How we score programs
The five criteria, their weights, and what each score means.
By Julian Caraulani · prices checked
Every program gets a score out of 10, computed from five criteria. The weights are fixed and published here, and the same for every program.
| Criterion | Weight | What earns a high score |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 30% | A low all-in monthly price for a real treatment plan, labs and fees included |
| Transparency | 25% | Prices published before you sign up, with what's included spelled out |
| Care | 20% | A licensed clinician, lab monitoring, follow-ups and a way to reach the care team |
| Access | 15% | Prescribes in many states, offers more than one treatment, reasonable cancellation |
| Reputation | 10% | Patient reviews on independent platforms and a clean regulatory record |
The exact rules
- Price: the lowest monthly price you can actually pay with nothing mandatory on top. $40 or less scores 10, up to $60 scores 9, up to $80 scores 8, up to $120 scores 6.5, up to $180 scores 5, above that 4. A program with no all-in price scores 3.
- Transparency: starts at 4. Plus 3 if every price needed to work out the total is published (1.5 if only some are), plus 2 if medication is included in the price, plus 1 if cancellation terms are stated.
- Care: starts at 5. Plus 2 if a clinician consult is included, plus 2 if labs or monitoring are offered, plus 1 if FDA-approved hormones are available.
- Access: starts at 4. Plus 2 for 35 or more states, plus 2 if insurance is billed, plus 2 for three or more treatment types.
- Reputation: the Trustpilot score doubled when there are 100 or more reviews, otherwise 5. Minus 2 for an FDA warning letter.
Where the numbers come from
Prices come from each program's own website. Every price on this site shows the page we read it on and the date we checked. When a program doesn't publish a price, we say so instead of estimating.
What the score is not
The score is not affected by whether a program pays us, or how much. Placement on a page can differ from the score order in one case: when two programs are within 0.1, we may show the one with clearer pricing first.
Badges
A few cards carry a badge such as "Lowest price". Badges are worked out from the price table, not chosen by us: each goes to the cheapest program that meets its rule, and moves on its own when prices change.
- Lowest price: the cheapest all-in monthly plan we track.
- Lowest price, FDA-approved: the cheapest plan with FDA-approved medication included in the price.
- Lowest price with labs: the cheapest plan with both medication and lab testing included in the price.
A program holds at most one badge. If the winner of a rule already has one, that badge is not shown at all rather than passed to the runner-up.
Corrections
If a price or fact is wrong, email hello@hrtwatchdog.com with the source and we will re-check it.