Key Takeaways
- Hims provides confidential and safe access to licensed doctors for diagnosis, guidance, and prescribing meds.
- Medications available from Hims include Viagra, sildenafil, Cialis, finasteride, and minoxidil.
- We’ve summed up our two testers’ experience of the onboarding process.
What we love about Hims
- straightforward, modern website that’s easy to navigate
- lots of pictures and calming colors
- quick and easy questionnaire
- real-time customer service chat
What we didn’t like
- difficult to find pricing information for each product
- mobile version of Hims is hard to read
- all information about the types of treatments Hims offers is in the middle or bottom of the page
- links at the top of the page take you directly to survey
Hims is one of the many platforms that offer telehealth online from licensed providers, with services ranging from skin care and hair loss to anxiety and erectile dysfunction (ED).
Hims Inc. is a telemedicine company that launched in 2017. It focuses on personal wellness and removing the stigma associated with seeking care for sexual health issues.
Users provide personal health information that is reviewed by a staff of licensed doctors who give a diagnosis and guidance to people for any of these conditions:
• anxiety
• depression
• ED
• premature ejaculation
• hair loss
• skin care
• sleep concerns
• weight management
You must purchase prescription drugs with a Hims subscription that delivers a month’s worth of medications 12 times per year. You can purchase nonprescription products without a subscription.
Hims Telehealth
Each company we recommend — including Hims — undergoes a thorough vetting process. During this process, a team of experts carefully evaluates each company based on the quality, accessibility, cost, and availability of its products or services. This allows us to give you strong recommendations for products and services that offer good value for your money.
If you’d like to learn more about our selection process and scoring system for telehealth platforms, check out Healthline Scores: How We Evaluate Men’s Telehealth Platforms.
Our Medical Standards and Insights team has carefully researched and vetted over 11,000 products and services. We evaluate services for consistency with standards of care and best practices, and we look into each brand’s reputation before sharing products and services on Healthline.
To choose the services on this page, we considered all the ED treatment services that passed our vetting process. Then, we scored each service to narrow down our list even further.
Hims reviews: Is Hims worth trying?
We tested Hims from the initial sign-up stage through prescription delivery
To better understand what people can expect when ordering through Hims, we had two testers go through the onboarding process to get a sense of the quality, effectiveness, safety, and more.
One of Healthline’s project managers asked their partner to sign up for Hims hair loss treatments and test the service for over a month. We’ll call him Aaron*.
Aaron tested this platform to explore ED medications more for the audience he typically writes for. Parisa Syed tested this platform to showcase the process as easily as she could, since “the function of the drugs are the same; it’s the services that are different.”
*The name has been changed to protect our tester’s anonymity.
The website itself
Both Aaron and Parisa liked the website and found it intuitive, straightforward, and easy to navigate.
“[It’s] very modern, lots of pictures, really nice and calm color scheme,” Syed said. “Almost understated. What I appreciate about their website is that the text surrounding the prescription medications is smaller, and the image of the Hims pill packet is extremely large. So if users do catch sight of it, it’s more of a coincidental marketing opportunity.”
Though Syed liked the website, the one irritating thing she found was that “you have to scroll down to the middle of the page for information about the available meds. Otherwise, if you click on the meds linked above, you get taken to the questionnaire immediately. Could be helpful for some, but if you want to do more research, it could be irritating.”
Aaron also used the mobile version of Hims but found that “the [text] could be difficult to read in its entirety when long paragraphs were cut off, or content couldn’t all fit together on a single page.” It became more of a problem when he was making selections for the assessment.
Another problem Aaron had with the mobile version was that he felt somewhat uncomfortable that someone might see what he was browsing from a distance, so he kept his back to a wall.
- Questionnaire: To get started, you fill out an intensive consultation form that asks questions about your age, sex, medical history, and more. Both of our testers thought the Hims questionnaire was pretty long, lasting anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes.
- Identity check: Before you get to the confirmation page, Hims asks you to verify your identity with either a Social Security number or ID.
- Confirmation page: This page comes after you add your shipping address and confirms your “plan” based on your recommended product. They give you shipping frequencies, and the price per month is different for each:
- monthly supply
- 3-month supply
- 5-month supply
- Professional meet and payment: Next, Hims will ask you to fill out your payment information, but they note that you won’t be charged unless you’re prescribed the medication from the healthcare professional you meet with. You’ll be able to schedule a time and date with someone in your state after you submit your payment.
- If you have follow-up questions or feel like the medication or dose isn’t working for you, you can follow up with your prescriber about adjusting the dosage or trying a different medication.
- Receive the medication: After consulting with your healthcare professional and finding the best medication for you, you’ll receive your medication. Hims works with partner pharmacies to refill your prescription, and they’ll send it to your address within 2 to 5 business days. Shipping is free.
Hims aims to provide a private shopping experience. The company collects personal health information and information to verify your identity. How Hims uses or distributes the information to its partners, such as doctors or pharmacies, depends on your state’s health privacy laws.
Hims isn’t intended for use by minors, except those ages 13 to 18 years who are seeking treatment for skin issues such as acne. The site features an extensive explanation of its privacy practices, protected health information, and use of information on its website.
Hims packages its ED products in discreet envelopes. The shipping label will display the Hims company name and sometimes an “H” logo on its packaging. However, if you order products that are not for ED treatment, the products will arrive in a brown, corrugated box with “hims” printed on the side.
| Brand | Healthline score | Conditions treated | Price* | Type of ED meds | Hair restoration products |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hims | 4.3/5 | • ED • PE • hair loss • anxiety • depression • skin care • sleep concerns • weight management | starts at $1/dose | • Viagra • sildenafil (generic Viagra) • Cialis • tadalafil (generic Cialis) • Hard Mints (compound med) | • finasteride • minoxidil (foam or solution) • finasteride and minoxidil spray • thickening shampoo • thickening conditioner • biotin gummies |
| Roman | 4.0/5 | • ED • PE • hair loss • hormone imbalances • skin care • STIs • weight management | starts at $4/dose | • Viagra • sildenafil (generic Viagra) • Cialis • tadalafil (generic Cialis) • daily generic tadalafil | • finasteride • minoxidil • finasteride and minoxidil |
| Rex MD | 3.9/5 | • ED • PE • hair loss • hormone imbalances • sleep concerns • weight management | starts at $2/dose | • Viagra • sildenafil (generic Viagra) • Cialis • tadalafil (generic Cialis) • daily generic tadalafil | • finasteride |
Finasteride and minoxidil are considered cosmetic and are not covered by most insurance plans. Hims doesn’t accept insurance for medical consultations or products.
However, prices are typically less than half of what you might pay at your local pharmacy.
Viagra, Cialis, and Stendra are approved by the FDA. The generic versions of those drugs may differ slightly from the original patented drugs, although the active ingredients are the same.
However, not all Hims products are FDA-approved since the company’s offerings also include many herbal remedies and other products. It’s important to verify which product you’re buying and check the FDA status.
The effectiveness of ED medication can depend on several key factors, including your lifestyle, overall health, and sexual habits.
Cialis and tadalafil can be taken as needed and are longer-acting medications, allowing for more spontaneous sexual activity. These medications can be effective in as little as 30 minutes but can take up to 2 hours to start working in some cases. Cialis and tadalafil can also be taken daily at a lower dose so you can always be ready for sex.
On the other hand, Viagra, sildenafil, and Stendra are generally effective for about 4 to 6 hours. You should take at least 30 to 60 minutes before sexual activity.
Hims products are designed to prevent, slow, or even reverse hair loss. The products differ from those offered by Keeps. With Hims, you can purchase accompanying shampoo, conditioner, and gummies to supplement your hair treatment.
With consistent use, the company says you may see a difference in 3 to 6 months. According to the website, the site has a 4.5-star rating for the effectiveness of the products, discreet delivery, and professional medical guidance.
Hims is a telemedicine company specializing in medications for hair loss, sexual dysfunction, and other wellness products. It can save you the hassle of an in-person doctor’s appointment and a trip to the pharmacy. The online process is straightforward, and products ship directly to you.
Hims also offers hair loss products with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and competitively priced erectile dysfunction (ED) products.
It offers privacy and one-stop shopping that allows you to consult with a licensed doctor, receive a prescription for a medication, and subscribe to get it delivered monthly to your home.