What Is a Testosterone Blood Test? Total vs Free, and Costs

This page explains what each version measures and where to buy it for the least money. It does not say what your number means: ranges differ by lab, age and sex, and reading a result is a clinician's job. The live price for every store we track is on our total testosterone marker page, and every plan is ranked on the best blood tests page.

What it measures

Testosterone in the blood comes in two states. MedlinePlus explains: "All the testosterone in your blood is either bound to proteins or unbound (free)" (MedlinePlus). Most is bound, to sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or to albumin, and the small free share is the part the body can use most readily. That split is why there is more than one test.

Total vs free testosterone

• Total testosterone counts everything, bound and free. Labcorp's page says its test "measures the total amount of testosterone in your blood, including the testosterone that's both attached and not attached to proteins" (Labcorp OnDemand). It is the usual first test and the cheapest.
• Free testosterone measures only the unbound part. MedlinePlus calls it a test "which measures only the unattached form of testosterone" and says it "is less common" (MedlinePlus). Stores often sell it bundled with total testosterone.
• Bioavailable testosterone counts free testosterone plus the part loosely held by albumin. It is the least common of the three.

Some panels add SHBG and albumin so a clinician can read total and free together. Labcorp, for example, points buyers of its total test to a broader version "with key components such as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), albumin, total and free testosterone" (Labcorp OnDemand).

Testosterone is not only a male hormone. Quest's page notes it is "also produced in (and important for) females" (Quest). Some store tests are set up for one group, though: Labcorp says its total test "is only clinically appropriate for individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB)" (Labcorp OnDemand). Check who a test is meant for before you buy.

Timing matters

Testosterone rises and falls through the day. MedlinePlus says a provider will usually draw blood "in the morning, between 7 and 10. During these hours, your testosterone levels are typically the highest" (MedlinePlus). If you order your own test, book an early appointment at the Quest or Labcorp center, and tell your clinician about any medicines you take.

Why we do not print a range

Testosterone ranges differ by lab, method, age and sex, and free testosterone is reported in different units from total. MedlinePlus explains that "because labs often use different testing methods, they often use different reference ranges to describe normal results" (MedlinePlus). The range on your own report is the one that applies, and your clinician reads the result in the context of symptoms and other tests.

Where to get it and what it costs

Total testosterone is sold on its own by most lab-test stores we track. The table below shows each store's single-test price, cheapest first, with the fee that store adds per order, and the memberships whose panels include it:

List prices from each store's own page. Memberships and panels that include it: Function Health, Superpower, InsideTracker, Mito Health, Lifeforce, Marek Health, Labs by Hims, Maximus, Everlywell, Quest, Labcorp OnDemand, SiPhox Health, Rythm Health, LetsGetChecked.

How to pay the least:

• You want total testosterone only: a lab-test store. Add the per-order fee to the test price before comparing; stores also run sales on hormone tests, so check the live price.
• You want total and free together, or with SHBG: buy a bundled test or put them in one order at one store, so one fee covers them. Our hormone panels price page lists testosterone and wider hormone bundles, and the lab test orders price page covers single tests.
• You want a broad yearly panel anyway: most memberships include total testosterone, and fewer include free testosterone; our biomarker coverage table shows both plan by plan. Function Health starts at $365 a year and Superpower at $199 a year.

Our reviews of Labcorp OnDemand and Labs by Hims cover ordering and results. This site compares testing only; for testosterone treatment services, see our sister site TRT Watchdog.

Already have your results?

If you already have a testosterone result and want help keeping track of it with your other markers, LifeFrom, a sister app from the team behind this site, can keep your results in one place and explain them in plain language (LifeFrom). It is our own sister product, not a lab or a clinician; what a result means for you is a question for your clinician.