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Quick answer: Function Health labs run a once-a-year, 160+ biomarker blood panel ($365) processed through major accredited reference labs, with a second draw and a urinalysis built into the membership, plus physician sign-off on the order and flagged results. It is one of the most thorough direct-to-consumer panels you can buy. If you want a similar full-body picture for less money and a cleaner action plan, Superpower covers 100+ biomarkers (about 150 with calculated ratios) for $199 a year, which is the alternative most cost-conscious testers should compare it against before committing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Function Health | Annual deep panel | Annual membership | View › |
| Superpower | Whole-body optimization | ~$179/yr membership | View › |
What Function Health labs actually test
Function Health is a membership-based testing service, not a clinic you walk into. For $365 a year it orders a panel of 160+ biomarkers, which is one of the widest standard direct-to-consumer blood panels on the market. The membership also includes a second blood draw later in the year plus a urinalysis, so you are tracking trends rather than taking a single snapshot.
The 160+ markers span the systems that matter for everyday health monitoring. Think metabolic and blood sugar (glucose, insulin, HbA1c), a full lipid breakdown including ApoB and Lp(a), thyroid, sex and stress hormones, liver and kidney function, a complete blood count, inflammation markers like hs-CRP, plus vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and magnesium. Heavy metals and a handful of autoimmune and cardiovascular risk markers round it out.
That breadth is the headline selling point. Most annual physicals order a fraction of these. The trade-off is that more numbers is not automatically more clarity, which is where the question of who reviews the results becomes important.
Which labs process the samples and what accreditation means
Function Health does not run its own laboratory. Like nearly every reputable direct-to-consumer testing brand, it routes your blood through large accredited reference laboratories that hold CLIA certification, the federal standard that governs clinical lab testing in the United States. Some specialized markers may be sent to niche labs that focus on a particular assay.
For a US reader deciding what to trust, CLIA certification is the floor, not a marketing flourish. It means the lab running your sample is held to the same quality and proficiency standards as the lab your doctor would use. The accuracy of a glucose or cholesterol result from Function Health should be comparable to one ordered through a hospital, because in many cases it is the same caliber of reference lab doing the work.
What varies between brands is not usually the raw lab accuracy. It is the panel design, how results are explained, and how much human review sits behind the report.
How the draw works
Function Health uses in-person blood draws at partner lab locations or via a mobile phlebotomist, rather than a finger-prick. A venous draw is the right call for a panel this size, since many of these markers need a full tube of blood to measure reliably. Plan for a fasting morning appointment to get clean lipid and glucose numbers.
Who reviews your Function Health results
This is the part of “function health labs” that searchers most often misunderstand. A licensed physician signs off on the lab order (a legal requirement for ordering blood work) and clinically significant out-of-range results are flagged for review. You also get a digital report that groups markers, shows reference ranges, and explains in plain language what each one suggests.
What you are not getting is a dedicated doctor sitting down to build you a treatment plan. Like its peers, Function Health is a screening and tracking product. It tells you where you stand and what to watch. Function Health has been adding AI-assisted explanations to help interpret the flood of data, though that layer is newer than the lab panel itself.
One safety note that applies to every service in this category: a result outside the normal range is a prompt to talk to a clinician, not a diagnosis. These platforms screen and track. They do not replace a doctor who knows your history.
Function Health tests vs Superpower: the honest comparison
If you have landed on Function Health, you are almost certainly weighing it against Superpower, the other big full-body membership. Both run comprehensive panels through accredited labs and both give you a dashboard that trends your markers over time. The differences are real but specific.
Function Health: more markers, more thorough, pricier
Function Health is the more clinically exhaustive option. The 160+ biomarker panel, two draws a year, and the urinalysis mean you are casting the widest net. If your goal is maximum coverage and you want a urine workup in the mix, Function Health earns its $365. The honest caveat is that a very wide panel can surface borderline numbers that send you chasing follow-ups, so it rewards people who genuinely want to go deep.
Superpower: 80 percent of the picture for roughly half the price
Superpower covers 100+ biomarkers, about 150 once you count calculated ratios, for $199 per year (the price is $399 in New York and New Jersey because of state lab rules). You get one comprehensive annual blood draw rather than two, which is plenty for most people building a baseline. Where Superpower pulls ahead is interpretation: it translates your raw numbers into 17 plain-language health scores, a personalized action plan, and an AI concierge you can actually chat with about what a given result means.
For the typical health-conscious adult who wants a clear full-body read and a sense of what to do next, that translation layer is worth more than 60 extra raw markers. You are paying less and getting a report that is harder to misread. Like Function Health, Superpower is a screening and tracking service, not a diagnostic clinic.
Full-body lab membership: 100+ biomarkers, doctor-reviewed, tracked over time.
Which one fits which person
Choose Function Health if you want the absolute maximum marker count, value the second draw and urinalysis, and you are comfortable doing your own homework on borderline results (or have a doctor to take them to). The $365 buys genuine depth.
Choose Superpower if you want a comprehensive baseline, a cleaner and more actionable report, and a lower yearly cost. For most first-time testers comparing function health tests against the field, Superpower is the recommendation: the marker coverage is more than enough to catch what matters, and the scores plus action plan mean you are not left staring at a wall of numbers.
If you only care about one or two specific markers (say you just want ferritin or a thyroid check), neither membership is the efficient choice. A single targeted at-home kit makes more sense for a one-off question.
The bottom line on Function Health labs
Function Health runs a legitimate, accredited, unusually broad lab panel, with physician-signed orders and flagged results. It is a strong product for people who want the deepest possible blood workup once a year. The reason most cost-conscious readers should compare before they buy is simple: Superpower delivers a comparable full-body baseline, a more digestible report, and an AI concierge for $199, which is roughly half the price. Run the comparison on what you will actually use, not just the marker count on the box.
Related reading on Vital Signs Today
- Function Health Review (2026): Worth It, or Is There a Better Option?
- Function Health Cost: Is the Annual Membership Worth It?
- Function Health Discount Code and Deals (2026)
- Superpower Blood Test Review (2026): Is It Worth the Membership?
Frequently asked questions
What labs does Function Health use?
Function Health does not operate its own lab. It sends your blood to large CLIA-certified reference laboratories, the same caliber of accredited labs that hospitals and doctors use, with some specialized markers routed to labs that focus on specific assays. That accreditation is why the core results are clinically reliable.
How many biomarkers do Function Health labs test?
Function Health tests 160+ biomarkers in its standard membership, along with a urinalysis and a second blood draw later in the year. For comparison, Superpower covers 100+ biomarkers (about 150 with calculated ratios) for $199 versus Function Health’s $365.
Who reviews Function Health test results?
A licensed physician signs off on the lab order, and clinically significant out-of-range results are flagged for review. You also receive a plain-language digital report with reference ranges and, increasingly, AI-assisted explanations. It is a screening and tracking service, so any flagged result should be reviewed with your own clinician.
Are Function Health tests accurate?
The accuracy of the individual markers is on par with traditional lab work because the samples run through accredited CLIA-certified labs. The bigger variable across direct-to-consumer brands is panel design and how clearly results are explained, not the raw measurement of any single test.
Is Function Health or Superpower the better value?
Function Health offers more raw markers and a urinalysis for $365. Superpower offers 100+ biomarkers, 17 health scores, an action plan, and an AI concierge for $199. For most people who want a clear, actionable full-body baseline rather than the deepest possible data dump, Superpower is the better value.
