Head-to-head
LillyDirect (Zepbound) vs TMates
Compared on tirzepatide across the eight dimensions this database records. They differ on 5 of those eight. TMates is cheaper on all-in tirzepatide at 10 mg/week, though on a flat-versus-tiered matchup the cheaper program can change further up the dose ladder.
The short answer
LillyDirect (Zepbound) is $449 a month all-in for tirzepatide; TMates is $297. Over twelve months that is $5,388 against $2,004. Value Scores are 46.3 and 55.3 out of 100.
Tirzepatide
Plan pages: LillyDirect (Zepbound) plans · TMates plans
At 10 mg/week, LillyDirect (Zepbound) is $449 a month all-in and TMates is $297 — $152 apart, or $1,824 across a year. Over twelve months the totals are $5,388 (billed monthly) and $2,004 (prepaid term).
LillyDirect (Zepbound) prices tirzepatide by dose: $299 per month at 2.5 mg rising to $449 at 7.5 mg, a difference of $150 a month between the bottom and top of the ladder.
TMates charges a flat $297 per month for tirzepatide at every dose from 2.5 to 15 mg per week, so titrating upward does not change what you pay. The company publishes no price at 5, 7.5, 12.5, 15 mg, so those doses are left blank rather than estimated.
| Dose | LillyDirect (Zepbound) | Rank | TMates | Rank | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | $299 | 18/31 | $297 | 16/31 | TMates by $2 |
| 5 mg | $399 | 14/17 | — | — | only LillyDirect (Zepbound) publishes |
| 7.5 mg | $449 | 16/17 | — | — | only LillyDirect (Zepbound) publishes |
| 10 mg | $449 | 24/27 | $297 | 12/27 | TMates by $152 |
| 12.5 mg | $449 | 16/17 | — | — | only LillyDirect (Zepbound) publishes |
| 15 mg | $449 | 16/17 | — | — | only LillyDirect (Zepbound) publishes |
TMates is cheaper at every dose where both publish a price, so the lead does not change as you titrate.
Across the 27 programs this database can rank on tirzepatide, LillyDirect (Zepbound) sits 23 of 27 on all-in monthly cost and TMates sits 10. There are 12 other programs priced between them. The field median is $339 and the floor is $169, so TMates is below the median and the other is above it. LillyDirect (Zepbound) is $280 above the cheapest tirzepatide program on record. TMates is $128 above the cheapest tirzepatide program on record.
LillyDirect (Zepbound), the lowest FDA-approved tirzepatide channel here, is $449 a month — LillyDirect (Zepbound) undercuts it by $0, TMates by $152. Compounded products are not FDA approved; insurance can reverse that comparison.
| Plan term | LillyDirect (Zepbound) | TMates | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month to month | $449 | $297 | TMates by $152 |
| 12-month term | — | $167 | only TMates publishes this term |
| Settled dose | LillyDirect (Zepbound) | TMates | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | $3,588 | $3,564 | $24 apart |
| 5 mg | $4,788 | — | one side unpriced |
| 7.5 mg | $5,388 | — | one side unpriced |
| 10 mg | $5,388 | $3,564 | $1,824 apart |
| 12.5 mg | $5,388 | — | one side unpriced |
| 15 mg | $5,388 | — | one side unpriced |
LillyDirect (Zepbound) publishes no rate for 3-month term, 6-month term, 12-month term; TMates publishes none for 3-month term, 6-month term. An unpublished term is not necessarily unavailable — it is unpriced in public, which you can only resolve by asking.
A titration year is not twelve months at the maintenance price. Stepping up roughly four weeks per dose before settling at 10 mg/week, the first twelve months work out to $5,188 on LillyDirect (Zepbound) and $3,564 on TMates — $1,624 apart, and a different gap from the $1,824 you would get by multiplying the monthly difference by twelve. The ramp is cheaper than the settled rate on whichever program prices by dose, which is why a first-year quote and a steady-state quote are not the same number.
That calculation is partial: TMates publishes no price at 2 of them, so the maintenance rate stands in for the missing steps rather than a number the company has stated.
Value Scores are 46.3 for LillyDirect (Zepbound) and 55.3 for TMates, against a tirzepatide category floor of $169. TMates leads by 9.0 points, driven mostly by price.
| Program | Price /70 | Evidence /15 | Dose /10 | Membership /5 | Total /100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LillyDirect (Zepbound) | 26.4 | 15.0 | 0 | 5 | 46.3 |
| TMates | 39.8 | 10.5 | 0 | 5 | 55.3 |
Where the two programs differ
All-in monthly
TMates is cheaper month to month — $297 against $449, a gap of $152 every month, or $1,824 across a year if both rates hold.
Cancellation terms
Cancellation differs: LillyDirect (Zepbound) states No subscription lock, while TMates states Per provider terms. Read this next to the twelve-month figures — a prepaid discount and a restrictive refund policy are the same decision.
Commitment
LillyDirect (Zepbound) asks for None; Journey Program pricing requires refill within 45 days on 7.5 mg+; TMates asks for 12-month plan or month-to-month; substantial difference in rates. This is the dimension most likely to change which program is actually cheaper for you, because the lowest rates on both sides are usually attached to the longest terms.
Evidence status
The two prices are not equally well evidenced. LillyDirect (Zepbound)'s figure is verified and TMates's is reported. LillyDirect (Zepbound) rests on the stronger of the two, and the Value Score below reflects that — evidence quality is worth fifteen points and is not a tiebreaker we apply after the fact.
Twelve-month cost
Over twelve months the totals are $5,388 for LillyDirect (Zepbound) and $2,004 for TMates. TMates is lower by $3,384 — a figure worth checking against the cancellation terms below, because a prepaid year is only cheaper if you stay on it.
Dose policy
Both price by dose, so both advertised figures understate the cost of a titration year. Compare the ladders above rather than the headline rates.
Membership fee
Neither charges a separate membership fee.
Shipping
Shipping is handled the same way by both — included in the quoted price.
What each record says
LillyDirect (Zepbound) Official site
The manufacturer's own cash channel for FDA-approved Zepbound single-dose vials: $299/month at 2.5 mg, $399 at 5 mg, and $449 for every dose from 7.5 to 15 mg through the Self Pay Journey Program — provided each refill lands within 45 days of the last, otherwise that refill reverts to $599–$1,049 by dose. This is the cheapest FDA-approved tirzepatide in the country and the benchmark every compounded price should be judged against.
It names its compounding pharmacy — Eli Lilly self-pay pharmacy (GiftHealth), recorded as Manufacturer direct — which can be checked against state board licensing and FDA inspection records before you order; commitment terms are None; Journey Program pricing requires refill within 45 days on 7.5 mg+; cancellation is No subscription lock; availability is stated as 50 states.
Evidence: verified — captured at checkout by our desk on the stated date, captured . Source — Lilly investor announcement Dec 1, 2025 + LillyDirect program pages; corroborated by drugs.com pricing review updated Jun 12, 2026
Watch: The 45-day refill window is the whole game: one late refill at 10 mg costs $699 instead of $449.
TMates Official site
TMates is a compounded GLP-1 telehealth service that includes medication and visits in one bundled monthly price. It offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide, with a 12-month plan that brings tirzepatide to $167/mo — the lowest committed-plan figure for tirz outside of bmiMD and NexLife.
It does not publicly name its compounding pharmacy; the record shows Partner 503A pharmacy (not publicly named), so who actually makes the medication cannot be independently verified; commitment terms are 12-month plan or month-to-month; substantial difference in rates; cancellation is Per provider terms; availability is stated as Confirm at intake.
Evidence: reported — sourced from dated third-party reporting; first-party capture pending, captured . Source — rangeyourself.com, capture 2026-07-14
Watch: The $158/mo (sema) and $167/mo (tirz) headline figures are 12-month plan rates; month-to-month is $249 (sema) and $297 (tirz) — some of the widest start-to-commitment spreads in the index. Reported status from RangeYourself 2026-07-14 verification.
Which molecules each one carries
LillyDirect (Zepbound) carries tirzepatide at $449 a month; does not offer semaglutide.
TMates carries tirzepatide at $297 a month and semaglutide at $249 a month.
Comparable only on tirzepatide: they do not both publish a rankable semaglutide price. Switching molecule mid-treatment would mean changing provider.
What neither record tells you
LillyDirect (Zepbound) does not publish
- no published twelve-month tirzepatide rate
TMates does not publish
- no tirzepatide price at 5, 7.5, 12.5, 15 mg per week
- no named compounding pharmacy
- no state-by-state availability list — it says Confirm at intake
- no specific cancellation or refund terms
Ask LillyDirect (Zepbound) and TMates for each of those in writing before enrolling. A gap is not evidence of a problem; it does mean nothing can be checked against it.
What would change this answer
Evidence may be upgraded. TMates carries a price we have not captured at checkout. A capture would move the evidence term and could reorder these two without any price changing.
Prepaid terms move the annual figures. TMates publishes a twelve-month rate of $167 a month against $297 month-to-month. Read those next to the cancellation terms, not the monthly rate.
Which one suits which reader
On the lowest standing monthly rate for tirzepatide, TMates Official site wins this matchup. And if you would rather trust a better-evidenced number, lillydirect (zepbound)'s price rests on stronger provenance.
Both figures should be checked at the provider's own checkout before you pay. LillyDirect (Zepbound)'s tirzepatide price is verified as of 2026-08-11; TMates's is reported as of 2026-07-14.
Questions
Is LillyDirect (Zepbound) or TMates cheaper for tirzepatide?
TMates is cheaper on all-in monthly cost at 10 mg/week: $297 against $449, a difference of $152 a month. All-in means the medication plus every mandatory recurring fee.
What is the twelve-month cost of LillyDirect (Zepbound) versus TMates?
LillyDirect (Zepbound) works out to $5,388 across twelve months and TMates to $2,004, on the plan terms each publishes.
Does LillyDirect (Zepbound) or TMates raise the price as the dose goes up?
LillyDirect (Zepbound): yes, it prices by dose. TMates: yes, it prices by dose. Where one program is flat and the other is tiered, the cheaper of the two can change as you titrate upward.
How many ways do LillyDirect (Zepbound) and TMates differ?
5 of the eight dimensions this site records: all-in monthly, twelve-month cost, dose policy, membership, shipping, commitment, cancellation terms and evidence status.
Which of LillyDirect (Zepbound) and TMates names its pharmacy?
LillyDirect (Zepbound) does — Eli Lilly self-pay pharmacy (GiftHealth). TMates does not, recording only Partner 503A pharmacy (not publicly named), so who makes its medication cannot be independently verified.
How well evidenced are the LillyDirect (Zepbound) and TMates prices?
LillyDirect (Zepbound)'s tirzepatide figure is verified — captured at checkout by our desk on the stated date — captured 2026-08-11. TMates's is reported, captured 2026-07-14. Evidence status is worth fifteen points in the Value Score, so it is priced in rather than mentioned as an aside.
Official sources: LillyDirect (Zepbound) official site · TMates official site. Compounded tirzepatide and semaglutide are not FDA-approved products.