Hers vs Stella: Which Menopause Provider Actually Fits Your Insurance, Your State, and Your Budget?

For most insured women with an in-network Stella clinician, Stella is the better starting point: it advertises a $45 average visit copay and sends prescriptions to your pharmacy. Hers is simpler for cash-pay women who want medication delivered in one bundle, with published 12-month starting rates of $79 monthly for oral therapy and $134 for patches.

That is the direct answer to Hers vs Stella. But there is a wrinkle that decides this for a lot of women, and neither company resolves it cleanly on one page: Stella’s current marketing says it accepts insurance while its older U.S. Terms of Service still contain a section titled “No Insurance Accepted.” We show you both positions below.

Best for you if… / Not for you if…

Start with Stella if	Start with Hers if	Start with neither if
Your specific Stella clinician is in network for your plan	You are paying cash and want one bundled program price	You need Medicare or Medicaid to pay for the visit
You want a scheduled video visit with a menopause-focused clinician	You prefer an asynchronous intake instead of a scheduled video appointment	You want testosterone through either U.S. program
You want the prescription sent to your own pharmacy	You want medication delivered through the platform	You have unexplained bleeding or have been told you need an in-person exam or specialist coordination first
You value 12 months of Stella app access and coaching	You do not want to manage a separate pharmacy charge	Neither company can treat you in your state

Two quick facts before we go further, because both names are easy to mix up.

Hers is the women’s health brand of Hims & Hers Health, Inc. It launched its menopause program in October 2025. Its public menopause flow is asynchronous-first: an online intake, provider review, a personalized plan if prescribed, medication delivery through the platform, and ongoing provider messaging.

Stella U.S. is a virtual menopause clinic operated by Vira Health, Inc. It is not the same buying path as Stella’s U.K. clinic, and it is not automatically the same benefit as Stella app access supplied through an employer, insurer, or other partner.

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.

What did we actually verify?

On August 13, 2026, we checked both companies’ public U.S. menopause pages, pricing and insurance pages, FAQs, and Terms of Service. We also checked Hers’s menopause medication guide, the FDA’s current drug-approval guidance, the federal controlled-substance schedule, and the FTC’s pending case against Hims & Hers.

Verified primary-source facts: Hers’s published $79 oral and $134 patch starting rates require a 12-month plan; Hers does not bill insurance; Stella advertises a $45 average copay, $200 initial self-pay visit, and $90 self-pay follow-ups; Hers’s medication guide says a plan may contain commercially available and custom-compounded medication; Stella says it only prescribes “FDA-regulated” medication; and the FTC case against Hims & Hers remains pending.

Not independently tested: checkout totals, a live enrollment in every state and plan, prescription-transfer success for a Hers menopause order, response times, refill approvals, or cancellation execution. Where the public documents do not settle the answer, we tell you to confirm during intake or checkout instead of guessing.

What we are not publishing: a star rating or invented provider score. Stella’s app, U.S. clinic, U.K. clinic, and other country operations are not one clean review pool; Hims & Hers also operates many programs under related brands. A blended rating would look precise and tell you almost nothing true.

What we earn from this comparison: nothing from the direct Hers and Stella links on this page. Read our affiliate disclosure.

Primary sources: Hers menopause program · Hers HRT cost article · Hers Terms and Conditions · Hers menopause medication guide · Stella U.S. · Stella insurance page · Stella FAQs · Stella U.S. Terms

---

The right online HRT provider isn’t the same for every woman — it depends on your symptoms, your age and whether you have a uterus, your medication route preference (patch, pill, gel, or vaginal estrogen), your risk history, your insurance or cash-pay situation, and your state. Some situations belong with an in-person clinician first. Because a general answer can’t resolve those for you, use The HRT Index’s Find My HRT Path tool to match your situation to the right provider — and to flag when online care isn’t the right starting point — before your first consult.

---

Hers vs Stella: what is the main difference?

Hers sells an automatically renewing subscription in which care and medication are generally bundled when the prescription is filled through its pharmacy network. Stella sells clinician visits and sends any prescription to your pharmacy, where the medication is billed separately. That structural difference drives the insurance, cash-flow, pharmacy-control, and cancellation answers.

Category	Hers	Stella
Company	Hims & Hers Health, Inc.	Vira Health, Inc.
What you buy	An automatically renewing subscription	A clinician visit
Public care flow	Online intake and provider review; no scheduled video visit is shown as a required step	Online assessment followed by a scheduled virtual visit
Published price	$79/month oral and $134/month patch starting rates, each with a 12-month plan, published in a December 2025 Hers article	$200 initial self-pay visit; $90 self-pay follow-up
Medication included	Generally yes when filled through a Hers platform pharmacy; a pharmacy of choice may be billed separately	No; the prescription goes to your pharmacy
Insurance	Hers says it does not bill insurance	Current pages say clinicians are in network with hundreds of plans; older Terms still say “No Insurance Accepted”
Average insured visit cost	Not applicable	Stella advertises a $45 average copay; actual cost varies by plan
Out-of-network paperwork	Not applicable	Stella says it provides a superbill and that reimbursement may reach 80% when a plan has out-of-network benefits and requirements are met
Medicare / Medicaid	Hers operates outside federal and state healthcare programs	Stella’s Terms say it is not enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid
Medication category	Hers’s guide says a plan may include commercially available and custom-compounded medication	Stella says it only prescribes “FDA-regulated” hormonal and nonhormonal medication
Testosterone	Not listed in the U.S. Hers menopause program	Not offered by Stella U.S. as of verification; Stella says “Not yet”
Routine labs	Hers’s public menopause flow does not list routine labs as an included step	Stella says most people do not need lab work to begin
Ongoing support	Provider messaging, check-ins, and treatment adjustments	Care coordination plus 12 months of app access and unlimited coaching after the first visit
Published age range	Not published on the Hers menopause page	35 to 70
Public state tool	No public menopause state list or checker found	Public state-and-plan checker; actual network and appointment availability still vary
Cancellation	Auto-renews; see the exact deadline and early-processing clause below	No recurring visit membership shown; appointment cancellation policy applies
Parent-company legal action	Pending FTC, California, and Utah complaint against Hims & Hers; allegations, not findings	None identified in the sources reviewed for this comparison

Provider-stated vs contract-verified

This is the page’s most useful evidence block. A homepage promise, a patient guide, and the contract you accept are different kinds of evidence. Here is where they agree — and where they do not.

Decision point	Public-page position	Contract or guide position	What you should do
Hers price	$79 oral and $134 patch monthly starting rates on 12-month plans	Billing interval and amount are the figures shown at checkout	Record the plan length, billing cadence, and total charged today before submitting
Hers insurance	No insurance	Terms say services are provided on a cash basis outside commercial and government payers	Do not expect Hers to submit an insurance claim
Hers medication status	Menopause page shows estradiol pill or patch, progesterone pill, and estradiol vaginal cream	Medication guide says a plan may mix commercially available and custom-compounded medication	Ask for the exact product and whether it is FDA-approved or compounded before paying
Hers pharmacy choice	Platform delivery is the default public experience	Terms say certain prescriptions may be sent to a pharmacy of your choice	Confirm that this option applies to your exact menopause prescription; do not assume it does
Hers cancellation	Account, app, help center, or phone cancellation	Terms require cancellation at least two days before the applicable renewal processing date and allow later renewals to process up to two days early	Use the date shown in your account; if you only know the expected date, use the conservative buffer explained below
Stella insurance	Current pages say in network with hundreds of plans and advertise a $45 average copay	Terms dated August 14, 2025 still say “No Insurance Accepted”	Verify the specific clinician’s NPI with your insurer and save Stella’s written estimate
Stella self-pay price	$200 initial and $90 follow-up	Appointment and cancellation terms govern refunds and fees	Save the booking confirmation and cancellation deadline
Stella medication status	Stella says it only prescribes “FDA-regulated” medication	No product-level approval list is published for your future prescription	Verify the exact prescribed product in FDA Drugs@FDA if approval status matters to you

Is Hers a subscription and Stella a visit?

Yes. Hers binds the clinical service and, when filled through its pharmacy network, the medication into one subscription price. Stella charges for the clinician’s time and leaves the medication at your pharmacy. One is simpler at the door; the other gives you a more portable pharmacy relationship.

This is why $79 a month and $200 a visit are not directly comparable. One is a bundled program price. One is a professional visit fee. Putting them side by side without converting the units is like comparing a gym membership with one personal-training session.

With Hers, the care and medication are normally tied to the subscription. You complete an online intake, a licensed provider decides whether a prescription is appropriate, and medication filled through a participating platform pharmacy is included in the total subscription price. If you stop the subscription, you should not assume future platform refills continue.

With Stella, the visit and prescription are separate. The clinician sends the prescription to your pharmacy. Any refills already authorized remain subject to the prescription’s terms, expiration, pharmacy rules, and the clinician’s follow-up requirements — but the prescription is not physically trapped inside a mailed subscription box.

That distinction creates a real tradeoff:

• Hers removes the separate pharmacy transaction.
• Stella lets you use your own pharmacy and pharmacy benefit from day one.
• Hers gives you one program relationship to manage.
• Stella makes it easier to see what you paid for care and what you paid for medication.

Neither model wins in the abstract. The right answer is the failure you would rather avoid: an extra pharmacy step, or a treatment relationship built around an automatically renewing bundle.

What will Hers or Stella cost in the first year?

At Hers’s published 12-month starting rates, oral therapy annualizes to $948 and patch therapy to $1,608. Four Stella visits at its advertised $45 average copay would total $180 for care, while four self-pay visits total $470. Stella medication costs remain separate, and every insured scenario depends on deductible, formulary, and pharmacy.

These are comparison scenarios, not personal quotes. The Hers figures are exact multiplication of published monthly starting rates; the Stella insured figure applies Stella’s company-stated average copay to four visits because Stella says most people see it about every three months. Your checkout, benefit, follow-up needs, and prescription can produce a different total.

Scenario	Care cost in year one	Medication cost in year one	What the number really means
Hers oral, published 12-month starting rate	Included in bundle	Included when filled through the platform pharmacy	$79 × 12 = $948 before any checkout-disclosed taxes or fees
Hers patch, published 12-month starting rate	Included in bundle	Included when filled through the platform pharmacy	$134 × 12 = $1,608 before any checkout-disclosed taxes or fees
Stella in network, four visits at its advertised average copay	$45 × 4 = $180	Your pharmacy benefit or cash price	Illustrative only; copay, coinsurance, deductible, and visit coding can change it
Stella self-pay, first visit plus three follow-ups	$200 + $90 + $90 + $90 = $470	Separate pharmacy charge	A superbill may help only if your plan has out-of-network benefits and you meet its rules
Stella self-pay, first visit plus one follow-up	$200 + $90 = $290	Separate pharmacy charge	A two-visit scenario, not a promised minimum course of care
Stella in network before a high deductible is met	Could be the full allowed amount	Could be the full negotiated or cash medication cost	In network does not automatically mean a $45 bill

That last row is where a lot of “Stella is cheaper” conclusions break. An average copay is not a guarantee. A high-deductible plan can leave you paying the allowed charge until you meet the deductible. A formulary can cover the visit and reject the prescribed patch. A pharmacy can be out of network even when the clinician is in network.

Write down three numbers before you submit a Hers checkout:

1. The advertised monthly rate.
2. The plan length.
3. The amount being charged today and the future billing cadence.

Those are not automatically the same number. The current public Hers article gives the monthly starting rates and 12-month commitment, but the checkout controls the actual transaction.

Not sure which cost row fits you? Find My HRT Path walks through your insurance, state, symptoms, route preference, and situations that should start in person. It gives you a decision path instead of pretending one public price answers everybody’s question.

Primary sources: Hers HRT cost article · Hers Terms · Stella insurance and self-pay pricing · Stella FAQs

Does Hers or Stella take insurance?

Hers does not bill insurance. Stella’s current U.S. pages say its clinicians are in network with hundreds of plans, including Aetna, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield, and UnitedHealthcare, and advertise a $45 average copay. But Stella’s U.S. Terms dated August 14, 2025 still say “No Insurance Accepted.” Confirm your exact coverage in writing.

This is the strongest reason to read beyond a comparison table.

What Stella’s current pages say

Stella’s homepage, insurance page, and FAQs currently say its clinicians participate with hundreds of plans. It names Aetna, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield, and UnitedHealthcare, advertises an average $45 copay, and provides a state-and-plan checker. It also says out-of-network patients can receive a superbill and that reimbursement may reach 80% when their plan has out-of-network benefits, the deductible has been met, and the plan’s rules are satisfied.

What Stella’s Terms still say

Stella’s U.S. Terms of Service are dated August 14, 2025. They contain a section titled “No Insurance Accepted” stating that Vira Health does not accept commercial health insurance and is not enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid.

The public sources do not explain the conflict. The Terms are older than the current insurance marketing, so they may no longer describe the present billing model — but that is an inference, not a fact Stella states. The responsible move is not to declare one page fake and the other controlling. It is to verify the specific transaction you are about to make.

Before you book Stella:

• Run the state-and-plan checker.
• Ask Stella for the clinician’s full name and NPI.
• Call the number on your insurance card and verify that NPI for your exact plan.
• Ask whether the deductible applies.
• Save the written cost estimate and booking confirmation.

That takes a few minutes and turns “Stella takes my carrier” into the only answer that matters: this clinician, for this plan, for this visit.

The three-layer insurance check

Most people ask one insurance question when there are three:

1. Is the visit covered? Is the specific clinician in network for your exact plan?
2. Is the drug covered? Is the exact prescribed product on your formulary, at what tier, and with what prior-authorization or step-therapy rules?
3. Is the pharmacy covered? Is the dispensing pharmacy in your plan’s network?

A yes on the visit does not guarantee a yes on the medication. A formulary listing does not guarantee the pharmacy is in network. That is how an “insured” plan can still produce an ugly bill.

Five questions to ask your insurer — not the provider:

1. Is this clinician’s NPI in network for my exact plan?
2. What is my telehealth specialist copay or coinsurance?
3. Does my deductible apply before the copay?
4. Is the exact prescribed product on the formulary, and at what tier?
5. Does it require prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits, or a specific pharmacy?

HSA and FSA: Stella says it is HSA/FSA eligible. Hers says some medication purchases may qualify for HSA or FSA reimbursement and that eligibility varies by plan. Do not treat either statement as a guarantee from your benefits administrator; save the receipt and confirm with your plan.

Medicare and Medicaid: Neither company should be chosen because you expect it to bill those programs. Hers’s Terms describe a cash-pay service outside federal and state healthcare programs. Stella’s Terms say it is not enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid.

Need government coverage to pay for care? Do not force either model to fit. Find My HRT Path can flag that the better starting point is a Medicare- or Medicaid-participating clinician rather than another cash checkout.

Have Aetna, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield, or UnitedHealthcare? Check your state and plan on Stella’s insurance page. Then verify the specific clinician’s NPI with your insurer before booking.

Primary sources: Stella insurance page · Stella FAQs · Stella U.S. Terms · Hers HRT insurance article · Hers Terms

What does Hers actually cost?

Hers does not display a dollar figure on its main menopause storefront. The current public prices are in a December 2025 Hers article: oral medication starts at $79 a month with a 12-month plan, and patches start at $134 a month with a 12-month plan. Your checkout remains the transaction that controls what you pay.

We checked Hers’s menopause page, perimenopause page, and public care flow on August 13, 2026. They explain the intake, provider evaluation, medication routes, delivery, and ongoing support — but they do not display the $79 or $134 figures in the storefront copy.

That matters because a price buried in an educational article does not tell you everything a checkout tells you. The article says Hers has multiple subscription models and price points, but it does not publish the current dollar amount for every alternative plan.

So use the published figures correctly:

• $79 a month is a starting rate for an oral plan with a 12-month commitment.
• $134 a month is a starting rate for a patch plan with a 12-month commitment.
• $948 and $1,608 are annualized arithmetic, not a promise about the exact amount charged on your first transaction.
• The checkout should show the billing cadence, renewal date, and amount charged today.

There is a second useful clue in the same Hers article: it lists approximate retail cash prices for several menopause medications. That lets you separate the drug from the care layer — the provider review, platform, messaging, fulfillment, and convenience you are buying around the prescription.

That does not mean the bundle is overpriced. For a woman who has been unable to find a prescriber, a clean online intake and delivered medication can be the value. But do not mistake the subscription price for the raw pharmacy cost of every possible generic product. Pharmacy prices vary by product, dose, location, coupon, and insurance.

The clean rule: treat $79 and $134 as current provider-published starting rates, not as a personal quote. Screenshot the checkout before you submit it.

Are Hers and Stella medications FDA-approved or compounded?

Do not answer this at the company level. Stella says it only prescribes “FDA-regulated” medications, which is not the same phrase as FDA-approved. Hers’s own menopause guide says a treatment plan may include commercially available and custom-compounded medication. The exact product on your prescription label determines its approval status.

“Estradiol” is not one regulatory category. “Bioidentical” is not an approval status. A provider can offer an FDA-approved manufactured product, a compounded preparation, or a mix of categories across different patients.

What the terms mean

Phrase	What it actually tells you
FDA-approved	The FDA approved a specific product for one or more indications after reviewing the application. Approval attaches to the exact product, not to a provider’s entire program.
FDA-regulated	A broad phrase indicating FDA oversight may apply. It is not a substitute for product-level FDA approval, and Stella’s wording cannot be upgraded into that claim.
Commercially available	Provider or pharmacy wording for a manufactured product in ordinary distribution. It still does not prove approval by itself; verify the exact product.
Custom compounded	A pharmacy prepares a medication for an individual prescription. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness, or quality before marketing.
Bioidentical	A descriptor often used for hormones chemically identical to hormones made by the body. It does not tell you whether a product is FDA-approved, manufactured, or compounded.

What Stella says

Stella’s U.S. pages state that it only prescribes FDA-regulated hormonal and nonhormonal medications. Its homepage also gives FDA-approved estrogen or progesterone as examples of treatment that may be considered. That is a cleaner public sourcing position than a compounded-first program — but you still need the exact product name before making an FDA-approved claim about your prescription.

What Hers says

Hers’s menopause medication guide is unusually direct. It says a personalized plan may include a combination of commercially available medications and custom-compounded medications and tells the patient to read the medication labels carefully.

That means two common review-site claims are unsafe:

• “Everything through Hers is FDA-approved.”
• “Hers uses only standard commercial HRT.”

Hers’s own guide does not support either statement.

This is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to ask one clean question before you pay:

“What exact product would I receive, who manufactures or compounds it, and is that exact product FDA-approved?”

How to verify the product’s FDA status

An NDC number does not establish FDA approval. The FDA says assignment of an NDC does not denote approval, so use the exact product and manufacturer rather than treating a directory listing as proof.

Use this test:

1. Read the label for the exact product name, dosage form, strength, manufacturer or compounding pharmacy, and any statement that it was compounded.
2. Ask the dispensing pharmacy: “Is this an FDA-approved commercially manufactured drug or a compounded preparation?”
3. If the pharmacy says it is FDA-approved, verify the exact product in FDA Drugs@FDA.
4. Do not use an NDC listing alone as proof. FDA says assignment of an NDC does not denote approval.

Three Hers contract details worth knowing

Hers’s current Terms name six platform pharmacies: Apostrophe Pharmacy, XeCare, Curexa Pharmacy, Red Rock Pharmacy, AnazaoHealth Corporation, and Strive Pharmacy.

The same Terms say:

• Prescriptions may be transferred among platform pharmacies without notice.
• Not every prescription filled through those pharmacies uses child-resistant packaging.
• Certain prescriptions may be sent to a pharmacy of your choice, but the customer then pays that pharmacy directly.

That last sentence is useful, but do not stretch it into “every menopause prescription is transferable.” The Terms say certain prescriptions. Confirm the option for your exact plan before you buy.

The routes are not interchangeable

Hers describes a possible kit with an estradiol pill or patch, a progesterone pill when appropriate, and estradiol vaginal cream. The vaginal product is not simply a third systemic route.

Systemic estrogen routes such as pills and patches are used for symptoms including hot flashes and night sweats. Low-dose vaginal estrogen targets genitourinary symptoms such as vaginal dryness, irritation, and pain with sexual activity, with very little entering the bloodstream. A person can need local treatment, systemic treatment, or both depending on symptoms and history.

Read our guide to vaginal estrogen.

Primary sources: Hers menopause medication guide · Stella insurance page · FDA on compounded menopause hormones · FDA NDC Directory warning · FDA Drugs@FDA · The Menopause Society on hormone therapy

Does Hers or Stella prescribe testosterone?

Neither U.S. program currently offers testosterone through the menopause pathway described on its public pages. Hers does not list testosterone in its U.S. menopause kit. Stella U.S. answers “Not yet” and says it hopes to offer it in some states. Stella’s U.K. clinic does prescribe testosterone, but that is a different jurisdiction and service.

The brand overlap is easy to misread:

1. Stella U.S. clinic — virtual visits, U.S. insurance marketing, U.S. prescribing, and U.S. Terms.
2. Stella U.K. clinic — different pricing, prescribing rules, and testosterone availability.
3. Stella partner app access — the app listing says access may be supplied through health insurers, employers, and other communities. That does not automatically mean clinician visits or prescriptions are included.
4. Other Stella country programs — separate availability and commercial terms.

Before paying for the U.S. clinic, check whether your employer or health plan already provides Stella app access. Do not assume the benefit is identical to U.S. clinical care; verify what it includes.

Testosterone is not a casual add-on in the United States. It is a prescription Schedule III controlled substance. Current FDA-approved testosterone products are approved for specified uses in men, not for women. A clinician may prescribe testosterone to a woman off-label in an appropriate situation, but that still requires a valid prescription, controlled-substance compliance, individualized assessment, and follow-up.

Anyone describing online testosterone for women as an over-the-counter wellness upgrade is not being straight with you.

Primary sources: Stella U.S. testosterone FAQ · Stella U.K. · Stella app listing · Federal Schedule III regulation · FDA testosterone information

What is the appointment actually like with Hers or Stella?

Hers is asynchronous-first: you complete an online intake and a licensed provider reviews it without a scheduled video visit shown as a required step. Stella is visit-first: you complete an online assessment, then book a virtual appointment. Stella says it screens 65 risk factors, and most people do not need lab work to start.

This is not a cosmetic difference. It changes how much room you have for back-and-forth before the first prescription.

Hers: form first

Hers’s public flow is:

1. Complete an online intake.
2. Have a licensed provider review it.
3. Receive a personalized plan if treatment is prescribed.
4. Receive medication through the platform pharmacy flow.
5. Use provider messaging, check-ins, and adjustments for ongoing care.

Hers’s wording promises unlimited online access to provider messaging. That is useful, but messaging is not the same as unlimited live appointments. If you need to talk through a complicated history in real time, ask whether a synchronous visit is available before you pay.

Stella: video visit first

Stella’s public flow is:

1. Complete an assessment.
2. Be screened against 65 risk factors.
3. Check state and insurance availability.
4. Book a virtual visit with a menopause-focused clinician.
5. Have any prescription sent to your pharmacy.
6. Receive app access, coaching, and care coordination.

Stella says most people see it every three months for updates or prescription refills. That is useful for budgeting, but it is a company-stated typical cadence, not a requirement for every patient.

Do you need blood tests?

Stella says most people do not need lab work to begin because the online assessment and virtual visit usually provide the necessary information. Hers’s public menopause flow does not list routine lab testing as an included step.

That does not mean blood tests are never appropriate. Menopause and perimenopause are often assessed from symptoms, age, menstrual history, and medical history because hormone levels fluctuate. Testing may still matter when the diagnosis is uncertain, menopause is unusually early, bleeding is abnormal, pregnancy is possible, or another condition needs to be ruled out.

The question is not “does this provider order the biggest panel?” It is “does the clinician order a test when the result would change the decision?”

What is the FTC case against Hims & Hers, and should it change your decision?

On July 29, 2026, the FTC, Utah, and California sued Hims & Hers Health over alleged billing, cancellation, intake, and health-data practices. The case is pending. The allegations have not been proven, and Hims & Hers denies them and says it will defend itself vigorously. The action concerns the parent company, not a finding about one menopause medication.

We are including this because a reasonable person considering a 12-month subscription would want to know. We are not including it to turn a pending complaint into a verdict.

What the government alleges

According to the FTC’s complaint and press release, the plaintiffs allege that Hims & Hers:

• Did not clearly disclose that some consumers could be charged for prescriptions almost immediately after submitting an intake form.
• Did not give many consumers the provider consultation they expected before charging and enrolling them.
• Failed to disclose material recurring-charge and refill timing clearly.
• Made cancellation difficult.
• Shared sensitive health information with Meta, Snap, and other advertising platforms despite privacy promises.

The claims include alleged violations of the FTC Act, the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, Utah consumer law, and California false-advertising and unfair-competition laws.

The FTC case page lists the matter as pending. A complaint means the government has alleged violations and asked a court for relief. It is not a final judicial finding.

What Hims & Hers says

Hims & Hers responded that the lawsuit disregards evidence it supplied during a nearly three-year investigation, misapplies the law, and is baseless. The company says it is confident in its position and will defend itself vigorously.

Both sides belong here. Anything less would be advocacy.

Six protective steps before or immediately after a Hers checkout

1. Screenshot the checkout screen showing the product, plan length, billing cadence, and amount charged today.
2. Save the provider recommendation and medication details before closing the page.
3. Put the renewal-processing date in your calendar and add a conservative earlier reminder.
4. Cancel through a documented channel and save the confirmation if you decide to leave.
5. Review privacy and tracking choices before entering sensitive health information, especially on a page containing advertising pixels or session-replay tools.
6. Read the arbitration section during the first 30 days. Hers’s Terms provide a 30-day written opt-out procedure; missing that window changes how most disputes are handled.

Those steps do not assume the allegations are true for every customer. They simply give you evidence if your transaction differs from what you understood.

Primary sources: FTC Hims & Hers case page · FTC press release · Hims & Hers response · Hers Terms

When do you need to cancel Hers?

Hers’s contract says to cancel at least two days before the applicable renewal processing date. It also says subsequent renewal charges and shipments may process up to two days early. A four-day buffer is therefore The HRT Index’s conservative protection when you only know the expected renewal date — not a deadline Hers explicitly states.

What the general subscription clauses say

Hers’s Terms, last updated August 7, 2026, say:

• A subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least two days before the applicable renewal processing date.
• The first renewal may be charged early to prevent treatment interruption; the general clause does not state a maximum number of early days for that first renewal.
• Later renewal charges and shipments may process up to two days early for holidays or operational reasons.
• Partly used subscription periods are not routinely refunded, although Hers says it may issue a refund case by case at its discretion.

Why the weight-loss clause matters

Farther down, the Terms contain a weight-loss-specific cancellation section. That section says its two-day deadline is calculated from the originally scheduled billing date, even when a weight-loss charge or shipment occurs early.

That protective clarification appears in the weight-loss section. It does not appear in the general subscription clause governing other subscription products.

We cannot tell you why the language differs. We can tell you what to do with it:

• If your account shows an applicable renewal processing date, cancel at least two days before that displayed date.
• If you only know the date you expect the renewal to occur, cancel at least four days before it as a conservative buffer for the two-day early-processing allowance.
• For the first renewal, earlier is safer because the general Terms allow it to be charged early without stating the same two-day cap.

The rule we would give a friend: do not wait for the last contractual day. Cancel early, in writing or through the account, and keep the confirmation.

How to cancel Hers

Hers lists four cancellation routes:

• In the app.
• Through the online account under My Subscriptions.
• Through the Customer Help Center.
• By calling 1-800-368-0038.

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current subscription period. The Terms say there are no standard refunds for partly used periods.

How Stella cancellation compares

Stella is not selling the same automatically renewing visit subscription in the pages reviewed. Its appointment policy says:

• Cancel at least 24 hours before the consultation for a full refund of a prepaid appointment.
• A no-show without cancellation is charged $25 under the Terms. The public Terms do not promise a full refund for a cancellation made inside 24 hours, so confirm the late-cancellation consequence before booking.

That is a simpler policy because there is no bundled medication subscription renewal to unwind.

Calculate your own date, not somebody else’s example. Open the Cancel-Before Calculator. Enter the renewal-processing date shown in your account to see Hers’s contractual two-day deadline and a separate conservative four-day buffer. The buffer is an editorial safeguard, not a deadline Hers states.

Cancel-Before Calculator

Enter the renewal-processing date shown in your Hers account. The calculator returns two dates: the contract deadline, which is two days earlier, and a conservative reminder four days earlier for later renewals that may process up to two days early. For a first renewal, cancel earlier because the general Terms do not publish the same two-day early-processing cap.

Privacy promise: this calculator runs in your browser, stores nothing, asks for no health or insurance information, and does not place the date in the URL or analytics.

Primary sources: Hers Terms · Stella U.S. Terms

Where is Hers weaker, and where is Stella weaker?

Stella’s weak points are separate medication billing, per-visit charges, state-and-network uncertainty, and an unresolved conflict between current insurance marketing and older Terms. Hers’s weak points are storefront price opacity, a 12-month commitment for its published starting rates, possible compounded medication, automatic renewal, and a pending parent-company FTC case about billing, cancellation, and privacy.

Let’s take Stella’s honestly, because Stella is the provider this page recommends most often for insured readers.

Stella will not give you one flat monthly number, and it will not mail the medication as part of the visit fee. You pay the clinician, then you pay the pharmacy. Until you verify the plan and formulary, you do not know either amount exactly. If one predictable bundled charge and medication delivery are the conditions that make treatment realistically doable, Hers may be the better fit — and you should not force yourself into a model you will resent.

But the unbundling is also Stella’s advantage. The prescription goes to your pharmacy and can use your pharmacy benefit. Any remaining authorized refills stay in that pharmacy relationship, subject to normal refill, expiration, and follow-up rules. You can see the care charge and medication charge separately instead of paying one opaque program number.

That is the trade: convenience now, or clearer portability and billing separation later. Both are legitimate priorities.

Hers deserves the same fairness. Its published starting rates can be reasonable for someone paying cash who values convenience, delivery, and ongoing messaging. But the 12-month commitment means the low monthly figure is not the whole decision. The cancellation terms and exact medication category belong in the choice before the CTA, not hidden after it.

Does Hers or Stella work better?

Neither company has published evidence that its U.S. clinical service produces better outcomes than the other. Stella’s “75% improved” statement comes from an initial investigation of 76 app users who completed multiple monthly check-ins. Hers’s “relief in as little as 4–6 weeks” is based on randomized trials of estradiol products, not a trial of Hers as a service.

That difference between evidence for a medication and evidence for a platform is where review pages often go wrong.

Marketing claim	What supports it	What it does not prove
Stella: “75% of women who complete a Stella plan report improved symptoms”	Vira Health describes an initial investigation of 76 Stella app users with multiple monthly symptom check-ins and a statistically significant change from baseline to final scores	No control group, self-reported symptoms, completer-only sample, and evidence about the app rather than a head-to-head U.S. clinic comparison
Hers: relief may begin in 4–6 weeks	Hers cites randomized, placebo-controlled trials of oral estradiol and estradiol patches that found reductions in hot flashes beginning around week 4	The trials test medication, not Hers’s intake, messaging, billing, pharmacy, or cancellation experience

Credit where it is due: Stella publishes enough detail about its internal evidence for a reader to see the sample size and design limits. Hers clearly footnotes the medication studies behind its timeline. Neither source supports saying “this company works better.”

The honest conclusion is more useful:

• Clinical effectiveness depends heavily on receiving an appropriate treatment and using it correctly.
• Service quality depends on assessment, follow-up, medication fit, access, billing, and whether the model matches your life.
• No current evidence lets this page award a medical-outcome winner between Hers and Stella.

We are not using a blended star rating or a cherry-picked forum quote to fill that gap. That would create certainty the evidence does not contain.

Primary sources: Stella evidence page · Hers menopause page and trial footnotes

Can you use your own pharmacy with Hers or Stella?

Stella sends prescriptions to the patient’s pharmacy as part of its standard model. Hers’s Terms say certain prescriptions may be filled at a pharmacy of the patient’s choice, with the patient paying that pharmacy directly. That is a real option in the general contract, but it is not proof that every Hers menopause prescription can leave the platform network.

This buried distinction matters.

Every simple comparison describes Hers as a closed loop: its provider, its pharmacy network, its shipment. That is the default public experience. But Hers’s Terms leave room for certain prescriptions to be sent elsewhere when the service prompts the option or the customer requests it through the Help Center.

What that could give you:

• Access to a local pharmacy’s stock if one platform pharmacy has a supply problem.
• The chance to use a pharmacy discount or benefit if the exact prescription is eligible to be sent out.
• A path to keep the clinical relationship while changing fulfillment.

What it does not guarantee:

• That every menopause medication is eligible.
• That the subscription price falls by a particular amount.
• That insurance will cover the outside prescription.
• That future refills continue without the required Hers subscription or provider follow-up.

Ask before payment:

“Can the exact menopause prescription being considered for me be sent to my chosen pharmacy, and what happens to my subscription price if I do that?”

That one question turns a contract possibility into an answer about your actual plan.

You have the fork now.

If bundled care and delivery fit your life, see Hers’s current menopause program and check eligibility in your state. Before submitting, record the product, plan length, billing cadence, total charged today, and renewal date.

If you want a video visit and your prescription at your own pharmacy from day one, check Stella’s current plan and state availability. Then verify the clinician’s NPI and pharmacy benefit with your insurer.

We earn no commission from either direct link in this comparison.

Is Hers or Stella available in your state?

Hers says its menopause care is not available in all 50 states but publishes no public menopause state list or checker. Stella advertises board-certified clinicians in 50 states and insurance in most states, yet its checker can still show that a specific plan or virtual visit is unavailable. State licensure, network participation, and bookable capacity are three different things.

That explains why apparently conflicting availability statements can all exist:

• A company may have at least one clinician licensed in a state.
• That clinician may not be in network for your plan.
• The company may not have a currently bookable appointment for your situation.
• A medication or service may have state-specific restrictions.

Stella has the better public verification path: enter your state and plan in its checker before creating a care assumption. The checker may still require account creation later in the booking process, but you can begin with public plan-and-state information.

Hers makes you discover availability through the intake. Its page says the service is not available in all 50 states, but it does not publish a menopause state map.

If you move or travel, tell the provider where you will physically be during the appointment. Telehealth availability can depend on the patient’s location at the time of care, not simply the address saved in an account.

If neither serves you, do not keep reopening the same two tabs. Use our comparison of online menopause providers to find an insurance-first or cash-pay model that actually covers your state. You can also compare Hers menopause alternatives or see how another pharmacy-based model differs in Hers vs Gennev.

What happens after the first year?

Hers’s subscription continues to auto-renew unless canceled, and its Terms say price changes will be disclosed in advance. Stella includes app access and unlimited coaching for 12 months after the first visit. Visits and pharmacy prescriptions are separate, so confirm what app support, coaching, follow-up cadence, and refill requirements apply after that first year.

Year two is where a clean comparison can quietly break.

With Hers

The published $79 and $134 figures are tied to 12-month plans. Hers’s Terms say subscription products renew automatically until canceled and that price or plan changes will be disclosed in advance. Do not assume the price, billing cadence, or medication remains unchanged at renewal.

Before the first year ends, check:

• Current plan price.
• Medication and dose.
• Whether the medication is commercially manufactured or compounded.
• Renewal-processing date.
• Amount and cadence of the next charge.
• Whether you still need the included platform services.

With Stella

Stella’s pages say the first visit includes 12 months of app access, lifestyle plans, and unlimited coaching. The pages reviewed do not promise that all of those benefits continue indefinitely without a new arrangement.

Before month 12, ask:

• Does app access continue?
• Does unlimited coaching continue?
• What follow-up cadence is required for refills?
• Does the clinician remain in network for the next plan year?
• Has the medication formulary or pharmacy tier changed?

The visit model is easier to leave, but that does not make refills automatic forever. A prescription still has authorized quantities, expiration rules, and clinical follow-up requirements.

How did The HRT Index compare Hers and Stella?

We compared the providers under The HRT Index Verification Standard: read the current public prices, contracts, insurance language, medication disclosures, state-access tools, cancellation terms, and regulatory sources; separate provider claims from what the documents prove; and publish the unresolved conflicts instead of averaging them away.

The HRT Index evaluates every provider on exactly five pillars, in this order:

1. Clinical legitimacy — licensed prescribing structure, consultation requirement, and whether medical claims match authoritative guidance.
2. Care quality — assessment format, clinician interaction, follow-up, care coordination, and escalation path.
3. Medication fit — routes, exact product status, FDA-approved versus compounded separation, pharmacy model, and refill structure.
4. Price transparency — public price, plan length, medication inclusion, billing cadence, insurance, and cancellation friction.
5. Access — state availability, network availability, age range, pharmacy access, and situations requiring in-person care.

We do not convert those pillars into a fake 100-point score. A cash-pay woman who wants delivery and an insured woman who wants a video visit are not failing the same test.

What was directly checked

• Hers menopause and perimenopause pages.
• Hers’s December 2025 insurance and HRT price article.
• Hers Terms updated August 7, 2026.
• Hers menopause medication guide updated October 15, 2025.
• Stella U.S. homepage, insurance page, FAQs, and booking flow.
• Stella U.S. Terms dated August 14, 2025.
• Stella’s evidence page for the 76-user app investigation.
• The FTC’s July 29, 2026 case page and press release.
• Hims & Hers’s July 29, 2026 response.
• FDA guidance on compounded menopause hormones, NDC numbers, and testosterone.
• The federal Schedule III regulation.
• The Menopause Society’s patient-education materials.

What remains company-stated or checkout-dependent

• Your exact Hers checkout total and billing cadence.
• Your exact Stella copay or coinsurance.
• Whether a specific Hers menopause prescription can be sent to your own pharmacy.
• Your bookable state availability on the date you apply.
• Your exact medication, dose, manufacturer, compounding pharmacy, or formulary tier.
• Whether either provider will decide that online care is appropriate for your history.

How this page makes money

The HRT Index earns commissions from some providers on other pages. The direct Hers and Stella links in this comparison are unmonetized. That choice does not make the page automatically unbiased; the evidence trail does. The page shows the contracts, the provider claims, the pending legal action, and the limitations that could make either provider the wrong fit.

This is editorial research. It has not been reviewed by a clinician. It is educational, not medical advice. Read our corrections policy.

Related menopause provider comparisons

Compare insurance, care format, medication access, pricing, and cancellation terms before you choose:

• Read the full Stella menopause review
• Read the full Hers menopause review
• Compare Hers and Gennev
• Compare Evernow and Stella
• Compare Gennev and Stella
• Compare Midi and Stella
• Review the best online HRT providers
• Find your best-fit HRT path

What else should you know about Hers vs Stella?

The remaining Hers vs Stella questions come down to four facts: Hers is cash-pay and bundled; Stella is visit-based and pharmacy-separated; neither U.S. program currently offers testosterone; and state, insurance, medication status, and cancellation dates still have to be verified for your own transaction. The answers below close those edge cases.

Is Stella better than Hers?

For a woman whose specific Stella clinician is in network and who wants a live video visit plus a prescription at her own pharmacy, Stella is the better starting point. For a cash-pay woman who values asynchronous care, bundled medication, and delivery more than pharmacy portability, Hers may fit better.

Which is cheaper, Hers or Stella?

There is no universal winner. Hers’s published 12-month starting rates annualize to $948 for oral therapy and $1,608 for patches. Four Stella visits at the company’s advertised $45 average copay would be $180 for care, but medication and plan-specific costs remain separate. Four self-pay Stella visits are $470 plus medication.

Does Hers take insurance?

No. Hers says its menopause program is available without insurance, and its Terms describe services on a cash basis outside commercial and government payers. Some purchases may be eligible for HSA or FSA reimbursement depending on the benefits plan.

Does Stella take insurance?

Stella’s current U.S. pages say its clinicians are in network with hundreds of plans and name Aetna, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield, and UnitedHealthcare. Its older Terms still say “No Insurance Accepted.” Verify the specific clinician’s NPI and expected cost with your insurer before booking.

Is medication included with Hers?

Medication filled through a Hers platform pharmacy is generally included in the total subscription price for non-weight-loss subscription products. If a qualifying prescription is sent to an outside pharmacy, the Terms say the patient pays that pharmacy directly.

Is medication included in Stella’s visit price?

No. The $200 initial self-pay visit and $90 self-pay follow-up are clinician charges. Any prescription goes to the patient’s pharmacy and is paid through the pharmacy benefit or in cash.

Does Hers use compounded medication?

It may. Hers’s own menopause medication guide says a personalized plan may include commercially available medication and custom-compounded medication. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. Ask for the exact product before paying.

Does Stella prescribe only FDA-approved medication?

Stella says it only prescribes FDA-regulated medication and gives FDA-approved hormones as examples. “FDA-regulated” is not a product-level approval claim. Verify the exact prescribed product in FDA Drugs@FDA if approval status is a deciding factor.

Do you need blood tests for Hers or Stella?

Usually not as a routine entry requirement. Stella says most people do not need lab work to get started, and Hers’s public menopause flow does not list routine labs. A clinician may still order testing when age, symptoms, bleeding, diagnostic uncertainty, or another condition makes it relevant.

Does Hers or Stella prescribe testosterone?

Not through the U.S. menopause programs currently described on their public pages. Stella U.S. says “Not yet.” Testosterone is a prescription Schedule III controlled substance, and no FDA-approved testosterone product is indicated for women in the United States.

Is Hers available in every state?

No. Hers says its menopause program is not available in all 50 states. It does not publish a public menopause state list, so availability is confirmed through intake.

Is Stella available in every state?

Stella advertises clinicians in 50 states and insurance in most states, but the state-and-plan checker can still show that a visit or network arrangement is unavailable. Run the checker instead of relying on the national headline.

How do you cancel Hers?

Use the app, My Subscriptions in the online account, the Customer Help Center, or 1-800-368-0038. The contract deadline is at least two days before the applicable renewal processing date. If you only know the expected renewal date, use a four-day conservative buffer because later renewals may process up to two days early.

How do you cancel Stella?

Cancel a prepaid appointment at least 24 hours before the consultation for a full refund. Stella’s Terms say a no-show without cancellation is charged $25; confirm what happens if you cancel inside 24 hours. There is no comparable bundled medication subscription cancellation in the model reviewed.

Does the FTC lawsuit mean Hers broke the law?

No final court has made that finding. The FTC, Utah, and California filed a complaint on July 29, 2026, and the case is pending. Hims & Hers denies the allegations and says it will defend itself vigorously.

Can you transfer a Hers prescription to a local pharmacy?

Possibly, but do not treat it as guaranteed for every menopause prescription. Hers’s Terms say certain prescriptions may be filled at a pharmacy of the patient’s choice. Ask whether your exact prescription qualifies and how outside fulfillment changes the subscription price.

Which is better for vaginal dryness or painful sex?

The right treatment depends on whether your symptoms are primarily genitourinary, systemic, or both. Hers publicly lists estradiol vaginal cream as a possible kit component. Stella can prescribe a treatment and send it to your pharmacy. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is a local treatment and should not be described as interchangeable with systemic pills or patches.

Which is better for perimenopause?

Stella may fit better when you want a live conversation about fluctuating symptoms and a more complex history. Hers may fit better when you prefer an asynchronous intake and bundled delivery. Hers also states that hormone therapy is not FDA-approved specifically for perimenopause, although a clinician may prescribe it off-label when appropriate.

What should you verify before paying either provider?

Verify five things: your state is served; your exact insurance plan and clinician are in network if using insurance; the plan length, billing cadence, and total charged today; the exact medication and whether it is FDA-approved or compounded; and the cancellation or follow-up date that controls future charges and refills.

Which should you choose: Hers or Stella?

Choose Stella first when your specific clinician is in network, you want a scheduled video visit, and you want the prescription at your own pharmacy. The $45 figure is an average, not your quote, and the old Terms conflict with the current insurance marketing, so verify the NPI and cost in writing.

Choose Hers first when you are paying cash, want an asynchronous path, and value one bundled program with delivered medication. The published low rates require a 12-month plan. Confirm the amount charged today, renewal-processing date, medication category, and whether the exact prescription is commercially manufactured or compounded.

Choose neither when you need Medicare or Medicaid billing, want testosterone through these U.S. programs, cannot be treated in your state, or have a situation that needs an in-person exam or specialist coordination before online prescribing. That is not a failed search. It is the page doing its job before you hand over a card.

For an appropriate patient, asking for treatment is not reckless. Hormone therapy remains a first-line treatment for bothersome vasomotor symptoms, and the FDA has approved hormone therapies for symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and pain with sexual activity. The individual risk-benefit decision still belongs with a prescriber who knows your history.

You have been thinking about this long enough to know what you need from the model. Pick the one that matches your insurance, state, pharmacy preference, and tolerance for subscription fine print — and verify the five facts that can still change at checkout.

Still not sure which HRT program is right for you? Take our free approximately 90-second matching tool. It asks about symptoms, age and uterus status, medication route, insurance, and state, then shows which care models fit and flags when online care is not the right first step. No email required. Find My HRT Path →

Medical sources: The Menopause Society hormone-therapy guidance · The Menopause Society on hot flashes · FDA menopause treatment overview

---

Source ledger

Provider pricing, policies, and access — checked August 13, 2026

• Hers menopause program
• Hers perimenopause program
• Hers: Does Insurance Cover HRT?, updated December 23, 2025
• Hers Terms and Conditions, last updated August 7, 2026
• Hers menopause medication guide, updated October 15, 2025
• Stella U.S. homepage
• Stella insurance and self-pay page
• Stella FAQs
• Stella U.S. Terms, dated August 14, 2025
• Stella evidence page
• Stella U.S. App Store listing

Regulatory, legal, and medical sources

• FTC: Hims & Hers case page, case status pending as of verification
• FTC press release, July 29, 2026
• Hims & Hers response, July 29, 2026
• FDA: Menopause
• FDA: National Drug Code Directory
• FDA: Drugs@FDA
• FDA: Testosterone Information
• 21 CFR § 1308.13: Schedule III
• The Menopause Society: Hormone Therapy
• The Menopause Society: Hot Flashes