Strut Health vs PlushCare
Compounded semaglutide at a flat $129 against brand-name GLP-1s prescribed by a virtual primary-care doctor and billed through your plan.
Short answer
If your insurance covers a brand-name GLP-1, PlushCare is the route that uses it: $19.99 a month plus your copay, with prior authorizations handled. If it doesn't, PlushCare estimates the drug at about $1,000 a month, and Strut Health's compounded semaglutide at $129, consultation included, is the cash alternative. Strut has an FDA warning letter.
Disclosure: Aminoscope is reader-supported. Some links below are affiliate links — if you start care through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Partners are listed first; a commission never changes what we write about a provider. How we make money.
Is Strut Health or PlushCare better?
PlushCare is virtual primary care: a board-certified physician by video, often the same day, who can prescribe Wegovy or Zepbound to your own pharmacy and work the prior authorization. Strut is an async online practice that sells compounded semaglutide and other everyday treatments at flat prices. Coverage decides it. Compounded drugs aren't FDA-approved, and Strut received FDA warning letter 721448 in February 2026, linked in the table below.
How they differ
- Insurance
Strut Health
Cash-pay onlyPlushCare
Works with insurance- How you're seen
Strut Health
Async intakePlushCare
Video visit- Medications
Strut Health
Compounded semaglutide, Compounded tirzepatidePlushCare
Branded medication- FDA warning letter
Strut Health
PlushCare
None on record
| Strut Health | PlushCare | |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | Cash-pay only | Works with insurance |
| How you're seen | Async intake | Video visit |
| Medications | Compounded semaglutide, Compounded tirzepatide | Branded medication |
| FDA warning letter | Warning letter 721448 | None on record |
What each one costs and includes
Month-to-month prices a new patient can buy, with any required membership counted in. First-month promotions and prepaid averages are labeled as such.
- First full month
Strut Health
$129 a month for compounded semaglutide injections, with the online doctor visit and shipping included; $199 for 30 days of the oral lozengePlushCare
$19.99 a month (first month free) plus $129 a visit without insurance, or your copay; the drug is billed by your pharmacy- Once you're on a steady dose
Strut Health
The listed monthly price, with no membership on topPlushCare
Depends on drug coverage; without it, branded weight-loss drugs run about $1,000 a month by PlushCare's own estimate- What the fee covers
Strut Health
Online physician review, follow-up care, dose adjustments and shippingPlushCare
Messaging, same-day appointments and lab discounts; visits are billed separately- Medications
Strut Health
Compounded only: semaglutide by injection or buccal lozenge, plus an oral tirzepatide tabletPlushCare
Brand-name: Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda and Contrave for weight, sent to the pharmacy you choose- Insurance
Strut Health
Cash-payPlushCare
In network with most major insurers for visits, and handles prior authorizations for the drug- Commitment and refunds
Strut Health
Month to month, with no cancellation feePlushCare
Cancel anytime; the membership fee is never refunded- How care works
Strut Health
Online physician review within a business day, with no video visit and free follow-up carePlushCare
A board-certified primary-care physician by video, often the same day; usually two visits and labs before a prescription- Look elsewhere if
Strut Health
You want a live prescriber visit, brand-name medication or the pharmacy named before you orderPlushCare
You're paying cash for the drug, want compounded medication or want a coached weight program
| Strut Health | PlushCare | |
|---|---|---|
| First full month | $129 a month for compounded semaglutide injections, with the online doctor visit and shipping included; $199 for 30 days of the oral lozenge | $19.99 a month (first month free) plus $129 a visit without insurance, or your copay; the drug is billed by your pharmacy |
| Once you're on a steady dose | The listed monthly price, with no membership on top | Depends on drug coverage; without it, branded weight-loss drugs run about $1,000 a month by PlushCare's own estimate |
| What the fee covers | Online physician review, follow-up care, dose adjustments and shipping | Messaging, same-day appointments and lab discounts; visits are billed separately |
| Medications | Compounded only: semaglutide by injection or buccal lozenge, plus an oral tirzepatide tablet | Brand-name: Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda and Contrave for weight, sent to the pharmacy you choose |
| Insurance | Cash-pay | In network with most major insurers for visits, and handles prior authorizations for the drug |
| Commitment and refunds | Month to month, with no cancellation fee | Cancel anytime; the membership fee is never refunded |
| How care works | Online physician review within a business day, with no video visit and free follow-up care | A board-certified primary-care physician by video, often the same day; usually two visits and labs before a prescription |
| Look elsewhere if | You want a live prescriber visit, brand-name medication or the pharmacy named before you order | You're paying cash for the drug, want compounded medication or want a coached weight program |
Strut Health
Partner- Access
- Not published up front
- Medications
- Semaglutide · Tirzepatide · Oral
- Insurance
- Cash-pay
- Visit
- Async intake
What we like
- $129 a month for compounded injectable semaglutide and $149 for injectable tirzepatide on monthly auto-refill, with the physician consultation and shipping included
- Free online MD visit, free follow-up care and dose adjustments, and no cancellation fee — all stated plainly rather than qualified
- A named founding physician, Dr. Simal Patel, MD, with a stated clinical background
Watch-outs
- No price appears anywhere on the homepage; the $129 and $149 are on the product pages
- The oral semaglutide lozenge carries two prices on two pages: $99 on auto-refill and $199 for a 30-day supply
Pick Strut Health if: You're paying cash and want compounded medication without a visit.
Check Strut Health availability →Read the full Strut Health review →
PlushCare
- Access
- $19.99/mo membership plus $129 per visit without insurance (a copay with it) — medication billed separately
- Medications
- Branded
- Insurance
- Works with insurance
- Visit
- Video visit
What we like
- Board-certified primary-care physicians by video, often the same day, in all 50 states and D.C.
- In-network with most major insurers for visits, and prior authorizations are handled for you
- Brand-name medication sent to the pharmacy you choose
Watch-outs
- Medication and labs are billed separately from the membership and visits
- Without coverage, branded drugs cost about $1,000 a month by PlushCare's own estimate
Pick PlushCare if: You have coverage for a brand-name drug and want a doctor for everything else too.
Check PlushCare availability →Read the full PlushCare review →Want the full field? See every option in our GLP-1 providers roundup, or narrow by tirzepatide / semaglutide and price.