How pricing works
Pricing on Group Test Hub depends on one thing: whether the group is Managed (run on-platform by Group Test Hub) or Independent (run off-platform by the group's own Managers). The two work very differently — each is explained below, followed by a worked example showing exactly how a share is calculated.
Group Test Hub runs payments end-to-end
In a Managed group, you pay one thing: your share. Your share is the total cost of testing that group's compound, divided fairly across everyone in the group. It's calculated automatically and updates live as people join, as vial donors get credited, and as shipping costs are added — so the number you see is the real number, not a guess.
What your share covers
- • Lab testing fee
- • Platform coordination (group setup, lab comms, phase management)
- • Payment processing through Stripe
- • Permanent COA hosting in your dashboard
Shipping costs
Whoever donates or forwards a physical vial covers the postage and receives a credit towards their final share.
$5 join deposit
Paid when you join during the open / recruiting phase. It is credited toward your final share — not an extra charge if you stay in. If you back out after putting it down, the $5 deposit is non-refundable.
Vial donor & shipper credits
If you donate a physical vial, the Manager assigns it a dollar value, and that value becomes a credit against your own share. Donating product toward the test lowers what you owe in cash.
If the in-kind value you contribute (vial value, or shipping you paid out of pocket as a Shipper) is more than your base share, the overflow is not paid back in cash — instead it increases your ownership % of the group.
Late joiners & store credit
Once a Managed group is fully funded, anyone who joins after pays the full share on-platform. 100% of every late-joiner payment amount is distributed as store credit to the group's original members. The split is proportional to each original member's ownership % of the group (their total contribution: cash + in-kind credit value, divided by the Total Group Test Value).
Cancellations & refunds
A Manager can request cancellation. A Group Test Hub admin reviews and either approves or rejects. Store credit may be issued per policy.
Managers run payments off-platform
Independent groups are run entirely by the group's own Managers. Group Test Hub does not collect payments, contact the lab, or upload results, and is not liable for the group. Managers post their own payment instructions and mark each member as paid by hand.
$5 launch fee (Creator only)
The Creator pays a one-time, non-refundable $5 group launch payment when the group is created. It is the only payment Group Test Hub collects on an Independent group, and it is non-refundable — even upon cancellation.
Off-platform member payments
The Manager posts payment instructions (Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, crypto, etc.) on the group page and toggles each member's paid status by hand. Group Test Hub never sees the money and provides no guarantee for lab results, communication, or group coordination.
Vial donor & shipper credits still apply
The Manager assigns each donated vial a dollar value, and that value is credited against the donor's share — same math as a Managed group.
Late joiners & store credit
The store-credit redistribution applies to every group type, including Independent. Late joiners pay the full share on-platform, and 100% of that amount is distributed as store credit to the original members — split proportionally to each member's ownership % (total contribution ÷ Total Group Test Value).
No refunds for Independent groups
Independent groups have zero refunds of any kind, under any circumstance. The Manager — not Group Test Hub — owes a duty of care to the other members. The red disclaimer banner on every Independent group page makes this explicit.
Breaking down the math
This is the same breakdown you'll see inside any group page — here with a fictional example so you can follow the logic before joining. 10-person group, 4 vials, mixed test load.
Every member also paid a $5 deposit at join. Deposits count toward the per-person share, and any overpayment is refunded as store credit when the group completes.
Illustrative example. Your group's numbers will differ based on the actual lab, test mix, vial values, shipping costs, and participant count — and update live as those change.
Pricing Breakdown (example)
Base share per member
$82.23
÷ 10 members
Cash to raise: $660.00
Per-member breakdown
Cash owed at checkout, and deposit refunded as store credit when the group completes.
| Member | Vials & shipping value | $5 deposit paid | Cash owed at checkout | Deposit refund (store credit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alpha | $105.00 | $5.00 | $0.00 | $5.00 |
| beta | $80.00 | $5.00 | $0.00 | $2.77 |
| gamma | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| delta | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| epsilon | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| zeta | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| eta | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| theta | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| iota | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
| kappa | $0.00 | $5.00 | $77.23 | $0.00 |
alpha's in-kind exceeds the base by $22.77, and that overflow is what boosts alpha's ownership %. beta's $2.77 came from deposit overflow — deposit overflow doesn't boost ownership; only in-kind overflow does.
5. Group ownership credit
How each member's contribution translates into a share of every future late-join payment.
Total Economic Cost
$845.00
| Member | Vials & shipping | Cash paid | Status | Total value | Ownership % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alpha | $105.00 | $0.00 | Fully covered | $105.00 | 12.43% |
| beta | $80.00 | $2.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| gamma | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| delta | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| epsilon | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| zeta | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| eta | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| theta | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| iota | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
| kappa | — | $82.23 | Fully covered | $82.23 | 9.73% |
Total value is what each member contributed (in-kind + cash) once the group is fully funded. Ownership % is each member's final share of the Total Economic Cost. In-kind contributors whose value already covers their full share show $0 cash owed — their $5 deposit is refunded as store credit when the group completes.
* A deposit re-paid after a rejoin is included in cash paid, but the re-paid amount doesn't boost the member's ownership.
Late-joiner store-credit distribution
Because alpha over-contributed in-kind beyond the base, alpha earns a larger slice of every late-joiner payment than a cash-only member — for as long as late-joiners keep arriving.
Example only. Real numbers in your group come from the actual lab, test mix, vial values, shipping costs, and participant count — and update live as those change.
In-kind contributors whose value already covers their full share show $0 cash owed and get their $5 deposit refunded as store credit when the group completes. Deposit re-pays after a rejoin don't boost ownership.