Published price vs quote-only
Shed vs Start Willow: Which One Publishes Its Price? (2026)
Compare Shed and Start Willow 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 9.9 and 7.3 out of 10
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Two platforms, one drug class, and a difference in annual cost most people do not notice until month four. That is the Shed versus Start Willow question.
One of these programs can be evaluated before you start it and one cannot. Start Willow lists From $249 the first month, then $299/mo; with Shed, Shed does not publish standard pricing; you receive a personalized quote after completing the intake assessment.
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. Undisclosed pricing is treated as a finding, not rounded into an estimate.
The short answer
- Easier to price in advance
- Start Willow — From $249 the first month, then $299/mo. The other side quotes after intake, so a like-for-like total is not available before you apply.
- FDA-approved medication
- Shed — The only side that can write an approved brand-name product at all — it offers name-brand FDA-approved GLP-1 and compounded GLP-1.
- Tirzepatide access
- Start Willow — The only one of the two that publishes a dual GIP/GLP-1 option.
- Most support included
- Shed — Continuous coaching built into every treatment plan.
The short version: Shed vs Start Willow
Nothing in this table is our estimate. Where a provider does not publish something, the cell says so.
| Shed | Start Willow | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | 10% off the first month, price quoted after intake | From $249 the first month, then $299/mo |
| Rate after promotions | not published before intake | $299/mo |
| Pricing structure | Quoted only after intake | Promotional first month, then standard rate |
| Medication | Name-brand FDA-approved GLP-1 and compounded GLP-1 | 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 | Home delivery after clinician review | Delivery guaranteed in 3 days or less |
| Support model | Coaching built into the plan | No coaching program stated |
| Tirzepatide | Not published | Available |
| Patient reviews | 8,500 | 6,385 |
| eRxDoctor score | 9.9/10 | 7.3/10 |
Cost over a full course of treatment
The advertised rate answers the wrong question. Below, both are carried out to six and twelve months so the comparison holds at the point it matters.
| Shed | Start Willow | |
|---|---|---|
| First month | Not published | $249 |
| Months 2 onward | Not published | $299/mo |
| 6-month total | Not computable | $1,744 |
| 12-month total | Not computable | $3,538 |
| Best published plan | No multi-month discount published | No multi-month discount published |
A like-for-like annual total is not available for Shed: Shed does not publish standard pricing; you receive a personalized quote after completing the intake assessment. Treat any comparison that quotes one as an estimate someone else has made for you.
Price escalation to plan for: Start Willow moves from $249 to $299, a 20% increase. Set a calendar reminder for the month it changes.
One publishes a price. One does not.
With Start Willow the arithmetic is available in advance — From $249 the first month, then $299/mo, on promotional first month, then standard rate terms — so it can be compared against anything else on the market.
Shed withholds the figure until 2-minute approval assessment is complete — Shed does not publish standard pricing; you receive a personalized quote after completing the intake assessment. Whatever the reason, it moves the price conversation to after your commitment rather than before it.
If you do go through Shed's intake, ask for the month-two price in writing before you pay for month one. That single question resolves most of the disclosure gap.
Shed: what you are buying
Shed offers both name-brand and compounded GLP-1 weight loss medications with integrated coaching, a 2-minute approval assessment, and 10% off your first month. Against Start Willow, that puts it in the position of the harder of the two to price in advance.
The process is 2-minute approval assessment, then home delivery after clinician review. On money, expect quoted only after intake — quote only, after intake.
What continues after the first shipment: continuous coaching built into every treatment plan. Formulary: name-brand FDA-approved GLP-1 and compounded GLP-1.
Shed pros
- Flexibility to choose medication type based on budget and needs
- Continuous coaching is integrated into treatment, not just a prescription
- Offers both FDA-approved name-brand GLP-1 and compounded options on one platform
- 10% off your first month for new patients
Shed cons
- Standard pricing is not published, you receive a personalized quote after intake
- Coaching-bundled model can cost more than bare-prescription platforms
- Name-brand options carry significantly higher costs than compounded alternatives
The cost of choosing this over Start Willow: you cannot know what you will pay until you have finished the intake.
Start Willow in detail
From $249 per Month What it is really selling here is a delivery guarantee of three days or less and no membership stacked on the medication price.
Getting started means fully online, no in-person visits, after which delivery guaranteed in 3 days or less. Pricing runs on a promotional first month, then standard rate basis, published upfront.
Direct-pay model that bypasses insurance pre-authorization. The formulary covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
Start Willow pros
- No insurance needed and no membership fees
- Medications comparable to Ozempic and tirzepatide
- Delivery guaranteed in 3 days or less
- Direct-pay model bypasses insurance pre-authorization entirely
Start Willow cons
- Ongoing $299/month is among the higher rates on this list
- Price rises from $249 first month to $299/month ongoing
- Compounded medication only, no branded Ozempic or Wegovy
Against Shed specifically, the trade you are making: at $299 ongoing it is among the most expensive compounded programs here.
Picking between them
Choose Shed if:
- delivery works the way you want it to: home delivery after clinician review
- you want to start on their timeline: 2-minute approval assessment
- you want continuous coaching built into every treatment plan rather than a prescription alone
- you want an FDA-approved finished medication rather than a compounded preparation
Choose Start Willow if:
- you want to start on their timeline: fully online, no in-person visits
- delivery works the way you want it to: delivery guaranteed in 3 days or less
- you want tirzepatide available without changing provider later
- you want the full price in front of you before completing an intake
Where each program concedes something
On price. Only Start Willow publishes a rate you can plan against (From $249 the first month, then $299/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 at Shed, against promotional first month, then standard rate at Start Willow. The more predictable structure is worth a premium to anyone who has been surprised by a telehealth invoice before.
On access. Shed advertises 2-minute approval assessment and home delivery after clinician review; Start Willow advertises fully online, no in-person visits and delivery guaranteed in 3 days or less. Neither publishes its state coverage, so confirm you are eligible before paying for anything.
On medication. Shed covers name-brand FDA-approved GLP-1 and compounded GLP-1; Start Willow covers compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide. Only Start Willow publishes a tirzepatide route, which matters if semaglutide underdelivers.
What the trials and the FDA say
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.
Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach a patient, 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.
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.
Shed vs Start Willow: common questions
What happens when Start Willow's promotional price ends?
The rate moves to $299/mo, a 20% 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.
How much does Shed cost?
Shed does not publish standard pricing; you receive a personalized quote after completing the intake assessment. That is the honest answer, and it is the main practical drawback next to Start Willow, which publishes From $249 the first month, then $299/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 has more patient reviews, Shed or Start Willow?
Shed, with 8,500 against 6,385. 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.
Is coaching included with Shed or Start Willow?
Shed includes continuous coaching built into every treatment plan in the monthly price. Start Willow provides direct-pay model that bypasses insurance pre-authorization, without a separate coaching program. If medication alone has failed you before, the bundled version is the one to price properly rather than the one to cut.
Are Shed and Start Willow legitimate?
Both are licensed telehealth platforms that route a prescription through a clinician review before anything is dispensed; neither sells medication without one. Shed operates on quoted only after intake with pricing quote only, after intake, Start Willow on promotional first month, then standard rate, 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?
Neither Shed nor Start Willow penalizes you for stopping, but the medication does. The published follow-up data on withdrawal shows substantial regain, which is why the twelve-month totals above matter more than either provider's introductory offer.
The verdict
Neither of these two publishes enough for a clean cost verdict, which is itself the finding. Shed leads on one of the few platforms that will write either a name-brand or a compounded GLP-1, with coaching bundled into the plan rather than sold beside it; Start Willow leads on a delivery guarantee of three days or less and no membership stacked on the medication price.
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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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 Shed or Start Willow, and does not sell treatment. Read our ranking methodology.