You’ve noticed your part getting wider, or maybe your hairline has crept back enough that photos are starting to bother you. You search around, find five different telehealth brands all promising the same thing, and suddenly you’re comparing checkout pages instead of actual treatment options. This list cuts through that.
Each entry below is a distinct category of tool or service. Some prescribe. Some ship products. One just tells you where you stand before you do anything else.
1. Hims
Verdict: Best all-around telehealth option for men who want everything in one place.
Hims is the only major telehealth brand currently offering topical finasteride, which matters because some men want the medication applied directly to the scalp rather than taken orally, partly to sidestep systemic exposure. The product lineup extends to oral finasteride, both forms of minoxidil, and combination treatment kits. The breadth here is real, not just marketing. You get an async clinician consult baked into the sign-up flow, and prescriptions are issued by licensed providers in your state. Pricing varies by formula, but combo plans run roughly $30 to $55 per month depending on what’s in them. Results still take three to six months minimum, and you stop seeing them if you stop taking the medication. That’s not a Hims caveat, that’s just how finasteride and minoxidil work.
2. HairLine AI
Verdict: The right first move if you don’t yet know your Norwood stage or what treatment tier makes sense for you.
Before booking a consult or picking a subscription, you need to know what you’re actually dealing with. HairLine AI is a free browser tool that reads a photo or webcam image and classifies your hair loss using the Norwood scale, the same classification system clinicians use. It runs on a vision model (Gemini 3 Pro) and also estimates how many grafts a transplant would require and what that might cost. No account. No credit card. You get a result dashboard in under a minute.
That’s its whole job. It does not prescribe anything, sell medication, or replace a dermatologist. Think of it as a neutral read before you walk into any sales funnel. If the result shows an early Norwood II, you probably don’t need to think about transplants yet. If it shows a V or VI, a topical subscription alone may not be the answer. Either way, knowing your stage makes every other decision on this list smarter.
*One honest note here: an AI photo assessment is a starting point, not a clinical diagnosis. A board-certified dermatologist should always confirm staging before treatment decisions.*
3. Keeps
Verdict: Lean, affordable, and genuinely focused on the two treatments that actually have clinical backing.
Keeps does not try to sell you a dozen products. It offers finasteride and minoxidil, and it does so on three-month plans that bring the per-unit cost down noticeably compared to monthly billing. Shipping runs around $5. The intake process is simple. Keeps was built specifically around hair loss, not as a side category of a broader men’s health platform, which keeps the experience focused. Side effect information for finasteride is presented plainly during sign-up, which is what you want. A minority of men experience sexual side effects on finasteride; that’s a real and documented risk worth knowing about before you start.
4. Roman (Ro)
Verdict: Solid for men who want generic oral finasteride and a trusted telehealth name, not a specialized platform.
Roman is a general men’s health telehealth brand that covers hair loss among other things. It offers generic oral finasteride and minoxidil solution. No foam minoxidil, no topical finasteride. If those matter to you, look elsewhere. If you just want a straightforward prescription process with a company that has been around long enough to have a track record, Roman is fine. The platform is well-built and the clinician review process is similar to Hims and Keeps.
5. Happy Head
Verdict: Worth considering if you want a custom compounded topical formula rather than standard off-the-shelf options.
Happy Head writes prescriptions for custom topical compounds, meaning your formula can combine finasteride, minoxidil, and other ingredients in concentrations tailored to what a clinician recommends for your situation. This is different from picking a preset combo kit. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved as finished drugs, but the individual active ingredients in them are. Pricing tends to be higher than standard generics, and you’ll want to ask your provider directly about what’s in your formula and why.
6. BosleyRx / Bosley
Verdict: Makes the most sense if you’re weighing both medication and eventual transplant surgery from one organization.
Bosley has been doing hair transplants in physical clinics for decades. BosleyRx is the telehealth arm, offering Rx hair loss medications online. The reason to consider them over a pure telehealth brand is continuity: if your hair loss progresses to the point where a surgical consult makes sense, Bosley can handle that conversation without starting over somewhere new. If you’re nowhere near thinking about surgery, a leaner service like Keeps probably costs less for the same medications.
7. HairClub
Verdict: A different category entirely, better for people whose loss is too advanced for medication alone.
HairClub operates physical locations and offers programs that go beyond prescription medication, including hair systems, which are non-surgical solutions for significant loss. This is not a telehealth-first service. You go in person. It’s more expensive than any subscription listed here. But for someone at a Norwood VI or VII where minoxidil and finasteride have limited benefit, a medication subscription is not the right comparison point. HairClub is worth knowing about for that reason.
8. Generic Minoxidil + Ketoconazole Shampoo (OTC Stack)
Verdict: The lowest-cost entry point with real evidence behind it, no subscription required.
Store-brand minoxidil 5% foam or solution costs roughly $20 to $30 for a three-month supply at most pharmacies. Ketoconazole shampoo (Nizoral or generic) has modest supportive evidence when used a few times per week alongside minoxidil. Neither requires a prescription. Neither is a replacement for finasteride if your loss is androgenetic and progressing, but for early-stage loss or as a supplement to a finasteride prescription, this stack is the most accessible option on the whole list. Results still require months of consistent use, and you still lose progress if you stop.
Common Questions
Does it matter which telehealth service you pick if the medication is the same finasteride?
It matters more than you’d think. The active ingredient is identical across Hims, Keeps, and Roman, but the available formulas differ. Only Hims currently offers topical finasteride. Happy Head can compound custom concentrations. If you have a preference for how the medication is delivered, that narrows your options fast regardless of price.
Can HairLine AI’s Norwood estimate actually change which subscription you should buy?
Yes, in a practical way. A Norwood II or III reading suggests medication alone has a good chance of slowing progression, so a Keeps or Hims subscription is a reasonable starting point. A Norwood V or VI reading means you should be asking a dermatologist whether medication will do much at all before committing to a monthly plan.
Is there a meaningful difference between Keeps’ three-month billing and Hims’ monthly billing beyond the price?
The medication itself is the same. The difference is financial commitment and flexibility. Three-month billing at Keeps reduces per-unit cost but means you’re locked in longer per cycle. Monthly billing at Hims costs slightly more but lets you pause or adjust sooner if side effects appear or your situation changes.
When does it make sense to use BosleyRx instead of a leaner service like Keeps or Roman?
Mainly when surgery is already on your radar, even loosely. If you’re at a stage where you’re wondering whether medication will be enough long-term, starting with BosleyRx means your medication history and provider relationship stay within the same organization if you eventually book a transplant consult. For early-stage loss with no surgical interest, Keeps is cheaper for the same drugs.
Are compounded topical formulas from Happy Head safer or riskier than standard generic finasteride?
Neither safer nor riskier in any clearly documented way, but they are less standardized. The FDA has not reviewed compounded formulas as finished products. The active ingredients themselves have established safety profiles. The practical risk is variability in concentration and quality between compounding pharmacies, so asking your provider which pharmacy fulfills your prescription is a reasonable question.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss treatment guidelines (public patient resources)
- Norwood Scale original classification, Hamilton-Norwood scale peer-reviewed documentation
- FDA drug database entries for finasteride and minoxidil (fda.gov, publicly searchable)
- Individual brand pricing verified from publicly visible checkout pages (Hims, Keeps, Roman, Happy Head, Bosley, HairClub), accessed 2025 to 2026
