Published price vs quote-only
Directmeds vs Maximus: Which One Publishes Its Price? (2026)
Directmeds quotes after intake vs Maximus $133/mo. 2026 comparison of pricing, medication and support, with 12-month totals rather than first-month offers.
Published · Pricing as published in our provider dataset, synced · Editorial scores 7.8 and 7.0 out of 10
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Comparing Directmeds with Maximus means comparing two business models more than two medications. The molecules overlap; the terms do not.
One of these programs can be evaluated before you start it and one cannot. Maximus lists $132.99/mo; with Directmeds, standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront.
Everything here is drawn from each provider's own published pricing and program detail, then extended into six- and twelve-month totals so the two become comparable. Undisclosed pricing is treated as a finding, not rounded into an estimate.
The short answer
- Easier to price in advance
- Maximus — $132.99/mo. The other side quotes after intake, so a like-for-like total is not available before you apply.
- Most predictable bill
- Maximus — Flat rate at every dose, so titration does not change what you are charged.
- Fastest route to a first shipment
- Maximus — Telemedicine intake, no clinic visits, then home delivery.
- Longest public track record
- Directmeds — 3,400 patient reviews against 2,896.
Side-by-side comparison
Read the second row before the first: the advertised price and the price you actually run at are frequently different numbers.
| Directmeds | Maximus | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | 50% off the first month | $132.99/mo |
| Rate after promotions | not published before intake | $133/mo |
| Pricing structure | Quoted only after intake | Flat rate at every dose |
| Medication | GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing | Compounded semaglutide |
| Price transparency | Quote only, after intake | Published upfront |
| Support model | No coaching program stated | No coaching program stated |
| Tirzepatide | Not published | Not published |
| Payment options | Card only, no financing published | Card only, no financing published |
| Shipping | Nationwide shipping, no insurance required | Home delivery |
| Patient reviews | 3,400 | 2,896 |
| eRxDoctor score | 7.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
The real cost: six months and twelve
Almost every complaint about telehealth GLP-1 pricing traces back to comparing month one instead of month twelve. Here is what each one costs across a realistic course of treatment, on published pricing.
| Directmeds | Maximus | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | Not published | $133 |
| Months 2 onward | Not published | $133/mo |
| 6-month total | Not computable | $798 |
| 12-month total | Not computable | $1,596 |
| 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.
What you know before you hand over a medical history
Maximus publishes $132.99/mo before intake. That is the baseline condition for comparing two programs at all.
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.
The workaround is straightforward: complete Directmeds's assessment, get the quote, and then price it against Maximus's published $133/mo before agreeing to anything.
A closer look at Directmeds
Directmeds is a licensed telehealth platform offering GLP-1 medications with a 50% first-month discount and nationwide shipping.
Intake is online intake. Fulfillment is nationwide shipping, no insurance required. The commercial terms are quoted only after intake, quote only, after intake.
Behind the prescription sits licensed telehealth prescribing. Available medication: GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing.
Directmeds pros
- Licensed telehealth prescribing model
- Nationwide shipping, no insurance required
- 50% off first month for new patients
Directmeds cons
- Standard (post-promo) pricing is not clearly disclosed upfront
The cost of choosing this over Maximus: a discount off an undisclosed price is not a price.
How Maximus works
The pitch is a low flat rate with a simple direct-pay structure and nothing bolted on. $132.99 per Month
Getting started means telemedicine intake, no clinic visits, after which home delivery. Pricing runs on a flat rate at every dose basis, published upfront.
Ongoing care is prescriptions approved by licensed doctors, filled through U.S. pharmacies, and the medication list runs to compounded semaglutide.
Maximus pros
- Simple, straightforward direct-pay model
- Prescriptions approved by licensed doctors
- Medication filled through trusted U.S. pharmacies
- Low flat rate at $132.99/month
Maximus cons
- No published outcome or weight loss guarantee
- Limited published detail on tirzepatide availability and program features
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound
The reservation worth holding, particularly next to Directmeds: the smallest patient base here, with limited published detail on tirzepatide.
Picking between them
Choose Directmeds if:
- delivery works the way you want it to: nationwide shipping, no insurance required
- you want to start on their timeline: online intake
- the level of clinical contact suits you: licensed telehealth prescribing
- what it leads on is worth paying for in your case: a half-price first month and nationwide shipping with no insurance step
Choose Maximus if:
- delivery works the way you want it to: home delivery
- you want to start on their timeline: telemedicine intake, no clinic visits
- you want the full price in front of you before completing an intake
- you want the price you sign up at to survive titration
What each one gives up
On price. Only Maximus publishes a rate you can plan against ($132.99/mo). The other quotes after intake, which is a cost of a different kind: you cannot budget the year in advance.
On medication. Directmeds covers GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing; Maximus covers compounded semaglutide. Neither locks you out of a molecule the other offers, so this is unlikely to be the deciding factor.
On clinical contact. Directmeds provides licensed telehealth prescribing. Maximus provides prescriptions approved by licensed doctors, filled through U.S. pharmacies. Both are asynchronous-first services and neither replaces a physician who can examine you.
On predictability. Quoted only after intake at Directmeds, against flat rate at every dose at Maximus. The more predictable structure is worth a premium to anyone who has been surprised by a telehealth invoice before.
The clinical evidence, separated from the marketing
The efficacy data people cite when comparing these platforms is not platform data. It comes from trials of the underlying medication, and it applies to both.
The FDA has published specific concerns about unapproved GLP-1 drugs sold for weight loss, including dosing errors made when patients measure their own doses, per FDA.
The FDA maintains a standing page on medications containing semaglutide, including what separates an approved product from a copy, per FDA.
Use it as the floor for the conversation with whichever prescriber you end up with, rather than as a reason to pick one platform over the other.
Directmeds vs Maximus: common questions
How much does Directmeds cost?
Standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront. That is the honest answer, and it is the main practical drawback next to Maximus, which publishes $132.99/mo upfront. If you go through the intake, ask for the month-two and maintenance-dose prices in writing before paying for the first month.
What happens if I stop taking the medication?
Weight regain is the documented pattern, and it is not specific to either platform. Trial extension data has recorded participants regaining most of the weight they lost within a year of stopping semaglutide. Both Directmeds and Maximus price on a monthly basis, so treat the twelve-month figure as the realistic commitment rather than a first-month experiment.
Is Directmeds or Maximus 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. Directmeds publishes licensed telehealth prescribing, which is the more useful thing to buy at the start.
Can I switch from Directmeds to Maximus later?
Nothing stops you. The friction is administrative rather than clinical: a new intake, a new prescriber, and a delivery gap if you time it badly. Move while you still have two weeks of medication in the fridge.
Do Directmeds and Maximus prescribe the same medication?
Both dispense compounded GLP-1 preparations. Directmeds lists GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing and Maximus lists compounded semaglutide, so the molecules overlap even where the formulary does not match exactly.
How fast can I start with Directmeds compared with Maximus?
Directmeds advertises online intake, with nationwide shipping, no insurance required. Maximus advertises telemedicine intake, no clinic visits, with home delivery. 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.
The verdict
Neither of these two publishes enough for a clean cost verdict, which is itself the finding. Directmeds leads on a half-price first month and nationwide shipping with no insurance step; Maximus leads on a low flat rate with a simple direct-pay structure and nothing bolted on.
Before choosing either, get the maintenance-dose price in writing. Without it, any comparison — including this one — is working with half the information.
Whichever you choose, diarise the month the introductory pricing ends and re-run the comparison then. Neither platform will remind you.
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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 Directmeds or Maximus, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.