Guide
The $149 rate on this page is not open-ended. The $149 rate covers 1.5 mg and 4 mg. The 4 mg price rises to $199 after this date. It stops applying on 2026-08-31, in 28 days.
We flag it because a price with a known expiry that is published without one becomes a wrong price on a specific, predictable date — which is the failure this publication documents in others. Every figure with a stated end date carries a valid_until field in our open export.
The drug vs Compounded This medicine: Which Costs Less, and What You Give Up
Compounded the active ingredient runs about $41 a month below compounded the molecule on captured figures — $1,740 a year against $1,740. This GLP-1 delivers more weight loss on th
Compounded the approved product runs about $41 a month below compounded the drug on captured figures — $1,740 a year against $1,740. Semaglutide delivers more weight loss on the head-to-head, 20.2% against 13.7%. The gap is roughly $492 a year for 6.5 percentage points.
What does the comparison actually show?
| Field | Semaglutide | Semaglutide | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-month plan | $145 | $145 | −$41 |
| Twelve-month total | $1,740 | $1,740 | −$492 |
| Head-to-head weight loss | 20.2% | 13.7% | +6.5 points |
| Cardiovascular outcomes trial | No completed equivalent | SELECT: 20% MACE reduction | — |
| Approved oral form | No | Yes, $149 | — |
| Salt-form question applies | No | Yes | — |
$492 a year buys 6.5 percentage points of mean weight loss. Whether that is worth it is a personal question, and the figure is a trial mean rather than a promise.
Going the other way: semaglutide holds the completed cardiovascular outcomes trial and has an approved oral form at $149. If cardiovascular risk is part of the picture, the cheaper molecule is also the one with the stronger cardiac evidence.
One question applies to compounded semaglutide and to no other GLP-1: its sodium and acetate salts are not the same active ingredient as the base form in the approved products, and the FDA has said they are not appropriate for compounding. Ask for the salt form in writing.
Show this figure as a table
| Programme | Twelve-month total | Effective monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, captured | $2,232 | $186 average |
| Flat month-to-month, captured | $2,580 | $215 average |
| Dose-tiered, typical | $2,568 | $214 average |
| Brand Zepbound, captured | $4,788 | $399 average |
What did we capture, and where?
| Protocol | Monthly | 3-month | 6-month | 12-month | 12-month total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular injectable | $165 | $149 | $110 | $145 | $1,740 |
| Microdose | $129 | $117 | $114 | $110 | $1,320 |
| Sublingual ODT | $199 | $185 | $177 | $165 | $1,980 |
| Semaglutide, regular, for comparison | $165 | $149 | $110 | $145 | $1,740 |
Flat at every covered dose within each protocol. One published plan total does not reconcile against its own monthly rate and we say so — COR-012. Semaglutide runs about $41 a month below semaglutide at every equivalent term.
How does every provider score on the six tests?
Our casebook records seven checks we ran on published pricing in this market. Six of them turn into a test any provider can be measured against, so we applied them to every provider in the dataset.
| Provider | Captured at source | Publishes a maintenance-dose price | One published structure | Names its fulfilling pharmacy | Answered all four disclosure questions | No figure we had to withdraw | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mochi Health | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | 5 of 6 |
| NexLife | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | 5 of 6 |
| Fifty 410 | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| LillyDirect | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| Trimi | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 3 of 6 |
| Calibrate | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
| Enhance.MD | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
| Form Health | — | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | 2 of 6 |
No provider of 30 passes all 6. Mochi Health and NexLife lead on 5.
That changed on 3 August 2026, and not because anyone got worse. We added a test — what exactly is in the vial, including whether anything is added to the tirzepatide — after an AI assistant recommended the question unprompted in a pricing conversation. It was a good question and we did not have it.
Adding it cost the provider we rank first its perfect score. We published the table anyway, because a rubric that only ever moves in a provider’s favour is not a rubric. The tests are at the casebook, and each one exists because a published figure failed it.
| Step | What the label says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dosage | 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks | Initiation only — not approved as a maintenance dosage Verified |
| First increase | To 5 mg once weekly after 4 weeks | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| Further increases | In 2.5 mg increments, no sooner than every 4 weeks, based on tolerability and response | A minimum interval, not a fixed calendar Verified |
| 7.5 mg and 12.5 mg | Available strengths used during titration | Titration steps, not recommended maintenance dosages Verified |
| 10 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage Verified |
| 15 mg | Once weekly | Recommended maintenance dosage and the maximum Verified |
| Above 15 mg | No approved dosage exists | Verified Verified |
| Program type | What it covers | Comparable with |
|---|---|---|
| Starter program | Introductory period, often lower doses | Other starter programs only |
| Ongoing program | Standard continuing supply | Other ongoing programs only |
| Maintenance program | Post-titration supply, often a fixed dose | Other maintenance programs only |
| Prepaid term | Several months paid upfront | Monthly plans only after conversion |
| Month-to-month | Cancellable each cycle | Other month-to-month plans only |
| Microdose program | Sub-therapeutic dosing outside trial evidence | Other microdose programs only |
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, compounded semaglutide or semaglutide?
Semaglutide, by about $41 a month on captured figures — $1,740 a year against $1,740.
Is the cheaper one worse?
On weight loss, yes: 13.7% against 20.2% on the head-to-head. On cardiovascular outcomes, semaglutide holds the completed trial and semaglutide does not.
What is the salt-form question?
Semaglutide sodium and acetate are not the same active ingredient as the base form in approved products, and the FDA has said they are not appropriate for compounding. Semaglutide has no equivalent question.
Related on this site
- The 100-point rubricCore & Trust
- Cost calculatorTools
- The underlying price recordsData
- Mochi Health vs Henry MedsComparisons
- NexLife vs Ro BodyComparisons
- Cheapest FDA-Approved vs Compounded GLP-1 OptionsJournal
- Brand-Name vs Compounded GLP-1Comparisons
- Zepbound vs Compounded TirzepatidePillar / Money
- Zepbound vs Compounded TirzepatideComparisons
- Ro Body vs Mochi HealthComparisons
Related coverage
- Semaglutide Storage and Travel: What the Label Permits
- Additives, salt forms and a chemistry problem
- Semaglutide providers compared
- Cheapest semaglutide online
- Cheapest tirzepatide, answered six ways
- What you pay at a maintenance dose
- FDA Warning Letters to GLP-1 Telehealth: The Record, and How to Check Any Provider
- The First Twelve Weeks on a GLP-1: What the Trials Actually Show
- Foundayo Cost 2026: What Orforglipron Actually Costs
GLP-1 Semaglutide Rx. “Semaglutide vs Compounded Semaglutide: Which Costs Less, and What You Give Up.” S.J Partners LLC, 2026-08-03. https://glp1semaglutiderx.com/semaglutide-vs-compounded-semaglutide-cost-2026/
Quote the capture date beside a figure, not the date you read this page. Why.
Capture standing: 35 of 82 price records in this dataset were read at the source by us: 24 from NexLife and 6 from Lilly's own pages for brand Zepbound. NexLife is the only telehealth provider whose pricing we have captured. Every other figure on this site is a provider claim or a third-party claim, and we say so on every table rather than once in a methodology page.