Insulin is a hormone your body needs to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells. In diabetes care, injectable insulin directly replaces or supplements what the body isn’t producing or using effectively.
GLP-1 receptor agonists work differently: they mimic a gut hormone that stimulates the body’s own insulin release (only when blood sugar is elevated), slow digestion, and reduce appetite — which is why this drug class is also associated with weight loss.
Because GLP-1s rely on the body still being able to produce some insulin, they’re primarily used in type 2 diabetes, not type 1, where the body produces little to no insulin of its own.
The two are sometimes used together in type 2 diabetes when one medication alone isn’t enough to manage blood sugar. Which approach — or combination — is right depends on individual factors like diabetes type, other health conditions, and treatment goals, which is a conversation for your prescribing doctor, not something to decide from an article.