Budget vs premium
MedVi vs altRx: Which Costs Less Over 12 Months? (2026)
MedVi $299/mo vs altRx $89/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 9.2 and 8.7 out of 10
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On paper, MedVi and altRx sell the same thing: a prescription, a vial and a delivery date. In practice they are priced and staffed on different assumptions.
On the number that matters after the first month, they are not close: altRx runs $89/mo against $299/mo at MedVi — 3.4x more, every month, for the same drug class.
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. 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 $2,592 at MedVi, 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.
- Tirzepatide access
- altRx — Tirzepatide at $149/mo; the other side publishes semaglutide only.
- Longest public track record
- altRx — 14,820 patient reviews against 12,896.
MedVi vs altRx at a glance
Read the second row before the first: the advertised price and the price you actually run at are frequently different numbers.
| MedVi | altRx | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $179 promotional first month | Semaglutide $89/mo, tirzepatide $149/mo |
| Rate after promotions | $299/mo | $89/mo |
| Pricing structure | Promotional first month, then standard rate | Flat rate at every dose |
| Medication | Compounded semaglutide | Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide |
| Tirzepatide | Not published | $149/mo |
| Price transparency | Published upfront | Published upfront |
| Shipping | Fast, free shipping | Free, discreet 2-day delivery |
| Support model | No coaching program stated | Clinician messaging included |
| Patient reviews | 12,896 | 14,820 |
| eRxDoctor score | 9.2/10 | 8.7/10 |
What you will have spent by month twelve
Almost every complaint about telehealth GLP-1 pricing traces back to comparing month one instead of month twelve. What matters is the total at the point most people are still in treatment, so both programs are extended to six and twelve months below.
| MedVi | altRx | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | $179 | $89 |
| Months 2 onward | $299/mo | $89/mo |
| 6-month total | $1,674 | $534 |
| 12-month total | $3,468 | $1,068 |
| Best published plan | 3-month plan at $649 — $2,592/yr | No multi-month discount published |
altRx finishes the year $1,524 cheaper. For some patients the support MedVi bundles closes that gap; for a patient who only needs the prescription written, it does not.
Price escalation to plan for: MedVi moves from $179 to $299, a 67% increase. Set a calendar reminder for the month it changes.
altRx is cheaper. Does that make it better?
The gap runs to 3.4x a month. What MedVi offers for it: 24/7 support from certified medical professionals, plus fast, free shipping.
altRx counters with the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included, and the thing it asks you to accept in return: 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.
MedVi: what you are buying
MedVi provides compounded semaglutide starting at $179/month with a simple online intake, no clinic visits, and 24/7 certified medical support for weight loss. In this pairing, its distinguishing feature is a genuinely low promotional entry point with 24/7 clinical support behind it.
The process is simple online process, no clinic visits, then fast, free shipping. On money, expect promotional first month, then standard rate — published upfront.
What continues after the first shipment: 24/7 support from certified medical professionals. Formulary: compounded semaglutide.
MedVi pros
- Three-month plan available at $649 (about $216/month) for patients who commit
- Simple online process with no clinic visits required
- 24/7 support from certified medical professionals
- Clinically dosed compounded semaglutide
MedVi cons
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic or Wegovy
- No published outcome or weight loss guarantee
- Price increases sharply after the first month, $299 for a standalone month
Set beside altRx, the thing to weigh: the price roughly doubles to $299 once the promotional month ends.
Inside the altRx program
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.
You start with 100% online medical visits; medication arrives via free, discreet 2-day delivery. The price behaves as flat rate at every dose.
On the clinical side, responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support, prescribing compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
altRx pros
- Responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support
- Complete treatment kit: vials, syringes, prep pads, and step-by-step guidance
- No commitment, cancel anytime
- Free and discreet 2-day delivery
altRx cons
- Not available in all U.S. states
- Compounded medication, not FDA-approved branded product
Against MedVi specifically, the trade you are making: the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state.
Picking between them
Choose MedVi if:
- you are willing to commit for a term in exchange for a lower effective rate (3-month plan at $649)
- the feature you would actually use: a genuinely low promotional entry point with 24/7 clinical support behind it
- the level of clinical contact suits you: 24/7 support from certified medical professionals
- you want to start on their timeline: simple online process, no clinic visits
Choose altRx if:
- delivery works the way you want it to: free, discreet 2-day delivery
- 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
- the twelve-month total is what you are optimizing ($1,068 against $3,468)
The trade-offs, stated plainly
On price. altRx is the cheaper program at $89/mo against $299/mo. What altRx gives up for that is the rate is a limited offer and the platform does not operate in every state; what MedVi charges for is a genuinely low promotional entry point with 24/7 clinical support behind it.
On medication. MedVi covers compounded semaglutide; altRx covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide. Only altRx publishes a tirzepatide route, which matters if semaglutide underdelivers.
On clinical contact. 24/7 support from certified medical professionals at MedVi; responsive care team for ongoing clinician-guided support at altRx. Neither is a substitute for in-person care if you have complicating conditions, and both bill you directly rather than your insurer.
On predictability. Promotional first month, then standard rate versus flat rate at every dose. Whichever you pick, get the maintenance-dose price in writing at intake.
What the evidence actually says
Both platforms sell access to the same drug class, so the clinical record below applies equally to each.
NIDDK frames medication as one component of obesity treatment rather than a replacement for the rest of it, per NIH, NIDDK.
SURMOUNT-4 found that continuing tirzepatide maintained and extended weight reduction, while withdrawing it led to substantial regain, per JAMA, SURMOUNT-4.
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.
MedVi vs altRx: common questions
Does the price go up as my dose increases?
At altRx, no — the cheapest published tirzepatide rate on this list at $149, with the injection kit included. At MedVi, the published structure is promotional first month, then standard rate, moving from $179 to $299. Since GLP-1 doses escalate over the first months, that difference is worth more than most feature comparisons.
Which is cheaper to start, MedVi or altRx?
altRx, at $89 against $179. 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 costs less over a year, MedVi or altRx?
altRx, at roughly $1,068 for twelve months against $2,592 at MedVi, using each provider's own best published pricing. Those totals cover medication and program fees as published; they exclude anything a provider bills separately, and they assume you stay on the same plan for the full year.
Does MedVi or altRx offer tirzepatide?
altRx does, at $149/mo. MedVi publishes compounded semaglutide only, so moving to tirzepatide would mean moving provider — a new intake, a new price, and the loss of any rate you had locked in.
Do MedVi and altRx prescribe the same medication?
Both dispense compounded GLP-1 preparations. MedVi lists compounded semaglutide and altRx lists compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide, so the molecules overlap even where the formulary does not match exactly.
The verdict
Strictly on cost, altRx takes it — $1,068 to $2,592 over twelve months.
Where MedVi justifies itself is a genuinely low promotional entry point with 24/7 clinical support behind it. 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 MedVi or altRx, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.