For Canadians ordering STI testing or sexual health prescriptions online, TeleTest is the stronger clinical and financial choice over Felix Health. TeleTest charges $49 per consultation, tailors your lab requisition to your actual exposure (including throat and rectal swabs, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma, and herpes testing when indicated), and includes your antibiotic treatment prescription at no extra consultation fee if you test positive. Felix charges $55 for a rigid 7-infection panel where chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis testing is limited to genital urine samples, and bills treatment as a separate plan if your result comes back positive.

TeleTest vs Felix: Side-by-Side Comparison

1. Exposure-Tailored Panels vs Felix's Fixed 7-Test Genital Panel

Routine urine STI tests only check the urogenital tract. According to Public Health Agency of Canada guidelines, urine-only screening misses the majority of pharyngeal (throat) and rectal chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. Felix offers a single 7-infection STI package (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C) and states on its product page that its chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis testing is genital only.

TeleTest builds your requisition around your exposure history and symptoms. Depending on your clinical intake, a TeleTest physician or nurse practitioner can order:

• Three-site NAAT screening: Urine, pharyngeal (throat), and rectal swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
• Resistant bacteria panels: Mycoplasma genitalium and Ureaplasma PCR testing for persistent urethritis, cervicitis, or pelvic symptoms after a negative routine panel.
• Viral & serology testing: HIV 1/2 antigen-antibody screening, syphilis serology, hepatitis A/B/C panels, and type-specific HSV-1/HSV-2 herpes testing.
• Prevention & treatment protocols: HIV PrEP, DoxyPEP post-exposure prophylaxis, suppressive valacyclovir for herpes, and prescription HPV wart treatments.

2. Bundled Treatment vs Split Billing When You Test Positive

The biggest cost trap in online STI testing happens when a result comes back positive. On Felix, the $55 fee covers ordering and reviewing the lab panel. If you test positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis, Felix offers a custom treatment plan if applicable and does not list its cost on the STI test page.

TeleTest bundles the entire care loop into the original $49 consultation. When your lab result arrives, the same clinician reviews it, messages you in your portal, and faxes the antibiotic prescription directly to any Canadian pharmacy you choose at no extra consultation cost. Before you head to the counter, you can check exact walk-in pharmacy prices across Costco, Walmart, Rexall, and Shoppers Drug Mart on our phone-verified Canadian prescription drug price directory (250 medications tracked) and compare uninsured test fees on our private lab test price guide.

3. Real-World Lab Turnaround (80k Observations) vs Home Collection

Felix offers an optional Ontario home sample collection add-on for an extra $85 ($140 total). While home collection avoids a trip to the lab for simple checks, full blood serology for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis still requires a venous draw or carries higher finger-prick hemolysis failure rates, and adds shipping delays.

TeleTest routes patients directly to accredited community labs (LifeLabs, Dynacare, Alpha Labs, and Alberta Precision Laboratories) where eligible tests are covered at $0 lab cost under OHIP, MSP, AHCIP, Manitoba Health, and Saskatchewan Health. We track real-world turnaround times from lab check-in to result delivery across 80k anonymized test observations over the last 365 days on our lab locations and turnaround page:

• Chlamydia & Gonorrhea NAAT: 0.8 days median turnaround (0.5 to 1.1 days typical range across 8k results).
• Routine Bloodwork (CBC & HbA1c): 0.9 days median turnaround for CBC and 1.0 day for HbA1c (0.3 to 2.1 days typical range for CBC across 20k results; 0.4 to 2.4 days for HbA1c across 10k results).
• Cholesterol / Lipid Panel & Ferritin: 1.1 days median turnaround for lipids and 0.7 days for ferritin (0.4 to 2.8 days typical range for lipids across 9k results; 0.3 to 1.5 days for ferritin across 700 results).
• Estradiol (E2): 1.4 days median turnaround (0.5 to 3.4 days typical range across 8k results).
• HIV Serology: 5.0 days median turnaround (3.2 to 6.2 days typical range across 8k results).

4. Pay-Once Prescriptions vs Monthly Subscriptions

Beyond STI testing, both clinics prescribe for birth control, erectile dysfunction, hair loss (finasteride and minoxidil), acne, rosacea, and GLP-1 weight management. Felix lists medication prices per pack (for example, tadalafil 5 mg, 4 tablets for $17.52) and ships treatments from its own pharmacies in Mississauga, Richmond Hill, and Port Coquitlam. TeleTest charges a single per-consultation fee ($49 for most prescription assessments, $79 for hormone and men's health panels) and faxes your prescription immediately to your local pharmacy with no mandatory monthly subscription.

When to use Felix instead: Use Felix if you specifically want an Ontario clinician or phlebotomist dispatched to your home for sample collection and are willing to pay $140 ($55 test + $85 home add-on) for that convenience, or if you prefer automated mail-order pill delivery bundled into a monthly subscription.

Start your TeleTest STI or prescription assessment in under five minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TeleTest or Felix better for STI testing?

TeleTest is cheaper ($49 vs $55), offers broader clinical testing (including throat/rectal swabs, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Ureaplasma rather than a fixed 7-test genital panel), and includes follow-up antibiotic prescriptions at no extra consultation fee if you test positive.

Are TeleTest and Felix STI tests covered by OHIP, MSP, AHCIP, Manitoba Health, or Saskatchewan Health?

Yes. When provincial eligibility criteria are met, the community laboratory tests ordered by a clinician are covered at $0 lab cost under provincial health insurance. You pay only the online consultation fee ($49 on TeleTest or $55 on Felix).

How fast do STI test results come back on TeleTest?

Based on 80k anonymized lab observations published on TeleTest's turnaround tracker, chlamydia and gonorrhea NAAT results return in a median of 0.8 days (about 19 hours), while HIV serology returns in a median of 5.0 days.

Does TeleTest notify my family doctor?

No. TeleTest consultations are private-pay and do not bill OHIP, so your visit never triggers the roughly $30 Ontario walk-in negation fee against your family doctor, and your results remain in your private TeleTest portal unless you ask us to share them.

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a licensed clinician for personal health decisions. Competitor pricing and service details for Felix Health are based on publicly listed information as of July 2026 and are subject to change.