Liraglutide vs Semaglutide
Both are acylated GLP-1 analogues that act on the GLP-1 receptor only, and both are approved medicines. The difference is in the engineering: semaglutide has a different N-terminal substitution and a longer fatty-diacid linker, which gives it a half-life of about a week against roughly 13 hours for liraglutide.
First-generation acylated GLP-1 receptor agonist
Choose Liraglutide if
- ✓ You need the GLP-1 analogue with the longest published record
- ✓ You are replicating older incretin literature
Long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist
Choose Semaglutide if
- ✓ You need a very long-acting GLP-1 reference
- ✓ You are comparing against newer dual and triple agonists
Side-by-side specification
| Compare | Liraglutide First-generation acylated GLP-1 receptor agonist | Semaglutide Long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist |
|---|---|---|
| Class | GLP-1 receptor agonist | GLP-1 receptor agonist |
| Research area | Metabolic | Metabolic |
| Receptor targets | GLP-1R | GLP-1R |
| Length | 31 amino acids (acylated GLP-1 analogue) | 31 amino acids (acylated GLP-1 analogue) |
| Molecular mass | ≈ 3.75 kDa | ≈ 4.11 kDa |
| Origin | Analogue of human GLP-1 | Synthetic analogue of human GLP-1 |
| Evidence level | 5/5 Approved drug, phase 3 trials | 5/5 Approved drug, phase 3 trials |
| Regulatory status | Approved prescription medicine | Approved prescription medicine |
| Nordapep from | Not listed | Not listed |
| Best price per mg | Not listed | Not listed |
| View Liraglutide at Nordapep → | View Semaglutide at Nordapep → |
What separates them
For research, liraglutide is the older reference with the longest published record. Semaglutide is the more current benchmark and the usual starting point when a study needs a long-acting GLP-1 comparator.
Read the full guides for Liraglutide and Semaglutide, or add a third compound in the comparison tool.
FAQ
Which is more potent?
Potency depends on the assay and receptor system, so compare them only within one experiment.
Are both approved?
Yes, both are authorised prescription medicines. Research-grade material is not those medicines.
Are Liraglutide and Semaglutide approved medicines?
Liraglutide: Approved prescription medicine. Semaglutide: Approved prescription medicine. Research-grade material of either is not a medicine and is supplied for in vitro research only.
Where can I buy Liraglutide and Semaglutide?
Nordapep lists compounds with a Certificate of Analysis matched to the batch reference. Check each compound page for current availability.
More comparisons
Where to buy
Why we send researchers to Nordapep
Comparing compounds is only half the job. The other half is knowing the vial contains what the label says. Nordapep publishes batch documentation for every compound it sells.
Browse the Nordapep catalogue →Each batch reference on the label matches its CoA, so you can check what is in the vial.
Enter the batch reference from your vial into Nordapep's batch-verification tool.
Purity is reported by RP-HPLC, the standard method for peptides of this size.
Bundled stacks for common comparisons, plus tiered pricing for volume orders.