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Research Labs vs PlushCare

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

Research Labs vs PlushCare: Overview

Choosing between Research Labs and PlushCare for GLP-1 weight loss medication? Both are popular providers, but they differ in pricing, medication options, and service features.

Research Labs offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $60/month with a rating of 5.5/10. PlushCare also provides both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $20/month with a 8.5/10 rating.

With only a $40/month price difference, your choice will likely come down to features, support quality, and medication options.

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

$40/mo

Rating Difference

3.0

Winner

PlushCare

Best For

Budget

Research Labs

View full Research Labs review →

Rating

5.5/10

Monthly Price

$60

Medications

GLP-1 peptidesBPC-157TB-500NAD+

Pros

✓The quality documentation is genuinely thorough for this category: HPLC and mass spectrometry on every lot, a signed certificate of purity shipped with every order, and a public lab-report library you can read before buying
✓Endotoxin testing (LAL assay) and microbial screening to USP standards on every batch before release
✓Full batch traceability - each vial traced to its production lot, raw materials and test results
✓States an average of 99.3% HPLC purity across all batches and publishes the underlying numbers rather than only the claim
✓Partner labs described as GMP-aligned, with documented SOPs and controlled environments
✓Pricing is straightforward and published: individual peptides run roughly $59.99 to $159.99, with free shipping over $150 (checked July 28, 2026)
✓The research-use-only status is disclosed up front behind an acknowledgement gate, not buried in a footer after checkout
✓A published phone number and a catalogue organised into peptides, blends, sprays and capsules, with a reference database

Cons

✗This is not a treatment and cannot lawfully be sold as one. Everything here is labelled for research use only and explicitly not for human consumption. If you are reading this site to find help with weight loss, this is not an option - it is laboratory material
✗There is no clinician at any point. Nobody takes a history, nobody checks your contraindications, nobody sets a dose and nobody monitors you. The safety net that every licensed provider on this site provides simply does not exist here
✗A certificate of analysis tells you what is in the vial. It tells you nothing about whether the contents are safe for you, what dose is appropriate, or how it interacts with your medications
✗Products arrive as lyophilised powder requiring reconstitution, and bacteriostatic water, syringes and other supplies are not included - so self-administration would also mean improvising sterile technique
✗Peptides such as BPC-157 and TB-500 appear on the FDA's list of substances that raise significant safety concerns for compounding, and have little or no published human trial evidence
✗There is no prescription, no pharmacy oversight and no adverse-event reporting pathway. If something goes wrong there is no clinical record and no provider to call
✗No Trustpilot or BBB record exists, so there is no independent consumer feedback of any kind
✗Our rating reflects suitability for someone seeking treatment, which is what this site compares. As a laboratory supplier the documentation is strong; as a route to a GLP-1 or peptide for your own health it is the wrong door, and a licensed provider is the right one

Choose Research Labs

PlushCare

View full PlushCare review →

Rating

8.5/10Better

Monthly Price

$20Cheaper

Medications

semaglutidetirzepatideliraglutide

Pros

✓Accepts insurance, which almost nothing else on this site does. Most in-network patients pay a copay of $30 or less for a visit
✓Membership is $19.99/month with the first month free, and there is no minimum commitment
✓Prescribes only FDA-approved medications - Zepbound, Wegovy, Saxenda, Contrave and Xenical - so no compounded product is involved
✓Care comes from board-certified primary care physicians rather than an asynchronous questionnaire review
✓A full refund is offered if the doctor is unable to treat you
✓Membership includes far more than weight care: 24/7 urgent care video visits, mental health support, discounted lab tests and free memberships for family
✓An in-app prescription discount card and HSA/FSA eligibility can reduce medication costs further
✓The site is candid that GLP-1s 'usually cost about $1000 per month out of pocket' and advises checking insurance coverage first, rather than hiding the real figure

Cons

✗The $19.99 membership buys access, not medication. Without insurance coverage the GLP-1 itself can run about $1,000 a month, which PlushCare states openly but which makes the headline price misleading if read as a treatment cost
✗Visits are charged on top of membership - $129 for an initial visit without in-network insurance
✗Trustpilot sits at 3.4 out of 5 across 2,735 reviews, the weakest score of any established provider we have reviewed here
✗Prescriptions are explicitly at the doctor's discretion, so paying for membership and a visit does not guarantee you leave with a GLP-1
✗This is a general telehealth service, so the weight-loss programme has less dedicated structure - no built-in coaching, food tracking or dose-titration support
✗Medication and lab costs are excluded from every advertised price, so your real monthly outlay depends entirely on your insurer
✗Contrave is offered as a $99 cash-pay alternative, but the cash cost of the GLP-1s themselves is not published
✗If you have no insurance and want a GLP-1, this route is likely to cost far more than the compounded providers listed elsewhere on this site

Choose PlushCare

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature	Research Labs	PlushCare
Monthly Price	$60	$20
Rating	5.5/10	8.5/10
Medications	GLP-1 peptides, BPC-157, TB-500, NAD+	semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide
Insurance Accepted	No	Yes
Support Hours	Not published	Video visits available 24/7
Live Chat	No	No
Free Shipping	Yes	No
Shipping Speed	Nationwide US shipping, free on orders over $150	Filled at your pharmacy; not shipped by PlushCare
Mobile App	No	Available
Dedicated Coach	Not included	Not included
Follow-up Frequency	None - there is no clinical relationship	Ongoing management with a board-certified primary care physician
Money-back Guarantee	See the site's refund policy; no clinical guarantee applies	Full refund if the doctor is unable to treat you; medication and lab costs are never included
Cancellation Policy	One-off purchases rather than a subscription	Cancel anytime, no minimum commitment; first month of membership is free

Which should you choose?

Choose Research Labs if you:

→Want more medication options to choose from
→Value: the quality documentation is genuinely thorough for this category: hplc and mass spectrometry on every lot, a signed certificate of purity shipped with every order, and a public lab-report library you can read before buying

Get started with Research Labs

Choose PlushCare if you:

→Want to save $40/month with a more affordable option
→Prefer a higher-rated service (8.5/10 vs 5.5/10)
→Need insurance coverage for your treatment
→Value: accepts insurance, which almost nothing else on this site does. most in-network patients pay a copay of $30 or less for a visit

Get started with PlushCare

Website previews

Research Labs

Research Labs website

PlushCare

PlushCare website

Our recommendation

PlushCare comes out ahead with a higher rating of 8.5/10. It also provides multiple medication options including both semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Get started with PlushCare

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