Every comparison is scored on the same eight factors, out of 100. We show the weight of each, and where a value cannot be sourced we mark it Data unavailable rather than invent a number.
Which actives actually overlap between the brand and the lower-cost option.
How the disclosed amounts line up. Hidden behind a proprietary blend → Data unavailable.
Price normalized to the dose that matters, not the sticker price.
Strength of human evidence for each active, rated and sourced.
What you trade for the savings, format, number of products, steps.
Whether the brand discloses its doses or hides them in a blend.
Estimated monthly and annual, with the price-checked date attached.
What you give up. If the match falls short, the score reflects it.
Many premium products list a proprietary blend, so the amount of each ingredient is not published. When that happens we cannot verify a dose match, and we say so: the Dose match field reads Data unavailable and does not contribute to the score. A large price gap alone does not make two products equivalent.
Each active ingredient carries an evidence rating for that ingredient at a comparable dose. The rating describes the ingredient, not a promise about your results.
Multiple human randomized trials or meta-analyses support the ingredient at a comparable dose.
Mixed or smaller human trials, the effect is plausible but less settled.
Mainly mechanistic, animal, or underpowered human evidence.
The brand hides the dose, so we cannot rate it and it does not score.
Reference sources we consult include the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Examine.com, and peer-reviewed human trials (PubMed and Cochrane). Ratings are the BlendBusters desk’s read of that evidence, and are not medical advice.
Some pages show an estimated ingredient-overlap percentage. It is an estimate of how much two products overlap by active ingredient and intended use, not a lab assay. We match the brand’s disclosed actives to a specific lower-cost product that carries the same or overlapping actives at a comparable dose. Where a per-ingredient dose is hidden behind a proprietary blend, that field is marked Data unavailable and is excluded from dose scoring. The number is a guide to how close the match is, not a guarantee of an identical effect.
Prices are estimates from public retail sources, chiefly Amazon and brand-direct listings, with the date we checked. We normalize to a monthly cost at the compared dose rather than the sticker price. Prices change often, so always verify on the merchant’s site. We cite our sources and date them, and where a specific figure still needs a second editorial check we mark it rather than hide it. We do not copy merchant descriptions; the analysis and calculations are our own.
BlendBusters earns affiliate commissions when you buy through some merchant links. We don’t manufacture or sell products, purchases happen on third-party merchant sites. Comparisons and verdicts are written before any link is added, and a commission never changes a verdict or a score. We keep a better option in a comparison even when another merchant pays more.
This content is for general informational purposes and is not individualized medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing any supplement.