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Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) vs Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

Verdict

Ozempic is the better choice of the two, winning on entry price; the halfrx scores are tied at 5.1.

Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.

Which is cheaper, Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) or Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)?

Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) is $499 a month all-in, read from its own page on 2026-09-21; Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) is $199–$499, read from its own page on 2026-09-22. At the maintenance dose the gap is $150 a month, which is $1,950 across a year, counting 13 fills. Label-trial weight loss was 11.9% against 6.4%, from separate trials; the molecules were compared directly in SURPASS-2, where tirzepatide lost 1.9 to 5.5 kg more than semaglutide 1 mg over 40 weeks, in type 2 diabetes. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. They were last checked on 2026-09-21 and 2026-09-22. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. The published formula scores them 5.1 and 5.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.

Head to head

Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) against Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label), one row per axis, with the side that wins each axis marked.
What decides itMounjaro
$499/mo
Ozempic
$199–$499/mo
Entry priceOzempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) is $300/mo cheaper to start — $199 against $499.—✓ better here
Regulatory and complaint riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag.tiedtied
Average weight loss in trialsMounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) reports 11.9% and Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) 6.4%, each from its own label trial, so the higher number is not by itself a better result. The trials that did compare the molecules are SURPASS-2 (tirzepatide lost 1.9 to 5.5 kg more than semaglutide 1 mg over 40 weeks, in type 2 diabetes) and SURMOUNT-5 (weight fell 20.2% on tirzepatide against 13.7% on semaglutide over 72 weeks, in adults with obesity).not comparablenot comparable

What the trials, the titration and a year actually say

AxisMounjaroOzempic
Mean weight loss in the cited trial11.9%6.4%
The trial that figure comes fromNo percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Mounjaro label, which has no weight-management section: every trial on it is a diabetes trial and reports weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 11.2 kg lost from a 93.8 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 15 mg, in SURPASS-2 against semaglutide — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take.No percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Ozempic label, which has no weight-management section: its three trial sections cover glycemic control, cardiovascular outcomes and kidney outcomes, and all report weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 6.4 kg lost from a 100.1 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 2 mg — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take.
Maintenance dose2.5 mg to 15 mg once weekly, set by blood sugar control0.5 mg to 2 mg once weekly
Earliest week you reach it—week 5
Year one at the published price of every step$6,487$4,237

Trial percentages are quoted from the label or the named trial beside them. They are not a head-to-head result: different populations, different durations, different endpoints. That is why the comparison above scores this axis as not comparable rather than awarding it to the higher number. The molecules themselves were compared directly in SURPASS-2 and SURMOUNT-5; the result is in the answers below. The year-one figures walk each titration step at its published price — Mounjaro has one price at every dose, so there is no step to walk — and count the thirteen fills a 28-day month bills. The full arithmetic is published.

Go to Mounjaro ↗Go to Ozempic ↗

Read the price gap carefully: these two are not the same purchase

  • These are different molecules — tirzepatide against semaglutide — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
  • Against every medication on this site with a verified maintenance price, Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label) is the 9th cheapest of 9 and Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) the 5th — the cheapest of them all is $75.
5.1
$499/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-21
Off-label for weightBoxed warning
5.1
$199–$499/mo all-in
verified 2026-09-22
Off-label for weightBoxed warning

Mounjaro (tirzepatide, diabetes label)

Pros

  • +Same tirzepatide molecule as Zepbound, the most effective approved weight-loss agent.[4]
  • +On-label and readily covered if you have type 2 diabetes.[4]

Cons

  • −Off-label for weight loss without diabetes — expect insurance denial and prescriber reluctance.[4]
  • −Self-pay is $499 a month at every strength through LillyDirect, with no cheaper starting tier: Zepbound, the same molecule on the weight-loss label, is $299 at 2.5 mg and $449 at 7.5 mg and above through the same pharmacy. For weight loss, Zepbound is the cheaper route to the same molecule.[1]
  • −Weekly injection with the same GI side-effect profile.[4]

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

Pros

  • +New self-pay patients pay $199 for the first two monthly fills on TrumpRx, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month at 0.25 to 1 mg.[2]
  • +Identical active molecule to Wegovy.[2]
  • +If you have type 2 diabetes, this is the on-label product and the one insurance is most likely to cover.[2]

Cons

  • −Using it for weight loss without diabetes is off-label. Insurers deny it on that basis and prescribers vary in willingness.[2]
  • −Its top dose is 2 mg, against 2.4 mg for standard Wegovy and 7.2 mg for Wegovy HD; the Ozempic label reports no weight-loss percentage to set beside Wegovy's.[5]
  • −Prescribing it off-label for weight competes with diabetes patients for supply — a recurring shortage driver.[2]
Mounjaro side effects →Ozempic side effects →Mounjaro dosage →Ozempic dosage →

Comparisons are computed from the fields on each card, not written by hand or by a model, so they change when the data does. Information only, not medical advice. halfrx may earn a commission from some links, which never changes what a comparison says.

Everything on Mounjaro

Everything on Ozempic

Mounjaro against Ozempic, answered

Is Mounjaro or Ozempic better for weight loss?
Their molecules have been tested against each other. SURPASS-2 randomized 1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin to tirzepatide 5, 10 or 15 mg or semaglutide 1 mg for 40 weeks. Tirzepatide lost 1.9, 3.6 and 5.5 kg more than semaglutide at the three doses. (Frías et al., N Engl J Med 2021.) SURMOUNT-5 randomized 751 adults with obesity and without diabetes to tirzepatide or semaglutide injections, each raised to its highest tolerated dose (up to 15 mg and 2.4 mg), for 72 weeks. Weight fell 20.2% on tirzepatide against 13.7% on semaglutide. (Aronne et al., N Engl J Med 2025.) The 11.9% and 6.4% quoted for Mounjaro and Ozempic on this page are each drug's own label trial, not this comparison. A trial answers for the doses and the people it enrolled, not for one reader.
Which is cheaper, Mounjaro or Ozempic?
Ozempic, at $349 a month against $499 — a difference of $150 a month, or $1,950 over a year counting the thirteen fills a 28-day month bills. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate. Above the maintenance dose, the optional higher dose costs more: Ozempic at 2 mg is $499 a month.
Can you switch between Mounjaro and Ozempic?
They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.
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