Key takeaways
- Ro scores higher (7.0 vs 5.9) and offers more: the widest brand menu (including Zepbound), plus help running the drug through your insurance.
- Hims is the cheaper cash route (about $298 a month all-in vs Ro’s ~$548), and the fastest to start, but it scores lowest in our recommended set on cost transparency and consumer sentiment.
- The right pick depends on your coverage. Insured, Ro can be cheaper after it routes the drug through your plan. Paying cash and want simple and fast, Hims is the lower sticker, if you read the cancellation terms.
Ro and Hims are two of the most-advertised ways to get a GLP-1, and their marketing looks almost identical: a $39 first month, brand-name Wegovy, sign up in minutes. But when we scored them against the same 31-point rubric, they landed a full point apart. Here is where the difference shows up.
How we scored this
Both providers were scored on the same five weighted dimensions, and we take no money from either company, or from any provider we review: no ads, no affiliate links, no sponsorships (what independence costs us). Prices are advertised self-pay figures from our price index; insurance changes them, and they move over time, so the live comparison page is always more current.
Source: StudyBackedHealth 31-point methodology, prices verified June 2026. Not medical advice.
The scorecard, side by side
| Ro | Hims & Hers | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score (of 10) | 7.0 | 5.9 |
| Clinical evidence | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Consumer sentiment | 6.5 | 4.0 |
| Cost transparency | 6.0 | 4.0 |
| Care quality & safety | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| Support & experience | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Real all-in cost (cash) | ~$548/mo | ~$298/mo |
| Runs the drug through insurance | Yes | No |
| GLP-1s offered | Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Foundayo | Wegovy (pill & pen), Ozempic |
| Aggregated user rating | 4.5 (11,900) | 3.0 (8,534) |
Where Ro wins
Breadth. Ro offers the widest brand menu of any provider we cover: Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, and the newer oral options. If you specifically want Zepbound (tirzepatide), which beat semaglutide head-to-head in trials, Hims does not offer it; Ro does.
Insurance routing. This is the big one for cost. Ro has a dedicated insurance concierge that will try to run the brand drug through your plan, often bringing it down to a copay. That is why Ro’s high cash sticker (~$548 all-in) can end up being the cheaper option if you have coverage.
Better patient signal. Ro scores higher on consumer sentiment (6.5 vs 4.0) and carries a stronger aggregated user rating (4.5 vs 3.0), and it is more upfront about its real pricing structure (cost transparency 6.0 vs 4.0).
Where Hims wins (and the catches)
Lower cash cost and speed. If you are paying out of pocket, Hims is cheaper: about $298 a month all-in versus Ro’s ~$548, and it is built to start fast and stay month-to-month. For a cash-pay patient who wants brand Wegovy without hoops, that is a real advantage.
The catches are why it scores lower:
- Cost transparency (4.0). The “$39 first month” jumps to a $149 membership, and the brand drug is billed on top. The all-in is what matters, and it is not the number in the ad.
- Consumer sentiment (4.0) and cancellation friction. Across aggregated reviews, Hims is the lowest in our recommended set, with recurring complaints about cancelling the subscription. Read the terms before you start.
- No insurance on the drug, and a narrower menu. Hims is cash-pay for the medication and does not offer Zepbound.
Neither provider is a bad choice; both clear our recommended bar, and both prescribe FDA-approved brand GLP-1s (they tie at 8.5 on clinical evidence). They are built for different people.
So which should you pick?
- You have insurance that might cover a GLP-1? Lean Ro. Its insurance routing can turn that ~$548 sticker into a copay, and you get the widest drug menu. Fight a denial with our free appeal templates.
- You want Zepbound specifically? Ro, since Hims does not carry it.
- You are paying cash, want the lowest sticker, and value speed and simplicity? Hims is the cheaper on-ramp (~$298), as long as you go in aware of the cancellation terms and the fact that the drug is billed on top.
- Not sure the real numbers? Do not trust the “from” price on either. See our real cost of a GLP-1 breakdown, and sort both by true all-in cost on /compare.
For the full write-ups, see our Ro review and Hims & Hers review, or check whether you would even qualify with the am I a candidate? tool first. Whichever you choose, neither company pays us anything, and neither score is for sale.
- Scores: our 31-point methodology, applied identically to both providers. We take no money from either company, or any provider we review (see what independence costs us). Full write-ups: Ro review and Hims & Hers review.
- Prices: our GLP-1 price index, advertised self-pay prices verified June 2026. Sort every provider by real all-in cost on the comparison page.
- Aggregated user ratings exclude paid-placement platforms and cross-vertical app ratings; method is documented in each provider's review.
This article was produced using our 31-point scoring methodology; every primary source we cite across the site is collected in our consolidated bibliography. We analyze published research and consumer reviews; we do not personally test medical products. This is not medical advice. Consult a licensed clinician.