600 difference over a year if you are ready to prepay.

How do you run the yearly arithmetic yourself?

1. Find the price at your maintenance dose. Use the price after any first-month offer, at the dose you expect to stay on. If the page only gives a starting or “as low as” price, ask for the maintenance price in writing.
2. Count the charges. Monthly billing is 12 charges a year; every-4-weeks or 28-day billing is 13.
3. Add required fees. Memberships, program fees and required consults count. Optional add-ons, such as a genetic test, do not.
4. Add the first month. Replace one regular charge with the first-month price if it differs, higher or lower.
5. Compare the 12-month plan separately. Note whether it is billed up front and what is refunded if you stop.

Worked through for NexLife’s tirzepatide: $169 × 12 = $2,028 month to month, with no membership and no different first-month price, or $1,668 on the 12-month plan. For Sprout Health’s semaglutide: $149 × 13 = $1,937 billed every 4 weeks, or $1,188 on its 12-month plan paid up front. The same five steps work for any pair on our matchup pages.

What should decide it when price does not?

• Billing cycle. Every-4-weeks billing adds a 13th charge each year. Compare yearly totals.
• Prepaid plans. A lower monthly price on a 12-month plan often means paying the year up front. Read the refund and cancellation terms first.
• Fees outside the price. Consult fees, program fees and bundles change the total; our tables include recurring fees and note one-off ones.
• Dose wording. “Same price at every dose” protects you as the dose rises; a price that depends on dose or pharmacy may not.
• Pharmacy. A program that names the pharmacy that fills your prescription lets you check its license. Among the close pairs, NexLife, OrderlyMeds, Lavender Sky Health and MEDVi name pharmacies on their pages; HealthRX, PlexusDx, TMates and Zealthy describe a pharmacy without naming it, and Sprout Health’s pharmacy is not on our October record.

What this means for you

If two programs are within $20 a month, do the yearly arithmetic with the billing cycle and the plan you would actually buy, then decide on terms you can live with. If they are $100 or more apart, the price difference is $1,200 or more a year and usually outweighs small differences in service. Either way, open both provider records and confirm the total at checkout; our verdicts are only as current as the October 15 read.