1st Optimal vs Science & Co
An in-depth comparison of two leading GLP-1 Providers
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1st Optimal
Best for: GLP-1 therapy within a lab-driven functional-medicine program
Visit 1st Optimal →
Science & Co
Best for: the cheapest month-to-month compounded rate, if you accept a contact gate
Visit Science & Co →1st Optimal and Science & Co are both GLP-1 Providers competing for the same patients, but they make different trade-offs on price, coverage, and what's included. In our scoring, Science & Co starts lower at $89/mo versus $99/mo, and Science & Co edges ahead overall (7.4 vs 6.7 out of 10). Below we break down pricing, what each plan covers, the six-dimension score, pros and cons, and exactly who should pick which.
Pricing
1st Optimal
Care membership only — the GLP-1 medication is billed separately and is not priced.
Science & Co
Month-to-month rate from the plan table. Prepay tiers: 3-month $250 ($83/mo), 6-month $486 ($81/mo), 12-month $948 ($79/mo) — each billed in one upfront charge.
Month-to-month rate from the plan table. Prepay tiers: 3-month $399 ($133/mo), 6-month $774 ($129/mo), 12-month $1,500 ($125/mo) — each billed in one upfront charge.
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What’s included
1st Optimal
What the monthly price covers
Medication
Not disclosed
Provider visits
Included
Shipping
Included
Lab work
Not disclosed
Coaching
Included
Science & Co
What the monthly price covers
Medication
Included
Provider visits
Included
Shipping
Included
Lab work
Not disclosed
Coaching
Not disclosed
Score breakdown
Both providers are scored on the same six-dimension framework. The gradient bar marks the stronger side on each dimension.
1st Optimal
6.7/10
Science & Co
7.4/10
Value25%
Effectiveness25%
User Experience15%
Trust & Safety15%
Accessibility10%
Support10%
Features & Coverage
| Feature | 1st Optimal | Science & Co |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $99/mo | ✓$89/mo |
| Features | ✓8 features | 6 features |
| States Available | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Compounded | — | ✓ Yes |
| Brand Name | ✓ Yes | — |
| FSA/HSA Accepted | — | ✓ Yes |
| FDA Warnings | None | None |
About 1st Optimal
1st Optimal is a Michigan-based telehealth and functional-medicine platform offering GLP-1 weight loss medications, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, as once-weekly injections or daily oral tablets. Its model pairs prescription GLP-1 therapy with at-home lab testing, blood-work interpretation, unlimited coaching, and personalized protocols framed around long-term weight loss and longevity. Care is delivered virtually by credentialed providers, and treatments ship to the home with no long-term contracts. The site does not publish monthly pricing or a state list.
Read our full 1st Optimal review →About Science & Co
Science & Co is a cash-pay telehealth service selling compounded semaglutide from $89/mo and compounded tirzepatide from $139/mo month-to-month, flat at every dose, with free overnight shipping and no membership fee. Those are among the lowest month-to-month GLP-1 rates we track, but the marketing site quotes only '$2 a day' and a 12-month rate buried in a collapsed FAQ; the plan table with the real month-to-month price appears only after you hand over your name, email, phone and state.
Read our full Science & Co review →Pros & Cons
1st Optimal
What we like
- Offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide with injectable and oral formats
- Functional-medicine approach with at-home labs and blood-work interpretation
- Unlimited coaching and ongoing support included
- No long-term contracts
- Board-certified doctors and nurse practitioners referenced
Watch-outs
- No public monthly pricing disclosed
- No published state availability list
- Compounded vs branded sourcing not clarified on site
- Pricing only revealed after quiz or consultation
Science & Co
What we like
- $89/mo month-to-month for compounded semaglutide is at the bottom of the range we track
- Flat at every dose — 'You pay the same whether you are on your starting dose or your highest one'
- Free overnight shipping, no membership fee and no consultation fee
- Prepay tiers are cheaper per month and are shown side by side with the monthly rate, not instead of it
- Published phone line and email, both staffed as 24/7 messaging with the care team
- HSA and FSA eligible
- Cancel any time before the next renewal from the patient portal
Watch-outs
- The marketing site quotes only a per-day figure and the 12-month rate; the plan table appears only after you give your name, email, phone and state
- Trustpilot has removed this company's profile as against its guidelines, while the site advertises '4.8 · 1,200+ member reviews'
- The LegitScript badge is a self-hosted image on the company's own CDN, not a LegitScript-served seal, and its lookup shows no record
- The monthly plan 'renews every 30 days' — 13 charges in a year, not 12
- The advertised '$79 a month' is the 12-month tier: a single $948 charge up front
- The compounding pharmacy is never named; the company states it is 'not a 503A or 503B compounding facility'
- Marketing consent to email and text arrives pre-checked on the contact step
- Named before/after testimonials repeat across pages, and the '15% lost on average' figure is labeled illustrative
Our Verdict
Science & Co edges out 1st Optimal with a higher overall score of 7.4/10 and is particularly strong for the cheapest month-to-month compounded rate, if you accept a contact gate. 1st Optimal remains a solid alternative, especially if you're looking for GLP-1 therapy within a lab-driven functional-medicine program.
Choose 1st Optimal if…
You want GLP-1 therapy within a lab-driven functional-medicine program and a starting price around $99/mo.
Choose Science & Co if…
You want the cheapest month-to-month compounded rate, if you accept a contact gate and a starting price around $89/mo.
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Get started →1st Optimal vs Science & Co: FAQ
Key terms, explained
New to GLP-1s? Tap any term for a quick, plain-English definition.
- Semaglutide · Drugs and brands
- Tirzepatide · Drugs and brands
- Compounded GLP-1 · Pharmacy and drug forms
- 503A pharmacy · Pharmacy and drug forms
- PCAB accreditation · Pharmacy and drug forms
- Prior authorization (PA) · Insurance and regulatory
- Off-label use · Insurance and regulatory
- FDA Drug Shortage List · Insurance and regulatory
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