Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
Cost Plus Drugs vs OnlyRx
Two GLP-1 programs on the bench, scored on the same six factors. Here's how their real cost of ownership compares — and which one we'd start with.
Cost Plus Drugs
Cost-first shoppers who want the cheapest transparent-pricing brand-name Ozempic channel.
Visit Cost Plus DrugsOnlyRx
Shoppers who want a 50-state marketplace with multiple pharmacy options and named prescribers.
Visit OnlyRxThe verdict
Cost Plus Drugs and OnlyRx tie on the Cost-Efficiency Index at 64/100, so neither wins outright on the numbers. For most shoppers we'd start with Cost Plus Drugs (ranked #177, a hair above #180) — Cost-first shoppers who want the cheapest transparent-pricing brand-name Ozempic channel. But OnlyRx is a genuine coin-flip alternative here.
Worth knowing either way: our overall #1 pick is CoreAge Rx (Cost-Efficiency Index 94/100 — the top of the ranking). See how it stacks up: CoreAge Rx vs Cost Plus Drugs.
Factor by factor
Both providers scored on our six Cost-Efficiency Index factors. The stronger side on each row is marked in teal.
Normalized Cost/Month
Price Transparency
Nationwide Access
Formulation Options
Clinical Oversight
Contract Flexibility
Pricing, coverage & formulary
The disclosed facts behind the scores. Lower price wins its row (teal).
| Spec | Cost Plus Drugs | OnlyRx |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 64/100 | 64/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $279/mo (brand Ozempic) | $179/mo (starting dose, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide / mo | Not disclosed | $249/mo (starting dose, compounded) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $3,348 | $2,148 |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | — | $2,988 |
| Coverage | All 50 states | Coverage not published |
| Oral / sublingual | No | Yes |
| Brand-name access | Yes | Yes |
| Rank here | #177 | #180 |
Cost Plus Drugs
64/100Where the value is
- Transparent pricing: wholesale cost + 15% markup + $5 pharmacy fee, the same for everyone
- Around $279/mo for branded Ozempic — well below typical retail list prices
- Mark Cuban's PBM-disrupting pharmacy, praised by Forbes Health, Wired, and KFF Health News
The tradeoffs
- Fulfillment only — no telehealth intake; you need a prescription from an outside clinician
- Ozempic is FDA-indicated for type 2 diabetes, not weight management — weight-loss use is off-label
OnlyRx
64/100Where the value is
- Serves all 50 states per its own claim, wider than most compounded-GLP-1 competitors
- Two named prescribers with published NPI numbers (Dr. Ana Lisa Carr, Dr. Kelly Tenbrink), plus two supporting providers
- Sources medication from four named, recognizable 503A-style pharmacy partners rather than one undisclosed source
The tradeoffs
- The $179 headline price is explicitly labeled a 'Summer Promo' on the site's own homepage — no post-promo price is published
- No dose-tier (mg) breakdown is published for any of the four price points
Assume any provider we list may compensate us — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the Cost-Efficiency Index. Pricing, states and verification reflect each provider's public disclosures at last review; prices change — confirm on the provider's site. Not medical advice. See our disclosure.