Function Health vs Empirical Health: tests, price, and doctor access
By Elo. Last updated: .
I’ve personally used Function Health and Empirical Health. Function’s $365 annual membership offers a broader specialty panel and an included mid-year retest. Empirical’s $190 single panel covers much of the core bloodwork and offers doctor access; its separate $399 program adds custom repeat testing. The choice depends on which tests you want and how much help you need acting on the results.
Function Health vs Empirical Health at a glance
The screenshots show public product examples: Function’s individual result and trend view, followed by Empirical’s promotional lab report. They illustrate the interfaces, rather than my personal results. The table compares the testing and care offered by each service.
| Feature | Function Health | Empirical Health |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $365 for an annual membership | $190 for a single panel; $399 for the separate 12-month program |
| Included testing | 100+ initial biomarkers + 60+ mid-year tests | 100 advertised biomarkers in one visit; the $399 program adds custom retesting at 3 and 9 months |
| Distinctive coverage | Advanced LDL particles, broader thyroid and hormone testing, omega fatty acids, lead, and mercury | ApoA1, vitamin B12, folate, and additional calculated lipid and metabolic results |
| Doctor access | Clinician review and written notes; standard membership does not include ongoing treatment or prescriptions | Physician interpretation, doctor access, and prescriptions when appropriate; medical-visit coverage depends on plan and location |
| App experience | Web, iPhone, and Android apps with marker explanations, historical trends, and AI tools | Web, iPhone, and Android apps combining blood results, wearable data, nutrition, and care plans |
Which biomarkers do Function and Empirical test?
Both cover ApoB, Lp(a), hsCRP, A1c, cholesterol, blood counts, kidney and liver markers, TSH, vitamin D, iron studies, and urine testing. Function goes further into thyroid antibodies, sex hormones, LDL particle testing, omega fatty acids, and lead and mercury. Empirical includes B12, folate, and ApoA1, which are absent from Function’s standard list; Function instead includes methylmalonic acid, a marker used in evaluating B12 status.
Function’s published panel includes insulin. Empirical’s published Comprehensive panel does not explicitly list it, so I would not describe Empirical as including every Function or Apple blood test. Empirical’s TSH can reflex to T4; Function lists free T3 and free T4 separately.
| Category | In both | Function only | Empirical only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete Blood Count | 15 Basophils, Eosinophils, Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Lymphocytes, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), Monocytes, Neutrophils, Platelet Count, Red Blood Cell Count, Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), White Blood Cell Count | — | 5 Basophils %, Eosinophils %, Lymphocytes %, Monocytes %, Neutrophils % |
| Heart & Lipids | 8 Apolipoprotein B, Cholesterol/HDL Ratio, HDL Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, Lipoprotein (a), Non-HDL Cholesterol, Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides | 6 Large HDL Particles, LDL Particle Number, LDL Pattern, LDL Peak Size, Medium LDL Particles, Small LDL Particles | 15 ApoB/LDL Ratio, Apolipoprotein A1, Apolipoprotein B/A1 Ratio, Atherogenic Index of Plasma, Estimated VLDL/HDL Ratio, Estimated VLDL/LDL Ratio, HDL/Total Cholesterol Ratio, LDL/Cholesterol Ratio, LDL/HDL Ratio, LDL/Non-HDL Ratio, Non-HDL/Cholesterol Ratio, Non-HDL/HDL Ratio, Remnant Cholesterol, Triglycerides/HDL Ratio, VLDL Cholesterol |
| Metabolic & Diabetes | 2 Glucose, Hemoglobin A1c | 3 Fasting Insulin, Leptin, Uric Acid | 1 Estimated Average Glucose |
| Liver | 8 Alanine Aminotransferase, Albumin, Albumin/Globulin Ratio, Alkaline Phosphatase, Aspartate Aminotransferase, Globulin, Total Bilirubin, Total Protein | 1 Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase | 2 De Ritis Ratio (AST/ALT), FIB-4 Score |
| Kidney & Electrolytes | 9 BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen), BUN/Creatinine Ratio, Calcium, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Chloride, Creatinine, eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate), Potassium, Sodium | — | 1 Anion Gap |
| Thyroid | 1 Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone | 4 Free T3 (Triiodothyronine), Free T4 (Thyroxine), Thyroglobulin Antibodies, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies | — |
| Hormones | 1 Cortisol | 9 Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), DHEA-Sulfate, Estradiol (E2), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Free Testosterone, Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Prolactin, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), Total Testosterone | — |
| Inflammation & Autoimmune | 1 High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein | 4 Anti-Nuclear Antibodies Pattern, Anti-Nuclear Antibodies Titer, Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA), Rheumatoid Factor | — |
| Nutrients | 5 Ferritin, Iron, Iron Saturation, Total Iron Binding Capacity, Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy) | 4 Homocysteine, Magnesium, Methylmalonic Acid, Zinc | 2 Folate, Vitamin B12 |
| Omega-3/6 | — | 9 Arachidonic Acid/EPA Ratio, Omega-3 DHA, Omega-3 DPA, Omega-3 EPA, Omega-3 Total, Omega-6 Arachidonic Acid, Omega-6 Linoleic Acid, Omega-6 Total, Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio | — |
| Urinalysis | 19 Urine Amorphous Sediment, Urine Appearance, Urine Bacteria, Urine Bilirubin, Urine Blood, Urine Calcium Oxalate Crystals, Urine Color, Urine Glucose, Urine Hyaline Casts, Urine Ketones, Urine Leukocyte Esterase, Urine Nitrite, Urine pH, Urine Protein, Urine Red Blood Cells, Urine Specific Gravity, Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells, Urine White Blood Cells, Urine Yeast | 1 Urine Microalbumin | 5 Urine Granular Casts, Urine Renal Epithelial Cells, Urine Transitional Epithelial Cells, Urine Triple Phosphate Crystals, Urine Uric Acid Crystals |
| Cancer Screening | — | 3 PSA Free, PSA Percent Free, PSA Total | — |
| Heavy Metals | — | 2 Lead, Mercury | — |
| Other | — | 4 ABO Blood Group, Amylase, Biological Age, Lipase | — |
| Total | 69 shared | 50 of 119 | 31 of 100 |
Our normalized database currently contains 119 distinct entries for Function and 100 for Empirical, with 69 shared. These counts include calculated results and itemized reporting fields, not just independently measured analytes. Both include a CBC; listing white-cell percentages separately does not by itself establish a difference in clinical coverage. Some hormone, prostate, and reflex results depend on eligibility or the initial result.
Which costs less for one test or a year of testing?
Empirical’s single panel is $175 less than Function’s annual membership. That is a lower entry price, but Function also includes a smaller follow-up panel. Buying two Empirical comprehensive panels at the listed single-panel price would cost $380, before any extra fees, compared with Function’s $365 membership. Two complete panels and an initial-plus-smaller-retest package cover different amounts of testing.
Empirical also advertises a $399 12-month Advanced Heart Health program, with a 100+ biomarker baseline and custom retesting at 3 and 9 months. Those retests are tailored, so $399 should not be read as three identical comprehensive panels. Compare the proposed repeat tests and doctor access with Function’s mid-year panel.
Prices checked October 16, 2026. Optional tests, medical services, at-home collection, and location-specific lab charges may cost extra. Confirm visit coverage and renewal terms for the plan you select. Function’s 160+ annual tests include repeated markers.
How do doctor access and follow-up differ?
Function reviews results and provides written clinician notes. In my experience, the dashboard was easier to use than the notes were to act on: the summary often repeated flagged values and broad lifestyle suggestions. The standard membership does not include ongoing treatment or prescriptions.
Empirical provides physician interpretation, care plans, and access to doctors who can prescribe medication when appropriate. Medical care depends on state availability, clinical need, and the coverage of the selected plan. Prescriptions are a treatment option, not a guarantee that a medication or pharmacy cost is included in the panel price.
Should you choose Function Health or Empirical Health?
Choose Function Health if its specialty markers are important to you and you want its broad baseline plus a scheduled mid-year retest. Choose Empirical Health if you want a lower-cost single panel with doctor access, or compare its $399 program if you want tailored repeat testing. For either service, check the actual tests and follow-up you will use before deciding on marker count alone.
References and review method
Firsthand observations describe my use of the services; current panel and price comparisons use the published offers and our normalized database. Images are public promotional examples from Function’s App Store listing and Empirical’s product page. The panel lists and prices were checked October 16, 2026.
- Function Health: how it works and included tests — price, testing cadence, and coverage.
- Function Health FAQ — service scope and membership terms.
- Empirical Comprehensive Health Panel — single-panel offer and physician interpretation.
- Empirical Advanced Heart Health program — $399 program, custom repeat testing, and detailed panel list.
- Empirical App Store listing and FAQ — app features, doctor access, and medical-service availability.