Helvy
HOW WE COMPARE · MEDICHECKS
Medichecks is the UK catalogue incumbent: a broad menu of panels at the lowest published price points. Helvy is a curated six-panel programme with an optional supplement plan you build yourself. Both ship from UKAS-accredited UK labs.
CATALOGUE vs CURATED
01Medichecks offers a broad catalogue with dozens of panels. Helvy ships six carefully chosen panels, each curated to answer one question well.
PRICE POINT
02Medichecks anchors at £19 (as advertised, checked 2026-07-31) for a single-marker test. Helvy anchors at £99, 5 markers, with Hormone Balance.
OUTPUT SHAPE
03Medichecks returns a doctor-commented PDF of biomarkers. Helvy returns every marker explained, plus a routed supplement plan.
COLLECTION
04Medichecks offers both finger-prick and clinic venous draws. Helvy ships finger-prick at home.
POSITIONING
Medichecks launched in 2014 and built the UK direct-to-consumer testing category. Their published catalogue runs to around 190 tests, priced £19 to £799 (as advertised, checked 2026-07-31), from single-marker checks up to broad comprehensive panels, with hormone, metabolic, vitamin and inflammation panels in between. Sample collection is offered as finger-prick at home or venous draw at a partner clinic. Reports come as a PDF with doctor commentary on each flagged result. Medichecks ships from UKAS-accredited UK laboratories to ISO 15189.
The catalogue model is the strength. If you know exactly which markers you want — say, a follow-up TSH and free T4 after a thyroid concern, or a one-off vitamin D and B12 check — Medichecks lets you buy the exact panel at the lowest price point in the UK market. The breadth is real and the pricing is competitive. The downside of the catalogue model is the inverse: a customer who does not know which markers to pick has to navigate a broad menu without a routing layer.
Helvy takes the opposite design choice. The catalogue is curated to six panels: Hormone Balance (£99, 5 markers), Complete Male Hormones (£119, 9 markers), General Energy & Wellness (£149, 17 markers), Advanced Heart Health (£159, 10 markers), Thyroid & Vital Organs (£159, 16 markers) and Vitamins & Minerals (£159, 9 markers). The panel choice is downstream from a quiz that routes the customer to the right panel based on what they are trying to learn. Each panel is read against published optimal ranges, not just the standard reference ranges.
The output shape is the second difference. Medichecks returns a PDF: biomarkers, reference ranges, doctor commentary on flagged values, suggested follow-up where relevant. Helvy returns every biomarker explained against an optimal range, with a clear next step and an optional supplement plan you build yourself via the Helvy Plan layer. The customer journey is different: Medichecks ends at the report; Helvy continues into the plan.
MEDICHECKS
£29
ENTRY PANEL · UK
HELVY
£99
ENTRY PANEL · HORMONE BALANCE
Side by side
Each row reflects the most representative offering from each provider as advertised on their public site at the verification date below.
| Dimension | Helvy | Medichecks |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor price | From £99 per panel | From £19, as advertised |
| Geography | UK | UK |
| Panel breadth | 6 curated panels | Dozens, catalogue |
| Biomarker count (broadest panel) | 17 (General Energy & Wellness) | ~59 (comprehensive) |
| Interpretation | Every marker, vs optimal ranges | Doctor commentary on flagged values |
| Optional supplement plan | In build, not open yet | No |
| Lab accreditation | UKAS ISO 15189 | UKAS ISO 15189 |
| Results timeframe | 5 days | 2-5 days |
| Collection options | Finger-prick at home | Finger-prick or clinic venous |
| Methodology transparency | Optimal ranges published, with sources | Reference ranges only |
HELVY DIFFERENTIATORS
THE LONG VERSION
Medichecks is the UK catalogue testing platform that established the direct-to-consumer category. The model is straightforward and well-executed: the customer browses dozens of panels organised by category (thyroid, hormones, vitamin and mineral, sports performance, men's health, women's health, comprehensive). The customer picks a panel, the kit ships, the sample is collected at home (finger-prick) or at a partner clinic (venous draw), and the result comes back as a PDF with reference ranges and doctor commentary. The platform has a long-standing reputation for fair pricing, reliable turnaround and clean reporting.
The Medichecks pricing structure rewards the customer who knows what to test. Single-marker tests start at £19 and most sit around £39; the catalogue reaches £799 at the top end (as advertised, checked 2026-07-31). Subscription is offered for repeat customers, with a small discount on each panel. Prices in this market move, so check theirs before you use ours.
Helvy is built for the customer who does not yet know what to test. The Helvy quiz routes to the right panel based on the customer's starting question (energy and fatigue, hormone balance, cardiovascular risk, metabolic health). The six panel options are chosen so each answers one starting question well. The General Energy & Wellness panel covers the broadest baseline (17 markers, £149) and is the default route for the customer who wants a single starting test. The marker selection in each panel is fixed; the customer does not choose individual markers.
The interpretation is the wedge. The Medichecks report shows each biomarker, the reference range, a doctor commentary, and a flagged status. Interpretation is largely the customer's job, or the customer's GP's job if they share the report. Helvy's report leads with what needs attention and then expands into every biomarker underneath, read against published optimal ranges rather than just the NHS disease thresholds. The reading is a wellness output, not a diagnostic claim. The customer can see which markers have room to improve before anything is clinically wrong, and what each one means.
The optional supplement plan is the second wedge. Medichecks does not offer one; the report ends at the doctor commentary. Helvy's Plan layer is an optional monthly supplement subscription you build yourself from a short, fixed list, with doses, forms and full labels published for every product. It is chosen by you, not produced from your results. The customer can use the Helvy Plan or take the report elsewhere.
Lab work is the same on both sides: UKAS-accredited UK laboratories to ISO 15189, the same standard as NHS pathology. Turnaround is similar (Medichecks 2-5 days, Helvy 5 days). Reference ranges are similar. Reporting clarity is similar; both ship clean PDF reports. The difference is the layer above the lab work: Medichecks ends at the report, Helvy continues into the interpretation, with an optional supplement plan you build yourself.
If you want the broad first look, that is General Energy & Wellness at 17 markers, £149. If you are not sure which panel answers your question, three questions will route you.
WHEN MEDICHECKS IS THE RIGHT CHOICE
Medichecks is the right choice if you have a specific marker in mind (a follow-up thyroid check, a one-off vitamin D, a sports-performance panel chosen by a coach), if you want the broadest UK catalogue to pick from, and if you are comfortable interpreting the report yourself or with your GP. The entry-level panels are the lowest published UK price points for a UKAS ISO 15189 result, and the platform is well-established.
If you have already worked out your supplement protocol and you only want the underlying data feed, Medichecks is a clean fit. If you want venous-draw collection at a clinic rather than finger-prick at home, Medichecks offers that route. If you want to buy individual targeted panels at the lowest possible price point without a programme wrapper, Medichecks is built for that purchasing pattern.
Helvy is not the right choice if you want to pick individual markers from a wide catalogue, if you want clinic venous-draw collection as the default, or if you only want the underlying data feed without an interpretation or supplement layer.
MEDICHECKS STRENGTHS
Honest framing of where Medichecks is the better fit. Helvy is not always the right choice; the comparison should answer that honestly.
HELVY STRENGTHS
Where the Helvy programme, with its curated panel set and optional supplement plan, is the right shape for the purchasing question.
WHEN HELVY IS THE RIGHT CHOICE
Helvy is built for the customer who does not want to pick from a catalogue. The quiz routes to the right panel. The interpretation and a clear next step are the output. The six-panel set is chosen so the customer can answer most starting questions with a single panel choice. The Helvy Plan layer adds the six-month retest cadence and the optional supplement subscription, chosen by you, on top.
The plan is the differentiator on this comparison. Medichecks ends at the doctor commentary. Helvy reads every marker against published optimal ranges, explains each one and ends in a clear next step, plus an optional supplement plan you build yourself. If the question you are trying to answer is closer to "what should I actually do about my results" than "what is my TSH", Helvy is the right shape.
Helvy is the routed UK option. Medichecks is the catalogue UK option. They cover overlapping ground at the lab-work layer; they diverge at the output layer. The right choice is which shape fits the purchasing question.
Made up your mind?
If the routed report and the supplement plan are the shape you want over Medichecks, order your panel today, or leave your email for the occasional guide.
Frequently asked
Order a panel
from £99
6 PANELS · FIVE DAYS · UKAS UK LABS
The Hormone Balance panel is the entry point at £99. General Energy & Wellness at £149 is the broadest baseline if you do not know which to pick. Retest whenever you want to see what moved.
COMPARISON VERIFIED 2026-06-10 · COMPETITOR PRICES AND POSITIONING MAY CHANGE.
Your next step