Alloy vs Wisp for Menopause: Which One Is Right for You?

Here is the short version. Alloy ships FDA-approved hormones to your door: its menopause path starts with a one-time $49 visit, then medication is billed separately (estradiol pills from $39.99/month, patches from $74.99/month). Wisp charges a flat $99for the visit — follow-ups and three months of care included — then sends your prescription to your own pharmacy, where you pay for the medicine. Both prescribe FDA-approved estrogen and progesterone. Neither bills insurance.

Here is the part almost everyone gets wrong: Wisp's "$99" does not include your medication. Alloy's price does — for your estrogen, at least. Once you line them up fairly, the cheaper choice is not always who you would guess, and there is an exact dollar amount where it flips. We will show you that number below.

We're The HRT Index, and we read every price on both sites in July 2026 so you don't have to open eight tabs and build a spreadsheet.

Alloy vs Wisp: the verdict at a glance

The HRT Index is the independent decision resource for online menopause and HRT care — comparing telehealth providers on clinical legitimacy, care quality, medication fit, price transparency, and access, with every claim verified and dated, so women can choose the path that fits their situation before their first consult.

Who each one is for (and who should skip both)

Alloy vs Wisp: the full comparison

Every number came from each company's live pages in July 2026, or from a dated source. Where a price depends on your pharmacy or your checkout, we say so instead of guessing.

FDA-approved and compounded products are listed separately on purpose. Compounded products are mixed by a compounding pharmacy and are notFDA-approved. Compounded is not “the same as,” “more natural than,” or “safer than” FDA-approved medicine — more on that below.

Note: These are not paid links. We do not earn a commission from Alloy or Wisp. See Alloy's current prices and plans · See what Wisp's $99 visit includes

Why aren't Alloy's and Wisp's prices comparable?

Alloy vs Wisp is not really “$39.99” versus “$99.” Those two numbers measure different things. Alloy's price is for the medicine, shipped to you. Wisp's $99 is for the visit — the medicine is a separate charge at your pharmacy. Comparing them straight across is like comparing a grocery bill to a restaurant's cover charge.

Once you see that, the whole decision gets simpler. You are really choosing between two systems:

What does Alloy cost compared with Wisp for the first 90 days?

On most prescriptions, Wisp ends up cheaper once you add three months of medication — because after the one-time $99, you are paying low generic prices at your pharmacy. Alloy costs more per month for the medicine, but its upfront fee is lower ($49 vs. $99) and the price includes delivery and unlimited doctor messaging. The real answer depends on your exact prescription and your pharmacy's price, so here is the math.

Both companies work in 3-month chunks, so let's compare a 90-day total — the fairest way to line them up.

What Alloy costs for 90 days

Alloy's published starting prices (July 2026), with the one-time $49 fee added once. You will see your full plan total before you approve it.

*The estrogen-plus-progesterone rows add Alloy's separately listed progesterone price (~$23/month). Confirm your actual combined checkout total before you pay.

A quick clinical note: for women who still have a uterus, a progestogen is usually added to protect the uterine lining when you take systemic estrogen — unless you already have a progestin IUD like Mirena. Your clinician decides what is right for you.

What Wisp costs for 90 days

The flip point (the part no one else gives you)

Here is the number that actually decides it: the pharmacy price at which Wisp becomes the cheaper choice. If your pharmacy charges less than the amount below for a 90-day supply, Wisp wins on total cost. If it charges more, Alloy wins.

What's the biggest catch with Wisp's $99 menopause consult?

Wisp's $99 is not your total cost — the medication is a separate charge at your pharmacy. You could finish the visit, feel great about the price, then get surprised at the counter: a high copay, a medicine that is not stocked, or a cash price you did not expect. That is the most common gripe we saw about Wisp.

Here is the reframe, because this “catch” is also Wisp's superpower: Wisp does not bundle your medication — and if you want one all-in number with nothing to figure out, Alloy's delivered price is more predictable. But becauseWisp keeps the medicine separate, you get to use your own pharmacy, run it through your insurance, or use a GoodRx coupon — which is exactly why Wisp usually ends up cheaper for pills. The separation is not a trick. It's control. You just have to use it.

If a surprise pharmacy bill would ruin it for you, start with Alloy — you will see your full plan total before you approve it, and it is shipped to your door. If you like the idea of shopping your own price, Wisp rewards that.

Are Alloy and Wisp hormones FDA-approved or compounded?

Both Alloy and Wisp prescribe FDA-approved estrogen and progesterone as their core menopause treatment — the conventional, pharmacy-filled kind, not compounded hormones. Both companies also sell compounded estriol skincare creams, which are not FDA-approved and are separate from your hormone therapy.

The FDA has not approved any drug that contains estriol — so any estriol cream, from either company, is compounded by definition. The estriol in those face creams is a skincare product, not the systemic hormone therapy that treats hot flashes and night sweats. For a deeper look: Is compounded HRT safe?

Does Alloy deliver medication while Wisp uses a local pharmacy?

Alloy ships your hormones to your door for free, billed every three months, so you never visit a pharmacy. Wisp sends your prescription to a local pharmacy you choose, and you pick it up and pay there. That single difference shapes cost, speed, and how much of this you manage yourself.

Delivery vs. your pharmacy

With Alloy, everything comes to you. The trade-off: Alloy fills through its own partner pharmacy, not your corner drugstore. You can ask to transfer a prescription to a local pharmacy later — but only after at least one order, and doing so means canceling your Alloy subscription and giving up the free doctor messaging.

With Wisp, you are in the driver's seat from day one. The script goes to the pharmacy you pick, which is what lets you use insurance or a GoodRx coupon on the medicine. The trade-off: you will not know your real medication price until the pharmacy rings it up, and stock can vary.

How fast can you actually start?

Alloy's help center sets the honest expectation at about 1–2 business days to hear from a doctor for hormone therapy. Wisp says its menopause review can take up to 72 hours, then sends the prescription to your pharmacy the same day once approved (the pharmacy still has to fill it). Neither is truly same-day HRT. Plan for a few days either way.That is normal — real clinicians are reviewing your history, not rubber-stamping a form.

Can you use insurance, HSA/FSA, or GoodRx with Alloy or Wisp?

Neither Alloy nor Wisp bills your health insurance for the visit — both are cash-pay telehealth. Both accept HSA and FSA cards. The big difference: because Wisp sends your prescription to your own pharmacy, you can run the medicationthrough insurance or a GoodRx card there; Alloy's delivered medicine cannot be billed to insurance, though Alloy gives you an itemized invoice to try for reimbursement.

• Alloy and insurance:Alloy does not bill or accept insurance directly. If you have a PPO, you can download an itemized invoice and try to get partly reimbursed — but that is not guaranteed. HSA/FSA cards work for eligible purchases, subject to your plan.
• Wisp and insurance:Wisp does not bill insurance for the visit either. But at the pharmacy, your prescription is just a normal prescription — the pharmacist can run it through your drug coverage, or you can use a GoodRx card. GoodRx is used instead of insurance on a given prescription, not on top of it, so compare the two and use whichever is lower.
• HSA/FSA: Both accept these tax-advantaged cards, subject to your account and plan rules.

Do Alloy or Wisp require labs, a mammogram, or a certain age?

Neither Alloy nor Wisp requires blood tests to begin — menopause hormone therapy is usually prescribed based on your symptoms, age, and history, which matches the approach of The Menopause Society. The main difference: Alloy requires a current mammogram for ongoing (recurring) HRT, with a possible one-time fill at the doctor's discretion; Wisp does not publish a menopause-specific mammogram rule, so confirm any screening at intake.

• No labs required to start, either place. That is these companies following the mainstream approach of treating based on symptoms rather than gatekeeping with bloodwork. If you want labs, your own clinician can order them.
• Alloy's mammogram rule is real and can affect your timing. Alloy asks for an up-to-date mammogram to keep prescribing hormones. If you do not have a recent one, a doctor may allow a single fill while you get scheduled. Plan for it.
• Some people should not start estrogen online at all. Both companies screen for this. Women with undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, active liver disease, a personal history of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, or estrogen-dependent cancers may not be candidates. If any of that describes you, seeing someone in person first is the safer move.

Is Alloy legit? Is Wisp legit?

Both are legitimate, LegitScript-certified telehealth companies with licensed, board-certified clinicians. Alloy's team specializes in menopause and is led by Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Sharon Malone; it holds a Trustpilot rating around 4.3 from roughly 3,700 reviews. Wisp says it has served more than 1.8 million patients and rates about 4.0 on Trustpilot from roughly 11,300 reviews — but carries a D− rating with the Better Business Bureau. Read the patterns in the reviews, not just the star average.

Alloy's credentials

Alloy is genuinely credential-heavy. Its medical team includes Dr. Sharon Malone (MD, FACOG), a nationally recognized menopause OB/GYN who serves as Chief Medical Advisor, plus board-certified physicians, many of them Menopause Society Certified Practitioners (MSCP) — a specific menopause credential. Alloy is LegitScript-certified and has been covered by the New York Times, Vogue, and Oprah Daily.

From verified Trustpilot reviews, the recurring praise theme for Alloy is finally being taken seriously by a specialist instead of a generalist. The most common complaints are about billing and price surprises — notably around compounded add-on creams, not the core FDA-approved hormones, so read carefully which product a review is actually about. For the full picture, see our Alloy review and Alloy cost breakdown.

Wisp's credentials

Wisp is one of the larger women's-health telehealth platforms in the country and is LegitScript-certified; it says it's trusted by more than 1.8 million people. Its menopause care is led by Medical Director Dr. Shannon Chatham, DO (board-certified in family medicine), working with menopause-certified providers. The caution flag: its BBB rating is D−, which the BBB attributes largely to complaints it did not respond to on that platform. Worth knowing — but the BBB is not a government regulator, and the rating is not a judgment about clinical care. For the full picture, see our Wisp review.

How do Alloy and Wisp cancellation, refunds, and denied visits work?

Both services want notice before a renewal or shipment, and neither treats payment as freely refundable — so cancel in writing and watch your dates.

• Alloy: Cancel a continuous subscription at least 7 days before the current period ends. To stop or pause a shipment, submit the request at least 5 business days before it is scheduled to process. The consultation and service fees are non-refundable, and products cannot be returned — refund requests are limited to the first shipment of each product, within 30 days of receiving it.
• Wisp: Give at least 48 hours' noticebefore a renewal on subscription products. Confirm whether the $99 menopause visit auto-renews or requires a fresh visit later — it is not fully spelled out on the public page.
• If a clinician cannot prescribe for you: Wisp's general policy is to charge up to $25for the provider's review instead of the full visit fee, and it voids medication charges when treatment is not approved. Confirm this applies to the $99 menopause consult. With Alloy, ask what happens to the $49 fee if no prescription is issued.

The simple rule with either one: save your cancellation confirmation email, and note your renewal date the day you sign up.

What happens after Wisp's three-month care window?

Wisp's $99 covers the visit, follow-ups, and three months of care-team access — it is designed as an initial care window, not a forever subscription. After those three months, continuing your prescription or getting new questions answered may mean a new visit or a renewal, and the public menopause page does not fully spell out which. Confirm the after-three-months path at checkout so you are not caught off guard.

This is one place Alloy's model is simpler to reason about: as long as your Alloy prescription is active, your doctor messaging stays free — there is no separate “care window” that expires. You are paying every three months for medication anyway, and the access rides along with it.

What about vaginal estrogen for dryness or painful sex?

Vaginal (local) estrogen is a different treatment from systemic HRT — it is a low-dose cream, tablet, or ring that works right where it is applied, mainly for vaginal dryness and painful sex, and both Alloy and Wisp sell it as a separate product, not part of the $99 or the systemic plan.

On price, these are separate products on both sites. Alloy lists a vaginal estradiol cream at about $119.97 for a three-month tube with free doctor access. Wisp offers a vaginal estradiol cream starting around $20, separate from the $99 menopause consult. Because the products, quantities, and doses differ, price the specific vaginal product on each side.

Which should you pick? By your situation

Find your row. Then make the two phone-call checks (pharmacy quote for Wisp; full checkout total for Alloy) before you pay.

Not sure either one fits? Other options women compare

If neither Alloy nor Wisp is right — because you want insurance to help pay, an all-in delivered plan, or an in-person option — a few providers are worth a look. These are partners we may earn a commission from (see our affiliate disclosure); it never changes our verdict or your price, and our Alloy and Wisp links are not paid.

How we compared Alloy and Wisp

This comparison follows The HRT Index Verification Standard — we read every published price, separate FDA-approved from compounded, verify state availability and insurance, and re-check on a fixed schedule (top providers monthly, the full roster quarterly). We judge every provider on the same five pillars:

1. Clinical legitimacy — licensed, board-certified clinicians; prescription required. (Both pass.)
2. Care quality — what is the follow-up like? (Alloy: unlimited messaging while your Rx is active. Wisp: three months of care-team access.)
3. Medication fit — which routes are offered, and is it FDA-approved or compounded? (Both: FDA-approved systemic estradiol + progesterone at the core; compounded estriol creams kept separate.)
4. Price transparency — is the real cost knowable before you pay? (This is where we built the 90-day break-even math above.)
5. Access — states, delivery, insurance, screening rules. (Similar footprints; different fulfillment and insurance mechanics.)

Alloy vs Wisp: frequently asked questions

The bottom line on Alloy vs Wisp

Choose Alloy if you want your hormones delivered, a price you approve before you pay, unlimited doctor messaging, a lower upfront fee, and a specialist-led team. Choose Wispif you want your own pharmacy, the option to use insurance or GoodRx, and the lowest total cost on most prescriptions — as long as a possible pharmacy surprise does not bother you. Both prescribe FDA-approved hormones. Both are legit. The cheaper one is usually Wisp for pills, closer for patches, and settled for good by one phone call to your pharmacy.

And if your answer depends on your state, your history, or which route is right for you — the kind of thing a general comparison genuinely cannot decide — take two minutes and let us point you.