Anabolic Insights vs Defy Medical: TRT Cost, Labs and Care Compared (2026)

Disclosure: Anabolic Insights publishes this page and has a financial interest in it. Everything about Defy Medical comes from Defy's public websites, checked on October 11, 2026.

Defy Medical is the better fit if you want a long-running, physician-led hormone practice with hour-long video consults, a wide range of TRT options (different esters, creams, pellets, hCG and other add-on medications) and care in every state except Mississippi. Anabolic Insights is the better fit if you want TRT at one flat $99 a month with labs, the provider visit, medication if prescribed and shipping included, plus lower-cost lab tests and tools to chart your results over time.

Here is the short version:

• TRT cost: Defy charges per service, with no monthly fee. Its own estimate for an average male TRT patient is "under $175 per month" in the first year and "around $125 per month" after that. Our TRT membership is $99 a month, billed $297 quarterly, with everything included.
• Required labs: Defy's initial men's panel is $299 and its follow-up TRT panel is $275, due three months after you start and then every six months. Our membership includes starting and follow-up labs.
• Treatment range: Defy offers many more TRT forms and add-on medications than we do. Our membership covers injectable testosterone.
• Lab tests on their own: Defy sells labs to the public through TestDefy, at Labcorp. Some single tests are cheaper at Defy; most of the ones people on TRT track are cheaper with us, and the gap is widest at Quest.
• Tracking: Defy's app tracks daily symptom scores. We chart every lab result and let you upload outside PDFs, mark protocols on your charts and connect wearables.

Anabolic Insights vs Defy Medical at a glance

Sources: Anabolic Insights testosterone, Anabolic Insights lab tests, Defy TRT, Defy help center, TestDefy. Checked October 11, 2026.

What TRT costs at each

Defy Medical: pay as you go

Defy doesn't sell a membership. Its TRT cost FAQ says the "average cost for TRT at Defy Medical works out to under $175 per month for the first year," including testosterone, a weekly aromatase inhibitor, lab work and consultations, and "around $125 per month" after the first year. Defy says the figure is an average for illustration, and your cost depends on your dosage, delivery method and any add-on medications.

The lab part of that is published. To start, Defy requires its $299 Comprehensive Hormone and Wellness Lab Panel for Men, plus a follow-up panel three months after your initial consult and every six months after that. The Follow-up TRT Lab Panel for Men is $275. So in year one, the required labs alone come to $849 ($299 + $275 + $275). Consult fees and medication prices aren't shown publicly: Defy's medication store says it's "for Defy Medical patients only," and prices aren't displayed to visitors.

Defy also requires a physical exam from the last six months before your first TRT consult.

Anabolic Insights: one monthly price

Our testosterone membership is $99 a month, billed $297 every quarter. That covers starting blood work (total and free testosterone, estradiol, PSA, CBC and CMP), the provider visit, medication if prescribed, shipping, and follow-up labs about 12 weeks in and then about every 24 weeks. If your provider decides you don't qualify, you get a full refund. You can upload recent labs instead of drawing new ones, and people already on TRT can join.

Our TRT membership. Every step is marked "included." Available in 14 states as of this writing.

Side by side

This isn't a perfect match. Defy's estimate includes an aromatase inhibitor, and many Defy patients use add-ons like hCG. Our membership covers one medication, injectable testosterone. If you want those add-ons, Defy's higher cost buys a wider protocol.

How the labs compare

Both companies use venous blood draws at a national lab. The bigger differences are which tests are in the panel, how they're measured and what they cost.

Free testosterone method. Defy's initial and follow-up panels use Labcorp test 140103, which Labcorp lists as total testosterone by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay and free testosterone by "direct analog enzyme immunoassay." The Endocrine Society recommends measuring free testosterone by equilibrium dialysis or calculating it with an accurate formula (Bhasin et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018). Defy does sell more precise tests separately, and its panels use a sensitive LC/MS estradiol test, which is a good choice for men. At Quest, our Complete Men's Panel measures total testosterone by mass spectrometry and free testosterone by equilibrium dialysis, for $239 and 85 biomarkers. For why the method matters, see immunoassay vs LC/MS testosterone tests and measured vs calculated free testosterone.

À la carte prices. Defy sells labs to the public at TestDefy, with no membership. Here are the tests people on TRT track most, compared at Labcorp where both sell the same test, plus our Quest price:

To be fair: Defy is cheaper for Labcorp's standard free and total testosterone test, PSA and FSH plus LH. For a basic TRT check (free and total testosterone, sensitive estradiol, CBC, CMP and PSA), the total is $142 at Defy, $128.99 with us at LabCorp and $81 with us at Quest. Swap in the free testosterone by equilibrium ultrafiltration with LC/MS total, and it's $209 at Defy and $117.99 with us at LabCorp. We don't add a lab or draw fee, and TestDefy advertises "No hidden fees." Quest prices are for Quest's own version of each test; for free and total testosterone that's Quest test 36170.

Two practical notes. Defy can't sell on-demand Labcorp testing in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island or Massachusetts. And Defy's at-home draw option through Getlabs, $125 in select states, is something we don't offer.

Monitoring on TRT

Both companies recheck labs about three months after you start and then about every six months. That's more often than the yearly hematocrit check the Endocrine Society recommends after the first year. The Endocrine Society recommends checking hematocrit at baseline, 3 to 6 months after starting, and then once a year, and stopping therapy if hematocrit is above 54% until it comes down (Bhasin et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018). The American Urological Association says a hematocrit of 54% or higher on therapy warrants intervention, and that testosterone therapy shouldn't be prescribed to men who are currently trying to conceive (Mulhall et al., J Urol 2018).

That fertility point is one reason Defy's range matters. Defy's providers can add hCG to a TRT plan for fertility or testicular health when they decide it's appropriate. If fertility is a near-term goal, talk with your provider before starting, and read does TRT cause permanent infertility?. We offer enclomiphene in 39 states, a compounded medication that is not FDA-approved, prescribed only if a licensed provider decides it's appropriate.

For more on the hematocrit number itself, see hematocrit on TRT.

Tracking your results

Defy's patient portal holds your lab results so you can view and download them, and its app lets you score symptoms like mood, libido and stress every day, then see 7-day, 30-day and six-month averages to discuss with your provider. That symptom log is a useful feature.

We focus on the lab side. Every result goes into a chart against lab or optimal ranges. You can upload outside LabCorp and most Quest PDFs for free, including old Defy reports, and they join the same charts. You can mark when you started or changed a protocol and every chart shades that window, add notes to single results, and connect Garmin, Oura, Withings, Omron, Cronometer, Apple Health and more with a membership from $15 a month.

A "Started TRT" protocol overlaid on testosterone charts.

Where Defy Medical is the better choice

Defy has been offering telemedicine hormone care for more than a decade, led by medical director Dr. Justin Saya. Choose Defy if:

• You want a wider protocol. Defy offers several testosterone esters and blends, creams, pellets, nasal and oral forms, and add-ons like hCG. We offer injectable testosterone.
• You want long, live consults. Defy's initial consult runs up to one hour by video, and its providers are in-house, so the same team follows your care.
• You live outside our 14 TRT states. Defy serves every state except Mississippi.
• You want hormone care for women. Defy has a dedicated bioidentical hormone therapy program for women.
• You want an at-home blood draw. Defy offers Getlabs mobile phlebotomy for $125 in select states.
• You only need a few standard Labcorp tests. Defy is cheaper for some, like its free and total testosterone test and FSH plus LH.

Where Anabolic Insights is the better choice

Choose Anabolic Insights if:

• You want one predictable price. $99 a month covers labs, the provider visit, medication if prescribed and shipping.
• You don't want to pay up front for labs and consults. There's no separate $299 starting panel, and you get a full refund if your provider decides you don't qualify.
• You want lower prices on most TRT labs, especially at Quest, with free testosterone measured by equilibrium dialysis in our Complete Men's Panel.
• You want to track your own data. Charts, protocol overlays, notes, wearables and free uploads of your outside lab PDFs.

Not sure which labs to get first? See what labs to get before talking to a provider about TRT.

FAQs

How much does TRT cost at Defy Medical?

Defy charges per service rather than a monthly fee. Its own FAQ estimates an average male TRT patient pays under $175 a month in the first year and around $125 a month after that, including testosterone, an aromatase inhibitor, labs and consults. Your cost depends on your protocol.

What labs does Defy Medical require for TRT?

Defy requires its initial men's hormone and wellness panel ($299 at Labcorp), a physical exam from the last six months, new-patient paperwork and an initial consult. Follow-up panels ($275) are due three months after your first consult and every six months after that. Outside labs may be accepted case by case.

Does Defy Medical take insurance?

No. Defy is cash-pay and doesn't bill insurance, though it can complete a standard CMS-1500 claim form for you to submit yourself. Anabolic Insights is also cash-pay and provides itemized receipts for your records.

Can I buy lab tests from Defy Medical without being a patient?

Yes. Defy sells labs to the public through TestDefy.com, drawn at Labcorp, with no membership. Defy says results usually arrive in 5 to 10 business days and aren't reviewed by a provider unless you book a consult. On-demand Labcorp testing isn't available in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island or Massachusetts.

Which states does Defy Medical serve?

Defy says it serves every U.S. state except Mississippi. Anabolic Insights offers its TRT membership in 14 states, including Mississippi: AL, AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, OH, PA and TX.

Is Anabolic Insights cheaper than Defy Medical for TRT?

On published prices, usually yes. Our membership is $99 a month, or $1,188 a year, with labs, the visit, medication if prescribed and shipping included. Defy's required labs alone are $849 in year one, and its average all-in estimate is under $175 a month. Defy's estimate includes add-on medication our membership doesn't cover.

How we compared

We reviewed public pages on both companies' sites on October 11, 2026:

• Defy sources: TRT page, TRT cost FAQ, cost of TRT article, TRT requirements, TRT options, states served, consult refund policy, clinical procedures, shipping times, lab results timing, mobile phlebotomy and TestDefy product pages.
• Test methods: Labcorp's listing for test 140103.
• Cost estimates: a separate Defy FAQ on ED treatment gives a higher TRT average (around $250 a month in year one and $200 after). We used the figure from Defy's dedicated TRT cost FAQ and its cost-of-TRT article, which match each other.
• Prices: shown on the date checked, before tax and promo codes. Both companies change prices, so confirm at checkout.

Anabolic Insights is a health-technology platform that connects members to licensed providers, CLIA-certified lab partners and state-licensed partner pharmacies. Medication is prescribed only if a licensed provider decides it's appropriate. We have no relationship with Defy Medical, and this comparison uses only Defy's public information.

Comparing other options? Read Anabolic Insights vs Marek Health.

References

1. Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, et al. Testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(5):1715–1744.
2. Mulhall JP, Trost LW, Brannigan RE, et al. Evaluation and management of testosterone deficiency: AUA guideline. J Urol. 2018;200(2):423–432.