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5 Best Hims Alternatives for Hair Loss Treatment (2026)

Updated 2026-09-117 min readEvidence-based content

Quick Answer

The best Hims alternative is Keeps if you want lower prices for the same treatments, or Ro if you want the cheapest finasteride available. For women, Nurx and Hers (Hims's sister brand) offer female-specific hair loss treatments that Hims doesn't.

Quick Answer

The five best Hims alternatives are: (1) Keeps — best value for oral fin+min; (2) Ro — cheapest oral finasteride; (3) Happy Head — best for custom compounded formulas; (4) GoodRx + local pharmacy — best if you already have a prescription; (5) Primary care + insurance — cheapest long-term if you have insurance coverage.

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Why Do People Switch from Hims?

Before covering the alternatives, it's worth understanding why people leave Hims — because the best alternative depends on your reason for switching.

Price — Hims is consistently the most expensive major telehealth option for equivalent treatments. Men who are paying $44-55/month for finasteride + minoxidil often discover they can get the same medications for $30-40/month elsewhere.

Customer service — Hims's customer service has documented issues: slow response times, billing errors, difficulty resolving disputes. Across Trustpilot, Reddit, and the BBB, this is the most consistent complaint category.

Cancellation difficulty — Hims uses a multi-step cancellation flow that retains subscribers through friction. Men who want to pause or cancel often report it's harder than expected.

Wanting topical finasteride — This one used to push men toward Hims, because Keeps lacked a topical finasteride option. Keeps now offers topical finasteride + minoxidil too, so it is no longer a reason to pick Hims.

State restrictions — Some states have limited telehealth prescribing options, and availability varies by platform.

What to Look for in a Hims Alternative

Before switching, decide what actually matters to you:

  • Price: Is your primary goal lower monthly cost?
  • Product range: Do you need topical finasteride or oral minoxidil?
  • App quality: Does the software experience matter to you?
  • Focus: Do you want a platform dedicated to hair loss, or a broader health service?
  • Insurance: Do you have coverage that might subsidize a traditional prescription?
  • Gender: Women need platforms that serve women — most alternatives here are men's platforms.

The 5 Best Hims Alternatives

1. Keeps — Best for Value

What it is: Men's-only telehealth platform focused exclusively on hair loss. Founded 2018.

Why it beats Hims on price: Keeps undercuts Hims on both oral finasteride and the finasteride + minoxidil combination, and the consultation is free with no visit fee. Neither platform publishes prices before the medical intake, so confirm the figure at checkout.

Pros:

  • Most competitive pricing for oral finasteride + minoxidil
  • Excellent photo-based progress tracking at 3/6/12 months
  • Focused experience — no upsells to other health categories
  • Transparent pricing from day one (no teaser rates)

Cons:

  • Men only — cannot serve women
  • Fewer product options overall
  • Not available in all states

Best for: Men who want oral finasteride and/or minoxidil at the lowest price from a dedicated hair loss platform.


2. Ro — Best for Lowest Finasteride Price

What it is: Broader men's health telehealth platform (hair loss, ED, weight management). Originally launched as Roman in 2017.

Why it's a Hims alternative: Oral finasteride at $16-20/month depending on plan length — the lowest published price of any major telehealth platform. Also offers compounded topical finasteride + minoxidil for men who want combined topical therapy.

Pros:

  • Lowest published price for oral finasteride ($16-20/mo)
  • Compounded topical fin+min available (same differentiator as Hims)
  • Fastest average shipping (2-3 days)
  • Established brand with large clinical operation

Cons:

  • Ships quarterly only, so you commit three months at a time
  • Less hair-loss-focused than Keeps
  • App and UX inferior to Hims
  • No in-app progress tracking tools

Best for: Price-conscious men who primarily want the cheapest oral finasteride, or men interested in compounded topical treatment.


3. Happy Head — Best for Custom Compounded Formulas

What it is: Telehealth platform specializing in dermatologist-compounded hair loss treatments. Founded by hair loss specialists.

Why it's a Hims alternative: Happy Head's compounded topical formulas are customized by dermatologists — they can combine finasteride, minoxidil, and other active ingredients (like tretinoin or latanoprost) in concentrations tailored to your case. This is more personalized than anything Hims offers.

Pros:

  • Dermatologist-designed custom compounded formulas
  • Can include ingredients not available through Hims (tretinoin, latanoprost)
  • Physician consultations feel more personalized than Hims's asynchronous flow
  • Hair-loss-only focus

Cons:

  • Higher cost: typically $60-100+/month for custom formulas
  • Less established brand than Hims, Keeps, or Ro
  • Compounded medications have less regulatory oversight than manufactured generics
  • Not available in all states

Best for: Men who have tried standard finasteride + minoxidil without satisfactory results and want a more aggressive or customized topical protocol.

Similar option — Strut Health: another telehealth compounder offering physician-customized topical finasteride formulas (alone or combined with minoxidil and other actives). Comparable to Happy Head — worth comparing pricing and available ingredients for your case.


4. GoodRx + Local Pharmacy — Best if You Already Have a Prescription

What it is: Not a telehealth platform — this is using an existing prescription with a pharmacy discount service.

Why it's a Hims alternative: If you already have a finasteride prescription from any source (existing Hims subscription, primary care, dermatologist), you can transfer that prescription to a local pharmacy and use GoodRx to dramatically reduce cost.

Pricing: Generic finasteride at CVS/Walgreens via GoodRx typically costs $15-25/month for a 30-day supply. Generic minoxidil foam from Amazon or Costco runs $20-30 for a 3-month supply ($7-10/month). This is frequently cheaper than any telehealth subscription for the same medications.

Pros:

  • Often the lowest total cost for existing prescription holders
  • No subscription lock-in
  • Flexibility — fill at any pharmacy
  • No commission from us (we make nothing if you use GoodRx)

Cons:

  • Requires an existing prescription — doesn't work if you're starting from scratch
  • No provider for questions or prescription renewals
  • You lose the app experience, progress tracking, and ongoing physician access
  • Prescription will expire (typically 1 year) and need renewal

Best for: Men who already have a finasteride prescription, are happy with results, and want to reduce ongoing costs.


5. Generic Finasteride via Primary Care — Best with Insurance

What it is: Getting a finasteride prescription from your primary care physician and filling it at a standard pharmacy.

Why it's a Hims alternative: If you have health insurance, your PCP visit copay is typically $20-40. Your insurer may cover generic finasteride (check your formulary). Even without insurance coverage on the Rx, generic finasteride at a pharmacy via GoodRx is $15-25/month — often cheaper than Hims.

Pricing estimate: With insurance: PCP visit $20-40 copay + $5-20/month for covered generic finasteride = highly variable but often cheapest long-term. Without insurance: $100-200 for a PCP visit + $15-25/month pharmacy cost.

Pros:

  • Potentially cheapest long-term option if you have insurance
  • Real in-person physician relationship for side effect discussions
  • Prescription valid at any pharmacy
  • No subscription lock-in or dark-pattern cancellation

Cons:

  • Requires scheduling a doctor's appointment (friction vs telehealth)
  • Not all PCPs are comfortable prescribing finasteride for hair loss
  • You may need to advocate for yourself if your PCP is unfamiliar with hair loss treatment
  • No progress tracking tools
  • No commission from us

Best for: Men with health insurance, an established PCP relationship, and the willingness to have an in-person conversation about starting finasteride.

Summary Comparison

AlternativeMonthly CostVisit FeeBest For
KeepsNot publishedFreeValue-focused men
Ro$16-50FreeLowest finasteride price
Happy Head$60-100+VariesCustom compounded protocols
GoodRx + pharmacy$15-35NoneExisting Rx holders
Primary care + insurance$5-20 with coveragePCP copayInsured patients
HimsNot publishedFreeBest app

For a Full Review of These Platforms


Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cheaper alternative to Hims for finasteride?

Yes. Ro publishes its price — $16-20/month for generic finasteride — and it is the cheapest of the three. Hims is the most expensive, though neither Hims nor Keeps shows a price before the medical intake. If you already have a prescription, GoodRx at a local pharmacy can reduce generic finasteride cost to $15-25/month without any subscription. All of them deliver the same generic finasteride 1mg — you are paying for the delivery platform, not the medication.

Can I get finasteride without Hims?

Yes. Finasteride is available through any telehealth platform (Keeps, Ro, Happy Head), through your primary care physician, or through a dermatologist. With a prescription, you can fill generic finasteride at any pharmacy using GoodRx for $15-25/month. Hims is one of many ways to access finasteride — it is not the only or cheapest option.

Is Keeps better than Hims?

It depends on what you value. Keeps is usually cheaper than Hims for equivalent treatments and offers a more focused hair loss experience. Hims is better than Keeps on app quality and breadth of health categories. Both now offer oral and topical finasteride, oral minoxidil, and finasteride + minoxidil chewables. If you want finasteride and/or minoxidil at a competitive price with no extras, Keeps is the better choice. If you want a premium app, Hims is better.

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