Every product receives a 0-100 score built from six weighted categories. Default weights are testing & evidence 25%, ingredient/formulation quality 20%, value 20%, dose transparency 15%, manufacturer transparency 10%, and label transparency 10%. Some supplement categories use adjusted weights where relevant (for example, oxidation testing matters more for omega-3 than for creatine).
A category that has not yet been researched for a given product is treated as pending and excluded from that product's score, rather than being counted as an average or a zero - the remaining categories' weights are redistributed proportionally so the score still reflects what is actually known. Testing specifically is only ever excluded this way when evidence review is genuinely unfinished, not when a product has simply been found to lack public evidence.
Our current scoring framework
Scores combine six categories. We normalise the weights to a total of 100. A supplement may have a category-specific weighting; its product analysis displays the actual breakdown.
Compare like with like
Daily cost divides the price by the number of days supplied at the label serving. Tables show daily cost alongside the relevant active amount. Some categories also use a comparable-unit calculation in their value score, such as cost per 100 mg elemental magnesium; the product analysis explains the category basis. Missing amounts are shown as unavailable.
A high score is not a medical recommendation. Price convenience, Prime status and affiliate commission do not establish quality or individual suitability.
What our picks mean
Best Overall uses the highest overall score in the current comparison. Cheapest Per Day uses the lowest disclosed daily cost among eligible products. Best Tested uses the highest testing-evidence score among eligible reviewed products with supporting evidence; its badge identifies whether that evidence is a claim, a manufacturer report or independently verified evidence. Ties use overall score, then product ID. Each award is ranked independently, so the same product can win more than one. No testing award is assigned if qualifying evidence is unavailable.
We keep testing claims distinct from independently checked evidence and show provenance where it is recorded.