Bicycle Health vs Ophelia
Updated October 20, 2026
Online clinics now prescribe Suboxone for opioid use disorder over video, which lets many patients start treatment within days instead of waiting weeks for a local addiction doctor. Bicycle Health and Ophelia both run that model, and what most patients overlook is how differently each one supports them: Bicycle Health keeps one clinician with each patient and leans on peer groups, while Ophelia surrounds patients with a care team that answers every day of the week. That choice decides who you lean on between visits, so we compared the two clinics side by side.
Our analysts compared Bicycle Health and Ophelia on price, insurance, speed to a first visit, support between visits, and where each clinic treats patients, using the HIR review of each company and each clinic's own price page checked this month. In the following sections, we compare them in one table and describe the patient each clinic suits.
Bicycle Health vs Ophelia at a glance, October 2026
| What buyers weigh | Bicycle Health | Ophelia |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | $249 per month for the self-pay program, with doctor visits, messaging, and lab tests included. Buprenorphine adds $0 to $150 per month and is covered by most insurance plans. | $245 per month for self-pay, covering all clinician video visits and Suboxone management. With insurance, most patients pay less than $10 per month. |
| Pricing model | Bicycle Health bills insurance, or charges a flat monthly program fee plus the cost of the medication for patients who pay cash. | Ophelia bills insurance for visits and care, or charges a flat monthly fee for patients who pay cash. |
| What drives cost | For Bicycle Health, your cost depends on your plan's deductible, your copay or coinsurance, and the price of your buprenorphine prescription. | For Ophelia, your cost depends on your insurance plan, your copay, and whether your plan needs a prior authorization for the medication. |
| How care is organized | The same clinician at every visit, with monthly visits, drug screening at home, and therapy. | An enrollment coordinator, a care coordinator, and a clinician, with visits weekly in the first month, then every two weeks, then monthly. |
| First visit | Most patients are seen within 24 hours, and Suboxone can often be picked up at a nearby pharmacy the same day. Clear edge | New patients are usually seen within one to three days. |
| Support between visits | More than 170 online peer groups each week, with the care team reachable by phone, text, or chat on weekdays from 9am to 7pm. | A care team reachable seven days a week. Clear edge |
| Other care included | Therapy and peer support groups alongside medication. | Treatment for depression, anxiety, and insomnia, plus comfort medication to ease withdrawal. |
| Where it treats patients | Lists 28 states where patients can enroll. Clear edge | Treats patients in 15 states, including New York, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Texas. |
| Insurance | Accepts more than 300 insurance plans. | Accepts many major plans, including Medicaid, and files prior authorizations when a plan requires one. |
| Staying in treatment | Scores 7.5 on keeping patients in treatment. | Scores 8.0 on keeping patients in treatment. Higher score |
| Treatment program | Scores 7.5 for its opioid treatment program. | Scores 7.3 for its opioid treatment program. |
| Pricing clarity score | 8.0 | 8.4 Clearer pricing |
| HIR overall score | 7.7, Recommend. | 7.9, Recommend. |
| Best for | Adults with opioid use disorder who want the same clinician at every visit. | Adults with opioid use disorder who want Suboxone treatment by video. |
| Not a fit for | People who need treatment for alcohol use. | Patients who live outside Ophelia's 15 states. |
Which fits which buyer
Start with the kind of support you want between visits.
Choose Bicycle Health if
- You want the same clinician at every visit.
- You would like to join online peer groups during the week.
- You want a prescription the same day you are first seen.
Choose Ophelia if
- You want a care team you can reach on weekends.
- You have Medicaid or commercial insurance in a state Ophelia serves.
- You also want care for depression, anxiety, or trouble sleeping.
Verdict
Ophelia scores slightly higher and fits insured patients who want a set visit schedule and a care team on call every day. Bicycle Health fits patients who value one steady clinician, frequent peer groups, and a same-day start.
Neither clinic treats alcohol use, so patients who need that should look at Boulder Care. Anyone who needs detox or residential care should seek in-person treatment.
Methodology
Each row comes from the HIR reviews of Bicycle Health and Ophelia, scored under the HIR method, and from each vendor's public pricing where it exists. Any published price for Bicycle Health or Ophelia was checked on that vendor's own site on October 20, 2026.
A green check marks a clear edge for Bicycle Health or Ophelia only where their review scores differ by at least 0.3 points or the two reviews show a plain difference. Rows with nothing published for either Bicycle Health or Ophelia are left out, and time to full value for each adds up the rollout stages in its review.
Sources
- HIR review of Bicycle Health and HIR review of Ophelia
- Bicycle Health insurance and pricing, checked October 20, 2026
- Ophelia insurance and pricing, checked October 20, 2026