Sesame vs Henry Meds for Semaglutide: 2026 Comparison

Sesame vs Henry Meds for Semaglutide: 2026 Comparison

Medically reviewed by Telehealth Ally Medical Review Team. Pricing and protocol data last verified April 2026.

Sesame and Henry Meds solve the same problem — getting a GLP-1 prescription — in different ways. Sesame is a transparent-pricing healthcare marketplace: patients pay per visit, choose their own clinician, and fill prescriptions at any pharmacy. Henry Meds is a dedicated GLP-1 subscription: one monthly fee covers consultation, medication, and shipping with no pharmacy trip required.

Patients with insurance covering Wegovy or Zepbound will likely pay less through Sesame — as little as $54–104/month total (visit + insurance copay). Patients paying cash without insurance will generally pay more through Sesame once medication cost is added, and get less simplicity. Henry Meds at $149/month all-in is the lower-friction option for cash-pay patients.

Pricing last verified April 2026. We update pricing data monthly.

How does Sesame work vs Henry Meds?

The business models are different enough that a direct price comparison requires understanding what each actually sells.

Sesame is a marketplace. Clinicians list their services with transparent pricing. Patients browse, book a visit (typically $29–$79 for a telehealth weight management consultation), and pay the provider directly. If a GLP-1 is prescribed, the patient fills it at their own pharmacy — their insurance, their preferred drug store, or a mail order pharmacy. Sesame does not bundle medication. The visit is one purchase; the prescription is a separate transaction.

Henry Meds is a subscription. One monthly fee ($149 for compounded semaglutide, $349 for compounded tirzepatide) covers the consultation and the medication, shipped directly. There is no separate pharmacy step. Henry Meds does not offer brand-name medications and does not work with insurance.

	Sesame	Henry Meds
Consultation cost	$29–$79/visit	Included in medication price
Compounded semaglutide	Not included (fill at pharmacy)	$149/mo
Orforglipron ($149/mo via LillyDirect)	Visit ($29–79) + medication ($149) = ~$178–228/mo	Not available
Brand Wegovy (with insurance)	Visit ($29–79) + copay (~$25–75) = ~$54–154/mo	Not available
Compounded tirzepatide	Not included (fill at pharmacy)	$349/mo
Loyalty discount	No	$129/mo at 6+ months
Sesame Plus membership	$11.99/mo (optional; unlocks lower visit prices)	N/A
Medication bundled	No	Yes
Insurance accepted	Yes (for brand medications via prescription)	No

How does total cost compare with vs without insurance?

With insurance covering Wegovy or Zepbound: Sesame wins on cost. A Sesame visit costs $29–$79. If your insurance covers Wegovy with a $25–$75 copay, your total monthly cost is $54–$154 (visit + copay). At $149/month, Henry Meds is within range at the low end of that — but Henry Meds cannot prescribe Wegovy or handle insurance. Sesame clinicians can prescribe brand-name medications that go through your insurance benefit.

Without insurance (cash-pay): Henry Meds is simpler and often cheaper. A Sesame visit ($29–$79) plus the cost of compounded semaglutide at a cash-pay pharmacy would exceed Henry Meds' $149/month all-in price in most cases. Henry Meds also includes free shipping; patients filling at a retail pharmacy pay separately.

For orforglipron (pending FDA approval; PDUFA date April 10, 2026, verify status before publishing): Sesame clinicians can write orforglipron prescriptions, and patients pay $149/month via LillyDirect directly. Total cost through Sesame: visit ($29–$79) + $149 medication = ~$178–$228/month. Henry Meds does not currently offer orforglipron.

What medications can each provider prescribe?

Sesame clinicians can prescribe any medication within their clinical judgment — brand-name or compounded, GLP-1 or otherwise. The clinician makes the prescription decision; Sesame is the marketplace, not the prescriber.

Henry Meds prescribes compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide only. No brand-name medications. No insurance pathway. No orforglipron.

Medication	Sesame	Henry Meds
Brand Wegovy (semaglutide injectable)	✅ Clinician's discretion	❌
Brand Zepbound (tirzepatide injectable)	✅ Clinician's discretion	❌
Oral Wegovy	✅ Clinician's discretion	❌
Orforglipron (pending FDA approval)	✅ Via LillyDirect	❌
Compounded semaglutide	✅ Clinician's discretion	✅ $149/mo
Compounded tirzepatide	✅ Clinician's discretion	✅ $349/mo

Sesame's flexibility gives insured patients access to brand medications and any clinician-approved prescription. Henry Meds' bundled model is simpler for cash-pay patients who specifically want compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide.

What is the Sesame Plus membership and does it matter here?

Sesame Plus ($11.99/month) gives members access to lower-priced visits and some additional features. If you are using Sesame on an ongoing basis for monthly GLP-1 follow-up appointments, the membership can pay for itself — visits discounted by $10–$30 compared to non-member pricing.

For a patient using Sesame once for an initial GLP-1 consultation, the membership is not worth paying. For ongoing monthly care through Sesame, factor it into the cost comparison.

Can Sesame prescribe compounded semaglutide?

Sesame clinicians have prescribing discretion — some may prescribe compounded semaglutide if they are aware of and willing to use compounding pharmacies. Sesame does not curate prescribers for GLP-1 experience the way Henry Meds does. Patients should ask the specific clinician during the visit whether they prescribe compounded GLP-1s and which pharmacies they work with.

Given the ongoing FDA enforcement environment for compounded GLP-1s, some Sesame clinicians may be moving away from compounded prescriptions. Henry Meds maintains a consistent compounded-only model.

Does Henry Meds accept insurance?

No. Henry Meds is cash-pay only. They do not offer brand-name medications and do not navigate insurance. For patients with insurance that covers Wegovy or Zepbound, Henry Meds provides no access to that benefit — those patients should use a provider that can prescribe brand medications, such as Sesame, Calibrate, or Found.

Who is Sesame best for?

• Insured patients with Wegovy or Zepbound coverage — Sesame clinicians can prescribe brand-name medications that flow through your insurance benefit, potentially making Sesame the cheapest path to a GLP-1 prescription ($54–$104/month total for visit + copay)
• Patients who want to choose their own clinician — Sesame's marketplace model lets patients compare providers, read reviews, and select based on specialty and price
• Patients who want orforglipron (pending FDA approval) — Sesame clinicians can prescribe orforglipron; Henry Meds currently cannot
• Patients who want flexibility across medications — Brand or compounded, GLP-1 or otherwise, Sesame's marketplace supports any prescription

Who is Henry Meds best for?

• Cash-pay patients who want the simplest all-in compounded GLP-1 subscription — $149/month with no pharmacy trip, no insurance, and no per-visit charge
• Long-term compounded semaglutide patients — The loyalty discount drops to $129/month after 6 months, lower than any Sesame path that includes per-visit fees
• Patients who want compounded tirzepatide at a transparent price — $349/month all-in; Sesame does not bundle tirzepatide medication

How We Evaluated

We compared Sesame and Henry Meds across five dimensions: all-in pricing under insurance and cash-pay scenarios, medication formulary, operational model (marketplace vs subscription), insurance navigation, and use case fit. Telehealth Ally has no commercial relationship with either provider.

Pricing and protocol data sourced from Sesame's and Henry Meds' public websites, verified April 2026. We have no commercial relationship with either provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Sesame work vs Henry Meds for GLP-1? Sesame is a healthcare marketplace: you pay for a visit ($29–$79), get a prescription from the clinician, and fill it at any pharmacy. Henry Meds is a GLP-1 subscription: one monthly fee ($149 semaglutide, $349 tirzepatide) covers consultation, medication, and shipping. Sesame requires more steps; Henry Meds is simpler but limited to compounded medications.

Which is cheaper with insurance: Sesame or Henry Meds? Sesame. With insurance covering Wegovy, a Sesame visit ($29–$79) plus your insurance copay ($25–$75) totals $54–$154/month — often lower than Henry Meds' $149/month. Henry Meds cannot prescribe brand medications or work with insurance, so insured patients get no benefit from that coverage at Henry Meds.

Can Sesame prescribe compounded semaglutide? Some Sesame clinicians prescribe compounded semaglutide; others do not. Ask the specific clinician at booking. Sesame does not curate providers for GLP-1 specialty the way Henry Meds does. Given current FDA enforcement activity, clinician availability for compounded GLP-1 prescriptions may vary.

Does Henry Meds accept insurance? No. Henry Meds is cash-pay only. They prescribe only compounded medications, which are not covered by any insurance plan. Patients with insurance coverage for Wegovy or Zepbound should use a provider that can prescribe brand-name medications.

Can I switch from Henry Meds to Sesame? Yes. Neither provider requires a long-term commitment. Henry Meds is month-to-month — cancel before your next billing date to stop charges. At Sesame, simply book a new visit with a clinician who can continue your GLP-1 prescription. Request your treatment history and dosing records from Henry Meds to share with the new clinician.

Related Resources

• Sesame Weight Loss Review — Full Sesame marketplace analysis
• Henry Meds Review — Full Henry Meds analysis
• PlushCare vs Sesame for Weight Loss — Sesame vs another transparent-pricing platform
• Henry Meds vs Hims for GLP-1 — Henry Meds vs a mainstream competitor
• Compounded Semaglutide Providers Roundup — All major compounded GLP-1 providers compared