Function Health vs DirtCheapLabs

Function Health vs DirtCheapLabs: I took Function's full list of 114 biomarkers and priced every one à la carte at DirtCheapLabs. Matching the entire panel costs about $401.37 for a single blood draw, slightly more than Function's $365 per year, and Function includes a second follow-up draw on top of that. So for the complete clone, Function is the better deal. The twist: the bill is dominated by a handful of specialty tests. Drop them and you cover ~90 of the markers for about $185, roughly half of Function.

I've personally tested Function Health and worked through its full results experience. To build this comparison I pulled Function's exact biomarker list and matched each marker to the cheapest test or panel in DirtCheapLabs' live catalog (June 2026 prices, run on the Quest network). Where a single panel reports many of Function's markers, like a CBC or metabolic panel, I used the panel rather than buying each marker on its own.

Below I show the full cost breakdown, where the money actually goes, which markers don't have a DirtCheapLabs equivalent, and how to decide between the two.

Function Health vs DirtCheapLabs cost

Function's Annual Membership covers 114 unique biomarkers for $365 a year (two draws: a full 100+ marker panel plus a 60+ marker follow-up). Pricing that same 114-marker list à la carte at DirtCheapLabs comes to:

Core panels and common singletons (~104 markers)$186.42
Specialty long-tail tests (21 markers)$204.95
Blood draw fee$10.00
DirtCheapLabs total, one draw$401.37
Function Health, per year (two draws)$365.00

So the full clone runs a little above Function for a single visit, and Function still tests you a second time in the year. On total coverage, Function wins on price.

Where the money goes

The everyday chemistry is almost free. The bill is dominated by about seven specialty tests that each cover only one or a few markers:

TestMarkersPrice
Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acids9$63.25
Heavy Metals Panel (Lead, Mercury)2$38.31
Lipoprotein Fractionation, NMR (LDL particles)6$28.99
Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)1$21.28
Methylmalonic Acid1$20.70
Leptin1$17.47
Lipoprotein (a)1$14.95
These 7 tests21$204.95

By contrast, the core panels cover roughly 60 markers for under $30 total. A CBC is $2.88 for 13 markers, a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel is $3.78 for 17, a complete urinalysis is $5.07 for 19, and a lipid panel is $5.64 for 6. The rest are cheap singletons in the $2 to $10 range: TSH, Free T3 and T4, A1c, cortisol, testosterone, vitamin D, and so on.

That shape is the real takeaway. If you skip the omega fatty-acid panel, heavy metals, NMR lipoprotein fractionation, AMH, methylmalonic acid, and leptin, you still cover about 90 of Function's markers for roughly $185, well under half of Function's price. You give up the niche tests, not the core picture of your health.

Markers with no DirtCheapLabs match

Three of Function's 114 entries can't be replicated à la carte:

Is Function Health a good deal?

Mostly, yes, if you want everything. This comparison is a fairly direct answer: the cheapest serious à la carte lab I could find still costs about $401.37 to match Function's full 114-marker panel for one draw, and Function is $365 for two draws a year plus an app that tracks and explains every result. On raw coverage per dollar, Function is priced fairly and is genuinely hard to beat.

The catch is whether you need all 114 markers. The honest answer for most people is no. The markers that make Function look expensive to replicate, the omega fatty-acid panel, NMR particles, heavy metals, AMH, methylmalonic acid, leptin, are exactly the ones a healthy person rarely acts on. Strip those out and DirtCheapLabs covers the ~90 markers that actually drive decisions for about $185, roughly half of Function. So Function is a good deal if you value completeness, the twice-yearly cadence, and the polished results experience. It's a worse deal if you'd be paying for dozens of numbers you'll never look at twice.

Function Health vs DirtCheapLabs: which is better?

If you want Function's entire 114-marker panel, twice a year, with a polished app that tracks trends and explains each result, Function at $365 is the better value. Replicating the full list at DirtCheapLabs costs a bit more per draw and gives you raw results with no interpretation layer.

DirtCheapLabs wins when you don't need every marker. The à la carte model lets you build a focused panel for a fraction of the price, and their pre-built Stupidly Dirt Cheap Panel is $295 for a curated 32-marker set. My honest take: most people don't act on 114 numbers, so a tighter $185 panel of the markers you'll actually use is the smarter buy, with Function making sense when you value the app and the twice-a-year cadence.

Notes on the comparison