Head-to-head · Cost-Efficiency Index
Nova vs Apex MD
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 NovaApex MD
Patients who want unlimited visits and labs bundled into a flat month-to-month price and don't mind the medication being combined with NAD/B-12/L-carnitine.
Visit Apex MDThe verdict
Nova takes it, leading the Cost-Efficiency Index 72 to 71. 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. Apex MD still earns a C — Patients who want unlimited visits and labs bundled into a flat month-to-month price and don't mind the medication being combined with NAD/B-12/L-carnitine.
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 | Apex MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-Efficiency Index | 72/100 | 71/100 |
| Semaglutide / mo | $198/mo month-to-month all-in (medication plus the $99/mo membership; a "Starting at" floor that rises with dose) | $299/mo (all doses, bundle, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide / mo | $210/mo month-to-month all-in (same bundle; also a "Starting at" floor) | $399/mo (all doses, bundle, compounded) |
| Semaglutide / yr (modeled) | $2,376 | $3,588 |
| Tirzepatide / yr (modeled) | $2,520 | $4,788 |
| Coverage | 49 states | All 50 states |
| Oral / sublingual | Yes | Yes |
| Brand-name access | Compounded only | Compounded only |
| Rank here | #78 | #80 |
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
Apex MD
71/100Where the value is
- Genuinely all-in flat pricing: 'no other fees' across all doses, with unlimited provider visits and Labcorp labs included
- No membership fee, no sign-up fee, no lab fee — confirmed verbatim on the pricing page
- Both semaglutide and tirzepatide, in injectable or daily-oral form
The tradeoffs
- Not single-ingredient GLP-1 — every tier bundles NAD, B-12, and L-carnitine into the compound, so the $299/$399 price isn't directly comparable to a plain-semaglutide/tirzepatide competitor
- Compounding pharmacies are never named, only described generically as 'Legit Script Certified pharmacies'
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.