Preventive healthcare is having a moment.
Instead of waiting until something feels wrong, more people are choosing to monitor their health proactively through comprehensive blood testing. Companies like Function Health and Superpower have built businesses around the idea that your annual physical isn’t enough—that testing 100+ biomarkers regularly can help identify risks earlier, optimize performance, and give you a clearer picture of what’s happening inside your body.
At first glance, the two companies appear remarkably similar. Both promise extensive blood work, AI-powered insights, personalized recommendations, and a focus on longevity rather than simply treating disease.
But once you dig deeper, their philosophies begin to diverge.
Function Health has positioned itself as the comprehensive, data-first platform focused on extensive testing and longitudinal health tracking. Superpower, meanwhile, is betting that consumers don’t just want more data—they want a simpler experience with clearer next steps and ongoing support.
So which one is actually worth your money?
Here’s how they compare.
Why These Companies Exist in the First Place
Traditional healthcare is largely reactive.
Most annual physicals include a relatively small number of routine blood markers designed to detect existing disease. If those numbers fall within a “normal” range, you’re usually told everything looks fine.
Function Health and Superpower take a different approach.
Rather than asking, “Are you sick?”, they ask, “Could your health be optimized before problems develop?”
Both companies test well over 100 biomarkers that often aren’t included in a routine physical. These include advanced cardiovascular markers, inflammation, hormones, nutrient deficiencies, metabolic health, thyroid function, liver and kidney health, and much more. The goal isn’t necessarily to diagnose disease—it’s to identify trends, potential risks, and opportunities to improve long before symptoms appear. (Texas Health Resources)
Function Health: The Deep-Dive Platform
Function Health launched with a clear mission: make comprehensive laboratory testing accessible to consumers without requiring referrals or insurance.
Today, the platform includes more than 160 lab tests covering nearly every major body system. Members receive clinician-reviewed reports, personalized action plans, and testing approximately every six months, allowing users to compare trends over time rather than relying on a single snapshot. (Function Health)
The company emphasizes depth.
Rather than simply telling users whether a number falls inside or outside the normal range, Function attempts to connect biomarkers together into a broader picture of metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, hormone balance, inflammation, nutrition, and longevity.
Function has also expanded beyond blood work by offering access to additional screening options, including imaging such as MRI and CT scans, as well as specialty laboratory testing for those who want an even more comprehensive preventive health experience. (Function Health)
For people who enjoy detailed health data—or already track sleep, nutrition, fitness, and recovery—Function fits naturally into that ecosystem.
Superpower: Simplicity Meets Preventive Care
Superpower approaches the same problem differently.
Instead of emphasizing the sheer number of biomarkers, Superpower focuses on making health optimization feel less overwhelming.
Its platform centers around comprehensive annual testing paired with an intuitive dashboard, personalized recommendations, AI-powered coaching, wearable integration, and ongoing messaging support with a care team. Rather than presenting users with dozens of pages of laboratory values, Superpower aims to translate complex medical information into actionable guidance. (Versus Care)
This reflects a broader philosophy.
Many people don’t necessarily want to become amateur physicians analyzing dozens of biomarkers. They simply want someone—or something—to tell them:
- What’s good
- What needs attention
- What changes should be made
Superpower is built around reducing friction between testing and action.
The Biggest Difference: Data vs. Guidance
Perhaps the clearest distinction between these companies isn’t actually the laboratory testing itself.
It’s how they present the information afterward.
Function Health leans heavily into comprehensive data.
Users receive extensive reports covering hundreds of measurements with clinician interpretation and personalized protocols.
Superpower places greater emphasis on translating results into everyday recommendations through a cleaner interface, AI coaching, wearable syncing, and concierge-style support. (YouTube)
Think of it this way.
Function is designed for people who enjoy opening spreadsheets.
Superpower is designed for people who would rather receive a personalized game plan.
Neither approach is inherently better—they simply appeal to different personalities.
Biomarker Coverage
Both companies test significantly more biomarkers than a typical annual physical.
However, Function currently offers broader testing.
Function advertises more than 160 laboratory tests performed throughout the year, while Superpower’s standard membership covers just over 100 core biomarkers, with additional specialty testing available as optional add-ons. (Function Health)
Function also includes several advanced cardiovascular markers, including Lipoprotein(a), within its standard membership, whereas some of Superpower’s advanced tests may require additional purchases depending on the membership tier. (Heal Nourish Grow)
For consumers primarily interested in having the widest possible laboratory profile, Function currently holds the advantage.
Testing Frequency
One area where Function clearly separates itself is testing frequency.
Function members receive two rounds of testing annually, making it easier to identify meaningful changes over time rather than relying on a single annual measurement. (Function Health)
That may sound like a small difference, but trends often matter more than isolated numbers.
For example:
A cholesterol value that rises steadily over six months tells a much different story than one measured only once each year.
Likewise, improving vitamin D, inflammation, blood sugar, or hormone levels becomes much easier to evaluate with repeat testing.
Superpower’s base membership currently includes one comprehensive annual panel, although additional testing can be purchased separately. (Heal Nourish Grow)
Price
Cost is where Superpower becomes especially attractive.
Superpower recently reduced its annual membership to $199, making it one of the least expensive comprehensive biomarker platforms currently available (pricing may be higher for residents of New York and New Jersey because of state-specific regulations). (Crown Counseling)
Function Health currently costs $365 per year, although the company also offers discounted multi-year memberships. (Function Health)
On paper, Superpower appears dramatically cheaper.
However, the comparison isn’t entirely straightforward.
Function includes two laboratory panels per year, while Superpower’s base membership includes one. If someone using Superpower purchases additional testing or advanced add-on panels, the total annual cost may begin approaching Function’s pricing. (Heal Nourish Grow)
User Experience
Another major difference lies in usability.
Function Health can feel like a powerful research tool.
There is tremendous depth, but first-time users may find the amount of information intimidating.
Superpower intentionally simplifies the experience.
The dashboard focuses on priorities rather than overwhelming users with numbers, making it especially appealing to people who are new to preventive health testing. (Well and Good Travel)
If you’ve never looked at biomarkers before, Superpower may feel significantly less intimidating.
Wearables and Continuous Health Tracking
Superpower has also invested heavily in connecting blood testing with everyday health habits.
The platform integrates with wearable devices, allowing users to combine laboratory data with information from smartwatches and fitness trackers to create a more complete picture of recovery, sleep, activity, and overall wellness. (Crown Counseling)
Function’s primary strength remains laboratory testing itself.
Rather than building around continuous health monitoring, it focuses on delivering highly detailed biomarker analysis and clinician-reviewed recommendations.
Which One Should You Choose?
The answer depends less on which platform is objectively “better” and more on what you’re hoping to get from the experience.
Choose Function Health if you:
- Want the broadest biomarker coverage available.
- Prefer testing twice each year.
- Enjoy digging into detailed reports and trends.
- Want clinician-reviewed insights and access to advanced screening options.
- Already track your health and want deeper laboratory data to complement it.
Choose Superpower if you:
- Want an easier entry point into preventive health.
- Prefer straightforward recommendations over lengthy reports.
- Value wearable integration and AI-guided coaching.
- Want to spend less upfront.
- Care more about actionable guidance than maximizing the total number of biomarkers.
The Bigger Picture
The emergence of companies like Function Health and Superpower reflects a much larger shift in healthcare.
Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in prevention rather than reaction.
Instead of waiting until disease develops, people want to understand cardiovascular risk, inflammation, hormone balance, nutrition, metabolic health, and aging before problems become serious.
Neither platform replaces a primary care physician, nor should they.
Instead, they complement traditional healthcare by filling a gap that annual physicals often leave behind.
Ultimately, both companies are trying to answer the same question:
How can people take ownership of their health earlier?
They simply arrive at that answer from different directions.
Function Health believes the answer is deeper testing and more comprehensive data.
Superpower believes the answer is making preventive healthcare easier to understand and act on.
For some people, the additional biomarkers and twice-yearly testing offered by Function Health will justify the higher cost.
For others, Superpower’s lower price, cleaner experience, and action-oriented approach may provide everything they need.
Whichever platform you choose, perhaps the most important takeaway is this: preventive healthcare is becoming increasingly personalized. Rather than relying on a once-a-year checkup to define your health, these platforms encourage ongoing monitoring, informed decision-making, and a more proactive relationship with your own body. That shift—not any single biomarker—may ultimately prove to be the biggest innovation of all.