Quick Answer
Ro offers the lowest base price for oral finasteride among the major telehealth platforms — around $16-20/month. It's a broader men's health platform with less hair-loss focus than Keeps and a less polished app than Hims. The compounded topical finasteride+minoxidil option is a genuine differentiator. Best for price-sensitive men who want the cheapest finasteride.
LegitScript status: LegitScript Certified
What Is Ro?
Ro launched in 2017 as Roman — one of the first telehealth platforms to target men's sexual health and hair loss. The company renamed itself Ro in 2018 (Roman remains its men's health brand) and went on to expand into women's health (Rory, launched in 2019), pharmacy services, and broader health categories including weight management. As of 2026, Ro is one of the largest telehealth companies in the US by patient volume.
Within hair loss specifically, Ro operates under the Roman Hair or Ro Hair branding. The platform uses the same physician-supervised, asynchronous telehealth model as Hims and Keeps: you fill out a questionnaire, upload photos, a licensed physician reviews your case, and medication ships to your door.
Ro's positioning in the hair loss market is primarily on price. Their finasteride starting price of around $16-20/month is the lowest of the major telehealth platforms, and it's a meaningful differentiator for men who are price-sensitive and primarily interested in the core oral treatment.
What Treatments Does Ro Offer for Hair Loss?
Oral finasteride — Generic finasteride 1mg at $16-20/month (the lower price on longer plans). This is Ro's headline differentiator. The clinical evidence for finasteride is well-established: Kaufman et al. (1998) demonstrated finasteride halted progression in 83% of men and promoted measurable regrowth in 66% at two years (PMID: 9777765).
Topical minoxidil — 5% topical minoxidil. Available as a standalone treatment. Pricing around $20-30/month. Olsen et al. (2002) confirmed 5% minoxidil superiority over 2% formulations in men (PMID: 12196747).
Compounded topical finasteride + minoxidil — Ro offers a combined topical spray (Ro Mane Spray) containing finasteride, minoxidil, and tretinoin from a licensed compounding pharmacy. This is a meaningful differentiator: one daily topical application delivers both hair loss drugs with lower systemic finasteride absorption than oral dosing. Runs $40-60/month. For men concerned about systemic finasteride side effects, this is a legitimate option that competes with Hims's similar product.
Oral minoxidil and combined plans — Ro also offers oral minoxidil (prescribed off-label for hair loss), and finasteride and topical minoxidil can be ordered together as one plan.
What Ro does NOT offer: The polished app experience of Hims, the hair-loss focus of Keeps, or in-app progress tracking tools.
How Does Ro Work?
- Online questionnaire — Medical history, current medications, contraindications. Photo uploads of hairline and crown.
- Physician review — Asynchronous review by a licensed physician within 24-48 hours. Not a video call.
- No visit fee — Ro's FAQ states the online visit is free; you are only charged for medication after a provider approves a treatment plan.
- Prescription and shipping — Medication ships from a licensed pharmacy. Delivery typically 2-3 days — Ro's fastest average shipping time among the major platforms.
- Quarterly subscription — Ro ships hair loss treatment in quarterly (3-month) shipments on an auto-refill subscription. Management via the Ro website or app.
What Are the Pros of Ro?
Lowest base finasteride price — At $16-20/month for oral finasteride, Ro is the cheapest major telehealth option for the most commonly prescribed hair loss medication. Over 12 months, the difference versus Hims adds up.
Compounded topical finasteride + minoxidil — Ro's compounded topical is a genuine differentiator. It delivers both drugs in one daily scalp application, with evidence suggesting lower systemic DHT suppression than oral finasteride. For men who want combined therapy with less systemic exposure, Ro, Hims, and Keeps all offer topical finasteride combinations.
Established brand with pharmacy scale — Ro has operated since 2017 and has significant fulfillment infrastructure. Their average shipping time of 2-3 days is the fastest among major platforms. They have processed millions of prescriptions and have a proven logistics operation.
Broader health platform — For men who want to manage multiple health needs through one telehealth provider (hair loss, ED, weight management), Ro offers a more integrated service than Keeps. Whether this is a pro or a con depends on what you're looking for.
Ro Pharmacy integration — Ro operates its own pharmacy in some markets, which can improve coordination between prescriber and dispenser.
What Are the Cons of Ro?
No monthly option for hair loss — Ro says it only offers hair loss treatment in quarterly shipments, so there is no month-to-month plan to try a treatment briefly. Ro's stated reasons are that treatment takes at least 3 months to have an effect and that quarterly shipping lowers the cost.
Less hair-loss-focused than Keeps — Keeps is built around hair loss for men, which produces a streamlined, focused experience. Ro is a broader health platform, and the hair loss pathway reflects that — you'll see prompts for other health categories, the intake isn't optimized specifically for hair loss in the same way, and the provider focus is more generalized.
UX not as polished as Hims — Ro's app and web interface are functional but not the premium experience that Hims offers. Progress tracking is limited — Ro does not have the photo comparison tools that Hims and Keeps provide.
Customer service variability — Across verified reviews, Ro's customer service gets mixed marks. Response times vary significantly, and some users report difficulty resolving billing or subscription issues. This is a shared problem across telehealth platforms, but Ro's reputation in this area is comparable to Hims — inconsistent rather than reliably good.
Broader platform can create confusion — For a man who just wants hair loss treatment, navigating Ro's wider health platform can feel cluttered. The checkout and subscription management flows sometimes present other health products in ways that feel like upsells.
What Do Real Users Say About Ro?
Reddit's r/tressless and r/Telehealth provide the most candid feedback:
Positive patterns: Users who prioritize price and use oral finasteride primarily report good outcomes consistent with the drug's established efficacy. Ro's shipping speed is noted positively. The compounded topical receives praise from men who switched from oral finasteride to reduce side effect risk.
Negative patterns: Customer service response times draw complaints. Several users note that Ro's hair loss-specific features (tracking tools, specialized intake) are inferior to Keeps and Hims.
On effectiveness: Same as with any platform — the medications are what work. Generic finasteride is generic finasteride. Ro delivers the same drug as Keeps and Hims.
The overall Reddit consensus: Ro is a legitimate option, especially for price-sensitive users and for those interested in compounded topical. Its customer experience lags behind Keeps and Hims.
How Does Ro Compare to Competitors?
| RoLowest Price | Keeps | HimsBest UX & Options | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price / mo | $16-50/mo | Not published | Not published |
| Rx options | Fin, Min, compounded topical fin+min, oral min | Fin, Min, combo kit, topical fin+min, oral min | Fin, Min, topical fin+min combo, oral min |
| Visit fee | Free | Free | Free |
| Ship time | 2-3 days | 3-5 days | 2-4 days |
| Our verdict | Lowest finasteride price, fastest shipping, broader platform | Best value for core treatments, men-focused | Widest product range, best app, highest price |
For the full three-way comparison, see our Hims vs Keeps vs Ro guide.
Our Verdict
Ro is the right choice for price-conscious men who primarily want oral finasteride at the lowest available price from a major telehealth platform. At $16-20/month, it is cheaper than the alternatives. The compounded topical option is also a genuine differentiator for men seeking combined topical therapy.
Choose Ro if: Price is your primary concern and you want oral finasteride at the lowest cost. You're interested in compounded topical finasteride + minoxidil. You want one platform for multiple men's health needs. Fast shipping matters to you.
Don't choose Ro if: You want the most polished app experience (choose Hims). You want a hair-loss-focused platform (choose Keeps).
The bottom line: The medications are the same across all three platforms. If price is your deciding factor, Ro is a legitimate choice. If you want the most focused hair loss platform, Keeps is better. If you want the best app and widest product menu, Hims is better.
Prefer an online option we've vetted? Strut Health offers a comparable physician-reviewed compounded topical (finasteride + minoxidil in one formula), is LegitScript-certified, and prescribes after a licensed-physician review.
Sources
- Kaufman KD, Olsen EA, Whiting D, et al. Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1998;39(4):578-589. PMID: 9777765.
- Olsen EA, Dunlap FE, Funicella T, et al. A randomized clinical trial of 5% topical minoxidil versus 2% topical minoxidil and placebo in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2002;47(3):377-385. PMID: 12196747.
- Zhou Y, Chen C, Qu Q, et al. The effectiveness of combination therapies for androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatologic Therapy. 2020;33(4):e13741. PMID: 32478968.
- Piraccini BM, Blume-Peytavi U, Scarci F, et al. Efficacy and safety of topical finasteride spray solution for male androgenetic alopecia: a phase III, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2022;36(2):286-294. PMID: 34634163.
- Ro Health. Roman hair loss treatment pricing. ro.co/hair. Accessed March 2026.
- Ro. Hair loss FAQ, hair loss treatment and pricing pages. ro.co. Accessed September 2026.