Guide · Updated 2026-11-01
FUE vs DHI vs FUT: how the technique changes the price
Clinics often quote two or three techniques side by side, and the price gap can be hundreds of euros or several dollars per graft. Comparing prices within the same clinic is the cleanest way to see what a technique costs, because the location, surgeon and overheads stay the same.
The techniques in plain terms
- FUE (follicular unit excision): individual follicular units are taken one at a time from the donor area. It's the most common technique in our data: 135 of 150 rows list FUE.
- Sapphire FUE: FUE where the recipient channels are opened with a sapphire blade instead of a steel one. It's mostly marketed in Turkey.
- DHI: a variant of FUE where grafts are implanted with a pen-like implanter. 20 rows list DHI.
- FUT (strip): a strip of scalp is removed from the donor area and divided into grafts. Fewer clinics publish FUT prices. Where they do, it's usually cheaper per graft.
- Robotic FUE (ARTAS, NeoGraft): FUE assisted by a device.
We compare prices, not outcomes. Which technique suits you is a medical question for a surgeon who has examined your scalp. The ISHRS notes that branded technique names don't replace physician judgment (ISHRS Fight the FIGHT: hair transplant black market red flags).
DHI and sapphire vs standard FUE at the same clinic
| Clinic | City | Technique | Price (original) | ≈ USD | ≈ $/graft | Grafts | Included | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Expert (Orion)FUE metal €2,100; sapphire €2,400; DHI €2,900 | Istanbul | FUE/DHI | €2,100–€2,900 | $2,407–$3,323 | not stated | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 | ||
| HairNeva (Dr Guncel Ozturk)FUE €1,890; DHI €2,090-3,090 | Istanbul | FUE/DHI | €1,890–€3,090 | $2,166–$3,541 | 3 nights 5-star hotel, transport, PRP, blood tests, meds, shampoo/lotion | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 | ||
| Dr Arslan (HairMedico)Sapphire FUE €2,300-4,200; DHI €3,500-4,500 | Istanbul | Sapphire FUE/DHI | €2,300–€4,500 | $2,636–$5,157 | not stated | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 | ||
| Sapphire Hair ClinicSapphire €1,800; DHI €3,000 | Istanbul | Sapphire FUE/DHI | €1,800–€3,000 | $2,063–$3,438 | Hotel, transfers | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 | ||
| CosmedicaSapphire FUE €2,550 (up to ~4,000 grafts); Micro Sapphire DHI €3,290 | Istanbul | Sapphire FUE/DHI | €2,550–€3,290 | $2,922–$3,770 | up to 4,000 | not stated | Published | Clinic website 2026-07 | |
| HayatMedFUE from £1,700; DHI from £1,900 | Istanbul | Sapphire FUE/DHI | £1,700–£1,900 | $2,271–$2,538 | 3 hotel nights, transfers, PRP, aftercare kit | Published | Clinic website 2026-10 | ||
| FKS ClinicFUE £2,999 (≤3,000) / £3,599 (≤5,000); DHI £3,999 / £4,799; plus £200 fee | London | Sapphire FUE/DHI | £2,999–£4,799 | $4,007–$6,411 | up to 5,000 | not stated | Published | Clinic website 2026-11-01 | |
| CosmoPrimeFUE ฿79,990 / DHI ฿109,990 for 2,500 grafts | Bangkok | FUE/DHI | ฿79,990–฿109,990 | $2,414–$3,319 | $0.97–$1.33 | 2,500 | not stated | Published | AsiaPatient price guide 2026-10 |
| Origen Hair ClinicDHI from $2,990 | Tijuana | FUE/DHI | $2,700–$3,450 | $2,700–$3,450 | not stated | Published | ClinicTrue clinic directory 2026-09-30 |
Each row's note shows that clinic's own price for each technique. Source dates are when the price was published or when we accessed it.
The pattern is consistent: DHI costs more than FUE at every clinic in our data that prices the two separately. Some examples from the rows above:
- Body Expert (Istanbul): metal-blade FUE €2,100, sapphire €2,400, DHI €2,900. DHI is €800 (38%) more than FUE.
- HairNeva (Istanbul): FUE €1,890, DHI €2,090–3,090.
- Sapphire Hair Clinic (Istanbul): sapphire FUE €1,800, DHI €3,000.
- Cosmedica (Istanbul): Sapphire FUE €2,550, Micro Sapphire DHI €3,290.
- HayatMed: FUE from £1,700, DHI from £1,900.
- FKS Clinic (UK): FUE £2,999 / £3,599, DHI £3,999 / £4,799 at the same graft caps, so DHI is £1,000–1,200 more.
- CosmoPrime (Bangkok): FUE ฿79,990 and DHI ฿109,990 for 2,500 grafts, about 38% more for DHI.
- Origen (Tijuana): FUE from $2,700, DHI from $2,990.
FUT vs FUE
Where a clinic lists both, FUT is priced below FUE per graft:
| Clinic | City | Technique | Price (original) | ≈ USD | ≈ $/graft | Grafts | Included | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jae Pak MDFUE $9, long-hair FUE $12, FUT $7 | Los Angeles, CA | FUE | $9.00 | not stated | Published | Clinic website 2026-11-01 | |||
| Golden State Hair TransplantFUT $5/graft | Pleasant Hill, CA | FUE | $7.00 | not stated | Published | Clinic website 2026-11-01 | |||
| HTS Center (Dr Devroye)FUT €3-5/graft | Brussels | FUE | $4.58 | not stated | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 | |||
| QHT ClinicFrom ₹70/graft FUE; FUT ₹50 | Delhi | FUE | from $0.79 | not stated | Published | Clinic website 2026-11-01 | |||
| Aslan MedicalFUT listed at CHF 4,000-10,500 | Geneva | FUE | CHF 5,500–CHF 14,000 | $6,875–$17,500 | $4.38–$5.72 | 1,200–4,000 | not stated | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 |
| Dr Ozlem BicerAutomated FUE €3/graft, manual €4; FUT €6,000 | Istanbul | FUE | €5,000–€12,000 | $5,730–$13,752 | $3.44–$4.58 | not stated | Published | Trikkos clinic directory 2026-11-01 |
- Jae Pak MD (Los Angeles): FUE $9, FUT $7 per graft.
- Golden State Hair Transplant: FUE $7, FUT $5.
- QHT Clinic (Delhi): FUE from ₹70, FUT ₹50 per graft.
- Aslan Medical (Switzerland): FUE CHF 5,500–14,000, FUT CHF 4,000–10,500.
Volos Centre in Russia shows the same pattern (FUE about €1, FUT €0.60–0.90 per graft). Not every list is that tidy. HTS Center in Belgium lists FUE at €4 per graft and FUT at €3–5, so FUT can cost more there. Dr Ozlem Bicer in Istanbul quotes FUT as a €6,000 total but FUE per graft (€3 automated, €4 manual), which can't be compared until you know the graft count. Always compare the same graft count.
Manual vs motorized, short vs long hair
Other price levers show up in the notes. Dr Ozlem Bicer charges €1 more per graft for manual FUE than automated. "Long-hair" or unshaven FUE costs more where it's offered: Jae Pak lists $12 against $9 for standard FUE, Insalaco in Italy €5 against €4–4.50, and Hairsmith in Bangkok ฿120 unshaven against ฿80 shaven. Northwestern Hair lists long-hair work at up to $28 per graft.
Robotic FUE
Robotic options in our data include Elite Clinic in Poland (ARTAS, €2.20–3.30 per graft), Be Dharma in Medellín (ARTAS package, $8,000), and NeoGraft at Hair Transplant Mexico ($3,750 for 3,500 grafts) and Houston Hair Transplant Center (from $4.50 per graft). The robot doesn't fix the price. Location matters much more.
What this means for your quotes
- When a clinic offers several techniques, ask for the price of each at the same graft count.
- Treat brand names ("micro sapphire", "Pro DHI") as pricing tiers until a doctor explains why you need them.
- Compare across countries using standard FUE first. It's the most widely published price in our database, so the medians on our country ranking are mostly FUE.
Have a quote that lists more than one technique? Submit it. Same-clinic pairs are the most useful data we can publish.