GLP-1 Savings Calculator

The 2026 GLP-1 cost landscape

The cost of GLP-1 weight loss therapy varies by an order of magnitude across the access paths available in 2026 — from $25/month with full commercial insurance coverage and a savings card, to $99-$199/month for compounded semaglutide, to $499/month for Wegovy via NovoCare direct-pay, to $1,300+/month list price without any discounts.

The biggest 2026 change is the Foundayo (orforglipron) launch on April 1, 2026 at $149/month self-pay [1]. This is the first FDA-approved branded GLP-1 priced at the same level as compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, and it has materially compressed the price floor across the entire market.

How the calculator works

Pick your current access path from the “Currently paying” dropdown and the alternative you're considering from the “Switching to” dropdown. The calculator uses the verified 2026 default monthly cost for each option, but you can override either price with the actual amount you're paying or quoted. The result card shows your monthly, yearly, and 5-year savings (or extra cost) for the switch.

Important context for each access path

• Brand-name with insurance + savings card. Both Wegovy and Zepbound have manufacturer savings cards that bring eligible patient costs to $25/month. Eligibility requires commercial insurance (not Medicare or Medicaid), an FDA-on-label prescription, and a prior authorization approval. Without the PA, the savings card doesn't apply.
• Brand-name self-pay direct-pay. Both manufacturers operate direct-pay pharmacies for patients who can't use insurance: NovoCare for Wegovy ($499/mo) and LillyDirect for Zepbound (single-vial pricing $349-$599 depending on dose) [2, 3]. These are bypass programs that skip the insurance system entirely.
• Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. Sold by 503A compounding pharmacies through telehealth providers. Prices range from $99/month at the floor to $300+/month at the median. The compounded format is not FDA-approved and quality varies meaningfully between pharmacies. See our compounded bioequivalence investigation and our PCAB accreditation guide for the quality considerations [5].
• Foundayo (orforglipron). The newest entry. $25/month with commercial insurance + savings card, $149/month self-pay through LillyDirect [1]. The self-pay tier is the most aggressive branded GLP-1 pricing in the market and we expect it to drive a meaningful share of the compounded patient population back to brand-name therapy through 2026 and 2027.

Things the calculator doesn't account for

• Insurance deductibles. The $25/month insurance numbers assume you've already met any deductible. Early-year costs may be higher.
• Quantity-discount programs. Many telehealth providers offer multi-month bundles at lower per-month cost.
• Dose escalation pricing. Some manufacturer programs price the lower titration doses differently from the maintenance dose. The defaults here are the maintenance-dose price.
• Switching costs. Switching providers sometimes has one-time fees (intake consultation, shipping). The calculator does not subtract these.
• Quality and reliability differences. The cheapest option is rarely the best. A pharmacy with FDA warning letters, an unaccredited compounding facility, or a telehealth provider that disappears mid-year is cheaper for a reason. See our FDA warning letters database before optimizing purely for price.

Important disclaimer

Pricing is highly volatile in this category and the default monthly costs are best-effort 2026 snapshots from public sources. Always confirm your actual price with your prescriber, pharmacy, or telehealth provider before committing to a switch. Insurance coverage decisions vary by plan and can change year to year. This calculator does not constitute medical or financial advice.

Related tools and research

• Live GLP-1 pricing index — full dataset across the entire compounded telehealth market
• GLP-1 weight loss calculator — predict your weight loss outcome at each access path
• GLP-1 BMI calculator — see your FDA eligibility and trial-endpoint BMI
• Insurance employer checker — see whether your employer covers Wegovy or Zepbound
• Foundayo approval deep-dive — the new $149/month oral pill that's reshaping the cost floor