Disclosure: Vital Signs Today may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our evidence-based assessments. We are not a medical provider; talk to a clinician before acting on test results.
Quick answer: The biomarkers worth testing fall into five buckets: metabolic (fasting insulin, HbA1c, triglycerides), cardiovascular (ApoB, Lipoprotein(a), hs-CRP), hormones (thyroid, testosterone, estradiol), nutrients (vitamin D, ferritin, B12), and organ function (liver, kidney, CBC). The fastest way to cover all five in one sitting is a comprehensive blood panel rather than a stack of single-marker kits. For most health-conscious adults, the Superpower biomarkers test is our top pick: $199 per year buys one annual draw covering 100+ biomarkers (about 150 with calculated ratios), 17 plain-language health scores, and an action plan you can actually use. If you want maximum clinical depth and don’t mind paying more, Function Health is the serious alternative.
Disclosure: Vital Signs Today may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our evidence-based assessments. We are not a medical provider; talk to a clinician before acting on test results.
| Service | Best for | Pricing | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superpower | Whole-body optimization | ~$179/yr membership | View › |
| Function Health | Annual deep panel | Annual membership | View › |
Why a comprehensive blood panel beats chasing single markers
Most people start backwards. They feel tired, Google one symptom, and order a single vitamin D or thyroid kit. The problem is that biomarkers don’t live in isolation. Fatigue can be low iron, an underactive thyroid, poor blood sugar control, low testosterone, or a B12 deficit, and a one-marker test can’t tell you which.
A comprehensive blood panel solves this by giving you the whole dashboard at once. You see the metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal, and nutrient systems side by side, so a borderline number in one area can be read in the context of the others. It is also cheaper per marker. Buying ten separate single-marker kits usually costs far more than one bundled panel, and you only get poked once.
This is the core reason a yearly baseline service has become the smart default. Instead of reacting to symptoms, you build a record you can track over time, which is where the real signal lives.
The biomarkers that actually matter (and what they tell you)
You don’t need 300 markers. You need the right 100 or so, organized into the systems that drive how you age. Here is the short list we’d insist on in any panel.
Metabolic health
Fasting insulin and HbA1c catch insulin resistance years before fasting glucose looks abnormal. Triglycerides and the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio round out the picture. These four are the early-warning system for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and they are routinely missed on a basic checkup.
Cardiovascular risk
Standard cholesterol panels undersell heart risk. ApoB counts the actual number of artery-clogging particles, Lipoprotein(a) flags an inherited risk most people never get tested for once in their life, and hs-CRP measures the inflammation that drives plaque. If a panel skips these, it is not a serious cardiovascular panel.
Hormones
A full thyroid read (TSH, free T4, free T3) plus sex hormones (testosterone, estradiol, and for some, DHEA-S) explains a huge share of energy, mood, libido, and body-composition complaints. Hormones are where people most often discover the cause of symptoms they had written off as aging.
Nutrients and organ function
Vitamin D, ferritin, B12, and magnesium are the deficiencies most likely to be both common and fixable. Layer on a complete blood count plus liver and kidney panels, and you have the organ-function baseline that tells you the rest of the numbers can be trusted.
Superpower biomarkers test: our top pick for a yearly baseline
The Superpower biomarker test is built exactly around the logic above. For $199 per year, you get one comprehensive annual blood draw covering 100+ biomarkers, roughly 150 once you count calculated ratios, spanning metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal, nutrient, and organ-function markers in a single sitting.
What sets it apart for a non-clinician is the translation layer. Results come back as 17 plain-language health scores plus a personalized action plan, and there is an AI concierge you can chat with about what any number means. That turns a wall of lab values into something you can act on, which is the part most testing services get wrong.
A few honest caveats. Superpower is a screening and tracking service, not a diagnostic clinic, so think of it as the annual baseline that tells you where to look, not a replacement for a doctor. Pricing is also higher in two states: it is $399 in New York and New Jersey because of state lab rules. Outside those states, $199 for this much coverage is the best value-per-marker we’ve found.
Full-body lab membership: 100+ biomarkers, doctor-reviewed, tracked over time.
Superpower vs Function Health: which yearly panel wins?
This is the comparison most readers are really weighing, so let’s be direct about it.
Function Health
Function Health is the more clinically thorough option. At $365 per year you get 160+ biomarkers, two draws per year instead of one, a urinalysis, and a 6-month retest built into the membership. That cadence is genuinely useful if you’re actively changing something (a new medication, an aggressive nutrition or training block) and want to see movement mid-year rather than waiting twelve months.
The trade-offs: it costs roughly 83% more than Superpower, and its AI chat layer is newer. You’re paying for breadth and a second draw, which not everyone needs.
Superpower
Superpower wins on price, simplicity, and the action layer. One draw a year, 100+ biomarkers, 17 scores, an action plan, and an AI concierge for $199. For someone who wants a strong annual baseline they can actually understand and revisit, this is the better starting point.
Our take: if you’re new to biomarker testing or want the best coverage-per-dollar, start with Superpower. If you’re a data-maximalist who wants two draws and a built-in retest and the price is no object, Function Health earns its premium. Most people are better served by the $199 baseline, then deciding whether they truly need more.
When a single-marker kit makes more sense
A full panel is not always the right call. If you already have a recent comprehensive panel and just want to recheck one number, paying for the whole dashboard again is wasteful.
This is where at-home single-marker testing fits. Everlywell sells at-home single-marker kits run through CLIA-certified labs with results delivered online, which is ideal when you need one or two targeted markers (say, a vitamin D recheck or a thyroid spot-check). SiPhox Health is worth a look too if a finger-prick option matters more to you than a venous draw, since it offers finger-prick collection and longevity-focused panels.
For most other brands you’ll see (InsideTracker, Viome, Lifeforce, Quest Health, Mito Health and similar), check the provider for current pricing and exactly which markers are included before you buy, because lineups and prices shift often. The general rule holds: targeted recheck, use a single-marker kit; full annual baseline, use a comprehensive panel.
How to actually get tested (and read your results)
The process is simpler than people expect. With a service like Superpower you sign up online, book a blood draw at a partner lab near you, fast beforehand if instructed (this matters for glucose, insulin, and lipids), and get your results back digitally within days.
When the numbers arrive, look at trends and ratios first, not just whether each marker is inside the reference range. Reference ranges are wide, and “normal” is not the same as “optimal.” A value can sit at the bottom edge of normal and still be the thing dragging down how you feel. This is exactly why a comprehensive blood panel you repeat yearly beats a one-off snapshot: the second draw tells you whether a number is moving in the right direction, and direction often matters more than the single reading.
One short but important caveat: any result that falls outside the normal range should be reviewed with a qualified clinician before you act on it. A testing service flags the signal; a doctor confirms what to do about it. Used that way, the Superpower biomarkers test functions as your yearly early-warning radar, and your physician handles the diagnosis and treatment if anything genuinely needs it.
Related reading on Vital Signs Today
- Superpower Blood Test Review (2026): Is It Worth the Membership?
- How Much Does Superpower Cost? Full 2026 Pricing Breakdown
Frequently asked questions
What biomarkers does the Superpower biomarker test include?
The Superpower biomarkers panel covers 100+ biomarkers (about 150 counting calculated ratios) across metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal, nutrient, and organ-function categories, then distills them into 17 plain-language health scores plus a personalized action plan. It is designed as a comprehensive blood panel you repeat once a year to track trends.
How much does the Superpower biomarkers test cost?
Superpower is $199 per year for one annual draw in most states. It is $399 in New York and New Jersey due to state lab rules. That membership price includes the panel, the 17 scores, the action plan, and access to the AI concierge.
Is Superpower or Function Health better?
Function Health is more clinically thorough at $365 per year with 160+ biomarkers, two draws, a urinalysis, and a 6-month retest. Superpower is the better-value yearly baseline at $199 with 100+ biomarkers and a stronger action layer. Start with Superpower unless you specifically need two draws and a built-in mid-year retest.
Do I need a comprehensive blood panel or just a few markers?
If you’re building a baseline or troubleshooting vague symptoms like fatigue, a comprehensive blood panel is more useful and usually cheaper per marker than buying several single-marker kits. If you already have recent full results and only want to recheck one number, an at-home single-marker kit from a provider like Everlywell is the more economical choice.
What’s the most important biomarker to test?
There isn’t a single one, but if forced to pick, ApoB and fasting insulin punch above their weight because they catch cardiovascular and metabolic risk years earlier than the markers on a standard checkup. The better move is testing them together in one panel so each number can be read in context.
