Hair loss treatment prices UK: finasteride and minoxidil costs

What finasteride and minoxidil cost

The NHS hair loss page names finasteride and minoxidil as the main treatments for male pattern baldness. Finasteride is a tablet. Minoxidil goes on the scalp as a solution, foam or spray. Because the same page says the treatments do not work for everyone and only work for as long as they are used, the cost carries on month after month for as long as you stay on them.

Prices were read from five UK online pharmacies on 22 October 2026. At Dr Fox and Chemist Click, a month of generic finasteride 1 mg, 28 tablets, cost £10.00 to £16.99. Propecia cost £42.40. A 60 ml bottle of 5% minoxidil solution, sold as one month's supply, cost £19.95 under the Sons name and £29.00 as Regaine Extra Strength.

Finasteride for hair loss and the NHS

The NHS finasteride page lists Proscar and Propecia as brand names. It says finasteride is available on prescription only. On hair loss the wording is plain: "for hair loss you can only get finasteride on a private prescription". The page adds that it is not available on the NHS.

So you pay the full private price. The NHS hair loss page says some treatments may not be available on the NHS and you may have to pay. It also tells you to see a GP if you are worried about your hair loss.

Generic finasteride against Propecia

Numan's registered pharmacy is Numan Operations Ltd. Its finasteride arrives as a monthly refill, which you can pause or cancel, with no delivery fee. Voy's £13 figure applies to a 6-month plan. Its page does not say whether you pay monthly or upfront. Chemist Click lists two generic versions at different prices, one carrying the Accord name.

Dr Fox supplies finasteride after one of its doctors reviews the order and issues a prescription. It adds a fee by order value, £1.00 up to £10 and rising to £4.00 above £40, plus £2.90 delivery. Twenty-eight generic tablets cost £13.90 delivered and 28 Propecia tablets £49.30.

Regaine against lower-cost minoxidil

The Sons and Regaine solutions at Dr Fox have the same strength and bottle size. Per month on the six-month pack, Sons costs £14.98 and Regaine solution £19.67.

Chemist4U lists its Regaine foam three-pack at £66.99 against a recommended retail price of £74.93. It asks a few pharmacist questions before checkout. Delivery is free above £39, otherwise £3.95. Dr Fox sends minoxidil solution and foam to the UK mainland only, because both are restricted flammable items.

Voy also prices a combined plan of finasteride tablets and minoxidil spray from £19 a month on a 6-month plan.

How much you save

Finasteride, same pharmacy and pack:

• 28 tablets at Dr Fox: £42.40 for Propecia against £10.00 for the generic, a saving of £32.40.
• 168 tablets at Dr Fox: £214.00 against £43.50, a saving of £170.50.
• Two 168-tablet packs cover 336 days: £428.00 for Propecia against £87.00 for the generic, a saving of £341.00.

Minoxidil 5% solution at Dr Fox:

• One month: £29.00 for Regaine against £19.95 for Sons, a saving of £9.05.
• Six months: £118.00 against £89.90, a saving of £28.10.
• A year as two six-month packs: £236.00 against £179.80, a saving of £56.20.

Pack size changes the cost too. Twelve separate 28-tablet orders of generic finasteride from Dr Fox cost £166.80 with fees and delivery. Two 168-tablet orders cover the same 336 tablets for £100.80, which is £66.00 less.

Steps to pay less for hair loss treatment

1. See your GP if you are worried about hair loss, as the NHS hair loss page advises.
2. Finasteride for hair loss needs a private prescription. Check the pharmacy's GPhC number on the General Pharmaceutical Council register.
3. Ask for generic finasteride 1 mg rather than Propecia.
4. For minoxidil, compare the 5% products by strength, volume and months of supply, not by brand.
5. Read the plan terms. Note whether the monthly price depends on a 3 or 6-month plan, and whether you can pause or cancel.
6. Compare the delivered total for a three or six-month pack against monthly orders.

Mistakes that raise the cost

Ordering a month at a time. Six one-month Sons Minoxidil orders from Dr Fox cost £149.10 with fees and delivery. One six-month order costs £96.80, a difference of £52.30.

Reading a plan's lowest monthly price as the price. Voy's minoxidil spray is £14 a month on a 6-month plan, but the first month on its monthly offer is £44.00.

Paying for the Propecia name. The NHS lists Propecia as a brand of finasteride, and the generic 168-tablet pack at Dr Fox costs £170.50 less.

For erectile dysfunction medicines, see sildenafil vs Viagra price. For private prescription costs in general, see private prescription fees.

Where the figures come from

All finasteride, minoxidil and Regaine prices come from the five pharmacies' own pages, read on 22 October 2026. Their GPhC numbers were taken from the same sites. Voy's footer shows its superintendent pharmacist's registration number, and the number given here is the registered pharmacy number its badge links to. The NHS position comes from the nhs.uk hair loss and finasteride pages. The Dose Club does not sell, prescribe or dispense medicines and gives no medical advice.