Published price vs quote-only
Directmeds vs Novi: Which One Publishes Its Price? (2026)
Compare Directmeds and Novi 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 7.8 and 7.0 out of 10
We may receive compensation when you click partner links. Rankings are based on research methodology, not sponsorship.
Two platforms, one drug class, and a difference in annual cost most people do not notice until month four. That is the Directmeds versus Novi question.
Novi publishes what it charges — Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo. Directmeds does not: standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront. That asymmetry is the comparison, because you can only price-check one of these two before handing over a medical history.
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. Every figure traces back to the provider's own published material, and the missing ones stay missing.
The short answer
- Easier to price in advance
- Novi — Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo. The other side quotes after intake, so a like-for-like total is not available before you apply.
- Most support for the money
- Novi — No long-term contract, cancel anytime.
- Tirzepatide access
- Novi — Tirzepatide at $166/mo; the other side publishes semaglutide only.
- Most support included
- Novi — No long-term contract, cancel anytime.
Side-by-side comparison
Nothing in this table is our estimate. Where a provider does not publish something, the cell says so.
| Directmeds | Novi | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | 50% off the first month | Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo |
| Rate after promotions | not published before intake | $133/mo |
| Pricing structure | Quoted only after intake | Published rate per medication |
| Medication | GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide |
| Price transparency | Quote only, after intake | Published upfront |
| Payment options | Card only, no financing published | Card only, no financing published |
| Shipping | Nationwide shipping, no insurance required | Free 2-day shipping with every order |
| Support model | No coaching program stated | No coaching program stated |
| Tirzepatide | Not published | $166/mo |
| Patient reviews | 3,400 | 50,124 |
| eRxDoctor score | 7.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
Directmeds vs Novi on total cost, not entry price
The advertised rate answers the wrong question. These are the totals — six months and twelve — using each provider's own published rates and best available plan.
| Directmeds | Novi | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
One publishes a price. One does not.
Novi publishes Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo before intake. That is the baseline condition for comparing two programs at all.
Directmeds runs the other way around — standard post-promotional pricing is not disclosed upfront. There are defensible reasons for that; personalized plans genuinely do vary. The practical effect is still that you cannot comparison-shop it, and a completed intake is exactly the moment a quote lands with the most leverage.
Treat Directmeds's quote as the start of the comparison rather than the end of it, and check specifically what happens to the number at higher doses.
How Directmeds works
Directmeds is a licensed telehealth platform offering GLP-1 medications with a 50% first-month discount and nationwide shipping. Against Novi, 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
Read next to Novi, the weak point: a discount off an undisclosed price is not a price.
Inside the Novi program
$200 OFF - GLP-1 for $133 Today What it is really selling here is the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166.
Getting started means online intake, after which free 2-day shipping with every order. Pricing runs on a published rate per medication basis, published upfront.
Ongoing care is no long-term contract, cancel anytime, and the medication list runs to compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
Novi pros
- Largest patient base on this list, 50,000+ patients, signaling operational maturity
- Competitive pricing: semaglutide from $133/month and tirzepatide from $166/month
- Free 2-day shipping included with every order
- Both compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide available
Novi cons
- Tirzepatide ($166) costs more than the semaglutide entry rate
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound
- No published outcome or weight loss guarantee
The reservation worth holding, particularly next to Directmeds: the $133 rate depends on a $200-off promotion and there is no outcome guarantee.
Directmeds or Novi: matching the program to the patient
Choose Directmeds if:
- the level of clinical contact suits you: licensed telehealth prescribing
- you would get real value from a half-price first month and nationwide shipping with no insurance step
- delivery works the way you want it to: nationwide shipping, no insurance required
- you want to start on their timeline: online intake
Choose Novi if:
- you would rather use the platform with the longer public record (50,124 reviews)
- you want tirzepatide available without changing provider later
- what it leads on is worth paying for in your case: the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166
- you want the full price in front of you before completing an intake
Where each program concedes something
On price. Only Novi publishes a rate you can plan against (Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo). The other quotes after intake, which is a cost of a different kind: you cannot budget the year in advance.
On predictability. Quoted only after intake versus published rate per medication. Whichever you pick, get the maintenance-dose price in writing at intake.
On access. Directmeds advertises online intake and nationwide shipping, no insurance required; Novi advertises online intake and free 2-day shipping with every order. Coverage differs too — nationwide against not published — which decides the question before price does if you are in a restricted state.
On medication. Directmeds covers GLP-1 medication via licensed telehealth prescribing; Novi covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide. Only Novi publishes a tirzepatide route, which matters if semaglutide underdelivers.
What the evidence actually says
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.
NIDDK frames medication as one component of obesity treatment rather than a replacement for the rest of it, per NIH, NIDDK.
Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach a patient, per FDA.
None of that settles which of these two to use. It does mean the drug is doing the work, and you are choosing who supplies it and on what terms.
Directmeds vs Novi: 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 Novi, which publishes Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/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.
Which is cheaper to start, Directmeds or Novi?
Only Novi publishes a first-month figure (Semaglutide from $133/mo, tirzepatide from $166/mo). The other quotes after intake, so a starting-cost comparison is not available in advance.
Which has more patient reviews, Directmeds or Novi?
Novi, with 50,124 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.
Are Directmeds 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. Directmeds operates on quoted only after intake with pricing quote only, after intake, 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.
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.
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; Novi leads on the narrowest gap here between semaglutide and tirzepatide pricing, at $133 and $166.
Before choosing either, get the maintenance-dose price in writing. Without it, any comparison — including this one — is working with half the information.
Get the maintenance-dose price in writing from whichever one you pick. That single question prevents most of the regret in this category.
Keep comparing
- Directmeds vs Start WillowPublished price vs quote-only
- Directmeds vs Sprout HealthPublished price vs quote-only
- Ro.co vs NoviBrand-name vs compounded
- Sprout Health vs NoviBudget vs premium
- Shed vs MeasuredPublished price vs quote-only
- Shed vs GalaPublished price vs quote-only
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 Directmeds or Novi, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.