How online GLP-1 pricing works: “starting at” prices, billing cycles and what’s included

Most headline prices describe a first charge, a sale or the cheapest plan length, such as Trimi’s $99-a-month annual plan. Examples were read on September 16, 2026. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved; the FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed.

• Sale prices. Embody sells a one-month semaglutide supply for $79 beside a “Regular price” of $299. Wellmedr shows semaglutide “Starting At $49 a month” with a fall-sale discount “Applied at Checkout,” and its product pages offer “50% off your first month.”
• First-month prices. Pallas Health charges $139 for the first month of compounded semaglutide, then $597 every 12 weeks. Hims charges $39 for the first month of its membership, then $149 a month.
• Codes and credits. Trimi advertises $50 off the first month for new patients, and Wellmedr’s get-started page offers “$150 off for life.”

Over a year, the renewal price matters more than the first charge. Pallas Health, Trimi and Hims publish theirs. Wellmedr says the renewal amount and frequency are “displayed and affirmatively accepted at checkout.” Trim Rx’s homepage says “Starting at $179” while its terms list $199, then $299. When a company’s pages disagree, ask which price applies to your second charge and keep the answer in writing.

If your prescriber changes your dose, check whether your price changes too.

• Trimi: the plan price “does not increase as your dose is titrated.”
• Pallas Health: the compounded plan “costs the same at every dose.”
• Wellmedr: “Same price regardless of dosage,” says its get-started page.
• Trim Rx: “Guaranteed Pricing,” with a cost that “remains steady, even as your dose changes.”
• Embody: the homepage says the price does not rise when your dose changes “within the same medication,” but the terms add that “The final charge may vary based on the prescribed medication and the selected pharmacy.”
• Hims: the Wegovy pen page says “Pricing may vary by dosage,” and no per-dose price table is published.

Prices can also change over time. Pallas Health’s Zepbound page says “Pricing reflects pharmacy cash-pay rates and may change,” and its terms allow subscription price changes with at least 30 days’ notice. Trimi renews plans “at the then-current price for that plan” but says it will not reprice a term you have already paid for.

A “monthly” label does not always mean one charge per calendar month.

• Every 21 days (Wellmedr). The refund policy says the plan “renews every 21 calendar days. It is not a calendar-month plan.” Yet the get-started page calls it a “Monthly Plan” with medication “Shipped every 4 weeks,” and the terms describe “monthly, 3-month, or 6-month cycles.”
• Every 12 weeks (Pallas Health). After the first month, compounded plans bill $597 or $897 every 12 weeks “until you cancel.” Its terms, however, list “monthly, quarterly, 6-month, or annual” plans.
• Calendar months. Trimi’s monthly plan is “Billed every month,” and Hims renews its membership at $149 a month. Pallas Health’s Zepbound page lists “$1,069/mo” for “a 28-day supply,” so ask whether a “month” means 28 days or a calendar month.

Our calculation: one price, different billing intervals

Take $99 per charge. A third-party review, unconfirmed, reported $99 as Wellmedr’s semaglutide renewal price, and Trimi’s annual semaglutide plan also works out to $99 a month.

The same $99 costs $594 more over the first 365 days on a 21-day cycle than with calendar-month billing ($1,782 − $1,188). Wellmedr’s policy says the first 365 days can include “up to 18 charges.”

A 12-week example. Pallas Health describes $597 every 12 weeks as a “$199/mo average.” That equals $597 ÷ 3, the cost of one four-week period. A year holds about 13 four-week periods, so a year of renewals at that rate comes to about $2,587 (52 ÷ 12 × $597), or roughly $216 per calendar month. In the first 52 weeks, assuming a four-week first month, the total is $139 + 4 × $597 = $2,527. The totals in this section are our calculations.

Paying for several months at once lowers the monthly equivalent, but the money is usually committed.

• Trimi: semaglutide costs $1,188 a year on the annual plan versus $2,100 month to month (our calculation: 12 × $175). The $99 figure is “the annual price divided by 12, not a monthly charge,” and “Turning off renewal does not automatically cancel or refund the current prepaid term.”
• Embody: 3-, 6- and 12-month semaglutide bundles cost $228, $438 and $828, or $76, $73 and $69 a month (our calculation). They are sold as “A SINGLE, INDIVISIBLE PURCHASE” and are non-refundable “IN WHOLE AND IN PART.”
• Wellmedr: 3-, 6- and 12-month plans are prepaid in full and renew only if you opt in. Their prices are not published, and a “per month” figure is “only the total prepaid price divided by the number of months.” Months the pharmacy has not started are refundable.
• Trim Rx: on prepaid plans, “Cancellation does not automatically result in a refund”; you must ask for the unused portion within 28 days of payment.
• Pallas Health shows its annual plan only as an average ($159 a month for semaglutide), and Hims may charge “at monthly or multi-month intervals” without showing multi-month prices.

Membership. Hims requires a Weight Loss Membership, $39 for the first month and then $149 a month, and says membership “does not include or guarantee a prescription.” Medication is billed separately, so the lowest published monthly total after the first month is $149 + $149 = $298 (our calculation). Embody says “No membership or hidden fees,” Pallas Health lists “no membership fee,” and Trimi’s terms rule out a membership fee, a consultation fee and any per-visit charge.

Consultation and other fees. Trim Rx advertises a “FREE consultation,” while its terms sell the first month as an “Initial Consultation” package at $199. A BBB alert says consumers allege Trim Rx “fails to clearly disclose processing and cancellation fees before enrollment.” Wellmedr’s terms say “Consultation fees are non-refundable once your intake is submitted,” while its refund policy treats a service fee as relevant only if “separately itemized and accepted at checkout.”

Some pages add urgency. Embody’s promotional page advertises semaglutide at $69 a month beside “Was $299” and a “Price increases in” countdown, while its main storefront sells a one-month supply at $79 against a “Regular price” of $299. Wellmedr’s headline prices sit under a fall-sale banner.

Before you act on a countdown, ask two questions: what will my second charge be, and will the “regular” price ever apply to me? Embody’s terms, for example, describe a “Start Program” that rises to $299 a month from month two and a “Flat Program” at $199 a month, and neither mentions $79. Get the answer in writing.

Refund timing, where published: Wellmedr says it submits an approved refund within seven business days. Trimi says “Expect a decision within two to four business days,” and its terms say banks typically post the credit within 5 to 10 business days. Trim Rx lets you request a refund if nothing has shipped within 14 days of your order.

None of the six clinics says it bills insurance for these plans. Their HSA and FSA statements differ:

• Embody: “HSA/FSA Approved.” Its terms say its affiliated medical entities are not contracted with any health insurance plans.
• Hims: the medication fee is FSA/HSA eligible, but the membership fee is not.
• Pallas Health: “FSA & HSA eligible with all plans,” and it offers an itemized receipt that some patients submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
• Trim Rx: “No Insurance Needed”; its terms accept cards “including eligible HSA/FSA cards.”
• Trimi: cash-pay; its FAQ says HSA/FSA eligibility depends on your plan administrator.
• Wellmedr: insurance “Not at the moment,” and “HSA/FSA eligibility depends on your provider’s plan.”

A company’s wording does not guarantee that your own plan will reimburse a purchase, so check with your plan administrator first.

1. What will I be charged today, and what is the amount and date of my second charge?
2. How often will I be charged: every calendar month, every 21 or 28 days, every 12 weeks, or once for a prepaid term?
3. Does the price change when my dose changes or when a sale ends?
4. Is there a membership, consultation, processing or shipping fee?
5. Is my card charged before or after a clinician approves treatment, and what is refunded if I am declined?
6. What is the cancellation deadline before each charge, and is any part of a prepaid plan refundable?
7. Is any advertised guarantee written into the refund policy?

Compare the answers with our side-by-side comparison of six online GLP-1 clinics. Our checklist covers licenses and pharmacies, and the telehealth terms glossary explains the vocabulary.