Hims vs. Keeps for Hair Loss 2024: How Do They Compare?

Thanks to telehealth platforms like Hims and Keeps, you can now get hair loss treatments — including the popular medications minoxidil and finasteride — without leaving home.

No more booking appointments weeks ahead or circling the doctor’s office parking lot looking for a spot.

But once you opt for the convenience of an online healthcare provider, the next step is choosing the right telehealth service for your needs. The big question: Hims versus Keeps?

Whether you’re ready to talk to a healthcare provider to start treatment for your hair loss hangups or are just beginning your search, we have answers to any questions that may pop up when comparing Hims and Keeps.

In this article, we’ll explore each brand to help you decide which is best for your needs — from getting started to speaking with a provider, getting a prescription, product selection, pricing, and more (all accurate as of June 2024).

Quick disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and doesn’t constitute medical advice or endorsement of one brand over another.

Let’s dive in.

Hims and Keeps both have you complete an intake form or do a quick quiz before connecting you with a provider.

The Keeps quiz is shorter (just four questions, plus submitting photos of your hair), whereas the Hims form is slightly more personalized to get a clearer idea of what products will likely be right for you.

Hims asks questions about your hair, of course, but also about family history, lifestyle, mental health (like stress levels), and your styling routine. These factors can influence your hair health and inform what products are best for your needs.

We offer context for why we’re asking these questions with a short “Why We Ask” blurb. In most cases, Hims will also have you submit photos of your hair.

Both Hims and Keeps offer over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription products.

If you live in one of these states or territories, you won’t be able to get a prescription through Keeps (but you can fill an existing prescription):

• Delaware

• Idaho

• Kansas

• New Mexico

• Puerto Rico

• Washington, D.C.

• West Virginia

Hims, on the other hand, has providers in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. Typically, you have to be in the same state as your provider to get care (even online care), which is why it matters that Hims has providers in every state.

Hims offers multiple means of communication to meet the varying state and legal requirements for how healthcare providers and patients can interact digitally.

For example, some states require a video chat before a prescription can be written, which we offer. Keeps doesn’t currently have this feature.

Hims and Keeps offer many of the same or similar hair loss products. This includes FDA-approved treatments that not only help with hair thinning and receding hairlines but may also help regrow some of what you’ve lost.

The products Hims and Keeps both offer include:

• Topical minoxidil. Minoxidil is the active ingredient in Rogaine®. Available as a liquid solution or foam, topical minoxidil is FDA-approved for male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia).

• Oral minoxidil. In some cases, oral minoxidil might be prescribed off-label by a telehealth provider for hair loss, especially for people who find it hard to keep up with a twice-daily topical minoxidil application. Oral minoxidil requires a prescription, but topical minoxidil is over-the-counter.

• Oral finasteride. Finasteride is the active ingredient in Propecia®. The oral version is FDA-approved for androgenetic alopecia. It works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone largely responsible for male pattern baldness.

• Saw palmetto shampoo. Saw palmetto partially blocks DHT like finasteride so the hormone doesn’t shrink hair follicles (known as hair miniaturization). You can get a thickening shampoo containing this plant extract.

• Finasteride and minoxidil topical combo. Topical products that combine finasteride and minoxidil are available too. Research shows that the duo works better together than using either treatment alone.

Hims and Keeps carry products formulated with ketoconazole as well, a medication that treats a range of fungal infections. They both have a ketoconazole shampoo, and Hims also offers a spray that combines ketoconazole with biotin.

Topical Hair Loss Blends From Keeps vs. Hims

When it comes to combined minoxidil and finasteride topical options, the products are similar between brands. But there are some key differences:

• Keeps offers two-in-one topical finasteride and minoxidil in a gel or a foam.

• Hims has topical finasteride and minoxidil paired together in a spray or serum.

The exact amount of active ingredients varies by brand:

• Keeps gel and foam formulas have 0.25% finasteride and 5% minoxidil.

• Hims topical finasteride-minoxidil spray and serum have slightly higher concentrations of active ingredients at 0.3% finasteride and 6% minoxidil.

Do Hims and Keeps Have the Same Products?

One thing that sets Hims apart is that we’ve doubled down on personalized and compounded offerings. This means we offer products you can’t find elsewhere — like a four-in-one hair regrowth spray (containing finasteride, minoxidil, biotin, and ketoconazole) and hair loss chews with minoxidil.

Overall, Hims has a more robust line of hair loss products. Beyond the products mentioned above, we offer:

• Volumizing shampoo and conditioner

• Biotin gummies

• Dandruff detox shampoo made with pyrithione zinc

• Medicated chews that combine oral minoxidil or both minoxidil and finasteride with additional ingredients like biotin, vitamin C, vitamin B5, and vitamin B6 to support healthy hair

One product Keeps offers that Hims doesn’t is a thickening styling pomade made with similar ingredients to those found in the brand’s thickening shampoo and conditioner.

Hims and Keeps both offer bundled care options, which are essentially curated selections of products.

These bundles address hair loss from different angles — for instance, one product addresses hormonal causes of hair loss while another improves blood flow to the scalp). They can also save you money compared with buying each product individually.

Currently, Hims offers more bundles (also called custom kits) than Keeps:

• The Hims Hair Power Pack comes with both Rx and OTC products, including finasteride pills, minoxidil drops, biotin gummies, and thickening shampoo.

• Hims also sells a non-prescription bundle with topical minoxidil, thickening shampoo, and biotin gummies.

• The only bundle Keeps currently offers is finasteride pills and minoxidil (an option also sold together by Hims).

Another difference is that Keeps customers can choose between minoxidil foam or liquid solution as part of their bundles, whereas Hims only bundles finasteride with minoxidil solution.

Here’s an example of pricing for bundles:

• The Hims Hair Loss Duo ranges from $32 (for a three-month commitment) to $39 monthly (for a year-long commitment).

• A similar bundle from Keeps pairing minoxidil solution with oral finasteride starts at $37.60 a month (with a three-month commitment) to $25.50 a month with a year-long commitment. The Keeps bundle with minoxidil foam is slightly more expensive.

Many guys wonder if Hims or Keeps is more expensive. It varies by product, but overall, Keeps products run slightly less expensive.

However, there are other costs to consider beyond the sticker price of products, like shipping and provider consultations (both of which are free through Hims).

We’ll cover those other costs shortly. But here, you’ll find a general breakdown of the current cost of Hims and Keeps products.

• Hims hair loss prices range from $15 to $60 per month.

• Keeps prices range from $33 to $180 for a three-month supply ($11 to $60 monthly).

First-time Keeps subscribers get a discount on their first three months, but the percentage off varies by product.

But Hims is less expensive than Keeps for products that combine finasteride and minoxidil.

As mentioned, Hims offers a two-in-one topical finasteride and minoxidil as a spray or serum. The serum differs slightly from the spray because it combines finasteride and minoxidil with an essential oil blend of rosemary, juniper, cedar, tea tree, sandalwood, lavender, and eucalyptus.

Both of these Hims products start at $35 a month (when you opt for a five-month plan) or $50 for a three-month plan.

Keeps also offers two formulations of finasteride and minoxidil, a foam or a gel. The gel is $60 per month, and the foam is $50 per month.

Neither brand accepts insurance, and both offer initial free consultations with a licensed healthcare professional.

Hims provides free shipping on all products. Keeps shipping costs $5 across the board.

Both brands ship to P.O. boxes.

Hims ships within the United States and is available in the United Kingdom. Keeps products are only available in the U.S.

Folks who want to try something new but aren’t quite ready to commit long-term may appreciate that they can make a one-time purchase with Hims. This is a good option if you’re deciding between minoxidil solution or foam, for example, or are wondering about the taste of the chews before signing up for recurring shipments.

Keeps doesn’t have the option for a one-time purchase on most products.

If you like what you order, Hims lets you subscribe for regular deliveries so you don’t have to remember to keep reordering. Each month, your product will ship around the same time.

With Hims, the cost is the same whether or not you subscribe. Certain Hims products — like oral finasteride and the topical finasteride and minoxidil combo products — are only available in =three- or five-month subscriptions. (It generally takes a few months to see results from finasteride.)

Meanwhile, Keeps works off a subscription model. For all products except the shampoo, conditioner, and pomade, you have to order a three-, six-, or 12-month supply to be shipped all at once.

Subscription Flexibility: Hims vs. Keeps

With a Keeps subscription, you’ll not only pay for three, six, or 12 products at once, but you’ll also receive that many items in one shipment (something to consider if you’re short on storage space).

There are pros and cons to this system:

• Since subscriptions are a single shipment, you’ll only pay for Keeps shipping once.

• But since all the products arrive at once, you won’t have the option to change or pause your subscription.

• This could be an issue if you’re facing side effects from a medication and signed up for a full year’s worth.

Hims allows you to refill early or “snooze” your subscription if you don’t need your next shipment quite yet. You can do this on a web browser or in the app 48 or more hours before your next order date.

One thing to keep in mind is that with Keeps, payment for your second (and subsequent) refills will be processed 75 days after your first 90-day supply is processed. This ensures you don’t run out of product, but it could also mean you’re charged earlier than expected (and may wind up with excess product).

Hims processes payments for refills around the same day each month.

Both brands have helpful and efficient customer service. There are a few differences, however.

Here’s the gist:

• Hims offers 24/7 support and access to healthcare providers to answer any follow-up questions that may have popped up after your appointment.

• Keeps advertises its customer service hours as Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST for email and text, and Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST for chat.

• Keeps has a chat function on its website and app, and Hims has a live chat function on the app (which is highly recommended for users).

• Both companies offer unlimited messaging between patients and providers.

• Messaging differs slightly from follow-ups, where providers chat with patients about their progress, answer questions, and address concerns. Follow-ups with Him are free, and with Keeps, they’re $5 each.

It’s not a big difference, but if you like regular reassurance from a medical provider, it’s nice knowing that with Hims, you can check in as often as you want cost-free.

Hims and Keeps both tailor their products to men. However, Hims has a partner brand called Hers geared toward women’s health, with products for female pattern baldness and other types of hair loss.

Keeps solely focuses on men’s health and doesn’t currently have a similar platform for women.

TL;DR? Here’s the basics on Hims versus Keeps for hair loss:

• Hims offers a more personalized intake form and a wider range of communication options (including video consults).

• Hims serves all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Keeps isn’t available in seven states because it doesn’t offer the video consultations currently mandated by those states.

• Hims has a broader selection of hair loss products and bundles, including a four-in-one hair regrowth spray and hair loss chews. Keeps focuses primarily on generic treatments for male pattern baldness but offers one unique item, a thickening pomade.

• While both brands have competitive pricing, Hims offers more flexible purchasing options, including one-time purchases and monthly subscriptions. Keeps requires longer-term commitments for most products.

• Hims shipping, consultations, and follow-ups are free, potentially reducing overall costs.

• Besides hair treatments, Hims offers medication for erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), sexual health, weight loss, and anxiety, along with general wellness and skincare products. Keeps only focuses on hair health.

You don’t have to meet with a dermatologist in person or get a referral from your primary care doctor to get treatment for your hair woes.

Want to explore Hims offerings or learn more about your options for slowing thinning hair or even reversing hair loss? Connect with a healthcare professional through our online consultation. They can assess your hair loss and help you decide what treatment plan is best.