Financing and HSA/FSA
altRx vs Refills: Financing and HSA/FSA Compared (2026)
Compare altRx and Refills on real cost over 12 months, medication type, price stability and support. Independent 2026 analysis, no first-month gimmicks.
Published · Pricing as published in our provider dataset, synced · Editorial scores 8.7 and 7.7 out of 10
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Both altRx and Refills will get a GLP-1 prescription to your door without an in-person visit. The question is what the year after that first shipment looks like.
altRx accepts Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay; Refills publishes none of that. For a treatment billed monthly with no insurance behind it, how you can pay is part of whether you can afford it at all.
This comparison works from what each provider publishes: the entry price, what it becomes at month two, the medication actually dispensed, and what is bundled rather than billed. Where a provider quotes only after intake, that is recorded as the answer rather than replaced with a guess.
The short answer
- Lowest 12-month cost
- altRx — $1,068 against $1,188 at Refills, 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.
- Fastest route to a first shipment
- Refills — 3-minute approval quiz, then free, fast and discreet shipping on every order.
- Most support included
- altRx — Responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support.
altRx vs Refills: the specification
Nothing in this table is our estimate. Where a provider does not publish something, the cell says so.
| altRx | Refills | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo | GLP-1 from $99/mo, about $5 a day |
| Rate after promotions | $89/mo | $99/mo |
| Pricing structure | Flat rate at every dose | Flat rate at every dose |
| Medication | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide | Compounded semaglutide and GIP+GLP-1 dual agonist |
| Payment options | Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay | Card only, no financing published |
| Shipping | Free, discreet 2-day delivery | Free, fast and discreet shipping on every order |
| Support model | Clinician messaging included | No coaching program stated |
| Tirzepatide | $149/mo | Available |
| Price transparency | Published upfront | Published upfront |
| Patient reviews | 14,820 | 7,400 |
| eRxDoctor score | 8.7/10 | 7.7/10 |
Cost over a full course of treatment
The advertised rate answers the wrong question. The figures underneath convert both offers into what you will have spent by month six and month twelve.
| altRx | Refills | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | $89 | $99 |
| Months 2 onward | $89/mo | $99/mo |
| 6-month total | $534 | $594 |
| 12-month total | $1,068 | $1,188 |
| Best published plan | No multi-month discount published | No multi-month discount published |
altRx finishes the year $120 cheaper. For some patients the support Refills bundles closes that gap; for a patient who only needs the prescription written, it does not.
How you pay, not just what you pay
altRx accepts Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay. Buy-now-pay-later spreads the first months, which is when GLP-1 costs and side effects both peak.
Refills publishes no financing options, so the full monthly charge lands on a card each cycle. At $99/mo that is manageable for most people, but it removes a lever if a month gets tight.
Neither provider bills insurance, which is worth stating plainly: this is out-of-pocket spending in both cases, and financing terms are the only flexibility on offer.
A closer look at altRx
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. Against Refills, that puts it in the position of the cheaper option.
Intake is 100% online medical visits. Fulfillment is free, discreet 2-day delivery. The commercial terms are flat rate at every dose, published upfront.
Support: responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support. The medications on offer are compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
altRx pros
- Free and discreet 2-day delivery
- No commitment, cancel anytime
- Complete treatment kit: vials, syringes, prep pads, and step-by-step guidance
- Responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support
altRx cons
- Compounded medication, not FDA-approved branded product
- Not available in all U.S. states
The cost of choosing this over Refills: the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state.
Refills: what you are buying
The pitch is $99 flat at every dosage, from LegitScript-certified pharmacies with third-party USP testing. Refills offers personalized compounded GLP-1 from $99/month (~$5/day) with flat pricing, the same price at every dosage, plus free discreet shipping, 24/7 health concierge support, and no membership or app fees.
Practically: 3-minute approval quiz, free, fast and discreet shipping on every order, and a pricing model that is flat rate at every dose.
Ongoing care is free 24/7 health concierge, and the medication list runs to compounded semaglutide and GIP+GLP-1 dual agonist.
Refills pros
- Flat pricing, the same low price at every dosage, no titration upcharges
- Personalized GLP-1 from $99/mo (~$5/day); GIP+GLP-1 dual agonist available
- 40% off new patient special offers
- No monthly memberships or app fees
Refills cons
- Clinicians come from partner telehealth networks (Beluga, Bask, Wasef Health)
- Compounded medication, not an FDA-approved branded product
- Availability varies by state
Against altRx specifically, the trade you are making: clinicians come from partner networks and availability varies by state.
Who should choose altRx, and who should choose Refills
Choose altRx if:
- you would get real value from the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included
- the level of clinical contact suits you: responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support
- you want to start on their timeline: 100% online medical visits
- delivery works the way you want it to: free, discreet 2-day delivery
Choose Refills if:
- you want the price you sign up at to survive titration
- you would get real value from $99 flat at every dosage, from LegitScript-certified pharmacies with third-party USP testing
- the level of clinical contact suits you: free 24/7 health concierge
- you want to start on their timeline: 3-minute approval quiz
Honest trade-offs
On price. $89/mo against $99/mo. Refills is asking you to pay for $99 flat at every dosage, from LegitScript-certified pharmacies with third-party USP testing; decide whether that is a line item you will use.
On predictability. Flat rate at every dose versus flat rate at every dose. Whichever you pick, get the maintenance-dose price in writing at intake.
On access. altRx advertises 100% online medical visits and free, discreet 2-day delivery; Refills advertises 3-minute approval quiz and free, fast and discreet shipping on every order. Coverage differs too — not available in every state against availability varies by state — which decides the question before price does if you are in a restricted state.
On medication. altRx covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide; Refills covers compounded semaglutide and GIP+GLP-1 dual agonist. Neither locks you out of a molecule the other offers, so this is unlikely to be the deciding factor.
What the trials and the FDA say
Weight loss percentages quoted in telehealth marketing come from trials neither altRx nor Refills ran. Here is the source material, and what regulators say alongside it.
The FDA is explicit that a compounded preparation has not been reviewed for safety, effectiveness or manufacturing quality the way an approved drug has, per FDA.
The rules governing which pharmacies may compound, and under what conditions, sit in sections 503A and 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, per FDA.
Which is to say: the medication decision belongs with a clinician, and the platform decision belongs with a spreadsheet.
altRx vs Refills: 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 is cheaper to start, altRx or Refills?
altRx, at $89 against $99. 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.
Which has more patient reviews, altRx or Refills?
altRx, with 14,820 against 7,400. 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.
What happens if I stop taking the medication?
Both programs are month to month, which makes stopping easy and makes the consequence of stopping the thing to plan for: published extension data shows most of the lost weight returns within about a year. That is an argument for choosing on annual cost rather than entry price.
Is altRx or Refills better for a first GLP-1 prescription?
For a first prescription, weight support over price. altRx offers more contact (responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support), which matters most in the first eight weeks when side effects and titration questions are at their peak. Once you know how you tolerate the medication, the cheaper program becomes the rational choice.
Are altRx and Refills 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, Refills on flat rate at every dose, published upfront. The meaningful due diligence is on the medication category and the terms, not on whether the platforms are real.
The verdict
On the numbers, altRx wins the year: $1,068 against $1,188. That is the default answer, and it is the right one for anyone who mainly needs a reliable prescription and a shipment that arrives.
The case for Refills is $99 flat at every dosage, from LegitScript-certified pharmacies with third-party USP testing. That is worth $10 a month to some patients and nothing at all to others — be honest about which you are.
Whichever you choose, diarise the month the introductory pricing ends and re-run the comparison then. Neither platform will remind you.
Keep comparing
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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 Refills, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.