Shapely review
Insurance-first, self-pay backup
An insurance-billed weight program in four states with monthly provider and dietitian video visits, or a $99 self-pay membership plus compounded semaglutide from $139 a month.
Our verdict
Shapely is built for people who want their insurance to do some of the work. It's in network with Original Medicare and most PPO plans from the big national insurers, so the monthly video visits with a weight loss provider and a registered dietitian are billed to your plan, and its prior-authorization team tries to get a brand-name GLP-1 such as Wegovy or Zepbound covered. If that route doesn't work for you, there's a self-pay track: a $99 monthly membership plus compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide, priced clearly by dose, with cheaper three-month packages. The trade-offs are geography (four states), a membership fee even on the insurance track, and a firm no-refund rule on compounded medication once it's ordered.
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At a glance
- Category
- GLP-1 telehealth
- Access
- Insurance: co-pays plus a membership fee. Self-pay: $99/mo membership + compounded semaglutide $139/mo on a monthly plan ($238/mo all in)
- Medications
- Compounded semaglutide · Compounded tirzepatide · Branded
- Insurance
- Works with insurance
- Visit
- Video visit
- Availability
- CA, FL, NY and TX
- LegitScript
- Claimed by provider
Partner alternative
yourEra
A low-cost entry point into compounded GLP-1 treatment
Check yourEra availability →What it is
Shapely is the trading name of Zaghi Medical, Inc., a Los Angeles company founded by Justin Zaghi, MD, who is board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine and trained at Harvard Medical School. Its medical director is Ana Lisa Carr, MD, a board-certified family physician, and the clinical team is mostly physician assistants who specialize in weight management, alongside registered dietitians led by a chief nutrition officer. It serves adults 18 and older in California, Florida, New York and Texas. On the insurance side it accepts Original Medicare and most PPO plans from Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Humana and UnitedHealthcare; HMO, Medicaid and uninsured patients use the self-pay plan. Its providers don't prescribe controlled substances, and you can ask for a prescription to go to the pharmacy of your choice. The site displays a LegitScript seal.
How it works
You start with a short online coverage check: your insurance details and goals go in, and the team verifies what your plan includes before you commit. Your first visit is a video appointment with a provider assigned to you, who builds a plan and prescribes if it's appropriate. From there, insured members get monthly video visits with a provider and monthly visits with a dietitian, unlimited chat through the app, and a cellular smart scale that sends your weight to the team automatically (the scale isn't offered when Aetna or Cigna is your primary insurance). Self-pay members get the monthly provider visit, app and chat, but dietitian visits are listed only on the insurance plan. Recent labs are strongly recommended before most weight medicines; Shapely accepts results from the past six months or orders new ones, which insurance usually covers, or offers a flat $75 panel at Labcorp. If a GLP-1 isn't right for you, the providers offer other medicines and lifestyle tools instead.
Pricing transparency
The self-pay membership is $99 a month, with $50 off the first month as a current promotion, and it's required to buy medication. Compounded semaglutide on a monthly plan is $139 a month at low to mid doses and $179 at high doses, so a typical month-to-month total is $238. Compounded tirzepatide is $249 or $299 a month. Three-month packages cut the cost: semaglutide is $297 for three months at starter and refill doses ($99 a month) and $477 at high doses, while tirzepatide runs $498, $597 or $837 for three months. Shipping, syringes and alcohol pads are included, and Affirm and Klarna are offered. On the insurance plan you pay your usual co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance for visits plus a membership fee for the app, chat and support; the site doesn't state that fee, so ask. Shapely says commercial co-pays for a covered GLP-1 are typically around $25 a month, and that Medicare covers these drugs only for diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea. Compounded medication can't be canceled or refunded once ordered, and no membership cancellation terms are published.
Branded vs compounded
On the insurance track, providers prescribe brand-name Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro, oral Wegovy, Foundayo and Contrave, and the team handles prior authorizations; if coverage falls through, it can steer you to the manufacturers' self-pay programs through NovoCare and LillyDirect. Wegovy, oral Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo are FDA-approved for weight management, while Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for type 2 diabetes. On the self-pay track, a provider may prescribe compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide, which are not FDA-approved. Shapely names the pharmacies it uses: BPI, ProRx, VitalRx, Red Rock Pharmacy and OptioRx, which it describes as state-licensed 503A pharmacies and FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facilities. The site advertises free two-day shipping, while its help center tells you to allow three to seven business days and to reorder at least a week before your next dose. A search of the FDA warning-letter database under the Shapely and Zaghi Medical names returned no letters.
Pros and watch-outs
What we like
- In network with Original Medicare and most PPO plans for visits
- Prior-authorization help for brand-name GLP-1s, including the oral options
- Monthly dietitian visits and a connected smart scale on the insurance plan
- Clear compounded prices by dose, with cheaper three-month packages
- Names the compounding pharmacies it uses
Watch-outs
- Only California, Florida, New York and Texas
- A membership fee applies even when insurance pays for visits
- Compounded medication is never refunded once ordered
- Dietitian visits and the scale aren't part of the self-pay plan
- No published cancellation terms for the membership
Best for
Adults in its four states with Medicare or a PPO plan who want insurance-billed visits, dietitian support and help getting a brand-name GLP-1 covered, with a priced compounded plan as a fallback.
Who should look elsewhere
Anyone outside California, Florida, New York or Texas, people with an HMO who want the insurance plan's extras, or buyers who want refund flexibility on medication.
The evidence behind what Shapely prescribes
We grade the molecules, not the marketing. Here is what the human data actually shows for each thing on their menu.
- GLP-1 cost and insurance coverage: what drives the price, and what's actually covered
List price, net price, and your price are three different numbers. Indication drives coverage, savings cards have fine print, and cost is itself a clinical variable.
- Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for weight loss: what the trials actually support
Most comparisons are cross-trial. Only SURPASS-2 and SURMOUNT-5 randomized one drug against the other — here's the precise distinction.
- Compounded vs branded GLP-1: regulatory status, sourcing and the evidence
Compounded GLP-1 isn't FDA-approved, the shortage exception behind it ended in 2025, the FDA moved against mass-marketed copies in 2026, and the trial data belong to the branded product. Here's the precise picture.
How Shapely compares
A few alternatives worth a look, depending on what you’re optimizing for.
FoundCompounded GLP-1 with the drug included, and insurance for the visits
See Found →
WellMedRxCompounded tirzepatide with a named clinician network and pharmacy
See WellMedRx →
MeasuredPeople with commercial insurance who want a brand-name GLP-1 covered, with a dietitian included and a compounded option if coverage falls through
See Measured →
More GLP-1 telehealth reviews: LIV by WellNowNovoCare PharmacyNuBloomOndra HealthThe Calibrate ClinicPCOS Sisters
Research & data
How we assessed this. This review reflects Aminoscope’s own read of Shapely’s publicly-stated model — pricing transparency, clinical oversight, medication clarity, and access — against our editorial methodology. We publish no fabricated ratings or first-hand outcomes. A partnership never changes the assessment — see how we make money.
Frequently asked
- How much does Shapely cost without insurance?
- The self-pay membership is $99 a month, and compounded semaglutide is $139 a month on a monthly plan at low to mid doses, about $238 a month in total. Compounded tirzepatide is $249 or $299 a month. Three-month packages lower the monthly cost.
- Does Shapely take insurance?
- Yes. It's in network with Original Medicare and most PPO plans from Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. Insurance covers the provider and dietitian visits, subject to your cost-sharing, and a membership fee also applies. HMO and Medicaid members can use the self-pay plan.
- What states is Shapely available in?
- California, Florida, New York and Texas, for adults 18 and older.
- Which pharmacies fill Shapely's compounded medication?
- Shapely lists BPI, ProRx, VitalRx, Red Rock Pharmacy and OptioRx, which are 503A pharmacies and 503B outsourcing facilities. You can also ask for your prescription to go to a licensed compounding pharmacy of your choice.
- Can I get a refund from Shapely?
- Not for compounded medication. Shapely says it can't be canceled or refunded once ordered because it's prepared for you. Contact support if there's a problem with an order.
- Does Shapely help get Wegovy or Zepbound covered?
- Yes. Its prior-authorization specialists work with your plan on Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro and the oral options. Shapely says commercial co-pays are typically around $25 a month when a drug is covered.
- Is Shapely legit?
- Shapely is a GLP-1 telehealth service you reach through a video visit with a clinician. The medications it names are Compounded semaglutide, Compounded tirzepatide and branded medication. What it publishes up front: Insurance: co-pays plus a membership fee. Self-pay: $99/mo membership + compounded semaglutide $139/mo on a monthly plan ($238/mo all in). It states it works with insurance. It shows a LegitScript seal. Ask the company for its certificate number before you rely on it. Those are the provider's own published claims rather than checks we could run ourselves, so get the ones that matter to you confirmed in writing before you pay.
- Is Shapely expensive compared with other GLP-1 telehealth providers?
- Shapely publishes a starting figure of $238/mo. Across the 87 GLP-1 telehealth providers we review that publish a single monthly figure, those run $49 to $399 with a median of $190, which puts Shapely above the median. The other 101 GLP-1 telehealth providers we review quote only after an intake or price by dose, so they are not in that comparison. A starting figure is not a bill — labs, consultations and shipping are often charged separately, so confirm what your own quote includes.