What is the UK’s best value CGM when purchased privately, i.e. without a prescription?
Victoria Broadley RN, a Diabetes Specialist Nurse and AgaMatrix National Clinical Advisor, takes a look at how different continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) stack-up in terms of value for money
Choosing a CGM that’s right for you can be a bewildering task. First you’ll want one which meets your needs in terms of the appropriate indications. For example, not all CGMs can be used in all populations (e.g. paediatric, pregnancy, in combination with an insulin pump). If in any doubt, you should be speaking with a suitably qualified healthcare professional.
Then you’ll need to think about the product features based on how you intend to use it. You’ll need one which meets accuracy standards, and you might want to consider appearance or ease of insertion. Once you have those clear, then the next question I often get asked by people paying privately for their CGM is regarding the cost.
How do we know which CGMs offer the best value for money?
Because different CGMs can be worn for different amounts of time on the body (e.g. 10, 14 or 15 days) a common way of assessing value for money is to look at the ongoing cost of using different CGM brands on a ‘per person per day’ basis. So as an example, if a CGM costs you £30 and you can wear it for 10 days then it is equivalent of £3 per day of wear. This type of analysis allows you to directly compare the cost of different CGM more fairly.
The table below shows most of the CGMs which are available in the UK. It shows the amount of time you can wear them and the current cost for ongoing supply through the respective manufacturers’ web shops. For fairness,
The table is sorted from lowest cost per day to highest cost per day:
| Cost summary | How it was calculated | ||||||||
| Manufacturer/Distributor | CGM brand | Total cost per day | Total cost per year | Lowest product cost on website | For how many sensors | Postage cost | Total cost | Days of wear per sensor | Total number of days wear |
| AgaMatrix | ALLYcgm | £2.57 | £938.05 | £231.00 | 6 | £0.00 | £231.00 | 15 | 90 |
| Dexcom | ONE+ | £2.60 | £949.00 | £229.00 | 9 | £4.99 | £233.99 | 10 | 90 |
| Abbott | FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus Sensor | £3.45 | £1,259.25 | £51.74 | 1 | £0.00 | £51.74 | 15 | 15 |
| Dexcom | G7 | £4.60 | £1,679.00 | £409.00 | 9 | £4.99 | £413.99 | 10 | 90 |
| Medtronic | Smart MDI Simplera sensor | £8.31 | £3,033.15 | £291.00 | 5 | £0.00 | £291.00 | 7 | 35 |
For even more value, we’re giving new customers their first sensor completely FREE﹡
I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this is an interesting way of looking at the costs of ongoing CGM use in the UK. You can see that ALLYcgm from AgaMatrix takes the top spot for value at a cost of £2.57 per day.
*Customers are entering a free 15 day trial to a monthly ALLYcgm subscription which can be cancelled at any time.
7500-10372 Rev A December 2025. Prices correct at time of publication. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
