Published price vs quote-only
altRx vs Directmeds: Which One Publishes Its Price? (2026)
altRx or Directmeds? Side-by-side 2026 pricing, medication and service comparison, extended to six and twelve-month totals.
Published · Pricing as published in our provider dataset, synced · Editorial scores 8.7 and 7.8 out of 10
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If altRx and Directmeds are the two tabs still open, the deciding information is not on either homepage — it is in what happens after the first month.
One of these programs can be evaluated before you start it and one cannot. altRx lists Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo; with Directmeds, standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront.
Below, the two programs are set against the things that change the bill — the advertised rate, the rate after the promotion expires, the medication class and the inclusions. Gaps in a provider's disclosure are reported as gaps, because they are part of what you are buying.
The short answer
- Easier to price in advance
- altRx — Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo. The other side quotes after intake, so a like-for-like total is not available before you apply.
- Most predictable bill
- altRx — Flat rate at every dose, so titration does not change what you are charged.
- Tirzepatide access
- altRx — Tirzepatide at $149/mo; the other side publishes semaglutide only.
- Easiest to pay for
- altRx — Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay.
altRx vs Directmeds: the specification
This is the whole comparison in one screen. The sections underneath explain which of these rows should decide it.
| altRx | Directmeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo | 50% off the first month |
| Rate after promotions | $89/mo | not published before intake |
| Pricing structure | Flat rate at every dose | Quoted only after intake |
| Medication | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide | GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing |
| Price transparency | Published upfront | Quote only, after intake |
| Tirzepatide | $149/mo | Not published |
| Support model | Clinician messaging included | No coaching program stated |
| Shipping | Free, discreet 2-day delivery | Nationwide shipping, no insurance required |
| Payment options | Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay | Card only, no financing published |
| Patient reviews | 14,820 | 3,400 |
| eRxDoctor score | 8.7/10 | 7.8/10 |
altRx vs Directmeds on total cost, not entry price
The cheapest first month and the cheapest year are frequently different providers. What matters is the total at the point most people are still in treatment, so both programs are extended to six and twelve months below.
| altRx | Directmeds | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | $89 | Not published |
| Months 2 onward | $89/mo | Not published |
| 6-month total | $534 | Not computable |
| 12-month total | $1,068 | Not computable |
| Best published plan | No multi-month discount published | No multi-month discount published |
A like-for-like annual total is not available for Directmeds: standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront. Treat any comparison that quotes one as an estimate someone else has made for you.
Pricing you can check, and pricing you cannot
altRx states its terms upfront: Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo, flat rate at every dose. You can decide whether it fits your budget without giving anyone a medical history.
Directmeds withholds the figure until online intake is complete — standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront. Whatever the reason, it moves the price conversation to after your commitment rather than before it.
If you do go through Directmeds's intake, ask for the month-two price in writing before you pay for month one. That single question resolves most of the disclosure gap.
altRx in detail
altRx positions itself on the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included. altRx is the most affordable GLP-1 program, limited offer: semaglutide $89/month and tirzepatide $149/month. 100% online medical visits, no membership, insurance or hidden fees, free and discreet 2-day delivery.
You start with 100% online medical visits; medication arrives via free, discreet 2-day delivery. The price behaves as flat rate at every dose.
Ongoing care is responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support, and the medication list runs to compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
altRx pros
- Limited offer: semaglutide $89/mo and tirzepatide $149/mo, most affordable GLP-1 program on the market
- 100% online medical visits, no clinic appointments required
- Buy now, pay later with Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay
- No membership, insurance or hidden fees
altRx cons
- Not available in all U.S. states
- Compounded medication, not FDA-approved branded product
Where it gives ground to Directmeds: the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state.
Directmeds: what you are buying
Directmeds is a licensed telehealth platform offering GLP-1 medications with a 50% first-month discount and nationwide shipping. Against altRx, that puts it in the position of the harder of the two to price in advance.
The process is online intake, then nationwide shipping, no insurance required. On money, expect quoted only after intake — quote only, after intake.
Support: licensed telehealth prescribing. The medications on offer are GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing.
Directmeds pros
- Nationwide shipping, no insurance required
- 50% off first month for new patients
- Licensed telehealth prescribing model
Directmeds cons
- Standard (post-promo) pricing is not clearly disclosed upfront
Set beside altRx, the thing to weigh: a discount off an undisclosed price is not a price.
Who each program is actually built for
Choose altRx if:
- delivery works the way you want it to: free, discreet 2-day delivery
- you want to start on their timeline: 100% online medical visits
- the level of clinical contact suits you: responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support
- the feature you would actually use: the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included
Choose Directmeds if:
- the feature you would actually use: a half-price first month and nationwide shipping with no insurance step
- the level of clinical contact suits you: licensed telehealth prescribing
- you want to start on their timeline: online intake
- delivery works the way you want it to: nationwide shipping, no insurance required
The compromises on both sides
On price. Only altRx publishes a rate you can plan against (Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo). The other quotes after intake, which is a cost of a different kind: you cannot budget the year in advance.
On clinical contact. altRx provides responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support. Directmeds provides licensed telehealth prescribing. Both are asynchronous-first services and neither replaces a physician who can examine you.
On medication. altRx covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide; Directmeds covers GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing. Only altRx publishes a tirzepatide route, which matters if semaglutide underdelivers.
On access. altRx advertises 100% online medical visits and free, discreet 2-day delivery; Directmeds advertises online intake and nationwide shipping, no insurance required. Coverage differs too — not available in every state against nationwide — which decides the question before price does if you are in a restricted state.
The medication, not the platform
It is worth separating the program from the pharmacology. What follows is true of the medication regardless of which of these two writes the prescription.
Cardiovascular benefit has been demonstrated for semaglutide in a specific population: adults with overweight or obesity and existing cardiovascular disease but no diabetes, per NEJM, SELECT.
In SURMOUNT-4, stopping tirzepatide after a lead-in period produced significant weight regain, where staying on it did not, per JAMA, SURMOUNT-4.
Read alongside the pricing above, that is the case for treating the medication decision as clinical and the provider decision as commercial. They are not the same choice.
altRx vs Directmeds: common questions
What happens when altRx's promotional price ends?
The rate moves to $89/mo, a 0% increase on the advertised entry price. Budget from that number rather than the headline, because it is the one you will pay for eleven of your first twelve months.
Which has more patient reviews, altRx or Directmeds?
altRx, with 14,820 against 3,400. Ratings across this market cluster tightly, so volume is the more useful signal: it indicates how much operational load the platform has already absorbed, not how good the medication is.
How fast can I start with altRx compared with Directmeds?
altRx advertises 100% online medical visits, with free, discreet 2-day delivery. Directmeds advertises online intake, with nationwide shipping, no insurance required. Both are subject to clinician review and to whether your state and health history clear, so treat the advertised timeline as a best case rather than a commitment.
Do altRx or Directmeds take insurance?
Both run on a direct-pay basis: you pay the platform and it does not bill your insurer. Neither publishes HSA/FSA acceptance, so budget the full amount as out-of-pocket spending.
Can I switch from altRx to Directmeds later?
Yes. Neither program locks you in clinically, and both operate month to month unless you have bought a multi-month plan. Practically, switching means a fresh intake, a fresh clinician review and possibly a gap in supply, so time it against your current shipment rather than your renewal date.
Is altRx or Directmeds better for a first GLP-1 prescription?
First-timers usually get more from clinical access than from a lower rate, because the first two months are where most people stop. On that basis altRx has the stronger case; after month three, cost should take over.
The verdict
Neither of these two publishes enough for a clean cost verdict, which is itself the finding. altRx leads on the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included; Directmeds leads on a half-price first month and nationwide shipping with no insurance step.
Before choosing either, get the maintenance-dose price in writing. Without it, any comparison — including this one — is working with half the information.
The failure mode here is not picking the wrong platform; it is stopping treatment because the bill moved. Choose the one whose bill you can predict.
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Disclaimers and methodology
Medical content is informational only and does not replace professional diagnosis, treatment, or emergency care.
Some links are affiliate links and may generate commission at no extra cost to you.
Pricing reflects what each provider published as of the sync date above and changes frequently; confirm the current rate, and the rate at your maintenance dose, before you pay. Six- and twelve-month totals are calculated from those published rates and exclude anything a provider bills separately.
eRxDoctor is an independent publisher. It is not a medical provider, is not affiliated with or endorsed by altRx or Directmeds, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.