Choosing between telos rx and Transparent Meds comes down to how you want to take your medication and what is bundled with it. Both publish their prices openly, both display a LegitScript seal, and both run on compounded GLP-1 medication reviewed by a licensed provider. telos rx offers more ways to take a GLP-1, including a needle-free oral option, and includes quarterly labs. Transparent Meds offers a broader injectable wellness menu alongside its weight-care programs.
If you want a choice between injectable, microdosed and needle-free oral GLP-1, plus quarterly labs included in the plan, telos rx is the better fit. Transparent Meds fits if you want injectable NAD+ or a GHRH peptide program alongside weight care from one provider.
Start your intake →Quick comparison: telos rx vs Transparent Meds
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Any prescription is subject to medical approval by a licensed provider, and approval is never guaranteed. Pricing shown is as of publication and can change.
What is telos rx?
telos rx is an online-first, LegitScript-certified telehealth service focused on metabolic and longevity care. The core of the catalog is GLP-1 weight management using compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide.
The model is asynchronous. You complete a short intake online, and a licensed provider reviews it. There is no appointment to book and no waiting room. Providers are part of Arora Health Group, and prescriptions are filled by partner compounding pharmacies including VialsRX and Jungle Jim’s.
What sets the catalog apart is that a GLP-1 is not one product here. You can take it as a weekly injection, as a lower-dose microdosed tirzepatide, or as a needle-free oral GLP-1. Plans include free 2-day shipping, care-team messaging, dose adjustments and quarterly labs, and you can cancel in one click with no cancellation fee.
Browse the semaglutide and tirzepatide pages, or compare every route on the GLP-1 options page.
What is Transparent Meds?
Transparent Meds is a telehealth platform whose whole brand promise is in the name: clear pricing shown before you pay, with no surprise fees at checkout. Its tagline is “Telehealth You Can Trust.”
The company is unusually direct about how it is structured. It states plainly that it is not itself a medical practice, pharmacy or healthcare provider. Clinical services are provided by Locum Tele, an independent network of U.S.-licensed clinicians, and prescriptions are filled and shipped by Rush Pharmacy, a U.S.-based, state-licensed compounding pharmacy. It also publishes a full list of the 45 states it currently serves rather than making a vague nationwide claim.
That level of disclosure is genuinely above average for this category, and it deserves credit. Many competitors name neither their clinician network nor their pharmacy. Transparent Meds names both.
The platform is HIPAA-compliant, accepts HSA and FSA cards, provides itemized receipts for reimbursement, and does not work with insurance directly. It displays a LegitScript seal on its site with a link to verify it.
Medications: what each program offers
Both companies build on the same drug class. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which acts on a hormone pathway involved in appetite and blood-sugar regulation. Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, acting on two such pathways. The compounded versions offered by both telos rx and Transparent Meds are not FDA-approved.
Transparent Meds offers both as a once-weekly injection, shipped with syringes and a cold pack. Its catalog also extends into wellness territory. There is injectable NAD+ at a 1000 mg monthly supply, plus two GHRH peptides, sermorelin and tesamorelin. Each peptide is offered at a single 3 mg/mL concentration. Every item in its published catalog is an injectable.
telos rx covers the same two GLP-1 molecules but offers more than one way to take them. Alongside the weekly injection there is microdosed tirzepatide and a needle-free oral GLP-1. For people who are hesitant about needles, that is the single biggest practical difference between the two services.
For background on how these medications are used in weight management, see the NIH NIDDK overview and the FDA announcement on tirzepatide for chronic weight management.
Key takeaway: On semaglutide the two services are priced identically at $99 per month. The real differences are tirzepatide pricing, whether a needle-free option exists, and whether routine labs are included.
Pricing and transparency
This is a rare comparison where both companies publish their numbers, so there is no guesswork on either side. Transparent Meds shows a struck-through list price next to the monthly price it actually charges. Its own FAQ states that what you see before checkout is what you pay.
Transparent Meds, as published:
- Semaglutide, $99 per month, against a $229 list price
- Tirzepatide, $199 per month, against a $349 list price
- Injectable NAD+, $149 per month, against a $229 list price
- Sermorelin, $179 per month, and tesamorelin, $179 per month
telos rx, as published:
- Semaglutide, as low as $99 per month
- Microdosed tirzepatide, as low as $116 per month
- Tirzepatide, as low as $139 per month
- Needle-free oral GLP-1, from $9 a day
- Sermorelin, as low as $125 per month
On semaglutide, the headline number is the same on both sides. That is a genuine tie, and it is worth saying so plainly rather than manufacturing a difference. Where the two separate is tirzepatide, where telos rx is $139 per month against $199, and sermorelin, where telos rx is $125 per month against $179.
Both services hold one rate as your dose is titrated rather than charging more at higher doses, and neither bills insurance. Both accept HSA and FSA.
Start your intake to see your plan price in minutes.
How the process works
The two intake flows are more alike than different, which is worth being upfront about.
Transparent Meds asks you to answer questions about your health, history and goals, a step it says most people finish in under five minutes from any device. A licensed U.S. clinician then reviews the assessment and builds a plan. If treatment is not a fit, you are eligible for a full refund. Approved prescriptions typically ship in one to two business days with free tracked, discreet delivery, and your care team stays available for questions, check-ins and adjustments.
telos rx works the same way in outline. A short online intake, asynchronous review by a licensed provider, then free 2-day shipping if you are approved. There is no appointment and no consultation fee.
Refund policy is also close to identical, and both are reasonable. telos rx refunds 100% if a provider declines you, and charges become final once a prescription has been transmitted to the pharmacy. Transparent Meds mirrors that. It will not refund a billing cycle once a provider has approved the renewal or the pharmacy has begun processing your medication. You can always cancel to stop future renewals.
Neither service prescribes automatically. In both cases a licensed provider decides, and approval is not guaranteed.
Coaching and ongoing support
Neither company sells a heavy coaching layer with nutritionists and group sessions. Both keep support clinical and message-based, which suits people who want a responsive care team rather than a program to attend.
Transparent Meds includes care-team messaging, follow-up and dose adjustments, and makes a point of saying you can message when something changes rather than filing a ticket. Labs, however, are not part of the standard program. Its own FAQ says in-person steps or labs are ordered only when your clinician decides they are medically appropriate.
telos rx includes unlimited care-team messaging and dose adjustments on the same model, and adds quarterly labs to the plan itself. If you like the idea of routine bloodwork being scheduled rather than requested, that is a real structural difference rather than a marketing one.
Safety and medical oversight
Both services put a licensed provider between you and the medication, and both are candid in their disclosures.
Transparent Meds states clearly on its site that compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality. It lists the standard GLP-1 contraindications. Those include a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and kidney problems. It also advises against use in pregnancy or breastfeeding. It also notes that some imagery on its site may be AI-generated, which is a level of candour few competitors bother with.
telos rx applies the same screening standards. Providers review your full history before any prescription, and the same contraindications apply. GLP-1 side effects can include nausea, constipation and other digestive changes, particularly in the first weeks.
On certification, both display a LegitScript seal. That is parity, not a differentiator, and it would be misleading to present it otherwise.
Whichever you choose, share your complete medical history at intake. Approval is subject to medical review in both cases.
Which service is right for you?
Best if you want a choice between injectable, microdosed and needle-free oral GLP-1, lower tirzepatide pricing, and quarterly labs included in the plan.
Best if you are comfortable with weekly injections and want injectable NAD+ or a GHRH peptide program from the same provider, with a named clinician network and pharmacy.
If needles are the thing holding you back, or you want routine labs built into the price, telos rx is the more complete option. If your interest runs toward injectable NAD+ or peptide programs alongside weight care, Transparent Meds has the broader injectable menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is telos rx legitimate?
Yes. telos rx is LegitScript-certified. Providers are part of Arora Health Group, medications are prepared by partner compounding pharmacies, and every prescription is subject to medical approval by a licensed provider.
Is Transparent Meds LegitScript-certified?
Transparent Meds displays a LegitScript seal on its website along with a link to verify it. On certification, the two services are on equal footing.
Are these GLP-1 medications FDA-approved?
No. The compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide offered by both telos rx and Transparent Meds are not FDA-approved. Both companies disclose this. Compounded medications are prepared under federal compounding regulations and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.
How much does telos rx cost compared to Transparent Meds?
Both publish their pricing. Semaglutide is $99 per month at both services. Tirzepatide is as low as $139 per month at telos rx against $199 per month at Transparent Meds. telos rx also offers microdosed tirzepatide from $116 per month and needle-free oral GLP-1 from $9 a day, neither of which Transparent Meds lists.
Does either service offer a needle-free GLP-1?
telos rx offers a needle-free oral GLP-1. Every GLP-1 in the published Transparent Meds catalog is a weekly injection shipped with syringes and a cold pack.
Are labs included?
telos rx includes quarterly labs in the plan. Transparent Meds states that labs and in-person steps are ordered only when your clinician decides they are medically appropriate, so they are not part of the standard program.
Can I cancel either service at any time?
Yes. Both allow cancellation at any time with no cancellation fee and no long-term contract. In both cases, a charge becomes final once a prescription has been sent to the pharmacy for that cycle.
telos rx is LegitScript-certified. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved and are prepared under federal compounding regulations. Approval is subject to evaluation by a licensed provider; approval is not guaranteed. Individual results vary. telos rx operates as an online-first, asynchronous telehealth service. Competitor details and pricing were taken from publicly available information on transparentmeds.co as of publication and may change.
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