Willow is a relatively new, personalized GLP-1 provider, whereas Noom has been around for years now, shifting and evolving alongside the weight loss industry. I first tried Noom a few years back, before they offered GLP-1s, and it was a process that involved cognitive behavior change. Honestly, the concept was neat, but they would have completely fallen off the weight loss industry map had they not added medicated weight loss. 

Willow is a company that I’ve kept a close eye on over the last year or so. I was a customer of their sister company, Winona - where I tried HRT for some hormonal issues I was experiencing about a year ago. Willow is super unique in the weight loss medicine space as they will prescribe GLP-1s for cosmetic reasons, which means they won’t discriminate based on your BMI (controversial, I know).

I’m a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. I coach hundreds of women through weight loss and getting stronger, and there’s no denying that GLP-1 usage is high and it’s not going to die down anytime soon. In fact, I think things are just heating up. I’m sharing a comparison of Willow and Noom from my own personal experience with both brands to potentially help you identify which of these providers would be the best match for you and your goals.

Willow’s Cosmetic Weight Loss Approach

First, if you want to hear my in-depth experience of Willow, be sure to read this review article. Willow is a tad controversial in the space right now because they are prescribing compounded GLP-1s for cosmetic use. What this means is that the doctors at Willow are ok with prescribing these medications primarily for appearance-based weight loss rather than for a diagnosed medical condition like type 2 diabetes or clinical obesity.

This is controversial because many people believe that the potential risks associated with injecting medications aren’t worth it for only a few pounds that could potentially be lost through diet and exercise. Also, it’s looked at as “cheating.” Now, if you’ve been following me and my content for some time, then you already know that I am non-judgmental when it comes to using GLP-1s (within reason, obviously). I think as grown adults, we should be empowered to make our own decisions regarding our bodies, so I’m not here to judge or say anything is “right” or “wrong,” I’m just here to educate on how to make the most of your journey and body composition in the process.

Willow is very vocal about the fact that they are more than ok with healthy, eligible individuals utilizing a compounded GLP-1 as a tool to help them lose weight, even if they only want to lose 5-10 lbs. The process for getting started with Willow is pretty standard; you take a quiz, and they’ll tell you if you qualify. Their quiz is pretty short, and they don’t go too in-depth with their questioning (or at least they didn’t as of the last time I took their quiz). If you’re qualified, you’ll enter your credit card information to pay, and then your information will be sent to one of the Willow doctors who will review it and put the final stamp of approval on it. If, for some reason, the doctor decides it’s not a good fit, they will let you know, and your payment will be refunded. 

Willow offers compounded semaglutide in injection or tablet form and also compounded tirzepatide in injection form. There is a Facebook community for Willow that’s a really helpful resource for Willow users or those considering Willow. It’s a really active group that you can learn a lot from and engage with the community. There are a lot of opinions and experiences regarding the oral tablets that are shared in that group - some good, some bad. Injections are definitely the more effective route, but not everyone is comfortable with them.

Pricing-wise, Willow’s prices are pretty much industry standard. They don’t offer any introductory deals that some other platforms do; they keep things consistent across the board. Willow does allow you to pay using your HSA account and has a really easy place in your custom portal where you can download a receipt to share with your HSA provider. 

Overall, Willow significantly lowers the barrier to entry for those seeking weight loss medications who have found themselves not qualified with other providers. Willow makes GLP-1s really accessible, something that not a lot of providers are doing right now, but I believe will become far more prevalent in the near future.

Noom’s GLP-1 Program

Noom has two weight loss paths you can go down: Noom Med (prescription weight loss medications) or Noom Weight (lifestyle-based program). As I mentioned, I had already done some research into Noom Weight (their original program) a few years back, so I was aware of what the deal was with that. I came back to Noom this time with the intention of checking out its prescription weight loss offer.

Right away, I noticed that the GLP-1s they were advertising on their website were the name-brand medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) but that they also had a couple of other options like Metformin and Topiramate. I didn’t see any mention of compounded GLP-1, which are much more affordable than the brand-name drugs. 

I went ahead and got started with the intake quiz. As I expected with Noom, it was pretty thorough, and it led me on a journey throughout the process. I began by entering my actual height and weight to see if Noom would advance me to the next step,but they didn’t. I was met with a message telling me that they don’t prescribe weight loss medications for anyone with a BMI less than 25. For context, most companies use a BMI marker of 27 and above as their standard (for now), so Noom’s was slightly lower.

In order to continue taking the quiz specific to prescription medications, I needed to re-enter my weight as a higher number. As a side note, Noom did try to redirect me to their Noom Weight, their psychology-backed weight loss program.  Once I entered my weight as a higher number, I was able to continue the process. I went through the whole process until the end, where it asked me what medication I wanted. I selected Manjaro, so I expected that that’s what would come back as my recommendation. However, Noom selected Metformin for me.

Metformin is an oral medication that helps keep your blood sugar stable, which can reduce cravings, stabilize energy, and support weight management. It’s typically prescribed to those with type II diabetes or who have PCOS. I took Metformin for years when I was trying to conceive, as I have PCOS, and weight loss was never a symptom I experienced when taking it. 

I thought it was very interesting that they selected Metformin for me when I clearly stated that I was seeking a GLP-1 medication. There wasn’t an option to switch to another medication either. If I were truly seeking a GLP-1, I would be pretty disappointed in the results I got. They do include their care program with their medical weight loss path, but I am not sure what that includes and how hands-on it truly is. 

It seems as though obtaining a GLP-1 through Noom is a little tricky and it almost seems like having the name-brand medications on there is more or less a ruse and they are actually trying to push other medications like Metformin, which, in my experience and opinion are not even on the same playing field as injectable GLP-1s. 

It doesn’t appear that Noom offers any compounded GLP-1s anymore, but they did in the past. My assumption is that they are working through the legality of things, as the FDA took these weight loss drugs off the shortage list recently, and some providers haven’t figured out how to keep selling the compounded versions. 

I can’t really speak on what Noom’s support looks like, should you decide to obtain a weight loss medication through them, as I didn’t go through with the plan they laid out for me. If you’re looking for a more hands-on, high-tough approach to weight loss that involves more than just prescribing you meds and cutting you loose, Noom might be a good option for you. However, if you were hoping to get a GLP-1 medication, I’m not sure Noom is the place to go at the moment.

Wrapping Up

I really try to take a non-partisan stance on these things, not favoring one company over another, but in this case, I have to say that I am disappointed with Noom. I don’t like how they recommended Metformin for me when I stated I was looking for a GLP-1 (especially since I have personal experience with Metformin and would not recommend it for weight loss). The purpose of this article was to compare two GLP-1 providers, but Willow was the only one that delivered.

Whether or not you agree with Willow’s marketing and lax approach to prescribing these medications, the fact of the matter is that there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to get one from them, whereas it’s iffy when it comes to Noom. While I was doing this purely for research purposes and to be able to relay reliable information to my clients, community, and friends, I would have been less than thrilled with the outcome with Noom. 

By the way, I research and review a lot of GLP-1 providers to stay on top of the industry, and one of the best options for women over 35 (which is the vast majority of my audience), thus far, has been Join Josie. Josie specializes in weight management for women over 35. It’s by far one of the most reliable and inclusive platforms for women in perimenopause and menopause who are looking for judgment-free weight loss support.

Regardless of which provider you choose to go with, my biggest message that I am trying to spread is that you need to be protecting and preserving your muscles throughout the process. This means eating ample amounts of protein and strength training. This is where I specialize and would be happy to help. Check out the Simply Strong App!