Is Cost Plus Drugs Legit? What to Know Before You Order

Mark Cuban's transparent pharmacy charges cost plus 15%. Here's how it works, what it covers, and whether it's actually cheaper than your current pharmacy.

Mark Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs in January 2022 with a premise that sounds too good to be true: show patients the actual cost of their medication, add a flat 15% markup and a small shipping fee, and let them see exactly what they're paying for. Four years in, the company has served over 2 million patients and offers more than 2,000 generic medications.

So is it legit? Yes. Is it always the cheapest option? Not always. Here's what you need to know.

How the Pricing Works

Every drug on costplusdrugs.com shows three line items: the manufacturer's cost (what Cost Plus pays for the drug), a 15% markup (their revenue), and a flat $5.25 shipping fee for standard delivery ($15 for expedited). That's the price. There's no insurance involved, no PBM negotiations, no hidden fees.

For example, if Cost Plus acquires a generic medication for $3.00, you pay $3.00 + $0.45 (15%) + $5.25 shipping = $8.70. That same drug might retail for $40 to $80 at CVS or Walgreens without a discount card.

What They Carry

As of 2026, Cost Plus offers roughly 2,000+ generic medications covering most major categories: diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, mental health, pain, antibiotics, thyroid, and more. They also carry some specialty generics for conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases, where the savings can be enormous — generic imatinib (a cancer drug) goes for under $60 at Cost Plus versus $9,000+ at some retail pharmacies.

They do not carry brand-name drugs. If your medication is still under patent with no generic alternative, Cost Plus won't have it. They also don't carry controlled substances (like most opioids and benzodiazepines) or insulin.

The Limitations

Cost Plus is mail-order only. Standard delivery takes 5-7 business days after a 2-3 day processing window, so you need to plan ahead. This makes it ideal for maintenance medications you take regularly, but impractical for antibiotics or anything you need filled same-day.

They don't accept insurance. You pay the listed price in full, and it doesn't count toward your insurance deductible. For people with good insurance and low copays on generics, the insurance price might actually be lower.

Shipping costs add up if you're filling just one inexpensive medication. That $5.25 shipping fee on a $3 generic makes the total $8.70 — which might not beat a $4 Walmart fill or a $6 GoodRx coupon at a local pharmacy. But if you're filling multiple medications, shipping is per order, not per drug, so the savings scale up fast.

Who Should Use It

Cost Plus is strongest for people who are uninsured or underinsured and take multiple maintenance medications, people whose insurance copays on generics are higher than the Cost Plus price (more common than you'd think), people on specialty generics where the retail markup is extreme, and anyone who values pricing transparency and wants to know exactly what they're paying for.

It's less useful for one-off prescriptions, same-day needs, brand-name drugs, or people whose insurance already provides $0 to $5 generic copays.

Cost Plus vs. GoodRx vs. Walmart

Cost Plus consistently beats GoodRx coupon prices by $1 to $5 on common generics. The gap widens on less common medications. Walmart's $4 list beats Cost Plus on the roughly 300 drugs it covers (no shipping fee), but Cost Plus covers far more medications. The smartest approach: compare all three for your specific drugs.