How much should I expect to pay for supplements? Are higher-priced supplements any better than low-priced brands?

Written by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated July 11, 2019 ⓘ

Cost and Quality of Dietary Supplements -- supplement bottles on store shelves

Answer:

You certainly don't need to pay the highest prices to get good quality supplements and cost is not an accurate predicter of quality. ConsumerLab tests have found some of the most economical products, costing pennies a day, are of better quality than premium-priced supplements costing more than a dollar a day.

Here are some examples of how much (or little!) you need to spend to get top-quality supplements based on the products we have tested. Use the links to go to the reports and see the products and learn more about them.

Type of Supplement (Serving Size Compared)	Lowest Cost for Approved-Quality Product (Highest Price)*
Calcium (500 mg)	4 cents ($2.52 cents, or up to $4.89 for combination products)
CoQ10 (100 mg)	7 cents (80 cents, or up to $5.86 from combination products)
Fish Oil (100 mg EPA and DHA)	1 cents (22 cents)
Green Tea (200 mg EGCG)	6 cents ($1.39)
Iron (25 mg)	1 cent ($2.26 from a combination product)
Lutein (10 mg)	18 cents ($1.12 from a combination product)
Magnesium (200 mg)	3 cents (28 cents, or up to 45 cents from a combination product)
Melatonin (3 mg)	1 cents ($2.95)
Multivitamin (Daily serving)	3 cents ($1.83)
Probiotic (1 billion organisms)	1 cent ($5.69)
Protein Powder (20 g protein)	37 cents ($5.41)
Red Yeast Rice (10 mg of lovastatins)	49 cents ($7.60)
Resveratrol (100 mg trans-resveratrol)	6 cents ($1.28, or up to $2.17 from a combination product)
Turmeric (500 mg Curcuminoids)	20 cents ($8.87)
Ubiquinol (100 mg)	55 cents ($2.65)
Valerian (2.4 mg valerenic acids)	11 cents ($18.10)
Vitamin C (500 mg)	1 cent ($2.80)
Vitamin D (400 IU of D3)	1 cent ($2.93 from a combination product)