Winona vs Circle Medical
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.
Winona vs Circle Medical: Overview
Choosing between Winona and Circle Medical for GLP-1 weight loss medication? Both are highly-rated providers, but they differ in pricing, medication options, and service features.
Winona offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $89/month with a rating of 8.4/10. Circle Medical also provides both semaglutide and tirzepatide at $35/month with a 8.7/10 rating.
The price difference of $54/month is significant - Circle Medical is the more budget-friendly option, while Winona 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.
At a glance
Price Difference
$54/mo
Rating Difference
0.3
Winner
Circle Medical
Best For
Budget
Winona
View full Winona review →Rating
8.4/10
Monthly Price
$89
Medications
bioidentical estradiolprogesteroneestriolDHEAsildenafilminoxidil
Pros
- ✓The full price list is published openly, with no intake required to see it: progesterone capsules from $39/mo, estrogen tablets from $54/mo, estrogen body cream (with progesterone) from $89/mo, vaginal estrogen cream from $89/mo and the estrogen patch from $149/mo (checked July 28, 2026)
- ✓Multiple delivery routes are offered - patch, body cream, vaginal cream, tablet and capsule - so treatment can be matched to preference rather than to whatever the company happens to stock
- ✓Winona owns its own 503A compounding pharmacies rather than outsourcing to a partner, which gives it direct control over formulation and consistency
- ✓Its pharmacy page explains the 503A/503B distinction correctly and states that 503A pharmacies are regulated by State Boards of Pharmacy, not the FDA - an accurate description that competitors routinely overstate
- ✓Roughly 8,000 Trustpilot reviews at 4.6, with 99% of negative reviews answered and a typical reply time under 24 hours
- ✓The rating advertised on site matches the rating on the public Trustpilot profile
- ✓The initial visit is free, so you can be assessed before paying for treatment
- ✓Editorial content carries numbered citations rather than unsourced assertions, and the site runs a public subreddit alongside a help centre and published phone number
- ✓HSA/FSA eligible, with a dedicated page explaining eligibility
- ✓Adjacent products are priced transparently too - DHEA from $27 per 3-month supply, sildenafil arousal cream at $79 per order, minoxidil hair serum at $150 per 3-month supply
Cons
- ✗Everything Winona dispenses is compounded in its own 503A pharmacies, which means it is not FDA-approved and has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, efficacy or quality. The site explains 503A status clearly but does not foreground the 'not FDA-approved' consequence as plainly
- ✗Pharmaceutical products cannot be returned, per the terms - so once a prescription ships, you own it
- ✗The terms carry a mandatory arbitration clause on an individual basis with a class-action waiver, set out in capitals at the top of the document
- ✗Every headline price is a 'from' figure, so the actual monthly cost depends on the dose your clinician prescribes and is not knowable before the consultation
- ✗The hormone therapy explainer describes HRT as 'scientifically proven to be the safest, most effective treatment' for menopause symptoms. It is cited, but that is a strong framing for a therapy whose risk profile still depends heavily on age, time since menopause and personal history
- ✗Trustpilot notes Winona invites customers to review, which tends to lift scores relative to organic-only profiles, and that it may use AI-assisted replies
- ✗Systemic estrogen is not appropriate for everyone - women with a history of breast or endometrial cancer, unexplained vaginal bleeding, blood clots, stroke or liver disease should not start it without specialist input
- ✗Compounded hormone therapy in general lacks the long-term outcome data that exists for FDA-approved products, so the evidence cited for HRT as a class does not transfer automatically to these specific preparations
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
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Winona | Circle Medical |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $89 | $35 |
| Rating | 8.4/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Medications | bioidentical estradiol, progesterone, estriol, DHEA, sildenafil, minoxidil | semaglutide, tirzepatide, oral semaglutide |
| Insurance Accepted | No | Yes |
| Support Hours | Help centre and chat available; hours not published | Not published |
| Live Chat | Available | No |
| Free Shipping | Yes | No |
| Shipping Speed | Shipped to your door after clinician review; free shipping included | Prescriptions go to your own pharmacy rather than shipping from the provider |
| Mobile App | No | Available |
| Dedicated Coach | Not included | Not included |
| Follow-up Frequency | Ongoing clinician access through the patient portal; cadence not published | Regular provider check-ins to monitor progress |
| Money-back Guarantee | None published; pharmaceutical products cannot be returned. A separate cancellation and refund policy governs subscriptions | None published |
| Cancellation Policy | Subscriptions can be cancelled from your account; a separate cancellation policy governs when it takes effect | Appointment-based care - there is no subscription to cancel |
Which should you choose?
Choose Winona if you:
- →Want more medication options to choose from
- →Value: the full price list is published openly, with no intake required to see it: progesterone capsules from $39/mo, estrogen tablets from $54/mo, estrogen body cream (with progesterone) from $89/mo, vaginal estrogen cream from $89/mo and the estrogen patch from $149/mo (checked july 28, 2026)
Choose Circle Medical if you:
- →Want to save $54/month with a more affordable option
- →Prefer a higher-rated service (8.7/10 vs 8.4/10)
- →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
Website previews
Winona
Circle Medical
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 MedicalRelated comparisons
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