PeterMD vs Hims vs Ro for ED (2026): Which Is Better?

If you only want FDA-approved medication, PeterMD is the cleanest fit of the three. Its two headline ED products are generic sildenafil 100mg and generic tadalafil 20mg, sold in fixed packs at $6.00 to $7.25 per tablet as published on August 2, 2026, with the price visible on a public product page before you complete a quiz or create an account. It is also the only one of the three you can buy from without joining a subscription, and the only one that takes an HSA or FSA card at checkout rather than sending you away to claim reimbursement. If you want the lowest documented entry price, Hims wins at from $2 per dose and from $22 per month for generic sildenafil. If you want the fastest onset, Ro wins with Ro Sparks, a compounded sublingual that Ro says works in about 15 minutes on average, at $12 per dose.

The rest of this page explains the trade-off that most ED comparisons skip: which of these three actually dispenses FDA-approved finished products, and which sells compounded formulations that are legal to prescribe but were never reviewed by the FDA as finished drugs. For per-dose pricing across the wider market, see our ED pill cost comparison; for the full provider shortlist, see best online ED treatment.

PeterMD vs Hims vs Ro: master comparison table

All figures below were taken from each company’s own published pages and policies on August 2, 2026, except where a secondary source is named. Prices change often; check the brand site before you buy.

Category winners

• Best for FDA-approved-only buyers – Winner: PeterMD. Its two headline ED products are FDA-approved generics sold at fixed per-tablet prices, and it does not merchandise a compounded flagship the way Hims does with Hard Mints or Ro does with Sparks. The caveat: PeterMD’s Mt Everest tablet ($10 each) combines tadalafil with PT-141 and oxytocin and is not an FDA-approved finished product, so an approved-only buyer should stay on the plain sildenafil or tadalafil listings.
• Best for buying without a subscription – Winner: PeterMD. Sildenafil and tadalafil are sold as fixed 10, 15, 20 and 30 tablet packs at a published per-tablet price, on public product pages that need no quiz, no account and no email address, so you can see the total before checkout rather than committing to a recurring plan.
• Best HSA/FSA handling – Winner: PeterMD. It accepts HSA and FSA cards directly at checkout. Hims explicitly recommends paying by regular card and claiming reimbursement afterwards, and Ro treats HSA/FSA as post-purchase reimbursement too.
• Cheapest per dose – Winner: Hims. Generic sildenafil from $2 per dose and $22 per month is the lowest published starting price of the three. Ro’s generic sildenafil is $4 per dose and PeterMD’s cheapest published sildenafil tablet is $6.00.
• Easiest cancellation – Winner: Hims. Hims documents a step-by-step self-serve cancel flow in the app and on the website with a 48-hour cutoff. Ro is also self-serve inside the account. PeterMD’s published refund and auto-bill policy routes cancellation through an email to [email protected], also with a 48-hour cutoff, though a one-off pack purchase leaves nothing to cancel.
• Best for first-timers – Winner: Hims. The $22 per month entry point on FDA-approved generic sildenafil is the smallest first commitment of the three, and you can cancel it yourself before the next order date.
• Fastest onset – Winner: Ro. Ro Sparks is advertised at about 15 minutes on average, versus as little as 30 minutes for Hims tadalafil Hard Mints and 30 to 60 minutes for standard sildenafil tablets. These are manufacturer claims, not head-to-head trial results.
• Widest range of options – Winner: Ro. Ro is the only one of the three that lists brand-name Viagra and Cialis alongside generics, a compounded sublingual and a daily gummy, so you can move up or down the ladder without switching provider.

FDA-approved generic vs compounded: what the difference actually means

An FDA-approved generic is a finished product the FDA has reviewed for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality and found bioequivalent to the brand. Generic sildenafil and generic tadalafil are in this category. A compounded drug is mixed by a pharmacy for an individual patient under a prescription. Compounding is legal under federal law and the active ingredients are usually the same approved molecules, but the finished product is not reviewed: not the specific strength, not the combination, not the dissolving base, not batch-to-batch consistency. Ro states it clearly on its own page, saying compounded drugs “are not FDA-approved and do not undergo FDA safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing review.”

Compounded is not a synonym for bad. It is how you get a sublingual drop that dissolves in 15 minutes, a mint you can chew, or a sildenafil-plus-tadalafil combination no approved product offers. The honest framing is a trade-off: convenience and novel formats on one side, an FDA-reviewed finished product on the other. If that trade matters to you, it should drive your choice more than a $2 per dose difference.

Cost per dose: the real math

Hims quotes from $2 per dose for generic sildenafil, but “from” pricing tracks the lowest strength at the largest quantity. Its own education page puts generic sildenafil at “anywhere from about $4 to $10 per dose” in practice.

Ro is more transparent: $4 per dose for generic sildenafil on a recurring monthly plan, and a flat $12 per dose for Ro Sparks whether you buy 4 doses ($48) or 10 ($120). Quarterly billing brings Sparks to roughly $10.75 to $11.50 per dose, per Innerbody’s breakdown last updated July 2025.

PeterMD is the only one of the three that prices per tablet rather than per plan, and the numbers are published in full: sildenafil 100mg at $62.50 for 10 tablets ($6.25 each), $90 for 15 ($6.00), $120 for 20 ($6.00) and $180 for 30 ($6.00); tadalafil 20mg at $72.50 for 10 ($7.25), $100 for 15 ($6.67), $140 for 20 ($7.00) and $190 for 30 ($6.33). Nothing is gated behind an intake quiz, and nothing renews unless you order again, so the checkout total is the total. Its ED category page carries a lower $5 per tablet headline than the product pages, so plan around the pack tables above. See our PeterMD ED review and PeterMD provider record for more.

Subscriptions, cancellation and refunds

Hims and Ro are subscription-first, and both let you cancel yourself. Hims requires action at least 48 hours before your next order date and warns that cancelling does not stop an order already in processing. Ro lets you cancel from account settings before a cutoff date disclosed at purchase.

PeterMD sells packs rather than plans on its ED pages, which removes the problem for most ED buyers: a one-off pack purchase leaves nothing to cancel and nothing to diarise. Its refund and auto-bill policy does confirm that automatic renewal applies to selected products, that cancellation must be made at least 48 hours before the renewal processing date, and that cancellation is done by emailing [email protected]. The same policy states all purchases are final once medication is received, with replacements only for damage reported within 24 hours of delivery. Final-sale terms are standard for mail-order prescriptions, but if you do end up on an auto-renewing product, the email-only route is more friction than the self-serve cancel buttons at Hims and Ro.

State availability and how the visit works

Hims and Ro both operate in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. PeterMD’s own product pages state “Not available in these states: AL, ID,” which puts it at 48 states, and prescribing is handled by licensed US physicians. None of the three requires a scheduled in-person visit. Hims describes its model as asynchronous telemedicine, where a text exchange can be enough for a provider to decide whether a prescription is appropriate in some states, and Ro supports audio, video and asynchronous messaging depending on state and treatment. Requirements vary by state law, so a live consultation may be required where you live.

Who each service suits

Choose PeterMD if

You want FDA-approved generic tablets, priced per tablet, bought as a pack rather than a subscription, with the price visible before you hand over an email address, and you want to pay with an HSA or FSA card at checkout. This is the strongest option of the three for a buyer who wants an FDA-reviewed finished product rather than a proprietary compounded format. PeterMD also lists cabergoline, which is FDA-approved for hyperprolactinemia and used off-label for sexual function, so that is an off-label conversation to have with the prescriber. Skip PeterMD if you live in Alabama or Idaho, or if you want the lowest per-dose price.

Choose Hims if

You want the lowest entry cost, the widest range of chewable formats, and a cancellation flow you can complete yourself in the app. At $22 a month, it is the smallest commitment if you are not yet sure ED medication is for you. Note that Hims’s best-known ED products, the Hard Mints and chews, are compounded and not FDA-approved as finished products.

Choose Ro if

Speed matters most, or you want to move between brand, generic and compounded products without changing provider. Ro Sparks at $12 per dose is the most expensive per-dose option compared here, and what it buys is an advertised 15-minute onset and a sublingual format. If cost is the priority, Ro’s own generic sildenafil at $4 per dose is the better starting point.

Safety basics that apply to all three

Every product discussed here works through a PDE5 inhibitor. PDE5 inhibitors are absolutely contraindicated with nitrates, including nitroglycerin and isosorbide, because the combination can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Tell the prescribing provider about heart conditions, blood pressure medication, alpha blockers and any recreational nitrate use (“poppers”). An erection lasting more than four hours is a medical emergency.

One clarification, because it is often blurred online: Hims has received FDA attention over its marketing of compounded weight-loss and semaglutide products. That is a weight-loss matter. There is no FDA enforcement action against Hims over its ED products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PeterMD cheaper than Hims?

No, not on published prices. PeterMD’s cheapest listed sildenafil 100mg tablet is $6.00 in a 30-tablet pack, while Hims advertises generic sildenafil from $2 per dose and from $22 per month. What PeterMD offers instead is a published per-tablet price you can read without an intake quiz, a fixed pack you can buy without a subscription, and HSA or FSA acceptance at checkout.

Which is better, PeterMD or Ro?

PeterMD is better if you want only FDA-approved generic tablets and prefer buying a fixed pack with no subscription. Ro is better if you want speed or variety: Ro Sparks is advertised at about 15 minutes on average, and Ro also carries brand Viagra, brand Cialis, generics and a daily gummy. Ro’s generic sildenafil at $4 per dose also undercuts PeterMD’s $6.00 per tablet.

Does Hims use FDA-approved medication?

Partly. Hims sells FDA-approved generic sildenafil and tadalafil tablets, and those are approved finished products. Its chewables, including Hard Mints and the 3-in-1 pill, are compounded, and Hims states on its own pages that “compounded drug products are not approved or evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or quality by the FDA.”

Which ED service is cheapest per dose?

Of these three, Hims has the lowest advertised floor at from $2 per dose for generic sildenafil, followed by Ro at $4 per dose and PeterMD at $6.00 per 100mg tablet. Real-world costs run higher than the advertised floor because “from” pricing usually reflects the lowest strength at the largest quantity; Hims’s own guidance puts generic sildenafil at roughly $4 to $10 per dose in practice.

Is PeterMD FDA approved?

PeterMD is a telehealth service, so it is not itself FDA approved; no telehealth company is. What matters is what it dispenses. Its sildenafil and tadalafil are FDA-approved generics. Its Mt Everest tablet, which combines tadalafil with PT-141 and oxytocin at $10 per tablet, is not an FDA-approved finished product.

Can I buy from PeterMD without a subscription?

Yes, and it is the only one of the three you can. PeterMD sells sildenafil 100mg and tadalafil 20mg as fixed packs of 10, 15, 20 or 30 tablets at a published per-tablet price, so you buy a quantity and nothing renews unless you order again. Hims and Ro are both subscription-first, with recurring plans you have to cancel before a cutoff date to stop the next order.

Are Ro Sparks and Hims Hard Mints safe if they are not FDA-approved?

Compounded medications are legal to prescribe and are made by licensed pharmacies, and the active ingredients in both products are FDA-approved molecules. What has not been reviewed is the finished product: the combination, strength and formulation. That is a difference in oversight, not a claim that these products are unsafe.

Which of the three works fastest?

Ro, on advertised figures. Ro Sparks is sublingual and Ro says it works in about 15 minutes on average. Hims advertises its tadalafil Hard Mints at as little as 30 minutes, and standard sildenafil tablets generally take 30 to 60 minutes. No independent head-to-head trial compares these onset claims.

Can I cancel PeterMD online?

For a one-off ED pack there is nothing to cancel, because PeterMD’s sildenafil and tadalafil are sold as fixed packs rather than as a recurring plan. Where a product does auto-renew, PeterMD’s published refund and auto-bill policy directs customers to cancel by emailing [email protected] at least 48 hours before the renewal processing date, and it does not document a self-serve cancel button. Hims and Ro both let you cancel a subscription from your account without contacting support.

Sources

• PeterMD, Sildenafil product page (pack pricing, state exclusions), getpetermd.com/sildenafil/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• PeterMD, Tadalafil product page (pack pricing, FDA-approved active ingredient language), getpetermd.com/tadalafil/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• PeterMD, Erectile Dysfunction and Mount Everest pages (product lineup, $10 per tablet), getpetermd.com/erectile-dysfunction/ and getpetermd.com/mount-everest/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• PeterMD, Refund and Auto-Bill Policy (48-hour cancellation cutoff, email cancellation, final sale terms), getpetermd.com/refund-autobill-policy – accessed August 2, 2026
• Hims, Erectile Dysfunction hub (product pricing and compounded disclaimer), hims.com/erectile-dysfunction – accessed August 2, 2026
• Hims, Chewable ED Meds / Hard Mints page (per-use pricing, 30-minute onset claim, compounded disclaimer), hims.com/erectile-dysfunction/chewable-ed-meds – accessed August 2, 2026
• Hims Support, “How do I cancel my subscription?” and “Do you accept insurance?”, support.hims.com – accessed August 2, 2026
• Ro, Sparks product page ($12 per dose, about 15 minutes, compounded disclaimer), ro.co/erectile-dysfunction/sparks/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• Ro, Sildenafil product page ($4 per dose, FDA-approved language), ro.co/erectile-dysfunction/sildenafil/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• Ro, Terms of Use (subscription cancellation cutoff), ro.co/terms-of-use/ – accessed August 2, 2026
• Innerbody, Ro Sparks Review (monthly and quarterly per-dose breakdown), innerbody.com/ro-sparks-review – last updated July 10, 2025, accessed August 2, 2026
• PeterMD, HSA/FSA acceptance at checkout, no-insurance status and 48-state availability, getpetermd.com product and checkout pages – accessed August 2, 2026

This page is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping or switching any prescription medication.