Budget vs premium
altRx vs Novi: Which Costs Less Over 12 Months? (2026)
altRx or Novi? 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 7.0 out of 10
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If altRx and Novi are the two tabs still open, the deciding information is not on either homepage — it is in what happens after the first month.
On the number that matters after the first month, they are not close: altRx runs $89/mo against $133/mo at Novi — 49% more, every month, for the same drug class.
The comparison below starts from published pricing, converts it into annual cost, and then asks what the more expensive side is delivering for the difference. Gaps in a provider's disclosure are reported as gaps, because they are part of what you are buying.
The short answer
- Lowest 12-month cost
- altRx — $1,068 against $1,596 at Novi, on each provider's own best published pricing.
- Most predictable bill
- altRx — Flat rate at every dose, so titration does not change what you are charged.
- Quickest to start
- altRx — 100% online medical visits, then free, discreet 2-day delivery.
- Easiest to pay for
- altRx — Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay.
Side-by-side comparison
The rows below are the ones that differ enough between these two to be worth your attention.
| altRx | Novi | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo | Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo |
| Rate after promotions | $89/mo | $133/mo |
| Pricing structure | Flat rate at every dose | Published rate per medication |
| Medication | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide |
| Payment options | Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay | Card only, no financing published |
| Membership fee | None | None |
| How fast you start | 100% online medical visits | Online intake |
| State coverage | Not available in every state | Not published |
| Patient reviews | 14,820 | 50,124 |
| eRxDoctor score | 8.7/10 | 7.0/10 |
altRx vs Novi on total cost, not entry price
Comparing entry prices across these two would be actively misleading, because they escalate differently. So the table works in the timeframe treatment actually happens in.
| altRx | Novi | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | $89 | $133 |
| Months 2 onward | $89/mo | $133/mo |
| 6-month total | $534 | $798 |
| 12-month total | $1,068 | $1,596 |
| Best published plan | No multi-month discount published | No multi-month discount published |
altRx finishes the year $528 cheaper. For some patients the support Novi bundles closes that gap; for a patient who only needs the prescription written, it does not.
Is Novi worth the premium?
The gap runs to 49% a month. What Novi offers for it: no long-term contract, cancel anytime, plus free 2-day shipping with every order.
altRx's answer is the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included. What it does not carry: the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state.
For a patient who has taken a GLP-1 before, knows how they titrate and needs a reliable monthly refill, the cheaper program is usually the correct one and the premium is a donation. For a first prescription, the calculus changes.
altRx in detail
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. What it is really selling here is the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included.
Getting started means 100% online medical visits, after which free, discreet 2-day delivery. Pricing runs on a flat rate at every dose basis, published upfront.
Responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support. The formulary covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
altRx pros
- No commitment, cancel anytime
- Free and discreet 2-day delivery
- Responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support
- Complete treatment kit: vials, syringes, prep pads, and step-by-step guidance
altRx cons
- Not available in all U.S. states
- Compounded medication, not FDA-approved branded product
Where it gives ground to Novi: the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state.
Novi: what you are buying
$200 OFF - GLP-1 for $133 Today In this pairing, its distinguishing feature is the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166.
Intake is online intake. Fulfillment is free 2-day shipping with every order. The commercial terms are published rate per medication, published upfront.
What continues after the first shipment: no long-term contract, cancel anytime. Formulary: compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
Novi pros
- Competitive pricing: semaglutide from $133/month and tirzepatide from $166/month
- Largest patient base on this list, 50,000+ patients, signaling operational maturity
- Both compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide available
- Free 2-day shipping included with every order
Novi cons
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound
- Tirzepatide ($166) costs more than the semaglutide entry rate
- No published outcome or weight loss guarantee
Set beside altRx, the thing to weigh: the $133 rate depends on a $200-off promotion and there is no outcome guarantee.
Which one fits which patient
Choose altRx if:
- the twelve-month total is what you are optimizing ($1,068 against $1,596)
- you need to spread the cost — Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay
- you want the price you sign up at to survive titration
- the monthly rate is the constraint — $89/mo against $133/mo
Choose Novi if:
- what it leads on is worth paying for in your case: the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166
- the level of clinical contact suits you: no long-term contract, cancel anytime
- you want to start on their timeline: online intake
- delivery works the way you want it to: free 2-day shipping with every order
The compromises on both sides
On price. $89/mo against $133/mo. Novi is asking you to pay for the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166; decide whether that is a line item you will use.
On commitment. Neither publishes a multi-month discount, so both are month-to-month decisions and neither asks you to prepay for a response you have not had yet. Financing is available through altRx (Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay).
On clinical contact. The support models differ — responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support against no long-term contract, cancel anytime — and that difference is felt in week two, not week one.
On medication. altRx covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide; Novi covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide. Neither locks you out of a molecule the other offers, so this is unlikely to be the deciding factor.
The clinical evidence, separated from the marketing
Neither altRx nor Novi manufactures the molecule it prescribes, and the clinical evidence behind GLP-1 treatment belongs to the drug rather than to any platform selling access to it.
The NIH position is that weight-management medication works alongside changes in eating and activity, not instead of them, per NIH, NIDDK.
The FDA publishes an ongoing record of semaglutide products marketed for diabetes and weight loss, and which of them it has actually approved, per FDA.
Take the clinical questions to the prescribing clinician at whichever platform you choose; take the pricing questions to their support team before you pay.
altRx vs Novi: common questions
Which is cheaper to start, altRx or Novi?
altRx, at $89 against $133. Note that the cheapest first month and the cheapest year are often different providers here — check the 12-month row of the cost table before deciding on the entry price.
How fast can I start with altRx compared with Novi?
altRx advertises 100% online medical visits, with free, discreet 2-day delivery. Novi advertises online intake, with free 2-day shipping with every order. 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 Novi 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.
Are altRx and Novi legitimate?
Both are licensed telehealth platforms that route a prescription through a clinician review before anything is dispensed; neither sells medication without one. altRx operates on flat rate at every dose with pricing published upfront, Novi on published rate per medication, published upfront. The meaningful due diligence is on the medication category and the terms, not on whether the platforms are real.
Is altRx or Novi better for a first GLP-1 prescription?
If this is your first GLP-1, the question is who answers when nausea arrives on day nine. altRx publishes responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support, which is the more useful thing to buy at the start.
The verdict
altRx is the cheaper year by $528, and for a straightforward course of treatment that settles it.
The case for Novi is the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166. That is worth $44 a month to some patients and nothing at all to others — be honest about which you are.
Neither choice is irreversible. Start with the program whose weaknesses you can tolerate, and reassess at month three when you know how you respond to the medication.
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See every provider in context on the weight loss rankings, or browse the full comparison index.
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 Novi, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.