Function Health vs Prenuvo: 160+ blood tests vs a whole-body MRI
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Function Health and Prenuvo are the two flagship bets in proactive health, and they measure different universes. Function is a blood-work membership: 160+ biomarkers tracked over time. Prenuvo is an imaging clinic: a whole-body MRI that screens for structural problems across major organ systems. One reads your chemistry; the other photographs your anatomy.
What do they cost?
Function Health charges $365 a year for a membership covering 160+ lab tests with clinician-reviewed results, per its own site. Prenuvo starts at $1,199 for its whole-body MRI, with memberships and add-on scans like body composition and an advanced brain scan above that, per its own site. Function is the cheaper annual habit. Prenuvo is the bigger single event.
What does each one actually find?
Bloodwork excels at trends and metabolism: cholesterol, blood sugar, hormones, inflammation, organ function, nutrient levels, tracked year over year so movement means something. An MRI excels at structure: tumors, aneurysms, cysts, and anatomical oddities you cannot feel yet, with no radiation. Prenuvo notes its most detailed MRI captures 1.3 billion data points across hundreds of conditions. The honest caveat for both: more detection means more incidental findings, things that look alarming and are usually nothing, but cost follow-up scans and anxiety to prove it.
Which one should you pick?
If you want ongoing metabolic insight and the best value per data point, Function. If you want a one-time structural sweep, especially with a family history of something you would rather catch early, Prenuvo. They answer different questions, which is why some people do both. Neither replaces a doctor: abnormal findings from either need a clinician to interpret. Pymander's free AI doctor consult can help you think through a result before that appointment. Emergencies bypass all of it: call 911. Pymander routes emergency red flags to 911, and its escalation logic is documented in its safety architecture working paper.
What a Pymander AI doctor consult looks like
Illustrative example, not a real member's messages.
Common questions
How much does Function Health cost?
$365 a year for membership covering 160+ lab tests with clinician-reviewed results, per its own site.
How much does Prenuvo cost?
Whole-body MRI starting at $1,199, with memberships and advanced scans above that, per its own site. No radiation is involved.
Which catches more problems?
Different problems. Blood tests excel at metabolic and organ-function trends; MRI excels at structural findings like tumors and aneurysms. Neither covers the other's territory, which is why some people do both.
What is an incidental finding?
Something a scan finds that looks concerning but is usually harmless, yet requires follow-up imaging or procedures to prove it. Whole-body screening produces them routinely, and they are the honest downside of scanning healthy people.
Do doctors recommend whole-body MRI screening?
Mainstream medical guidance has not endorsed whole-body MRI for average-risk people, largely because of incidental findings and cost. Fans argue the early catch is worth it; skeptics argue the data does not yet show it saves lives. It is a personal risk-tolerance call.
What if it is an emergency?
Screening is for the well; symptoms need care now. Call 911 for emergencies. Pymander is built to recognize emergency red flags and direct you to call rather than continue.