Forth vs Thriva: Which UK Blood Test Provider Should You Choose?

Forth and Thriva look like they should be direct rivals. Both launched in 2016, both are app-first home blood test companies built around finger-prick kits, and both put their energy into helping you track changes over time rather than just reading a one-off number. On paper they are almost the same pitch.

In practice they take two genuinely different roads. Forth sells a wider range of standalone tests and a build-your-own option, while Thriva ties its pricing to a subscription and keeps a tighter menu. Which one suits you depends on whether you want to buy tests one at a time or pay a regular fee to test on a schedule.

Pricing: Forth wins on one-off tests

For a single test bought out of pocket, Forth is consistently cheaper. Here are current prices for the same markers on both sites:

That is not a rounding error. A thyroid function test costs more than twice as much at Thriva, and even the ferritin and menopause results, which are closest, sit £16 and £2 apart. The reason is the business model. Thriva sells most of its markers as part of wider panels, so you often buy a bundle to get the one number you wanted. Forth sells cheap single tests directly.

The catch runs the other way too. Forth has no real subscription, so if you want to test the same things every few months and watch the trend for free, you pay each time. Thriva’s subscription starts around £25 a month and its pricing drops on regular testing schedules, which is what makes it competitive for people who plan to test repeatedly.

Test range: breadth and build-your-own vs a tight menu

Forth lists around 40 tests across hormones, fitness, vitamins and general health, with standalone markers down to £29. Its standout is a build-your-own test where you pick the biomarkers you want instead of settling for a fixed panel. At the upper end it also sells the TruCheck multi-cancer screening kit, currently £1,169, which is the priciest single product either company offers.

Thriva lists around 17 tests and keeps the range deliberately small. Everything is a home finger-prick, most come as curated panels, and the model relies on you picking a recommended plan rather than assembling your own. It covers the core bases: hormones, thyroid, vitamins, heart health, fertility, sports and sexual health. You simply get fewer single-marker options, so exact-match prices are often bundled.

For someone who knows precisely which one-off test they want, Forth has the edge. For someone who likes a smaller, clearer menu with a plan laid out for them, Thriva is easier to navigate.

The app and results experience

Both companies lean hard on their apps, and this is where the two are closest.

Thriva’s report is widely praised. You get colour-coded results, plain-English explanations for each marker, and personalised recommendations tied to your result, all reviewed before they reach you. Its app also lets you connect wearables and a health profile, so the numbers sit next to your sleep, activity and resting heart rate rather than floating on their own.

Forth is not far behind. Its HealthCoach model scores each biomarker and groups them into health areas, so you get a sense of where you sit overall instead of a list of numbers. Results come back in around two working days, slightly faster than Thriva’s roughly two to five days, and both flag out-of-range results and tell you to see a GP rather than treat the report as a diagnosis.

Both use UKAS-accredited ISO 15189 labs.

Which one should you pick?

Neither is objectively better. They suit different habits:

• Choose Forth if you want a cheap one-off test, need a specific single marker, or fancy building a custom panel. For buying tests one at a time it is the value pick, and it does not pressure you into a regular commitment.
• Choose Thriva if you plan to test on a regular schedule and want a subscription, a wearable-linked app, and tight reporting. Its ongoing tracking experience is the stronger of the two, if you accept the higher one-off prices.

If I wanted my thyroid checked today and nothing else, I would order the Forth single test and keep the £70 difference. If I planned to run the same five markers every three months and watch them trend, the Thriva subscription would probably make that the cheaper, more convenient option in the long run.

Compare across all providers

To see how these two sit against every other UK provider on the same test, visit our compare page and search for the marker you care about, for example testosterone or thyroid blood tests, sorted by price to find the cheapest option.

Header image from Pexels

Prices checked 30 August 2026. They change often, so always confirm the current price on the provider’s site before you buy.