Beluga Health vs Karpa: Telehealth Platform Comparison (2026)
Beluga Health vs Karpa: compare physician model, pharmacy integration, and program depth for peptide and GLP-1 telehealth clinics.
Last reviewed: October 15, 2026
TL;DR
Beluga Health supplies physicians, protocols, prescribing, and pharmacy routing behind a partner's brand through an API, with the partner keeping its merchant account. Karpa bundles the branded front end and EMR, focuses on peptide, GLP-1, TRT, and HRT programs, and uses its own 50-state network of independent licensed providers to prescribe.
Karpa Health
- Starting price
- $297/mo
- plus a one-time implementation fee
- Time to launch
- 7–30 days
- about 7 with your own website and LegitScript certification; about 30 when Karpa builds the website
Beluga Health
- Starting price
- Flat fee per clinical visit
- Time to launch
- Not published
At-a-Glance Comparison
Side-by-side comparison across features, pricing, and business model.
Karpa wrote this comparison and is one of the two platforms compared. Every competitor fact comes from a public source cited at the end of the page, reviewed October 15, 2026. “Not publicly specified” means we could not verify that detail from a public source.
Spot something wrong or out of date? Contact us with a public source, and we’ll review it and update the page.
| FEATURE | Karpa Health | Beluga Health |
|---|---|---|
| PLATFORM DETAILS | ||
| Platform Type | Turnkey program launcher | Physician-led clinical infrastructure and API for digital health brands Source |
| Best For | Individual practices adding peptide, GLP-1, TRT, or HRT programs, and entrepreneurs launching 50-state telehealth brands | DTC brands launching or switching telehealth providers, technology platforms reselling clinical capacity, and health plans and payer programs Source |
| Physician Model | Karpa's 50-state network of independent licensed providers prescribes for every program, sync and async | Beluga-run physician network credentialed in all 50 states plus DC; care provided by Beluga Health, P.A. or affiliated professional corporations; physicians only, averaging 35+ state licenses each Source |
| Peptide Support | Primary focus with dedicated workflows | Not publicly specified; the protocol list includes "wellness injections" but does not name peptides Source |
| GLP-1 Support | Primary focus with dedicated workflows | Yes; physician-led GLP-1 weight loss (AutoRx), branded GLP-1s direct from manufacturer, maintenance and non-GLP weight options Source |
| Pharmacy Integration | Direct integration with our compounding pharmacy partners | Routing across multiple independent partner pharmacies with real-time failover; partners can bring their own pharmacy via Surescripts or partner integrations Source |
| Pricing | Launch plan $297/mo plus a one-time implementation fee (custom website, patient portal, signup forms); Growth and Scale shared on a call; custom EMR quote | Flat fee per clinical visit (async and sync priced separately, volume tiers), flat monthly platform fee, one-time integration fee applied to future visits; pharmacy and labs at cost, plus a separately disclosed coordination fee when using Beluga's partner pharmacies (none with your own pharmacy); no revenue share; dollar amounts shared on a scoping call Source |
| BUSINESS MODEL | ||
| White-Label Branding | Source | |
| Pass-Through Pricing | Source | |
| Patient Ownership | Source | |
| You Are Merchant of Record | Source | |
| Bring Your Own Pharmacy | — | Source |
| LegitScript Certified | Source | |
Beluga Health: What You Should Know
Beluga Health is a clinical layer for brands that run their own front end. Its public materials describe a 50-state physician network, a clinical API, multi-pharmacy routing, and a broad protocol catalog that includes GLP-1, TRT, and female HRT. Partners keep their merchant account and customer relationship, and pharmacy and lab costs pass through at cost, plus a disclosed coordination fee on Beluga's partner pharmacies. Karpa also supplies the branded website, patient portal, and EMR, and lists peptides as a primary focus.
Beluga publishes its pricing structure but not dollar amounts, and it supplies the physicians by default rather than offering bring-your-own prescribers publicly. Buyers should confirm per-visit and platform fees, contract length, data export on exit, peptide protocol availability, and who supplies the front-end stack directly with Beluga.
Beluga Health: Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- Physician network credentialed in all 50 states plus DC, with 70+ visit types across 11 clinical categories
- Clinical API with documented visit payloads, plus hosted intake under the partner's subdomain
- Partners keep their own merchant account; Beluga states it never holds the payment token
- Bring-your-own pharmacy with no added fulfillment fee; pharmacy and lab costs passed through at cost
- No revenue share on customer payments
- Published 4 to 6 week switching process with no downtime during cutover
- States LegitScript certification and DEA-registered prescribers
- Credentialed nationally with commercial payers (HEDIS gap closure, CCM, RPM)
Limitations
- Dollar pricing is not published; numbers are shared on a scoping call
- Peptide programs are not named in the public protocol list
- Beluga supplies the physicians by default; bring-your-own prescriber is not offered publicly
- A coordination fee applies when fulfillment runs through Beluga's partner pharmacies
- Contract length and data export terms are not publicly specified
Beluga Health or Karpa: Who Each Is Best For
Who Beluga Health is best for
Beluga Health is a strong choice for DTC brands launching or switching telehealth providers, technology platforms reselling clinical capacity, and health plans and payer programs.
Beluga Health describes itself as the physician-led clinical engine behind hundreds of digital health brands across all 50 states and DC. The partner brand runs marketing and the customer relationship, while Beluga supplies physicians, protocols, intake questionnaires, prescribing, lab orders, and pharmacy routing through an API, a hosted intake option, or platform partners. Its protocol list covers 70+ visit types across 11 categories, including GLP-1 weight loss, TRT, and female HRT.
Who Karpa Health is best for
Entrepreneurs, clinicians, and operators who want to launch a real telehealth business, not rent someone else's. Whether you're a licensed clinician adding cash-pay programs or a non-medical founder launching a 50-state brand, Karpa gives you full control.
- Pass-through pricing on pharmacy and provider fees
- You are merchant of record and get paid first
- Full white-label branding, patients only see your brand
- You fully own the patient relationship
- No medical license required, use Karpa's 50-state network of independent licensed providers
Operators already running on Karpa have left reviews on G2 and Capterra. Read the Karpa Health reviews, quoted word for word with the reviewer, the date and a link to each source.
Explore Karpa's Programs
You are deciding between Beluga Health and Karpa. The next step is seeing how a Karpa program runs under your own brand.
Switching from Beluga Health
Beluga publishes a 4 to 6 week process for brands switching to it. Operators comparing a move in either direction should confirm historical data handling, prescription continuity, pharmacy contracts, and commercial terms directly with both vendors.
- 01
Initial Consultation
Book a gameplan session to map your current workflows to Karpa's platform.
- 02
Platform Setup
Karpa configures intake forms, protocols, pharmacy connections, and your branding.
- 03
Go Live
Live in about 7 days with your own website and LegitScript certification, with one-click pharmacy fulfillment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Beluga Health cost?
Beluga Health pricing, as of October 15, 2026: Flat fee per clinical visit (async and sync priced separately, volume tiers), flat monthly platform fee, one-time integration fee applied to future visits; pharmacy and labs at cost, plus a separately disclosed coordination fee when using Beluga's partner pharmacies (none with your own pharmacy); no revenue share; dollar amounts shared on a scoping call. For comparison, Karpa Health publishes its starting price: the Launch plan is $297/mo plus a one-time implementation fee, month to month.
Beluga Health reviews: what are the pros and cons?
This is Karpa Health's review of Beluga Health, based on Beluga Health's own public materials as of October 15, 2026. Karpa competes with Beluga Health, so weigh it accordingly. Pros: Physician network credentialed in all 50 states plus DC, with 70+ visit types across 11 clinical categories; Clinical API with documented visit payloads, plus hosted intake under the partner's subdomain. Cons: Dollar pricing is not published; numbers are shared on a scoping call; Peptide programs are not named in the public protocol list. The full list, with a source for each fact, is on this page.
Can I switch from Beluga Health to Karpa Health?
Yes. Karpa's onboarding team migrates your patient records, active prescriptions, and refill schedules, so current patients keep their refills without starting over; continuing prescriptions are reviewed by independent licensed providers in Karpa's network. We rebuild your intake, checkout, and patient portal under your brand, connect pharmacy fulfillment, and handle LegitScript through our Enterprise Certification Partner status (review within 2 business days). If you already have your own website and LegitScript certification, you can go live in about 7 days. Start by requesting an export of your patient list from Beluga Health. Beluga publishes a 4 to 6 week process for brands switching to it. Operators comparing a move in either direction should confirm historical data handling, prescription continuity, pharmacy contracts, and commercial terms directly with both vendors.
Does Karpa Health support DTC brands launching or switching telehealth providers, technology platforms reselling clinical capacity, and health plans and payer programs?
Karpa Health is purpose-built for entrepreneurs and clinicians launching cash-pay GLP-1, peptide, TRT, and HRT programs. You don't need a medical license to launch. If your primary need is DTC brands launching or switching telehealth providers, technology platforms reselling clinical capacity, and health plans and payer programs, Beluga Health may fit. If you want to own the patient, set your own prices with pass-through pharmacy costs, and launch under your own brand, Karpa is the stronger choice.
What pharmacies does Karpa integrate with?
Karpa Health has direct integration with our compounding pharmacy partners for one-click prescribing. Prescriptions route to those partners automatically, so there is no pharmacy for you to bring or contract.
Do I need a medical license to use Karpa?
No. Independent licensed providers in Karpa's 50-state network prescribe, so non-medical entrepreneurs can launch without a license. You own the patient relationship, control the brand, and act as merchant of record.
How long does it take to launch a program with Karpa?
About 7 days if you already have your own website and LegitScript certification. If Karpa builds your website, plan on about 30 days: about 2 weeks for the site, then LegitScript approval, typically 14–21 days with Karpa (5 days at fastest). Karpa provides pre-built intake forms, clinical protocols, pharmacy connections, and patient communication templates.
References
Ready to launch?
Launch your white-label GLP-1, peptide, or hormone therapy brand, live in about 7 days with your own website and LegitScript certification. Pass-through pricing, your brand, your patients.
