ThePeptide Examiner
Transparency Index v1

Vendor Transparency Index

Independent editorial scoring of 10 peptide and telehealth vendors on five public criteria. Methodology disclosed. Updated quarterly.

Editorially reviewedThe Peptide Examiner editorial team, Editorial review · Reviewed Apr 23, 2026

Methodology

Each vendor is scored on five criteria totaling 100 points. Sources are public: FDA Warning Letters database, Trustpilot, BBB, Reddit r/Peptides monthly vendor threads, ICANN/WHOIS for ownership disclosure, and our own direct review of each vendor's public site, terms, and marketing language.

  • FDA posture (25 pts) — no warning letters, recalls, or enforcement actions in the last 24 months.
  • COA publication (25 pts) — publishes batch-level Certificates of Analysis from independent labs, accessible per-product.
  • Transparency (20 pts) — public ownership, physical address, corporate entity, named leadership.
  • Reputation (15 pts) — inverted complaint volume from Trustpilot + BBB + r/Peptides discussions.
  • Compliance posture (15 pts) — visible compliance with research-use-only labeling norms; no dosing guides, therapeutic claims, or human-use imagery alongside sales.

This is editorial analysis, not vendor promotion. Vendors with active affiliate relationships are labeled. Vendors scored here without an affiliate relationship are covered journalistically; no outbound referral link is rendered.

Telehealth (FDA-approved GLP-1 dispensing)2 scored

Hims & Hers

No affiliate relationship
82B+

Publicly traded, FDA-approved branded product dispensing, but recent FDA scrutiny on marketing claims keeps this below A-range.

FDA posture24/25
COA pub22/25
Transparency16/20
Reputation11/15
Compliance9/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Dispenses FDA-approved branded Wegovy and Zepbound (not compounded)
  • NYSE-listed (HIMS), public financial disclosure and corporate transparency
  • Clear ownership, physical address, licensed pharmacy partners disclosed

Concerns

  • FDA has raised concerns about weight-loss marketing practices in 2024-2025
  • Some patient-complaint volume on Trustpilot around clinician-continuity and refund handling

Ro

No affiliate relationship
78B+

Well-established telehealth platform now dispensing FDA-approved branded GLP-1s after compounding wind-down.

FDA posture23/25
COA pub21/25
Transparency15/20
Reputation10/15
Compliance9/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Dispenses branded Wegovy and Zepbound after 2025 compounding end
  • Strong clinical-intake workflow, documented medical-history collection
  • Publicly-held corporate entity with disclosed leadership

Concerns

  • Previously operated large compounded-semaglutide program; migration transparency mixed
  • Pricing ambiguity around ongoing subscription vs single-order charges

Research peptide vendors8 scored

Amino Club

No affiliate relationship
71B

Among the higher-transparency research-peptide vendors; still operates in the regulatory gray area of RUO-labeled sales.

FDA posture22/25
COA pub19/25
Transparency12/20
Reputation11/15
Compliance7/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Publishes batch-level Certificates of Analysis from independent labs
  • Clear affiliate program with defined commission structure (20% + 10% recurring)
  • No active FDA warning letters as of April 2026

Concerns

  • Markets peptides for human-adjacent use cases despite RUO disclaimers — FDA's 2024 warning-letter pattern suggests this is enforcement-adjacent
  • Ownership/corporate structure not as transparent as larger telehealth operators

Apollo Peptide Sciences

No affiliate relationship
68B-

Active affiliate program with lifetime rebills; standard research-peptide RUO posture with moderate transparency.

FDA posture22/25
COA pub20/25
Transparency10/20
Reputation10/15
Compliance6/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Batch COAs available on request
  • Established affiliate program via Refersion
  • Broad catalog including newer Phase 3 compounds

Concerns

  • Ownership structure not publicly disclosed
  • Marketing language adjacent to human-use cases

Limitless Life Nootropics

No affiliate relationship
52C

Frequently-recommended by affiliate-heavy peptide review sites; credible concerns around paid-review coordination that the score reflects.

FDA posture20/25
COA pub15/25
Transparency6/20
Reputation5/15
Compliance6/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Broad catalog and competitive pricing
  • Published COAs for many products

Concerns

  • Paid-review allegations documented on Trustpilot + Reddit r/Peptides
  • Cross-referenced favorable coverage on peptides.org — which discloses an affiliate relationship with Limitless, raising conflict-of-interest questions
  • Corporate transparency limited

Pure Rawz

No affiliate relationship
48C

Large-catalog research vendor with mixed crowd-sourced reputation signals.

FDA posture18/25
COA pub14/25
Transparency7/20
Reputation4/15
Compliance5/15
What works / where it falls short

Strengths

  • Large peptide catalog and SARMs inventory
  • Some published COAs

Concerns

  • Multiple Reddit r/Peptides threads raising crypto-payment and chargeback-handling concerns
  • Trustpilot complaint volume elevated relative to category
  • Marketing language around research use inconsistently applied

SwissChems

Affiliate declined
19F

December 2024 FDA warning letter recipient. We editorially do not recommend.

FDA posture0/25
COA pub9/25
Transparency5/20
Reputation3/15
Compliance2/15

Summit Research Peptides

Affiliate declined
18F

Recipient of December 2024 FDA warning letter for selling semaglutide/tirzepatide/retatrutide as unapproved drugs. We editorially do not recommend.

FDA posture0/25
COA pub8/25
Transparency5/20
Reputation3/15
Compliance2/15

Prime Peptides

Affiliate declined
17F

December 2024 FDA warning letter recipient. We editorially do not recommend.

FDA posture0/25
COA pub8/25
Transparency4/20
Reputation3/15
Compliance2/15

Peptide Sciences

No longer active
0F

Reportedly shut down under FDA pressure per 2026 industry reporting. No active operations; historical reputation was mixed.

FDA posture0/25
COA pub0/25
Transparency0/20
Reputation0/15
Compliance0/15