How we score programs
The five criteria, their weights, and what each score means.
By Julian Caraulani · Last updated
Every program gets a score out of 10, computed from five criteria. The weights are fixed and published here, and the same for every program.
| Criterion | Weight | What earns a high score |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 30% | A low all-in monthly price for a real treatment plan, labs and fees included |
| Transparency | 25% | Prices published before you sign up, with what's included spelled out |
| Care | 20% | A licensed clinician, lab monitoring, follow-ups and a way to reach the care team |
| Access | 15% | Prescribes in many states, offers more than one treatment, reasonable cancellation |
| Reputation | 10% | Patient reviews on independent platforms and a clean regulatory record |
The exact rules
- Price: the lowest monthly price you can actually pay for a prescription ED, hair loss, PE or testosterone plan, with any required fee added. $20 or less scores 10, up to $30 scores 9, up to $40 scores 8, up to $60 scores 6.5, up to $100 scores 5, above that 4. A program with no total we can work out scores 3.
- Transparency: starts at 4. Plus 3 if every price needed for the total is published (1.5 if only some are), plus 2 if a per-pill price or the pack size is stated next to the price, plus 1 if cancellation terms are stated.
- Care: starts at 5. Plus 2 if the clinician consult is included in the price, plus 2 if an FDA-approved generic or brand is available, plus 1 if the program names the pharmacy that fills your order.
- Access: starts at 4. Plus 2 for 45 or more states on the program's own statement, plus 2 for three or more of our treatment types (ED, hair loss, PE, testosterone, lab tests), plus 1 if HSA or FSA payment is stated.
- Reputation: the Trustpilot score doubled when there are 100 or more reviews, otherwise 5. Minus 2 for an FDA warning letter on record (whatever product it concerns; each review says which), minus 1 for a pending government lawsuit.
Where the numbers come from
Prices come from each program's own website. Every price on this site shows the page we read it on and the date we checked. When a program doesn't publish a price, we say so instead of estimating.
What the score is not
The score is not affected by whether a program pays us, or how much. Placement on a page can differ from the score order in one case: when two programs are within 0.1, we may show the one with clearer pricing first.
Badges
A few cards carry a badge such as "Lowest price". Badges are worked out from the price table, not chosen by us: each goes to the cheapest program that meets its rule, and moves on its own when prices change.
- Lowest price: the cheapest all-in monthly plan we track.
- Lowest price, FDA-approved: the cheapest plan with FDA-approved medication included in the price.
- Lowest price with labs: the cheapest plan with both medication and lab testing included in the price.
A program holds at most one badge. If the winner of a rule already has one, that badge is not shown at all rather than passed to the runner-up.
Corrections
If a price or fact is wrong, email hello@menshealthwatchdog.com with the source and we will re-check it.
For how the whole site works, including how it makes money and what it doesn't check, see Is Men's Health Watchdog legit?.