Brand-name vs compounded
Hers vs Maximus: Brand-Name or Compounded? (2026)
Compare Hers and Maximus 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 9.8 and 7.0 out of 10
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Both Hers and Maximus 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.
Hers dispenses brand-name, FDA-approved finished medication. Maximus dispenses compounded medication prepared by a pharmacy rather than manufactured under an approved application. Those are different regulatory categories, and the price difference between them is the whole reason both business models exist.
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. 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
- Maximus — $1,596 against $1,788 at Hers, on each provider's own best published pricing.
- FDA-approved medication
- Hers — FDA-approved Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy injectable pen — a finished product the FDA has reviewed, rather than a compounded preparation.
- Fastest route to a first shipment
- Maximus — Telemedicine intake, no clinic visits, then home delivery.
- Most support included
- Hers — Personalized care team with ongoing dose check-ins.
Hers and Maximus, side by side
Nothing in this table is our estimate. Where a provider does not publish something, the cell says so.
| Hers | Maximus | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | Wegovy pill from $149/mo, injectable from $199/mo | $132.99/mo |
| Rate after promotions | $149/mo | $133/mo |
| Pricing structure | Published rate per medication | Flat rate at every dose |
| Medication | FDA-approved Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy injectable pen | Compounded semaglutide |
| Shipping | Home delivery, no insurance required | Home delivery |
| Support model | Provider check-ins included | No coaching program stated |
| Tirzepatide | Not published | Not published |
| Price transparency | Published upfront | Published upfront |
| Patient reviews | 6,200 | 2,896 |
| eRxDoctor score | 9.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
What Hers and Maximus actually cost over a year
The advertised rate answers the wrong question. Here is what each one costs across a realistic course of treatment, on published pricing.
| Hers | Maximus | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | $149 | $133 |
| Months 2 onward | $149/mo | $133/mo |
| 6-month total | $894 | $798 |
| 12-month total | $1,788 | $1,596 |
| Best published plan | No multi-month discount published | No multi-month discount published |
Over a year that is a $192 difference, in Maximus's favor. Whether it is the right call depends on whether Hers gives you $16 a month of something you will use.
What is actually in the vial
On Hers's side of the line sits FDA-approved Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy injectable pen — product manufactured under an approved application, with the batch-to-batch consistency that approval requires.
Across from that, Maximus offers compounded semaglutide — prepared by a pharmacy rather than manufactured under approval. The price advantage and the reduced oversight are the same fact seen from two sides.
The honest framing is a trade, not a ranking. Compounded access is what has put GLP-1 treatment within reach of people whose insurance will not cover it; approved product is what removes a category of uncertainty about what is in the vial. Both of those are real.
Hers in detail
Hers offers FDA-approved Wegovy® (brand-name semaglutide) with a personalized care team and ongoing dose check-ins, no compounded medications.
From signup to first shipment: online intake with clinician review, then home delivery, no insurance required. Billing follows a published rate per medication structure.
Behind the prescription sits personalized care team with ongoing dose check-ins. Available medication: FDA-approved Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy injectable pen.
Hers pros
- Personalized care team with ongoing dose check-ins
- FDA-approved brand-name Wegovy®, not a compounded product
- No insurance required
Hers cons
- Higher starting price than most compounded competitors
- No compounded/generic alternative offered
The cost of choosing this over Maximus: there is no compounded tier to fall back on if the brand-name price stops working for you.
How Maximus works
Maximus positions itself on a low flat rate with a simple direct-pay structure and nothing bolted on. $132.99 per Month
You start with telemedicine intake, no clinic visits; medication arrives via home delivery. The price behaves as flat rate at every dose.
On the clinical side, prescriptions approved by licensed doctors, filled through U.S. pharmacies, prescribing compounded semaglutide.
Maximus pros
- Low flat rate at $132.99/month
- Convenient telemedicine access with no clinic visits
- Prescriptions approved by licensed doctors
- Medication filled through trusted U.S. pharmacies
Maximus cons
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound
- Smallest patient base on this list, limited public reviews and track record
- No published outcome or weight loss guarantee
Against Hers specifically, the trade you are making: the smallest patient base here, with limited published detail on tirzepatide.
Hers or Maximus: matching the program to the patient
Choose Hers if:
- you want to start on their timeline: online intake with clinician review
- the level of clinical contact suits you: personalized care team with ongoing dose check-ins
- the feature you would actually use: brand-name Wegovy at a price that usually buys compounded medication elsewhere
- you want an FDA-approved finished medication rather than a compounded preparation
Choose Maximus if:
- the feature you would actually use: a low flat rate with a simple direct-pay structure and nothing bolted on
- the twelve-month total is what you are optimizing ($1,596 against $1,788)
- you want the price you sign up at to survive titration
- the monthly rate is the constraint — $133/mo against $149/mo
The compromises on both sides
On price. $133/mo against $149/mo. Hers is asking you to pay for brand-name Wegovy at a price that usually buys compounded medication elsewhere; decide whether that is a line item you will use.
On predictability. The pricing structures differ (published rate per medication versus flat rate at every dose), and structure, not headline rate, determines the twelve-month bill.
On access. Hers advertises online intake with clinician review and home delivery, no insurance required; Maximus advertises telemedicine intake, no clinic visits and home delivery. Neither publishes its state coverage, so confirm you are eligible before paying for anything.
On medication. Hers covers FDA-approved Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) and Wegovy injectable pen; Maximus covers compounded semaglutide. 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
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 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.
Hers vs Maximus: common questions
Which is cheaper to start, Hers or Maximus?
Maximus, at $133 against $149. 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, Hers or Maximus?
Hers, with 6,200 against 2,896. 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?
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 Hers and Maximus price on a monthly basis, so treat the twelve-month figure as the realistic commitment rather than a first-month experiment.
Is Hers or Maximus 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 Hers has the stronger case; after month three, cost should take over.
Are Hers and Maximus legitimate?
Both are licensed telehealth platforms that route a prescription through a clinician review before anything is dispensed; neither sells medication without one. Hers operates on published rate per medication with pricing published upfront, Maximus 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, Maximus wins the year: $1,596 against $1,788. That is the default answer, and it is the right one for anyone who mainly needs a reliable prescription and a shipment that arrives.
Where Hers justifies itself is brand-name Wegovy at a price that usually buys compounded medication elsewhere. Where it does not is anywhere the extra spend buys features you will never open.
Both platforms are legitimate routes to a GLP-1 prescription. The decision is commercial, and it should be made with the twelve-month figure in front of you rather than the first-month one.
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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 Hers or Maximus, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.