Best Biomarker Testing Services to Optimize Your Health

If you’ve ever spent months (or years) on a particular medicine or treatment plan only to have your doctor say, “Well, it seems like this isn’t working. Now let’s try this other thing.” you might want to consider Biomarker testing. Biomarker tests analyze key biological indicators like hormones, genetic traits, and metabolic markers to help you and your care team personalize your health strategy. Instead of playing medical roulette, you can use real data to guide your medical choices, track your progress, and stop wasting time on ineffective treatments.

Whether you’re managing a condition like low testosterone or navigating menopause, tracking stress levels, or simply optimizing your longevity game, the right testing service can offer powerful insights into your body’s inner workings. 

So which companies offer the best biomarker services? My top picks are:

1. Quest Diagnostics: Most Accessible & Flexible Testing Options
2. Function Health: Best for Ongoing Tracking Without Doctor Hassle
3. Inside Tracker: Best for Lifestyle Optimization & Goal Setting
4. Life Force:  Best for Personalized Support & Targeted Hormonal Health

So what do they have to offer?

Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics offers 29 different hormone blood tests. You purchase the test, conduct the sample at home or in a facility, get your results online, and then share those test results with your doctor.

This company offers four methods for taking a test. 

#1: In Person

The first is an in-person test where you buy a lab test online, register that test and then schedule an appointment at one of the 2000 locations. From there they take the sample during your appointment and you get an email when your test results are ready. 

If you don’t have a doctor you can discuss the results with an independent physician at no cost and that physician may or may not be able to provide treatment options based on your results. 

#2: In-Home Sample Collection

The second is where a member of the Quest Mobile team, where available, schedules an in-home visit where the phlebotomist draws your blood. It costs an extra $79 but all other things remain the same as with an in person test.

#3: Home Collection Kit

The Home Collection kit is effectively the same but the difference is the kit gets delivered to your home, you activate it, collect your own blood sample, and return it to the company. 

#4: At-Home Test

The final option is where you buy the test, collect your own sample at home, and then view your test results at home.

All of these tests give you a chance to discuss the results with an independent physician, especially if the results indicate that something needs immediate attention. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the physician can provide you with treatment and you should still take the data to your primary physician. 

As indicated in the image below, they have 29 tests from which to choose. If you are struggling with a lot of stress or worried that you might be dealing with repercussions from a lot of stress, you could pick the cortisol stress hormone test. Whereas if you are a man in your 40s dealing with low testosterone and sexual dysfunction, you might pick the testosterone test. 

The cost ranges based on the type of test you want and whether you are using your insurance to cover it. For example:

• The comprehensive metabolic panel test is only $49 
• The basic STD Panel test is $134
• Specialized tests can range up to $1,139

Note: Quest Diagnostics markets themselves as not requiring a doctor’s appointment. The idea behind this is that you don’t have to make an extra appointment with your doctor to get a test done. However, certain tests might still need prior authorization from your insurance company if you plan to apply your insurance benefits. 

Final Thoughts: Best for those who want options to draw blood and manage test results themselves.

Function Health

Function Health goes a step further by providing regular tests completed at intervals that track changes over time in your biomarkers.

Whereas Quest might allow you to speak with a physician about your results, Function Health helps you better understand what each of the markers mean and where appropriate, you can add additional tests for things like food allergies. The summary report that you get every 6 months is broken down in such a way that you have a much better understanding of where your biomarkers are and what things you might need to change in your lifestyle, eating habits, or health measures. 

That said, Function Health actually has a partnership with Quest to use their labs so, your only option if you choose to go with Function is to visit a Quest laboratory for your blood draws twice per year.

This can certainly be a downer if you don’t have a location near you.

The idea here is that you have to have a blood draw, and then you can take that information with you to your doctor (or speak with one of their doctors) and manage your health in between your 6-month panels to make improvements.

Function Health is $499 for 2x a year testing, which is important because that means you get biomarker testing on a regular basis allowing you to see how things have changed over time. They check over 100 biomarkers with their tests. 

Final Thoughts: Best for those who want a quick summary report of their findings without the hassle of a doctor.

InsideTracker

Giving you the inside track so to speak, this company measures 48 different biomarkers. These tests analyze a much wider range of data, despite the fact that they have more limited biomarkers, looking at your sleep, cardiovascular health, physical fitness, metabolism, and other biomarkers.

Once you complete your tests, you get a personalized action plan that tells you which types of lifestyle habits, supplements, or food might best support you. They have a corresponding mobile app where you can receive daily guidance, input your goals, and track your health progress over time.

They have two memberships: The Membership + Ultimate Blood Test or the regular InsideTracker Membership. 

With the ultimate blood tests, you can schedule an in-person blood test which brings your total cost to around $500 plus shipping or you can schedule a mobile blood draw which brings your total to over $600. In NY, NJ, RI, HI, AZ or Canada, the mobile blood draw is a requirement so you can expect to pay over $600. 

The idea behind this product is somewhat more preventative, checking on a whole host of lifestyle factors including your sleep habits, eating habits and genetic composition so that you can make actionable changes not with a one-time summary, but instead with a membership plan that sends you reminders on a regular basis.

Final Thoughts: Best for those who want comprehensive tests across different health categories to track overall health.

Life Force

Life Force, to me, is a much more comprehensive service because it doesn’t just take a large panel of things for you to present to your doctor during your next appointment.

Instead, it starts with a comprehensive panel and follows up with individualized recommendations from there, so you can take action immediately. 

Now, it has a similar setup to InsideTracker, however, instead of forcing a large-scale membership where you have to pay for the entirety of the panel, you can pick and choose individual tests based on your needs. This means, men with low testosterone and related issues (guys usually in their 40s)  can spend less than $50 on a single test and track those changes over time, while women in menopause or perimenopause can do the same.

Hormone tests are done by sending a licensed phlebotomist to your home to do the blood draw. They also have you fill out an onboarding questionnaire about your goals, your current lifestyle, and your health history.

Once they have the results, a clinician will analyze the data so that you know what your top priorities should be in terms of health. You get a Telehealth consultation where all of this information is shared with you, as well as lifestyle strategies, pharmaceuticals, and supplements that you might take to better reach your goals.

I like that they do at home blood draws and Telehealth consultations every 3 months as opposed to twice per year like Function Health. 

They also use a health score to make results and biomarkers really easy to understand, as in the image below. 

Where Quest Diagnostics gives you the information and then suggests what medicine or treatment might be best without actually prescribing anything, LifeForce has board certified medical experts, doctors who can prescribe treatments for you and work with you to monitor your results. 

This feature comes as part of the membership plan, in addition to the basic cost of the tests. That membership also gives you access to longevity clinicians and health coaches who work with you to track your progress, send you reminders through the app, and keep you on point. 

Final Thoughts: Best for those who want long term support for more common issues, like menopause or low testosterone, with a la carte tests.

Conclusion

So which companies offer the best biomarker services? 

1. Quest Diagnostics: Best for those who want options to draw blood and manage test results themselves.
2. Function Health: Best for those who want a quick summary report of their findings without the hassle of a doctor.
3. InsideTracker: Best for those who want comprehensive tests across different health categories to track overall health.
4. Life Force: Best for those who want long term support for more common issues, like low testosterone or menopause, with a la carte tests.