Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
Nova vs altRX
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.
Nova
Readers who want the membership inside the quoted price rather than added to it, and who want a daily sublingual option beside the injection.
Visit NovaaltRX
Cost-first shoppers who want locking in a flat, same-at-every-dose promotional rate before it expires.
Visit altRXThe verdict
Nova takes it, leading the Cost-Efficiency Index 72 to 70. Nova (trynova.co) bundles the medication, refrigerated shipping and a $99 monthly membership into one figure — $198 for semaglutide and $210 for tirzepatide — and serves 49 states, everywhere except California. altRX still earns a C — Cost-first shoppers who want locking in a flat, same-at-every-dose promotional rate before it expires.
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 Nova.
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 | Nova | altRX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 72/100 | 70/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $198/mo month-to-month all-in (medication plus the $99/mo membership; a "Starting at" floor that rises with dose) | $89/mo (all doses, promotional rate, plus a separate fee, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide / mo | $210/mo month-to-month all-in (same bundle; also a "Starting at" floor) | $149/mo (all doses, promotional rate, compounded) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $2,376 | $1,068 |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | $2,520 | $1,788 |
| Coverage | 49 states | Coverage not published |
| Oral / sublingual | Yes | No |
| Brand-name access | Compounded only | Yes |
| Rank here | #78 | #85 |
Nova
72/100Where the value is
- Quotes one all-in figure that already contains the $99 monthly membership, the medication and refrigerated shipping, so the membership is not a surprise at checkout
- Names a medical director and a nurse practitioner with credentials, training and residency detail
- Prices a daily oral route for both molecules alongside the weekly injections
The tradeoffs
- Three sets of prices are live at once: $198 and $210 in the hero, $229 and $279 in the same pages' own FAQ headings, and a third set in the site's JavaScript
- The FAQ's own arithmetic does not reach the headline — $99 membership plus $130 medication is $229, not the $198 quoted above it
altRX
70/100Where the value is
- Same price at every dose — titrating up does not raise the monthly cost, unlike per-mg-tiered competitors
- No membership fee, no insurance required; price stated to be all-in (consultation, dosing plan, medication, free delivery, clinician support)
- LegitScript certified
The tradeoffs
- The advertised $89/$149 prices are an explicitly time-limited promotion with a live countdown on the page — the standing price is roughly double, and a naive reading of the headline as a stable price would be wrong within about a week of this research
- No compounding pharmacy is individually named, only '503A compounding pharmacies within the altRx network'
Regulatory note: the FDA issued a warning letter to Trinity HealthCare Supply, LLC dba altRx in June 2026. We still list and link to altRX; you should know the letter is on the public record before you decide.
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.