Every GLP-1 has at least five different prices, and the gap between them is enormous. The same box of Wegovy can cost $1,500 at a retail counter, $349 direct from the manufacturer, or $25 with insurance and a savings card. So "how much does a GLP-1 cost" is the wrong question. The right one is "which door am I walking through" — and this page lines up every drug against every door so you can see, at a glance, where your cheapest path actually is.
If you want the physical-pharmacy angle, see the pharmacy pricing map. If you have coverage, the insurance coverage guide and coupons and savings programs go deeper on stacking. This page is the master comparison.
Direct answer: With commercial insurance plus a manufacturer savings card, every branded GLP-1 lands at $0–$25/month — that is the cheapest legitimate path, full stop. Without insurance, the floor is manufacturer self-pay: Wegovy and Ozempic at $349/month ($199 intro) through NovoCare, and Zepbound vials at $299–$449/month through LillyDirect. Oral options (Wegovy pill, Foundayo) start at $149/month. GoodRx roughly matches self-pay at $199 intro then $299–$349. Plain retail cash is the worst deal at $900–$1,600/month. Compounded semaglutide/tirzepatide still circulate at $141–$500/month but were sharply restricted after the FDA pulled them from the bulk-compounding list in April 2026. Investigational retatrutide is grey-market only at $150–$500/month and is not an FDA-approved product.
The master price table
All figures are per month, self-pay unless the column says otherwise, current as of May 2026. The manufacturer self-pay column was re-checked directly against LillyDirect and NovoCare Pharmacy in August 2026; where the two dates disagree, the August numbers in the sections below are the current ones.
| Drug | Retail cash | Manufacturer self-pay (direct) | GoodRx / discount | Insurance + savings card | Medicare 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic (semaglutide) | $1,000–$1,400 | $349 ($199 intro x2, NovoCare) | $199 intro then $299–$349 | $0–$25 | ~$50 copay (T2D covered) |
| Wegovy injection (semaglutide) | $1,300–$1,600 | $349 ($199 intro x2, NovoCare) | $199 intro then $349 | $0–$25 | $50 via Bridge (from July) |
| Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) | $500–$700 | from $149 (NovoCare) | from $149 | $0–$25 | $50 via Bridge (from July) |
| Mounjaro (tirzepatide) | $1,000–$1,200 | limited; mainly via insurance | modest cash discount | $25 (max $150/fill) | ~$50 copay (T2D covered) |
| Zepbound (tirzepatide) | $1,000–$1,300 (pen) | $299–$449 vials (LillyDirect) | KwikPen from $299 | $25 | $50 via Bridge (from July) |
| Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) | $900–$1,200 | n/a | modest cash discount | $0–$25 | ~$50 copay (T2D covered) |
| Foundayo (orforglipron pill) | ~$500 | from $149 | from $149 | $0–$25 | not yet |
| Compounded semaglutide | n/a | $141–$199 (telehealth) | n/a | not covered | not covered |
| Compounded tirzepatide | n/a | $200–$500 (telehealth) | n/a | not covered | not covered |
| Retatrutide (investigational) | n/a | $150–$500 (research peptide) | n/a | not covered | not covered |
The five prices every GLP-1 has
Once you understand the five lanes, the table above stops looking chaotic.
1. Retail cash (the sticker). This is the list price at a pharmacy counter with no insurance and no program applied: $900–$1,600/month depending on drug. Almost nobody actually pays this — it exists mainly as the number every discount is measured against.
2. Manufacturer self-pay (direct). Novo Nordisk sells Wegovy and Ozempic through NovoCare Pharmacy at $349/month ($199 for the first two fills), and the Wegovy pill from $149. Eli Lilly sells Zepbound vials through LillyDirect at $299 (2.5 mg), $399 (5 mg), and $449 for higher doses under the Self Pay Journey Program — as long as you refill within 45 days. This lane is cash-only and excludes government beneficiaries, but it is usually the cheapest path if you have no coverage.
3. GoodRx and discount cards. GoodRx launched its own GLP-1 pricing in late 2025: $199/month introductory for the first two Ozempic or Wegovy fills, then $299–$349 ongoing, plus a $39/month telehealth add-on for the visit. The Wegovy pill runs under $150. GoodRx roughly matches manufacturer self-pay and wins when you want the discount and the prescription in one place. You cannot stack a discount card with a manufacturer copay card — pick one.
4. Insurance plus a savings card. The cheapest legitimate path by a wide margin. If your commercial plan covers the drug, the manufacturer copay card drops your share to $0–$25/month: the Wegovy and Ozempic Savings Cards cap assistance around $100–$150 per fill, and Lilly runs equivalent cards for Zepbound and Mounjaro. The catch is coverage — many employer plans still exclude obesity drugs, which is what sends people to the other four lanes.
5. Medicare. Part D has historically covered Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes (~$50 copay) but excluded Wegovy and Zepbound for obesity. That changes in July 2026, when the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge demonstration gives eligible Part D beneficiaries access to Wegovy, Zepbound, and Foundayo at roughly a $50 monthly copay.
Cost per dose, not per month
A monthly price hides the fact that "a month" means different things. NovoCare defines one month of Wegovy as one box of four pens, one month of Ozempic as one box containing a single pen, and one month of either oral product as one bottle of 30 tablets. Zepbound comes as four weekly single-dose vials or one four-dose KwikPen. So a weekly injectable is four doses a month and an oral is thirty, and dividing by the right denominator is the only way to compare a weekly shot against a daily pill, or one dose strength against the next one up.
| Product and price lane | Monthly price | Doses per month | Cost per dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pen, NovoCare intro (0.25–0.5 mg) | $199 | 4 weekly | $49.75 |
| Wegovy pen, NovoCare standard (0.25–2.4 mg) | $349 | 4 weekly | $87.25 |
| Wegovy HD pen 7.2 mg, NovoCare | $399 | 4 weekly | $99.75 |
| Ozempic pen, NovoCare intro (0.25–0.5 mg) | $199 | 4 weekly | $49.75 |
| Ozempic pen, NovoCare standard (0.25–1 mg) | $349 | 4 weekly | $87.25 |
| Ozempic pen 2 mg, NovoCare | $499 | 4 weekly | $124.75 |
| Zepbound vial or KwikPen 2.5 mg, LillyDirect | $299 | 4 weekly | $74.75 |
| Zepbound vial or KwikPen 5 mg, LillyDirect | $399 | 4 weekly | $99.75 |
| Zepbound 7.5–15 mg, Journey Program price | $449 | 4 weekly | $112.25 |
| Zepbound 7.5 mg, no refill inside 45 days | $499 | 4 weekly | $124.75 |
| Zepbound 10–15 mg, no refill inside 45 days | $699 | 4 weekly | $174.75 |
| Wegovy pill 1.5 mg, NovoCare | $149 | 30 daily | $4.97 |
| Wegovy pill 4 mg, NovoCare | $199 | 30 daily | $6.63 |
| Wegovy pill 9 mg or 25 mg, NovoCare | $299 | 30 daily | $9.97 |
| Ozempic pill, NovoCare starting price | from $149 | 30 daily | from $4.97 |
| Any branded injectable, insurance + savings card | $25 | 4 weekly | $6.25 |
| Any branded pill, insurance + savings card | $25 | 30 daily | $0.83 |
Prices confirmed on NovoCare Pharmacy and LillyDirect in August 2026. "Doses per month" uses each program's own definition of a month, which is what you are actually billed on — a starting-dose pen can physically hold more than four doses and you still buy it monthly.
Three details the per-dose column makes obvious:
- The introductory price is worth about $37.50 a dose. Novo's $199 price applies to the 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg strengths for two monthly fills for patients new to the program, and the offer runs through December 31, 2026. After that you are at $87.25 a dose.
- Missing Lilly's 45-day refill window is expensive. Zepbound at 7.5 mg goes from $112.25 to $124.75 a dose, a $12.50 penalty. At 10, 12.5 and 15 mg it goes from $112.25 to $174.75, a $62.50 penalty on every dose for one late refill.
- The savings card is capped, not unlimited. Novo's $25 price carries a maximum of $100 in savings per month, so it only reaches $25 if your plan has already absorbed most of the cost. Government beneficiaries are excluded from all of these self-pay and card programs.
Wegovy versus Rybelsus per dose. Same molecule, two formats, and per dose they are not close. Wegovy at the NovoCare standard price is $87.25 per weekly injection, which is about $12.46 per day of treatment. Rybelsus has no self-pay program of its own — Novo now routes oral semaglutide buyers to the Wegovy pill and Ozempic pill programs — so cash Rybelsus is priced off what the pharmacy paid, which CMS put at $33.16 per tablet as of 19 August 2026, roughly $995 for a 30-tablet bottle before dispensing fee and markup. Per dose the tablet is cheaper. Per day of treatment the injection wins by more than two to one, unless you can get onto one of the $149 oral programs instead.
GoodRx prices for Zepbound, Wegovy, and Ozempic
GoodRx is a discount card, not a pharmacy and not insurance. It negotiates a cash price through a pharmacy benefit manager and then shows you that price by drug, dose, quantity and ZIP code. Three consequences follow, and they are what people usually get wrong when they search for a GoodRx Zepbound cost or a GoodRx Wegovy price:
- There is no single GoodRx price. The number moves by pharmacy chain and by ZIP code for the same prescription on the same day. Any figure quoted anywhere, including on this page, is a snapshot — pull the live coupon for your exact dose and ZIP before you decide.
- It does not stack with a manufacturer copay card. One or the other, per fill. With commercial coverage the copay card almost always wins. Without coverage, the real comparison is GoodRx against manufacturer self-pay.
- Discount-card spending does not count toward your deductible, because the claim never runs through your plan.
The GoodRx figures in this page's May 2026 review had GoodRx roughly matching NovoCare on the semaglutide pens — $199 for the first two fills, then $299–$349 — with Zepbound KwikPen from $299 and a $39/month telehealth add-on for the visit itself. Treat those as a starting point, not a quote.
What does not move by ZIP code is the manufacturer floor. These are the numbers a discount card has to beat, verified directly on LillyDirect and NovoCare Pharmacy in August 2026:
| Drug and dose | Manufacturer self-pay price, August 2026 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Zepbound 2.5 mg | $299/month, vial or KwikPen | LillyDirect |
| Zepbound 5 mg | $399/month, vial or KwikPen | LillyDirect |
| Zepbound 7.5–15 mg | $449/month with a refill inside 45 days | LillyDirect |
| Wegovy pen, 0.25–2.4 mg | $199/month for two fills, then $349/month | NovoCare |
| Wegovy HD pen, 7.2 mg | $399/month | NovoCare |
| Ozempic pen, 0.25–1 mg | $199/month for two fills, then $349/month | NovoCare |
| Ozempic pen, 2 mg | $499/month | NovoCare |
| Wegovy pill | $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg), $299 (9 mg and 25 mg) | NovoCare |
| Ozempic pill | from $149/month, varies by dose | NovoCare |
Worth noting for anyone who priced Zepbound earlier in 2026: the KwikPen and the single-dose vial now carry the same self-pay price at every strength, so the old "vials are the cheap option, KwikPen is the convenient one" split no longer holds. Choose on whether you would rather draw up a vial with a syringe or use a pen.
If a GoodRx coupon for your dose beats the number in the middle column, take the coupon. If it does not, go direct. Either way you are in the cash lane, so the decision is arithmetic and nothing else.
Brand by brand
Ozempic vs Wegovy. Same molecule (semaglutide), different label and price. Ozempic is the type 2 diabetes brand; Wegovy is the obesity brand and lists higher. For self-pay, both land at $349/month through NovoCare. See Ozempic vs Wegovy for the full breakdown.
Mounjaro vs Zepbound. Same molecule (tirzepatide). Mounjaro is the diabetes label, generally accessed through insurance; Zepbound is the obesity label, and Lilly discounts its single-dose vials hard through LillyDirect — $299–$449/month is the cheapest branded tirzepatide in 2026. Details in Mounjaro vs Zepbound.
Oral options. The Wegovy pill, Rybelsus, and Lilly's non-peptide Foundayo (orforglipron) start at $149/month self-pay — the lowest entry point for a branded, FDA-cleared GLP-1. See the pill comparison for which oral makes sense.
Which drug to pick on price alone? If you have coverage, the answer is whatever your plan tiers cheapest — the copay card erases most of the difference. If you are paying cash, Zepbound vials (LillyDirect) and the oral options are the value leaders. For the efficacy-vs-cost trade-off, see which GLP-1 is best for weight loss.
Generic GLP-1 cost comparison
Generic Ozempic and generic Zepbound do not exist in the United States. Two GLP-1 molecules do have approved generics, and neither of them is semaglutide or tirzepatide.
| Molecule | Generic status in Drugs@FDA, August 2026 | What you can actually buy |
|---|---|---|
| Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) | Six ANDAs fully approved: Hikma (Dec 2024), Lupin (Jul 2025), Teva (Aug 2025), Fresenius Kabi (Mar 2026), Mylan (Jun 2026), Sandoz (Jul 2026) | Generic 18 mg/3 mL pens, on the market |
| Exenatide (Byetta) | Amneal ANDA approved Nov 2024 | Generic 5 mcg and 10 mcg pens, on the market |
| Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) | Apotex ANDA tentatively approved 7 April 2026 for the 2, 4 and 8 mg per 3 mL injection | Nothing yet. A tentative approval means FDA is satisfied with the product but patent or exclusivity still blocks marketing |
| Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) | No generic application on file | Nothing |
| Dulaglutide (Trulicity) | Approved as a biologic (BLA), so a copy would be a biosimilar, not a generic. None approved | Nothing |
The twist is that the generic that does exist is not the bargain most people expect. The figures below are CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost data — what retail pharmacies pay to acquire the product, before dispensing fee and markup — effective 19 August 2026.
| Product | NADAC per mL | 30-day supply | Cost of that supply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generic liraglutide, 3-pen carton | $32.00 | 9 mL at 1.8 mg/day | $288 |
| Victoza, 3-pen carton (brand) | $87.81 | 9 mL at 1.8 mg/day | $790 |
| Generic liraglutide, 5-pen carton | $47.69 | 15 mL at 3.0 mg/day | $715 |
| Saxenda (brand) | $87.14 | 15 mL at 3.0 mg/day | $1,307 |
| Generic exenatide, 10 mcg pen | $300.17 | 2.4 mL at 10 mcg twice daily | $720 |
All the liraglutide products are 18 mg/3 mL, or 6 mg/mL, so the arithmetic is just concentration times volume: 1.8 mg/day burns 0.3 mL a day and 3.0 mg/day burns 0.5 mL a day.
Generic liraglutide runs about 64% below its brand at the diabetes dose and about 45% below at the obesity dose. That is a genuine discount. It also still lands between $288 and $715 a month in acquisition cost alone, against a $349 NovoCare price for Wegovy that already includes the pharmacy. Put a dispensing fee and a retail markup on top of the generic and the gap narrows or closes — on a drug you inject daily rather than weekly. For how the molecules compare on results rather than price, see which GLP-1 is best for weight loss.
Two more things before anyone chases a generic:
- Generic liraglutide is priced by carton, and the carton has to match the dose. A 3-pen carton is 30 days at 1.8 mg/day but only 18 days at 3.0 mg/day. Comparing a 3-pak price against a 5-pak price is comparing different amounts of drug, not different deals.
- Compounded semaglutide is not generic semaglutide. A generic is an FDA-approved product proven equivalent to the brand and substitutable at the counter. Compounded product is neither approved nor tested for that equivalence, which is exactly the line the FDA draws in its warning on unapproved GLP-1s.
Compounded and grey-market lanes
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide were the budget option through 2024–2025 at $141–$500/month via telehealth. In April 2026 the FDA proposed removing semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide from the bulk-compounding list, sharply restricting large-scale compounding. What remains is patient-specific 503A compounding, which is narrower and harder to find. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not tested for the safety, potency, or consistency of branded product. See compounded tirzepatide for the current legal picture.
Retatrutide sits one step further out: it is still in Lilly's Phase 3 trials and has no FDA-approved price. It circulates as a research peptide at $150–$500/month. It is the cheapest number on this page and also the least regulated — there is no pharmacy, no label, and no guarantee of what is in the vial. We cover where it is sold and what buying without a prescription actually means separately. For the telehealth lane specifically, a ranked best online GLP-1 program comparison breaks down what each platform charges monthly.
International pricing
Cross-border cash prices are dramatically lower because other countries negotiate drug prices centrally: roughly $100–$300/month in Europe, $200–$400 in Mexico, and $300–$500 in Canada. Importing for personal use sits in a legal grey zone and supply is inconsistent. For the Canadian picture specifically, see GLP-1 in Canada.
What people get wrong
- "There's one price for Ozempic." There are at least five. The spread between retail cash and insurance-plus-card is over 50x.
- "Compounded is always cheapest." It used to be. After the April 2026 FDA restriction, manufacturer self-pay ($149–$349) is now competitive with — and safer than — what is left of compounding.
- "GoodRx stacks with my copay card." It does not. You use one or the other. With insurance, the copay card almost always wins; without it, compare GoodRx against manufacturer self-pay.
- "Medicare covers Wegovy for weight loss." Not until the July 2026 Bridge demonstration, and only for eligible beneficiaries. Diabetes brands (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus) have been covered for the diabetes indication.
- "The expensive drug must work better." Price tracks branding and label, not potency. Ozempic and Wegovy are the same molecule at different prices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest GLP-1 in 2026? With commercial insurance plus a manufacturer savings card, any branded GLP-1 costs $0–$25/month. Without insurance, the cheapest legitimate options are the oral drugs (Wegovy pill, Foundayo) from $149/month and Zepbound vials from $299/month. See our dedicated cheapest GLP-1 breakdown.
Why is Wegovy more expensive than Ozempic if they are the same drug? Different labels. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight management; the obesity indication lists higher. Self-pay through NovoCare brings both to $349/month.
Is GoodRx or manufacturer self-pay cheaper? They are close. GoodRx and NovoCare both run $199 introductory then $349 for Wegovy and Ozempic injections. Compare the specific dose and check whether GoodRx bundles the $39 telehealth visit you would otherwise pay separately.
Does insurance ever make a GLP-1 free? Effectively, yes. Commercial coverage plus a manufacturer copay card can bring your out-of-pocket to $0 for 12–24 months, up to the card''s annual cap.
Is there a generic Ozempic or generic Wegovy yet? No. Apotex holds a tentative FDA approval from April 2026 for generic semaglutide injection, and a tentative approval specifically does not permit marketing until patent and exclusivity issues clear. The only GLP-1 generics you can buy in the United States today are liraglutide and exenatide.
What does a GLP-1 cost per dose rather than per month? At the August 2026 manufacturer self-pay prices: $87.25 per weekly Wegovy or Ozempic injection, $74.75 to $112.25 per weekly Zepbound dose depending on strength, and $4.97 to $9.97 per daily tablet on the oral programs. With insurance plus a savings card it is $6.25 per weekly injection or $0.83 per daily tablet.
How much will retatrutide cost when approved? There is no approved price yet. The realistic projection is roughly $1,000–$1,400/month before insurance, in line with Mounjaro. See retatrutide cost.
Last reviewed: May 28, 2026
Sources
- GLP-1 Drug Savings: How to Save on Ozempic, Wegovy, and More — GoodRx
- Comparing Ozempic, Wegovy and Other GLP-1 Drugs — GoodRx
- Discounts on GLP-1 Medications — GoodRx
- NovoCare Pharmacy — Novo Nordisk
- Authentic Zepbound Shipped to You — LillyDirect
- Lilly Lowers Price of Zepbound Single-Dose Vials — Eli Lilly
- A New Medicare Option for Weight-Loss Drugs Is Coming — NPR
- NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) 2026 — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved Drugs — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Drugs@FDA Glossary of Terms (tentative approval) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
