Function Health vs Parsley Health
Function Health vs Parsley Health: these solve different problems, so the better choice depends on what you want. Function Health ($365/year) is comprehensive biomarker testing with 100+ markers and not much else. Parsley Health (its Complete Care membership runs $150/month if Parsley is in-network with your insurance, or $275/month out of network) is a full functional medicine membership: 60-80+ biomarkers plus ongoing clinician access, health coaching, nutrition plans, and prescriptions. If you mainly want the labs, Function is the value pick. If you want a doctor managing a chronic condition, Parsley is doing far more.
I've personally tested Function Health and worked through its full results experience, and I reviewed Parsley Health's membership and panel details on their own website. This page lays out where the two actually differ so you don't pay for features you won't use.
Below I compare them on pricing, the lab tests included, and which one is the better fit for different goals. For the membership on its own, see our Parsley Health review.
Function vs Parsley Health comparison table
| Feature / Biomarker | Function Health Annual Membership | Parsley Health Parsley Complete Care |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $365/yr | $150–$275/mo |
| Number of Biomarkers | 114 | 41 |
| Features | ||
| iOS app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android app | ✓ | — |
| Wearable integration | ✓ | — |
| Testing Frequency | 2×/year | 2×/year |
| Prescriptions | — | ✓ |
| Access to clinicians | — | ✓ |
| Biomarkers | ||
| ABO Blood Group | ✓ | |
| Alanine Aminotransferase | ✓ | ✓ |
| Albumin | ✓ | ✓ |
| Albumin/Globulin Ratio | ✓ | |
| Alkaline Phosphatase | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amorphous Sediment | ✓ | |
| Amylase | ✓ | |
| Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) | ✓ | |
| Anti-Nuclear Antibodies Pattern | ✓ | |
| Anti-Nuclear Antibodies Screen | ✓ | |
| Anti-Nuclear Antibodies Titer | ✓ | |
| Apolipoprotein B | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arachidonic Acid/EPA Ratio | ✓ | |
| Aspartate Aminotransferase | ✓ | ✓ |
| BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) | ✓ | ✓ |
| BUN/Creatinine Ratio | ✓ | |
| Basophils | ✓ | |
| Bilirubin | ✓ | |
| Biological Age | ✓ | |
| Calcium | ✓ | |
| Calcium Oxalate Crystals | ✓ | |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) | ✓ | |
| Chloride | ✓ | |
| Cholesterol/HDL Ratio | ✓ | |
| Cortisol | ✓ | ✓ |
| Creatinine | ✓ | ✓ |
| DHEA-Sulfate | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eosinophils | ✓ | |
| Estradiol (E2) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fasting Insulin | ✓ | |
| Ferritin | ✓ | ✓ |
| Folate | ✓ | |
| Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free T3 (Triiodothyronine) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free T4 (Thyroxine) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase | ✓ | ✓ |
| Globulin | ✓ | |
| Glucose | ✓ | ✓ |
| HDL Cholesterol | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hematocrit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hemoglobin | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hemoglobin A1c | ✓ | ✓ |
| High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein | ✓ | ✓ |
| Homocysteine | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hyaline Casts | ✓ | |
| Iron | ✓ | ✓ |
| Iron Saturation | ✓ | |
| Ketones | ✓ | |
| LDL Cholesterol | ✓ | ✓ |
| LDL Particle Number | ✓ | |
| LDL Pattern | ✓ | |
| LDL Peak Size | ✓ | |
| Large HDL Particles | ✓ | |
| Lead | ✓ | |
| Leptin | ✓ | |
| Lipase | ✓ | |
| Lipoprotein (a) | ✓ | |
| Luteinizing Hormone (LH) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lymphocytes | ✓ | |
| Magnesium | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) | ✓ | |
| Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) | ✓ | |
| Medium LDL Particles | ✓ | |
| Mercury | ✓ | |
| Methylmalonic Acid | ✓ | |
| Monocytes | ✓ | |
| Neutrophils | ✓ | |
| Non-HDL Cholesterol | ✓ | |
| 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 | ✓ | |
| PSA Free | ✓ | |
| PSA Percent Free | ✓ | |
| PSA Total | ✓ | |
| Platelet Count | ✓ | |
| Platelets | ✓ | |
| Potassium | ✓ | |
| Prolactin | ✓ | |
| Red Blood Cell Count | ✓ | ✓ |
| Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) | ✓ | |
| Rheumatoid Factor | ✓ | |
| Selenium | ✓ | |
| Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Small LDL Particles | ✓ | |
| Sodium | ✓ | |
| Squamous Epithelial Cells | ✓ | |
| Testosterone (Total and Free) | ✓ | |
| Testosterone Free | ✓ | |
| Testosterone Total | ✓ | |
| Thyroglobulin Antibodies | ✓ | |
| Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies | ✓ | |
| Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone | ✓ | ✓ |
| Total Bilirubin | ✓ | |
| Total Cholesterol | ✓ | ✓ |
| Total Iron Binding Capacity | ✓ | |
| Triglycerides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Uric Acid | ✓ | |
| Urine Appearance | ✓ | |
| Urine Bacteria | ✓ | |
| Urine Bilirubin | ✓ | |
| Urine Blood | ✓ | |
| Urine Color | ✓ | |
| Urine Glucose | ✓ | |
| Urine Leukocyte Esterase | ✓ | |
| Urine Nitrite | ✓ | |
| Urine Protein | ✓ | |
| Urine Red Blood Cells | ✓ | |
| Urine Specific Gravity | ✓ | |
| Urine White Blood Cells | ✓ | |
| Urine Yeast | ✓ | |
| Urine pH | ✓ | |
| Vitamin B12 | ✓ | |
| Vitamin D | ✓ | |
| Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy) | ✓ | |
| White Blood Cell Count | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zinc | ✓ | |
| eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) | ✓ | ✓ |
Where Function is stronger than Parsley
- Far lower price: At $365/year, Function costs less than two months of Parsley Complete Care, and tests more biomarkers.
- More comprehensive biomarker panel: Function includes 100+ biomarkers vs Parsley's 80, with specialized markers like omega fatty acids, advanced lipid particles, and heavy metals
- Focus on testing: If you primarily want detailed biomarker data without the full medical membership, Function is more targeted
- Polished data visualization: Function Health's app provides detailed explanations and tracking for all biomarkers
Where Parsley is stronger than Function
- Full medical membership: Parsley includes ongoing access to functional medicine clinicians, coaching, and care management, not just testing.
- Prescription capabilities: Parsley clinicians can prescribe medications and supplements as part of your treatment plan
- Root-cause approach: Parsley focuses on functional medicine principles to address underlying health issues, which can be good for people with complex chronic illnesses (POTS, ME/CFS, etc).
Function vs Parsley Health pricing
Function Health is $365/year for the testing membership. Parsley Health's Complete Care membership is $150/month if Parsley is in-network with your insurance, or $275/month out of network, roughly $1,800 to $3,300/year. That buys far more than labs: ongoing clinician visits, coaching, nutrition plans, and prescriptions. They aren't really priced against each other, since one is a lab service and the other is a care membership that happens to include testing.
Function vs Parsley Health: which is better?
If you primarily want a broad, affordable biomarker panel you can track over time, Function Health is the better value. If you want a clinician actively managing your care, especially for a complex or chronic condition, Parsley Health does much more for the higher price. Choose based on whether you're buying data or buying ongoing care.