How Much Does Semaglutide Cost? Every Form, Brand and Compounded

The honest answer depends on which semaglutide you mean. There are now five brand products and a crowded compounded market, and their prices sit in very different places.

This page puts every one of them in a single table, dated, so you can see your real options in one place before you talk to a prescriber.

How much does semaglutide cost without insurance?

Here is what you would pay out of pocket as of October 2026. Brand prices come from Novo Nordisk's own pages and the federal TrumpRx site, which list the same offers^1,2.

The $199 intro runs through December 31, 2026. The Ozempic pill is the former Rybelsus.

Two things to notice. First, the brand "list price" you see quoted, $1,349 for Wegovy, is not a number you should pay if you are paying cash². Second, the Wegovy pill now costs less than the pen at maintenance: $299 at 25 mg against $349 for 2.4 mg.

What does each brand cost, and what is it for?

Price is only half the story, because these products are not interchangeable.

• •Wegovy pen and Wegovy HD are approved for weight management. The pen climbs from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg; HD adds a 7.2 mg rung for people who need more. Same price at every standard dose, which means the climb itself costs you nothing extra.
• •The Wegovy pill is the oral version, approved for weight loss in December 2025. The price steps up with the dose, so your first month is the cheapest one.
• •Ozempic (pen and pill) is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss, at the same kind of self-pay prices^3,4. The pill version is Rybelsus under a new name, launched May 4, 2026⁴. If your goal is weight, ask whether Wegovy fits first; it costs the same or less.

If you are choosing between a daily tablet and a weekly shot on more than price, our guide to the Wegovy pill vs the injection walks through the routine each one asks of you.

Where are the brand cash prices lowest: NovoCare, TrumpRx or a pharmacy?

For Wegovy and Ozempic, they are the same. TrumpRx lists the Novo Nordisk self-pay offer and hands you a coupon to use at a pharmacy; NovoCare Pharmacy is Novo's own mail-order route at those same prices^1,2.

What changes between them is convenience, not the number. Novo has also announced a lower subscription price, $249 a month on a 12-month commitment, sold through some telehealth programs. Either way you need your own prescription, and you can't ask any insurer, Medicare or Medicaid included, to pay you back for the fill.

For the channel-by-channel detail, including how the $199 intro works and when it ends, read the Wegovy self-pay price guide. For every other way to cut the Wegovy bill, including the savings card, see how much Wegovy costs without insurance.

How much does compounded semaglutide cost, and why the spread?

Across the 83 US telehealth programs we track, 39 compounded programs state a regular monthly price once any intro is over. Here is how those prices fall:

26 of those 39 programs charge $199 a month or less. The spread is mostly about what the price includes: some cover the prescriber, shipping and every dose for one flat fee, while others add a membership, bill every 28 days, or quote a low first month that resets.

These partner programs state the lowest regular prices among the ones we work with. Check what each price covers before you compare:

Every program with a stated price is on the cheapest semaglutide board, in price order and checked on each program's own site. To line up two or three side by side, use the compare tool. If you are open to a GLP-1 other than semaglutide, such as Foundayo or Zepbound, the cheapest GLP-1 options without insurance puts them all on one table.

What does a full year cost at each option?

Monthly prices hide the real commitment, because semaglutide is usually a long-term medicine. This is what twelve months would cost at today's prices:

A caution on those brand rows: the $199 intro ends December 31, 2026, and Novo can change its self-pay offers at any time^1,2. Treat the year as today's best estimate, not a quote. To run your own numbers by dose and month, try the Wegovy cost calculator.

Does insurance cover semaglutide for weight loss?

Sometimes, and when it does, it usually beats every cash price above. With commercial coverage, Novo's savings card can bring Wegovy or Ozempic down to as little as $25 a month, up to $100 off per month^1,3.

The catch is that many plans exclude weight-loss drugs or require prior authorization. Call your plan before you pay cash. Our guide to whether insurance covers Wegovy or Ozempic has the exact questions to ask.

Why is compounded semaglutide cheaper, and what are you giving up?

Compounded semaglutide is made by a pharmacy rather than the manufacturer, and the FDA says plainly that compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold⁵. It also notes that some compounders have used salt forms of semaglutide, which are different active ingredients from the approved drug⁵.

The other real risk is dosing. Vials are measured in units, not milligrams, and the FDA has documented people injecting five to 20 times their intended dose after mixing the two up⁶. If you go this route, ask which pharmacy makes your medicine and have someone walk you through your first draw.

Where compounding stands legally right now is in our compounded semaglutide legal status guide, and which programs name their pharmacy is on the provenance page.

The bottom line

The least expensive FDA-approved weight-loss option is the Wegovy pill at $149 for the starting dose, and the brand pens settle at $349 to $499. Compounded semaglutide is cheaper, typically around $199, but you trade away FDA review for that discount. Price a full year, not a first month, and check your insurance before you pay cash.