Circle Medical vs Inner Balance

Item: Circle Medical
Rating: 4.3
Author: GLP-1 Planet Editorial Team

Compare pricing, features, and medications to find the best GLP-1 provider for your weight loss journey

These two prices are not directly comparable

Circle Medical: the $35 figure is a per-visit consultation fee, not a month of treatment - the medication is billed separately.

Circle Medical vs Inner Balance: Overview

Choosing between Circle Medical and Inner Balance for GLP-1 weight loss medication? Both are popular providers, but they differ in pricing, medication options, and service features.

Circle Medical offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $35/month with a rating of 8.7/10. Inner Balance also provides both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $199/month with a 6.8/10 rating.

The price difference of $164/month is significant - Circle Medical is the more budget-friendly option, while Inner Balance positions itself as a premium service.

Our recommended brand

After reviewing all 148 providers on this platform, we've identified CoreAge Rx as offering the most transparent pricing model. At just $99/month — the same price every month, every dose — there are no surprise charges or hidden fees. Combined with exceptional service quality, personalized support, and access to both semaglutide and tirzepatide, it represents the best value without compromising on care.

Visit CoreAge Rx →Read full review

At a glance

Price Difference

$164/mo

Rating Difference

1.9

Winner

Circle Medical

Best For

Budget

Circle Medical

View full Circle Medical review →

Rating

8.7/10Better

Monthly Price

$35Cheaper

Medications

semaglutidetirzepatideoral semaglutide

Pros

✓It bills your insurance instead of asking you to forget insurance exists. Circle Medical states it is in-network with most commercial plans
✓Publishes a real out-of-pocket figure rather than a marketing one: patients with accepted insurance paid an average of $35 per appointment over the previous six months
✓FDA-approved medication only - Wegovy, Zepbound and non-GLP-1 options such as Contrave when appropriate. No compounded product
✓No membership and no hidden fees, which is rare among insurance-accepting telehealth services
✓This is a full primary-care practice, so weight management sits inside ongoing medical care rather than being a standalone drug subscription
✓Clear, conventional eligibility criteria published up front: BMI 27+ with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea, or BMI 30+ without one
✓A mobile app with regular provider check-ins
✓Honest about supply and coverage: the site warns these treatments have significant stock issues and are not always covered
✓Insurance verification is built into the booking flow, so you find out where you stand before the appointment

Cons

✗Your cost is whatever your plan says it is. $35 is an average, not a price - deductibles and exclusions can leave you paying far more
✗The medication itself is a separate cost from the visit, and coverage for weight-loss drugs is the single most commonly denied benefit in this category
✗You must live in the state you are treated in and have your primary pharmacy in that same state, which rules out anyone splitting time between states
✗The full list of available states is not published - you have to start booking an appointment to see it
✗You may be booked with any available provider (MD, DO, PA-C or NP) rather than choosing one
✗If your insurance denies weight-loss coverage, there is no cash-pay compounded fallback here

Choose Circle Medical

Inner Balance

View full Inner Balance review →

Rating

6.8/10

Monthly Price

$199

Medications

bioidentical estradiolmicronized progesteroneNAD+topical finasteridetretinoin

Pros

✓Pricing is published openly on the treatment page rather than hidden behind the quiz: $199/month for the first 6 months, then $99.50/month ongoing (checked July 28, 2026)
✓The refund policy is unusually generous and clearly written - a 6-month guarantee on Oestra covering up to six months of subscription fees, which almost no compounded-hormone brand offers
✓Free shipping, unlimited clinical follow-up, dose adjustments and cancellation at any time are all included in the subscription price, with no separate consultation fee
✓HSA/FSA eligible, and the refund policy explicitly confirms HSA/FSA purchases can still be refunded
✓The Oestra treatment page states plainly that the product is 'Compounded in a Licensed U.S. Pharmacy' from a 503A pharmacy with NABP, LegitScript and PCAB certification - clearer than most competitors manage
✓Combining estradiol and micronized progesterone in one daily vaginal cream is a genuine convenience over stacking a patch plus a separate progesterone capsule
✓Physician-founded by a named individual who appears publicly and on camera, rather than an anonymous brand
✓Addresses perimenopause, menopause, PCOS and endometriosis - areas where women are frequently dismissed and where demand for care is real

Cons

✗The FAQ states Oestra 'contains estradiol and progesterone - bioidentical hormones that are FDA-approved for use in treating hormone deficiency'. The active ingredients are FDA-approved in other products; Oestra itself is a compounded 503A preparation and is not FDA-approved, not reviewed for safety or efficacy, and not evaluated for this formulation. The treatment page gets this right while the FAQ blurs it
✗Asked 'Does HRT cause cancer?', the FAQ answers flatly 'No' and adds that bioidentical hormones 'may, in some cases, be protective'. That is not a supportable claim - the WHI trial found increased breast cancer risk with combined estrogen-progestin therapy, and there is no long-term safety data on compounded BHRT specifically. This is the single biggest problem on the site
✗The FAQ says Oestra is 'safe to use while breastfeeding' without qualification. Estrogen-containing therapy is conventionally cautioned during lactation because it can reduce milk supply, so this contradicts standard guidance and needs a clinician's input, not a FAQ's
✗No bloodwork is required before starting systemic hormone therapy - the site says 'Labs are optional' and argues that symptoms matter more than 'chasing numbers'. That removes a baseline safety check most prescribers consider standard
✗The advertised '4.9/5' does not match the 3.1 from 15 reviews on Trustpilot, and the source of the 4.9 is not disclosed
✗Headline efficacy figures - '90% of patients saw improvement within 10-14 days' and 'wrinkle depth and pore size decreasing by 61-100%' - are footnoted only as 'based on internal data', with no sample size, methodology or control group
✗The homepage places 'Estrogen is one of the most effective longevity interventions for women' directly above the attribution 'FDA ANNOUNCEMENT, NOVEMBER 2025'. That framing reads as an FDA endorsement of a longevity claim the FDA has not made
✗The FAQ calls the partner pharmacy '503A FDA-regulated' and 'inspected by the FDA'. 503A compounders are primarily overseen by state boards of pharmacy and are exempt from FDA premarket approval; it is 503B outsourcing facilities that register with and are routinely inspected by the FDA
✗'No synthetics, ever' appears on the homepage, while the FAQ concedes bioidentical hormones are 'technically created in a lab'
✗The page titled 'The Science' contains no citations, references or study links - only product descriptions
✗Refunds are limited to one per customer for life, must be requested through account chat rather than processed on cancellation, and must be submitted within 14 days of cancelling
✗The first six months cost double the ongoing rate, so the cheap $99.50 figure only applies after you have already spent $1,194

Choose Inner Balance

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature	Circle Medical	Inner Balance
Monthly Price	$35	$199
Rating	8.7/10	6.8/10
Medications	semaglutide, tirzepatide, oral semaglutide	bioidentical estradiol, micronized progesterone, NAD+, topical finasteride, tretinoin
Insurance Accepted	Yes	No
Support Hours	Not published	Not published
Live Chat	No	Available
Free Shipping	No	Yes
Shipping Speed	Prescriptions go to your own pharmacy rather than shipping from the provider	Free and fast shipping included in the subscription price
Mobile App	Available	No
Dedicated Coach	Not included	Not included
Follow-up Frequency	Regular provider check-ins to monitor progress	Unlimited clinical follow-up included; dose changes guided by symptoms rather than labs
Money-back Guarantee	None published	6-month guarantee on Oestra covering up to six months of fees; must be requested within 6 months of the original order and within 14 days of cancellation, self-pay only, one refund per customer
Cancellation Policy	Appointment-based care - there is no subscription to cancel	Cancel anytime; refunds are not automatic on cancellation and must be requested through account messaging

Which should you choose?

Choose Circle Medical if you:

→Want to save $164/month with a more affordable option
→Prefer a higher-rated service (8.7/10 vs 6.8/10)
→Need insurance coverage for your treatment
→Value: it bills your insurance instead of asking you to forget insurance exists. circle medical states it is in-network with most commercial plans

Get started with Circle Medical

Choose Inner Balance if you:

→Want more medication options to choose from
→Value: pricing is published openly on the treatment page rather than hidden behind the quiz: $199/month for the first 6 months, then $99.50/month ongoing (checked july 28, 2026)

Get started with Inner Balance

Website previews

Circle Medical

Inner Balance

Our recommendation

Circle Medical comes out ahead with a higher rating of 8.7/10. It also provides multiple medication options including both semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Get started with Circle Medical

Related comparisons

Circle Medical vs Inner Balance

These two prices are not directly comparable

Circle Medical vs Inner Balance: Overview

Our recommended brand

At a glance

Circle Medical

Pros

Cons

Inner Balance

Pros

Cons

Feature-by-feature comparison

Which should you choose?

Choose Circle Medical if you:

Choose Inner Balance if you:

Website previews

Circle Medical

Inner Balance

Our recommendation

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