Is Hims Safe and Legit? Complaints, Ratings and Oversight

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• Hims is a legitimate company. Hims & Hers Health trades on the NYSE as HIMS, has about 2.9 million subscribers, and routes every prescription through a licensed provider. For anxiety and depression, it prescribes generic medications from $49 a month and does not prescribe controlled substances.
• An FTC lawsuit filed on July 29, 2026, is pending and unproven. In September 2025, the FDA sent warning letters over compounded weight-loss drug claims. For another compounded GLP-1 provider’s record, see whether Henry Meds is legit.
• Billing is the main complaint. Hims scores 2.9 out of 5 from 9,395 Trustpilot reviews and has 4,471 BBB complaints in three years. Its iPhone app holds 4.8 from 95,525 App Store ratings.

Hims is a real online clinic, but legitimacy is only the first question. Our Hims competitors guide compares the alternatives for mental health care. The details that matter are what the service treats, who reviews your care, how billing works, and what happens when the subscription renews.

Hims & Hers Health launched in 2017 and became a public company in January 2021. Through the Hims brand, you complete a free assessment, and a licensed provider decides whether medication is appropriate. Stimulants and benzodiazepines are not on offer; see whether Hims prescribes Adderall or anxiety meds. If medication is prescribed, it ships to you on a subscription. The mental health service treats anxiety and depression only, and patients pay cash because Hims does not bill insurance.

A federal consumer protection case against Hims is pending, with no court ruling as of September 2026. Every plan renews automatically, so changes need to be made at least 48 hours before the next order.

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Is Hims a legit company?

Hims is a legitimate business run by Hims & Hers Health, Inc., a Delaware company based in San Francisco. As of June 30, 2026, it had 2,891,000 subscribers, up 19% from a year earlier, and revenue of $753.2 million for the quarter ending that day.¹ Hims is the company’s men’s brand, and Hers is its women’s brand.

Hims & Hers itself is not the healthcare provider. Care comes from affiliated medical groups owned by licensed physicians. Hims & Hers consolidates those groups in its accounts because it directs their economic activity.¹ Hims says 800 or more licensed providers work through the platform in all 50 states. Its help center publishes each clinician’s license state, license number and NPI, so you can check the license with the state board. Your provider may be a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

What Hims offers for anxiety and depression

After an online evaluation, a Hims provider can prescribe one of eight generics: bupropion XL, buspirone, citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline or venlafaxine. Plans start at $49 a month if medication is prescribed and include unlimited messaging, follow-ups and dose adjustments. Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted.

Controlled substances such as Adderall, Xanax and Valium are not available. The service treats depression and anxiety disorders only. Hims directs people with PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders or substance use problems toward in-person care. As of September 2026, its mental health pages list medication plans only, with no therapy plan shown.

One number on the Hims site needs context. Hims says over 75% of customers who checked in with their provider reported improved symptoms.² The figure is self-reported, comes from 2021 and 2022, and includes only customers prescribed an antidepressant who were still subscribed within 90 days. More on the service is in our Hims mental health review.

Hims’ sertraline information includes the antidepressant warning that children, teens and young adults may have more suicidal thoughts during the first weeks or after a dose change. If that happens, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.

Are Hims medications safe to take?

The answer depends on the product. Hims medications range from FDA-approved generics to compounded products that the FDA has not checked for safety or quality. The mental health medications are generic versions of drugs such as Zoloft, Lexapro and Wellbutrin XL, and Hims labels its sertraline and bupropion FDA-approved. Generic sildenafil for erectile dysfunction is FDA-approved and has the same active ingredient as Viagra.

Hims’ ED page says some featured products are compounded. These products are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not check their safety or quality. Hims’ topical finasteride spray for hair loss is also compounded. In April 2025, the FDA said no topical finasteride is approved and logged 32 adverse event reports from 2019 to 2024, including anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.³ The alert did not name Hims. Our Hims ED review covers the ED plans.

FDA warning letters and compounded drugs

Hims‘ FDA warning letters and its DOJ referral both concern compounded weight-loss drugs.

June 23, 2025: Novo Nordisk ended its Wegovy partnership with Hims after about eight weeks, accusing the company of mass-selling compounded drugs. Hims’ CEO disputed that account.

September 9, 2025: The FDA sent warning letters to Hims and Hers. It found claims about compounded semaglutide, including that it had the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, false or misleading.⁴

February 5 to 7, 2026: Hims launched a compounded semaglutide pill at $49 for the first month. The FDA said it would restrict GLP-1 ingredients used in mass-marketed compounded drugs and named Hims & Hers.⁵ HHS referred Hims to the Department of Justice,6 and Hims withdrew the pill.

March 9, 2026: Novo Nordisk dropped a patent suit against Hims, and the companies signed a new deal.

Under that deal, Hims sells branded Wegovy and Ozempic, has stopped advertising compounded GLP-1s, and may still dispense one when a provider decides it is clinically necessary.⁶ Hims’ August 2026 filing discloses no DOJ action.

Hims lawsuits and the FTC case

On July 29, 2026, the FTC, Utah and Los Angeles County, on behalf of California, sued Hims & Hers in federal court in Northern California. The lawsuit followed an investigation that began in October 2023. The complaint alleges that Hims:2

charged for prescriptions almost immediately after the intake form, despite marketing that suggested a provider would consult first

made cancellation difficult, requiring customers to contact customer service before 2023 and later hiding the cancel button

shared health information with Meta, Snap and others through customer lists and tracking tools

These are allegations, not court findings. Hims calls them baseless, says it gave the FTC substantial evidence, and says it will defend the case. The company has set aside about $60 million for the matter.¹ Hims’ cancellation help article, updated in August 2026, still describes a multi-step process.

A consumer privacy class action, Doe v. Hims & Hers Health, repeats the data-sharing claims and is pending.¹ Investors have also sued. A June 2025 securities class action over the Novo Nordisk relationship is pending, three related derivative suits are stayed, and a second securities class action tied to the FTC allegations was announced in September 2026.⁷ Hims’ terms require individual arbitration and waive class actions unless you opt out by signed letter within 30 days. No settlement or payout exists in the FTC case or the consumer class action.

What Hims does with your health data

Hims‘ privacy policy, updated September 17, 2026, says Hims & Hers is not a covered entity under HIPAA, although its medical groups and pharmacies may be.⁸ The policy says Hims may pass health-related browsing, such as viewing an ED or hair loss page, to advertising partners. It also says Hims may sell sensitive personal data as some state laws define selling.

The mental health page describes its privacy as consistent with HIPAA standards. You can opt out of targeted advertising at privacy.hims.com, and Hims says it honors Global Privacy Control signals.

Hims complaints and reviews

Customer reviews tell two different stories. On Trustpilot, Hims scores 2.9 out of 5 from 9,395 reviews, with 38% five-star reviews and 29% one-star reviews.⁹ The BBB lists Hims & Hers as accredited since 2018 but not rated, with 4,471 complaints in three years and a 3.65 average from 6,161 customer reviews.¹⁰ The iPhone app holds 4.8 from 95,525 ratings, and the Android app holds 4.5 from about 18,700.

The most common one-star complaints describe renewals without notice, a multi-step cancellation process, no refund after an order is processed, and slow deliveries. Five-star reviews praise the easy process, quick provider replies and regular check-ins. Some mental health reviewers say the medication helped. Others describe a questionnaire-led process or receiving an antidepressant they did not expect.

Cancelling, refunds and crisis support

Cancel at least 48 hours before your next order. Go to Subscriptions, then Manage Subscription, then Discontinue plan. An order that is already processing will still ship. Hims does not accept returns, does not guarantee a refund after the pharmacy processes an order, and may charge the first renewal early and later renewals up to two days early.

Hims is not an emergency service, and its help center says providers may not reply promptly to messages. Its mental health pages list the Crisis Text Line and 911. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911.

Who Hims is for

Hims may fit adults with anxiety or depression who want online medication management, can pay cash, and do not need a controlled substance. Plans start at $49 a month with unlimited messaging, and Hims publishes each provider’s license number. If that matches what you need, start a free Hims mental health assessment and set a reminder before every renewal.

Look elsewhere if you have a condition Hims does not treat, need Adderall or a benzodiazepine, want to use insurance, or want talk therapy. Hims recommends in-person care for those conditions, and anyone in crisis needs 988 or 911. If Hims covers what you need, see Hims’ anxiety and depression plans.