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Semaglutide vs tirzepatide

You are deciding between two options.

Reference and calculator, not medical advice. Dosing figures below are transcribed from FDA-approved prescribing information and link back to it. Last reviewed August 2026.

These are two different molecules with different mechanisms, sold under four main brand names, and dosed on scales that are not comparable. Semaglutide acts on the GLP-1 receptor; tirzepatide acts on both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Everything else below follows from the prescribing information.

Side-by-side

Structural facts from each product’s prescribing information.

ProductActive ingredientIndicationFrequencyStartMax labelledSteps to max
Wegovy
Novo Nordisk		SemaglutideWeight managementWeekly0.25 mg2.4 mg5
Zepbound
Eli Lilly		TirzepatideWeight managementWeekly2.5 mg15 mg6
Ozempic
Novo Nordisk		SemaglutideType 2 diabetesWeekly0.25 mg2 mg4
Mounjaro
Eli Lilly		TirzepatideType 2 diabetesWeekly2.5 mg15 mg6

The most common confusion here is the milligram scale. Semaglutide for weight management tops out at 2.4 mg weekly; tirzepatide tops out at 15 mg weekly. That is a six-fold difference in the number, and none of it means one is "stronger" — the numbers describe different molecules and cannot be compared as quantities.

Common questions

Which one has more escalation steps?
Tirzepatide runs six steps (2.5 / 5 / 7.5 / 10 / 12.5 / 15 mg); semaglutide for weight management runs five (0.25 / 0.5 / 1.0 / 1.7 / 2.4 mg). More steps means smaller individual jumps.
Are the brand names interchangeable?
Within a molecule, the difference is labelled indication rather than formulation: Wegovy and Ozempic are both semaglutide; Zepbound and Mounjaro are both tirzepatide. The weight-management versions carry the higher labelled maximum.
Is there an oral option?
Semaglutide has an oral form (Rybelsus), dosed daily as a tablet on its own 3 / 7 / 14 mg schedule. Tirzepatide is injection only.
Which is cheaper?
Neither, categorically. Cost depends on coverage for your indication, which supply route you use, and what dose you settle at — not on which molecule it is. Use the calculator with quotes you have actually been given.
Which works better?
Not a question this site will answer. Comparative efficacy is a clinical matter that depends on the individual, and any page giving you a confident answer is selling something. Bring it to a prescriber.

Cost comparison calculator

Enter the quotes you have actually been given. Everything is normalised to cost per month and cost per milligram so the options are comparable.

Monthly requirement21.65 mg4.33 doses/month × 5 mg
OptionPer monthPer yearPer mgOne unit lasts
Option A————
Option B———2.0 weeks

mg → syringe units converter

U-100 syringe. Formula: (dose ÷ concentration) × 100.

12.5units on a U-100 syringe
= 0.125 mL  ·  2.5 mg at 20 mg/mL

Check the concentration printed on the vial you are actually holding. The same dose in milligrams is a completely different mark on the syringe at a different concentration. If the number here does not match what your prescriber told you, trust your prescriber.

Sources and last review

Every dosing figure on this page is transcribed from an FDA-approved label and links back to it. Conversions are arithmetic you can repeat by hand. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.

Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.

Also searched as: tirzepatide vs semaglutide

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