The medicines, side by side
How often each is taken, what it is approved for, the average weight loss its own trial reported, and what it costs in cash today. Trial figures are reported, not advice, and come from different trials unless the row says head to head.
| Medicine | Dosing | Trial average weight loss | Cheapest partner, all in | Maker self-pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovysemaglutide · Weight loss; heart risk | Once a week, injection | -14.9% at 68 weeks vs -2.4% on placebo (STEP 1, 2.4 mg)[6] | $208/moSesame Care, billed monthly | $199a month for new patients' first two fills, then $349[1] |
| Wegovy pillsemaglutide · Weight loss; heart risk | Once a day, tablet | -13.6% at 64 weeks vs -2.2% on placebo (OASIS 4, 25 mg)[7] | $208/moSesame Care, billed monthly | $149a month at the 1.5 mg starting dose[2] |
| Zepboundtirzepatide · Weight loss; sleep apnea with obesity | Once a week, injection | -20.2% at 72 weeks vs -13.7% on semaglutide (SURMOUNT-5, head to head)[8] | $358/moSesame Care, billed monthly | $299a month at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg, $449 at 7.5 to 15 mg[3] |
| Ozempicsemaglutide · Type 2 diabetes | Once a week, injection | Not approved for weight loss, so no weight-loss figure is quoted[9] | $408/moSesame Care, billed monthly | $149a month for the tablets at 1.5 mg ($199 at 4 mg, $299 at 9 mg); pens $199 for the first two fills, then $349 to $499[12] |
| Mounjarotirzepatide · Type 2 diabetes | Once a week, injection | Not approved for weight loss, so no weight-loss figure is quoted[10] | $1,399/moWellorithm, billed monthly | $499a month, self-pay through LillyDirect[13] |
| Compounded semaglutidesemaglutide · Not FDA-approved | Once a week, injection from a vial | None for the compounded product; the FDA does not review compounded drugs[11] | $69/moSnagRx, billed monthly | None: no maker sells it |
| Compounded tirzepatidetirzepatide · Not FDA-approved | Once a week, injection from a vial | None for the compounded product; the FDA does not review compounded drugs[11] | $85/moCollective, billed monthly | None: no maker sells it |
Partner prices checked October 2026 and re-checked weekly. Maker prices quoted from the maker’s own terms, numbered in the sources below.
Program vs program
Two partner programs, every plan length and drug side by side. The two figures are each program’s lowest all-in price; the gap is what the dearer one costs on top. Which one wins the pair is computed plan by plan, never written by hand.
Medicine vs medicine
The cheapest way to buy each side today: a partner program’s all-in price, or the maker’s self-pay price when no partner sells it. Each page adds the savings-card terms and the trial evidence.
How the choices compare
Compounded or brand
The widest price gap in this market is between the brand and the compounded version of the same molecule. Compounded semaglutide starts at $69 a month at SnagRx (billed monthly); Novo Nordisk’s own self-pay Wegovy starts at $199 (a month for new patients' first two fills, then $349). For tirzepatide the pair is $85 compounded at Collective against $299 for Zepbound through Lilly (a month at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg, $449 at 7.5 to 15 mg). What the gap buys is approval. The FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA approved and that it does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold, and it has received adverse event reports, some requiring hospitalization, that may be related to dosing errors with compounded injectable semaglutide.[11] The brand price buys a product with an FDA label and the trials behind it.
Semaglutide or tirzepatide
At the cheapest partner for each, tirzepatide is $85 a month and semaglutide $69: $16 apart, or about $200 over a year at those prices, with tirzepatide the dearer one. The only head-to-head weight-loss trial, SURMOUNT-5, gave 751 adults with obesity and no diabetes the highest dose each could tolerate for 72 weeks. Weight fell 20.2% on tirzepatide and 13.7% on semaglutide. The trial was open-label and funded by Eli Lilly, which makes tirzepatide.[8] Both drugs’ trials report the same side-effect pattern: mostly gastrointestinal, mostly mild to moderate, mainly while the dose is being raised.
Pill or injection
The Wegovy pill is the FDA-approved semaglutide tablet, and Novo’s self-pay price starts at $149 (a month at the 1.5 mg starting dose). The cheapest semaglutide you swallow at a partner program is $147 a month at Wellorithm, billed monthly. 7 of the 21 partner programs sell an oral option of some kind. On the evidence: the 25 mg tablet cut weight by 13.6% over 64 weeks in OASIS 4, and the 2.4 mg weekly injection by 14.9% over 68 weeks in STEP 1.[7][6] Those are two separate placebo-controlled trials, so the two numbers are not a ranking. The tablet is taken every day, the injection once a week.
Paying with insurance
If your commercial plan covers the brand, the makers’ savings cards bring it down to $25 for Wegovy (a month for the pen) and $25 for Zepbound (for a 1, 2 or 3-month fill of the single-dose pen), with the caps the savings pages spell out.[1][4] That is below every cash price on this page, which is why the first question is whether your plan covers it. Only 3 of the 21 partner programs accept insurance at all; the rest are cash only, and every partner price here is the cash price. Check what your insurer publishes.
Choosing between two programs
Two programs selling the same compounded drug rarely differ on the drug. They differ on the plan. 21 of 21 partner programs publish a month-to-month price; for 9 of them the lowest advertised price needs months paid up front, so a comparison that only lines up headline prices can set a year’s prepay against a single month. Among the 8 programs that publish both a monthly and a 12-month semaglutide price, the year plan saves a median of $40 a month, in exchange for paying the whole year on day one. 2 of 21 charge a membership fee on top, which every price here already includes. 8 serve every state. That is why each program page compares like with like: the same drug, on the same plan length, all in, and says plainly when neither program wins every row.
How these pages are built
Every partner price is read from the program’s own site and re-checked weekly; the oldest price on this page was checked in October 2026. A price includes any membership fee. Ratings and commissions never change an order or a verdict, which is by price only. Maker prices are quoted in the maker’s own words and dated, and so is every trial figure. How we verify a price.
Common questions
Is tirzepatide or semaglutide cheaper?
Semaglutide, at the partner programs we track: from $69 a month all in at SnagRx (billed monthly), against $85 for tirzepatide at Collective (billed monthly). That is $16 a month apart, checked October 2026.
How much more does brand Wegovy cost than compounded semaglutide?
Novo Nordisk's self-pay price for Wegovy starts at $199 a month (a month for new patients' first two fills, then $349). The cheapest compounded semaglutide on our board is $69 at SnagRx, billed monthly. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved.
Which GLP-1 programs can I pay for month to month?
21 of the 21 partner programs we track publish a month-to-month price. For 9 of them, the lowest advertised price needs a plan paid up front, which every comparison here shows as a separate figure.
Do these comparisons include membership fees?
Yes. Every partner price is all in: the medication plus any membership fee the program publishes. 2 of 21 programs charge one.
How do you decide which of two programs is cheaper?
We compare like with like: the same drug on the same plan length, all in. A program wins a pair only when it is lower on every plan both sell; when the two split, the page says so and shows which plans each one wins. Commissions never enter it.
Where these facts come from
We track prices. Every clinical and manufacturer claim about these medicines on this page is quoted here in its source’s own words, with the date we read it. We do not write medical guidance and we do not tell anyone what dose to take.
13 sources · read October 2026
- 01read October 2026
NovoCare, Wegovy savings offer and self-pay pricingPay as little as $25, subject to a maximum savings of $100/month.
… Patients new to the Wegovy® Savings Offer or NovoCare® Pharmacy pay $199 for each month of 0.25 mg & 0.5 mg. Offer for 2 monthly fills through December 31, 2026, then $349 per month for Wegovy® 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, or 2.4 mg, and $399 per month for Wegovy® HD (semaglutide) injection 7.2 mg.
… Government-insured patients may use this program if they self pay and process outside of their insurance.
… The money spent and discounts on your prescription will not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket requirements
- 02read October 2026
NovoCare, Wegovy pill self-pay pricingSelf-pay pricing varies by dose. Patients pay $149 for each month of 1.5 mg, $199 per month for 4 mg and $299 per month for 9 mg and 25 mg. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets.
… Government-insured patients may use this program if they self pay and process outside of their insurance.
- 03read October 2026
Eli Lilly, Zepbound coverage and savingsSelf-pay, starting at $299
… The $299 per month is for the Zepbound KwikPen or vial, not Zepbound single-dose Pen.
… Governmental beneficiaries excluded.
… Coverage can differ depending if you have Medicaid, VA, DOD, TRICARE®, or another state or federal medical/pharmaceutical benefit or assistance program.
… You will automatically receive the $449 purchase offer on your first purchase of the 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, or 15 mg Zepbound single-patient-use KwikPen. To continue to be eligible for this purchase offer, you must complete your refill purchase
… within 45 days
… Regular price for a 1-month supply of Zepbound single-patient-use KwikPen is $299 for 2.5 mg, $399 for 5 mg, $499 for 7.5 mg, $699 for 10 mg, $699 for 12.5 mg, and $699 for 15 mg.
- 04read October 2026
Eli Lilly, Zepbound savings program termspay as little as $25 for a 1-month, 2-month, or 3-month prescription fill of Zepbound single-dose pen.
… Card savings are subject to a maximum monthly savings of up to $100 per 1-month prescription, $200 per 2-month prescription, or $300 per 3-month prescription fill and a separate maximum annual savings of up to $1,300 per calendar year. Card may be used for a maximum of up to 13 prescription fills per calendar year.
… Card expires and savings end on 12/31/2026.
… commercial drug insurance that does not cover Zepbound single-dose pen
… to pay as low as $499 for your 1-month prescription fill of Zepbound single-dose pen.
- 05read October 2026
Eli Lilly, Foundayo coverage, savings and self-pay termsto pay as little as $25 for a 1-month, 2-month, or 3-month prescription fill of Foundayo. Month is defined as 30 days
… Governmental beneficiaries excluded.
… You will automatically receive the $299 purchase offer on your first purchase of the 14.5 mg or 17.2 mg Foundayo dosages. To continue to be eligible for this purchase offer, you must complete your refill purchase of Foundayo within 45 days
… Separately, through December 31, 2026, the price of the 2.5 mg dosage is temporarily reduced to $149 per month and the price of the 5.5 mg dosage is temporarily reduced to $199 per month. Regular price for a 1-month supply of Foundayo dosages is $149 for 0.8 mg, $199 for 2.5 mg, $299 for 5.5 mg and 9 mg, and $349 for 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg.
- 06read October 2026
STEP 1, N Engl J Med 2021;384:989-1002 (PubMed abstract)The mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was -14.9% in the semaglutide group as compared with -2.4% with placebo
… Nausea and diarrhea were the most common adverse events with semaglutide; they were typically transient and mild-to-moderate in severity and subsided with time.
- 07read October 2026
OASIS 4, N Engl J Med 2025;393:1077-1087 (PubMed abstract)The estimated mean change in body weight from baseline to week 64 was -13.6% in the oral semaglutide group and -2.2% in the placebo group
… Gastrointestinal adverse events were more common with oral semaglutide than with placebo (74.0% vs. 42.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Oral semaglutide at a dose of 25 mg once daily resulted in a greater mean reduction in body weight than placebo in participants with overweight or obesity.
- 08read October 2026
SURMOUNT-5, N Engl J Med 2025;393:26-36 (PubMed abstract)adult participants with obesity but without type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive the maximum tolerated dose of tirzepatide (10 mg or 15 mg) or the maximum tolerated dose of semaglutide (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg) subcutaneously once weekly for 72 weeks.
… The least-squares mean percent change in weight at week 72 was -20.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], -21.4 to -19.1) with tirzepatide and -13.7% (95% CI, -14.9 to -12.6) with semaglutide (P<0.001).
… The most common adverse events in both treatment groups were gastrointestinal, and most were mild to moderate in severity and occurred primarily during dose escalation.
… (Funded by Eli Lilly; SURMOUNT-5 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05822830.)
- 09read October 2026
Novo Nordisk, Ozempic indicationFor adults with type 2 diabetes, along with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar
… Only Novo Nordisk manufactures FDA-approved semaglutide medicines, like Ozempic.
- 10read October 2026
Eli Lilly, Mounjaro indicationsMounjaro is an injectable prescription medicine that is used: along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults and children 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are at high risk for these events.
- 11read October 2026
FDA, concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight losscompounded drugs are not FDA approved. This means the agency does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed.
… FDA received multiple reports of adverse events, some requiring hospitalization, that may be related to dosing errors associated with compounded injectable semaglutide products.
- 12read October 2026
NovoCare, Ozempic pill and pen price guide (PDF, May 2026)Ozempic® pill
… Self pay
… 1.5 mg $149/mo
… 4.0 mg $199/mo
… 9 mg $299/mo
… Self-pay pricing varies by dose. Eligibility and restrictions apply. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets.
- 13read October 2026
LillyDirect, Mounjaro self-pay, and Lilly pricing informationSelf-pay price: Starting at $499/month*
… * For self-pay. Prescription required. Terms apply. Additional taxes and fees may apply. (pricinginfo.lilly.com/mounjaro: The list price of Mounjaro is $1,112.16 per fill)



