Best Male Enhancement Pills

It can be tricky knowing whether male enhancement pills are safe or effective. Our team examines the field to see if there are options right for you.

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Last updated: Dec 29th, 2023
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Best Male Enhancement Pills

A majority of men will deal with some kind of sexual performance issue in their lifetimes. Any kind of erectile dysfunction can be devastating, and for men who might shy away from prescription solutions, male enhancement pills pose a compelling alternative. Some claim to resolve erectile and performance issues, while others aim to help with fertility and semen volume.

However, male enhancement supplements come with a few major pitfalls. For starters, it’s too easy to end up with counterfeit pills containing dangerous ingredients you never realized you were going to consume. The market is also rife with expensive products that do little more than a good, less expensive vitamin D capsule could. We took a hard look at the male enhancement pills on the market and whittled the immense field down to a few products we think have the most potential to be effective while offering you the safest experience. They’re not perfect, and they may not make a dramatic difference for most men. But there are men for whom they’ll make a real difference. So we find the products that combine that potential with a money-back guarantee that’s generous enough to protect your money while you give them a try.

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top recommendations:

Summary of recommendations

Our Top Choice

Performer 8 includes nine powerful ingredients proven to increase sexual stamina, erection strength, and semen volume.

Performer 8 is a safe and natural way to revitalize your sexual vitality and is only available directly through Performer8.com. Ingredient effectiveness is supported by clinical studies, and all purchases are backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Table of Contents

In this Review

Why you should trust us

When assessing and comparing male enhancement pills, we rely on clinical research and reports from users. We also order the majority of these products ourselves to test the quality of each company’s website, customer service, privacy experience, and shipping logistics.

All told, our team has spent over 200 hours researching the products and services of these companies to provide an accurate, unbiased analysis of how they compare. We reviewed more than 100 scholarly articles pertaining to erectile health and the various ingredients included in common male enhancement supplements.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this guide was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We’ll continue to stay on top of new developments in male enhancement and erectile dysfunction treatment to keep this article up to date.

How we evaluated male enhancement pills

Best male enhancement pills

Photo by Innerbody Research

We had to be very careful in evaluating male enhancement products, as so many contain ingredients without enough clinical research to recommend them in good conscience. Among the products we found suitable, our comparative analysis focused on four key areas the average customer would need to consider before choosing one: effectiveness, safety, cost, and customer service.

Effectiveness may be the most obvious, but safety was just as important for us. Those two criteria carried the most weight in our consideration. As you’ll see, these supplements’ prices fall within a pretty limited range; many of them are considerably less expensive than brand-name ED prescriptions but a lot more expensive than generic prescription alternatives. This reduces the impact of cost and customer service in our final recommendations.

You’ll see that Performer 8 outperforms the competition in most categories, with greater doses of ginseng and barrenwort than most competitors. There’s even a certain point of view from which it offers the best cost, which we’ll get into below.

Effectiveness

Winner: Performer 8

Since everyone uses male enhancement pills for different reasons, one remedy might not be as effective for you as it is for others. But we don’t think the answer is to cram a bunch of ingredients into a pill and hope it pleases everybody. We’re also wary of any product that makes a big deal out of certain ingredients, only to include them in doses that are significantly smaller than doses used in studies. Many of those studies lack statistical significance as it is, so turning to an inferior dose of a poorly studied ingredient isn’t the way to gain our appreciation.

Performer 8 includes a streamlined set of specific ingredients, and several of those ingredients appear in doses consistent with, or at least approaching, doses used in clinical studies. Its inclusion of ashwagandha allows its formula to address testosterone levels directly and reduce stress and anxiety. That can yield positive results in your body’s ability to generate an erection while preventing the psychological factors associated with ED from creating a negative feedback loop in which one or two failed erections create self-doubt and stress that leads to more failed erections.

Performer 8 ingredients label

Photo by Innerbody Research

Safety

Winner: Performer 8

The safety profiles of these various male enhancement products are a mixed bag. Since many of the studies looking into common male enhancement ingredients often lack large enough sample sizes to say anything positive with confidence, it’s also difficult to say how safe these products may or may not be. In many cases, male enhancement pills use doses of individual ingredients that are lower than those seen in studies. That might be a good thing for their safety, but without research into how these ingredients may interact when taken together — even at lower doses, and particularly over a long period of time — it would be irresponsible to declare them safe.

We are aware of certain side effects that crop up in studies examining these ingredients’ potential to treat ED, but some boast studies specific to their safety. Other ingredients are mainly studied for very different potential benefits — like L-carnitine, which boasts a fair amount of research into its potential as a weight loss supplement. As long as the doses in those studies are comparable, we can begin to create a more comprehensive picture of each ingredient's side effect risk.

Ginseng is a common ingredient in many male enhancement supplements, but several studies have examined its potential as an anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agent. Some of these studies have looked at doses up to 9g daily and showed few-to-no side effects. Other studies showed potential benefits at doses as low as 1g/daily. Performer 8, our preferred male enhancement product in terms of safety, utilizes a 6g daily ginseng dose. Stomach discomfort, flushing, and constipation crop up occasionally in the research, but cases are often mild and resolve quickly.

Another ingredient we like to see in male enhancement products is ashwagandha. There has been a lot of research into ashwagandha’s anxiolytic effects, but other studies looking at its ability to boost testosterone have been promising, as well. Performer 8 utilizes a well-known brand of ashwagandha — KSM-66. It’s not the most potently concentrated form, but it’s been subjected to multiple clinical studies, many of which show comparable rates of adverse effects as those seen in the placebo groups.

Lastly, when it comes to pills, one occasionally overlooked aspect of safety is the size of the pill itself; many people have difficulty swallowing pills of any size, but especially larger ones. If you're one of these people, keep in mind that Performer 8 is a middle-of-the-road size compared to others, while Volume Pills is definitely on the small side. One thing that helps Performer 8 in contrast with others like Semenax, however, is the width — Performer 8 is narrower than some.

Comparing male enhancement pill sizes

Photo by Innerbody Research

Cost

Winner: Male Extra

Considering the practical and potential costs when trying a male enhancement product, we take price into account along with things like shipping costs, money-back guarantees, and bulk purchasing discounts. Shipping from all of our recommended companies is free, so let’s take a look at how the other parameters stack up:

Cost for a single monthCost per month at highest bulk levelMoney-back guarantee
Performer 8$64.99$39Lifetime
Semenax$59.99$33.3367 days
ExtenZe$49.95$41.6667 days
VigRX Plus$69.65$49.1667 days
Max Performer$69$30100 days
Volume Pills$59.95$33.3367 days
Male Extra$59.99$30100 days

Male Extra narrowly claims this category thanks to:

  • A reasonable cost for one bottle
  • A tie for the lowest cost per bottle at the highest bulk purchasing level
  • A narrow edge over Performer 8 in cost at the three-month level, which is kind of a “Goldilocks” quantity for many first-time buyers

At the three-month amount, however, Performer 8 only costs $10 more than Male Extra. And Performer 8 could be considered among the best deals at its highest bulk purchasing level of five bottles (technically a three-month supply with two free bottles thrown in). At $195, that five-month supply is one of the most affordable, bested only by Male Extra’s 5-month deal at $180. Three-, five-, and six-month deals often present consumers with a nice middle ground of lower costs per bottle and a smaller initial investment than 12-month offerings require.

Customer service

Winner: Performer 8

In the customer service department, Performer 8 is the only company offering a lifetime guarantee on its product. Others among our top picks offer 67- or 100-day guarantees, which are admirable but can’t compare to the lifetime promise.

Performer 8 is also the only company with a fully functioning live chat feature that provides interaction with real humans on the other end. This is an undeniable convenience for products where nutritional questions can get complicated and require a back-and-forth.

What are male enhancement pills?

Male enhancement pills are nutritional supplements designed to improve various aspects of male sexual health. Many focus on erectile performance, seeking to improve blood flow to the penis and address certain nutritional deficiencies that might contribute to mild erectile dysfunction. They typically include botanical ingredients like ginseng and horny goat weed, as well as amino acids like L-arginine and L-carnitine. Some also offer vitamins and minerals.

Technically, the category includes the ridiculous and often dangerous types of pills you see sold in gas stations and truck stops around America. These are not the types of male enhancement pills we’ll focus on here. It doesn’t guarantee their efficacy, but the supplements in our guide come from more reputable companies than those hawked next to novelty lighters and beef jerky.

Other types of supplements exist under the male enhancement umbrella, including volume pills and testosterone boosters. These products often share several ingredients with traditional male enhancement pills, but their formulas tend to focus on increasing semen output and raising testosterone levels, respectively.

Ultimately, even the best male enhancement pill can only go so far in addressing things like erectile dysfunction. If you have only mild symptoms (e.g., the ability to get mostly erect but not enough for penetration, or your erectile performance is mostly reliable but a tad inconsistent), male enhancement pills may be able to help. But most men — especially those with moderate-to-severe ED — would do better to seek out prescription-strength assistance.

There is a common misconception that male enhancement pills are intended to make your penis larger. This is not the case. While it is possible for increased blood flow to the penis to result in an erection that’s marginally larger than you’re used to, the physical structures of your penis will not grow in any way.

How do male enhancement pills work?

The best male enhancement pills combine various ingredients to improve sexual function, virility, and libido. They don’t all work quite the same way because their ingredient lists can differ in sometimes subtle and other times dramatic ways. The best way to understand how a male enhancement pill might work is to look at its ingredients and consider how they might work together.

In many cases, the companies creating these formulations use ingredient doses that are well below what clinical research suggests could be effective. And very little of that research has been repeated in enough studies to reach statistical or clinical significance. The general idea behind male enhancement formulas is that combining multiple ingredients can increase the odds of success by working on slightly different potential problems (i.e., hypogonadism, performance anxiety, and circulation issues).

Leading Edge Health — the parent company behind VigRX, Semenax, ExtenZe, and Volume Pills — has conducted small-scale double-blind, placebo-controlled studies for a few of its products, including Semenax and VigRX Plus. These illustrate successes in participant groups smaller than 100 men. This is certainly hopeful, though not enough to be considered definitive.

Insider Tip: If you can afford the expense at the outset, buy at least a three-month supply rather than just one month, regardless of brand. This makes sense for a few reasons. First, you’ll likely need longer than one month to discover whether male enhancement pills work for you. Second, you’ll get more product for your money if you discover that the product does work for you. And third (and most importantly), all of our top picks have at least a 67-day money-back guarantee protecting you. The bigger bulk packages are harder for lots of people to afford out of the gate, but two-month or -three-month packages are often within reach and bring greater value.

Here’s a look at some key ingredients you’ll find in many male enhancement pills:

L-Arginine HCL

This amino acid is a popular ingredient in male enhancement pills to help men get and maintain firm erections. It enables the body to produce nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to the penis. Studies indicate it may improve sexual function in men, but often with higher doses than seen in supplements, often between 2g and 5g daily.

Epimedium leaf

This ingredient is also called barrenwort or horny goat weed. It can act as a modest phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor — the same essential function as Viagra and Cialis. However, most studies look into icariin, a component extracted from epimedium, at doses around 1,000mg. Epimedium in male enhancement pills contains about 10% icariin, so a 1,000mg dose of epimedium leaf extract is only worth one-tenth of the amount that succeeds in studies.

Ginseng

Ginseng may work on the body in several ways, modulating neuronal and hormonal systems and even increasing spermatogenesis, at least in rodent studies. Studies show improvements in erectile strength and maintenance and overall libido at doses around 1,000mg daily.

Zinc

Many studies link zinc with testosterone levels. Since men lose testosterone production as they age, supplementing with zinc and other testosterone-boosting ingredients can improve various sexual functions.

Maca

Maca is a popular supplement ingredient that can only claim inconclusive results for men’s sexual function when looking at multiple studies. Beyond potentially boosting libido and fertility, it can positively affect mood and blood pressure.

Muira puama

Evidence supporting muira puama’s role in sexual health is severely limited, and most of the studies looking into its potential in humans involve multi-ingredient supplements. At this time, we can’t say that this ingredient should sway your decision one way or another.

Tribulus terrestris

You’ll find this ingredient in many male enhancement pills and testosterone supplements. Research into it can be contradictory, with some studies suggesting considerable benefits to blood sugar and sexual health and others coming up inconclusive.

Ashwagandha

This is one of the most reliable testosterone-boosting ingredients you’ll find in men’s supplements. It isn’t in many male enhancement pills, but you should take note when it is. Ashwagandha has apparent effects on testosterone production, but it’s also remarkably good at regulating stress and anxiety. So, if your performance issues have you feeling tense, this could play two essential roles in fixing the problem.

Methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM)

Claims around MSM’s ability to grow your penis or cure erectile dysfunction are significantly overblown. There is little clinical evidence to support them, though there is some oblique evidence linking sulfur (which you can derive from MSM) to the relaxation of the corpus cavernosum.

Black pepper

Some companies include a black pepper extract, sometimes labeled as piperine or under the brand name Bioperine. Studies show it can increase your body’s ability to take in more nutrients from a given supplement. It doesn’t have direct benefits to male sexual health, but it may increase the degree to which a given pill works.

As you can see, several ingredients in male enhancement pills are there to address low testosterone directly, like zinc and ashwagandha. Some testosterone boosters are built around ingredients like this, while other male enhancement pills include them to create a more comprehensive approach to sexual health than just directing blood to the penis.

If you have any reason to believe that your problems in the bedroom are related to low T, we recommend taking a testosterone test. Fortunately, there are inexpensive and accurate at-home tests available from a number of reputable companies. You can find the right test to fit your needs by visiting our guide to the best at-home testosterone tests.

Are male enhancement pills safe?

We’ve done our best to bring you a collection that meets a high bar for safety with minimal adverse effects. But not all male enhancement pills are safe, and there are ingredients in even some of the safest options that could pose a danger to you.

Prescription ED medications (PDE-5 inhibitors like Viagra, specifically) can lower blood pressure. This is why any prescriber needs a recent blood pressure reading and knowledge of your cardiovascular health history before prescribing them. Supplemental male enhancement pills often employ ingredients that aim to act in similar ways. That makes them potentially dangerous for men with low blood pressure or men taking medication that affects their blood pressure.

Other ingredients in supplements may have unexpected consequences for certain men. For example, ashwagandha has been linked to increased thyroid hormone production, which could lead to hyperthyroidism in some.

Some ingredients bring the possibility of mild adverse reactions, but they’re worth knowing.

  • MSM: nausea, diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain
  • Ginseng: nervousness, insomnia
  • L-Arginine: bloating, stomach pain, gout
  • Epimedium leaf: irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure

Take a close look at the ingredients in the pills you have your eye on, and talk to your doctor before starting it to make sure there are no unexpected risks to your health or potential contraindications with any of your current medications.

Insider Tip: There are many counterfeit male enhancement supplements on the market that use packaging nearly identical to the real thing. In one test run, the FDA found “undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients” in 100% of the products it purchased through Amazon and 86% of the products it purchased through eBay. Be sure to buy your enhancement pills directly from the supplier. Sellers on Amazon and other platforms may provide you with dangerous goods.

Performer 8

Best overall and best for low testosterone

Performer 8

Photo by Innerbody Research

Pros

  • High doses of its most promising ingredients
  • Lifetime money-back guarantee
  • Uses a high-quality ashwagandha extract
  • Bulk orders include free e-books
  • Website provides research sources

Cons

  • Does not include zinc to help boost testosterone
  • Claim of “zero known side effects” is disingenuous

Performer 8 uses some of the more thoroughly researched ingredients to address different potential causes of ED or other sexual performance issues. It’s the only supplement in our guide containing ashwagandha, an extract that studies show can increase testosterone levels and reduce anxiety.

Specifically, Performer 8 uses KSM-66, a branded form of ashwagandha that’s a high-quality, standardized extract. That means you get the same potency in each dose, and Performer 8’s ashwagandha dosing is in line with the amounts used in clinical studies. Performer 8 also boasts one of the highest doses of ginseng of any pills that made our cut.

Special Offer: 35% OFF a 1-Month Supply from Semenax

Here’s a closer look at Performer 8’s ingredient list:

  • Ashwagandha: 500mg
  • Maca root extract: 30mg
  • Muira puama: 3,000mg
  • Ferrous bisglycinate: 12mg
  • Panax ginseng: 6,000mg
  • Barrenwort: 1,000mg
  • Pine bark extract: 300mg
  • Glucuronolactone: 600mg
  • Grape seed extract: 30mg

Performer 8 pricing

You can purchase Performer 8 in 1-, 3-, and 5-month supplies for the following prices:

  • One-month supply: $64.99
  • Three-month supply: $129.99
  • Five-month supply: $194.99

The monthly cost at the highest bulk tier is $39. One- and 3-month supplies also come with free e-books covering nutritional approaches to improving sexual performance and exercises you can do to improve your stamina in the bedroom.

These are relatively mid-range prices among male enhancement pills, with products like Max Performer and Male Extra offering deeper savings with their 12-month supplies. But it’s worth remembering that those two companies offer 100-day guarantees to Performer 8’s lifetime promise, and neither of them contains ashwagandha.

Shipping from Performer 8 is free and discreet, and it takes about a week. Credit card statements will show “P8” for the purchase, making it difficult for anyone to figure out what you ordered.

Male Extra

Best bulk value

Pros

  • Large (45mg) dose of zinc
  • Potent pomegranate extract may improve erectile performance
  • Up to a 12-month supply available at a deep discount
  • 100-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • L-Arginine may be dangerous for men with blood pressure issues
  • Promotional erection gel is untested
  • Cordyceps dose is small
  • Very poor customer service

Two of Male Extra’s most important ingredients are zinc and vitamin B3, also known as niacin. Niacin has a litany of health benefits, many of which begin with its ability to provide cellular energy. Male Extra also recently upped its zinc dose, taking it from 14mg to 45mg of zinc citrate and increasing the likelihood that the supplement can help men with low testosterone or a zinc deficiency.

One unusual ingredient in Male Extra is methyl sulfonyl methane. Simply put, this provides the body with sulfur, which some research shows can positively influence sexual performance. It’s generally recognized as safe by the FDA and appears to have minimal side effects. However, you don’t see it in too many other male enhancement pills, and Male Extra is the only product in our guide to employ it. Whether that speaks to its efficacy, safety, or cost in production is unclear, but it’s an interesting point to note.

You’ll also find pomegranate extract in Male Extra, which has improved erectile performance among men in at least one small study. And no other pill on this list includes it.

Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients in Male Extra:

  • Vitamin B3: 18mg
  • Zinc: 45mg
  • L-Arginine hydrochloride: 600mg
  • Pomegranate extract: 500mg
  • Methyl sulfonyl methane: 100mg
  • L-Methionine: 100mg
  • Cordyceps mushroom powder: 25mg

The most disappointing dose in the bunch is likely the 25mg of cordyceps. There aren’t a lot of relevant studies looking at the mushroom’s potential to treat male sexual dysfunction, but there are several available animal studies. In one rodent study, doses ranged from 100mg/kg of body weight to 1,000mg/kg. In a 220lb male, that’s the equivalent dose range of 10-100g, much larger than Male Extra’s 25mg. But even if you disregard animal studies and only look at the competition, you’ll find a 1,000mg cordyceps dose in Max Performer, which greatly eclipses Male Extra’s offering.

Male Extra pricing

Male Extra is available in 1-, 3-, 5-, and 12-month supplies for these prices:

  • One-month supply: $59.95
  • Three-month supply: $119.95
  • Five-month supply: $179.95
  • Twelve-month supply: $359.95

At the highest bulk quantity, the cost for one month is $30. That makes this one of the most affordable male enhancement options out there if you’re willing and able to put up the nearly $400 yearly investment. Men with less capital to spend up-front might consider a lower bulk tier.

Any shipment of three or more months comes with increasing amounts of the company’s Pro Erection gel. This gel uses a topical L-arginine that the company claims can increase blood flow to the penis. We have not found any research supporting the topical use of such ingredients and generally recommend against using the gel at this time.

Shipping from Male Extra is free at any level. Male Extra offers a 100-day money-back guarantee. This allows you to try the product for up to three months and still have over a week to get your refund request in. It’s one of the more generous guarantees out there, but it’s still shorter than Performer 8’s lifetime guarantee.

Learn more about the product in our full review.

Max Performer

Pros

  • Moderate zinc dose may help raise testosterone levels
  • Higher cordyceps dose than competitors
  • 12-month supply offers significant savings
  • 100-day money-back guarantee
  • Good source of B vitamins

Cons

  • No “hero” ingredient to suggest reliable efficacy
  • Ginseng dose is on the small side
  • Single-bottle cost is high

Equal parts of horny goat weed, maca, cordyceps, and ginseng provide the lion’s share of potential benefits in Max Performer. But those 1,000mg doses translate into different degrees of potential for each ingredient. A 1,000mg dose of cordyceps reflects successes seen in some animal studies. Conversely, 1,000mg of ginseng is less than you’ll often see in clinical research.

Unlike much of its competition, Max Performer includes a decent vitamin B complex containing B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12 in quantities ranging from 200-714% of your daily value. A particularly large study from China with more than 4,000 participants established a strong positive correlation between homocysteine and ED (homocysteine is an amino acid abundant in animal protein that’s associated with inflammation and heart disease). Other studies show that B vitamins can inhibit homocysteine, which should, in turn, reduce the intensity and incidence of ED. All that said, if a B vitamin deficiency is contributing to your sexual performance issues, you could likely find a high-quality B complex for a lot less than Max Performer costs.

Here’s a full look at Max Performer's ingredients:

  • Horny Goat Weed: 1,000mg
  • Maca: 1,000mg
  • Cordyceps: 1,000mg
  • Korean red ginseng: 1,000mg
  • Bioperine: 15mg
  • Selenium 120 mcg
  • Zinc: 24mg
  • Pyridoxine HCl: 10mg
  • Iron: 14mg
  • Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 10mg
  • Vitamin B3 (niacin): 32mg
  • Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 40mg
  • Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin): 10mcg

Max Performer pricing

You can purchase Max Performer in 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month supplies. There are no freebies included at bulk purchasing levels like e-books or other products.

Here’s how the pricing shakes out:

  • One-month supply: $69
  • Three-month supply: $138
  • Six-month supply: $200
  • Twelve-month supply: $360

For a 12-month supply, the cost per month is $30. Compared to the competition, Max Performer has the deepest discount per bottle between its one- and 12-month supplies, but that’s largely because the cost of a one-month supply is so high at the outset. Ultimately, it has the same per-bottle price at its highest bulk tier as Male Extra does, and Male Extra boasts the superior ingredient profile.

Shipping with Max Performer is free at all levels. You can learn more about the experience by visiting our full review.

Leading Edge Health

Leading Edge Health isn’t a branded male enhancement pill, but it’s the parent company behind a wide variety of men’s sexual wellness products, including Semenax, Volume Pills, VigRX Plus, and ExtenZe.

There are some advantages and disadvantages associated with products under such a large brand umbrella. On the one hand, it can be difficult to differentiate among them or to understand why the company produces so many versions of male enhancement products in the first place. (If one or two formulas worked, why wouldn’t the company just stick with that?) All these products also end up with the same 67-day money-back guarantee, which is a month short of the 100-day guarantees from Male Extra and Max Performer and is significantly shorter than Performer 8’s lifetime guarantee.

The website experience is also inferior across all products. Each product’s site runs on the same inconsistently attended chat server. If you get through to an agent, it would be wise to let them know which product you’re asking about, as they might give you an answer for the wrong one.

On the other hand, the weight of that parent company allows it to do more than some others can, including funding clinical research of some of its formulas. It also allows most of its products to be manufactured in cGMP-compliant facilities, which lends a bit to safety and quality standards (ExtenZe was the only Leading Edge Health product whose manufacturing facilities we couldn’t verify). And its variety of products, while confusing, might serve a wider range of potential customers; in theory, one product may help men who need to address testosterone more than anything else, while another may help those who want a supplement that’s predominantly botanicals instead of chemicals.

Leading Edge Health has offered our readers specific discount codes you’ll find in the pricing sections for each of the products below. Its various brands offer their own discounts on a consistent basis (reflected throughout our guide), but the Innerbody codes often save you a bit more.

Insider Tip: To receive the Innerbody discount, you have to click through the links provided, as simply entering the code text will conflict with any ongoing promotions and may not activate properly.

Let’s look at each of the products from Leading Edge Health that made our cut:

ExtenZe

Best budget pick

Pros

  • Uses hormones and amino acids to achieve results
  • Can increase nitric oxide production
  • Liquid gelcaps improve absorption
  • Several ingredients may address fertility issues
  • Low price for a one-month supply

Cons

  • Proprietary blend obscures ingredient quantities
  • DHEA is considered a performance-enhancing drug and is banned by several athletic organizations
  • No 12-month supply available

ExtenZe’s low costs for supplies of 1-3 months make it our best budget pick (more on its pricing below), but we don’t consider the product to be the best value; if you can afford to spend an additional $20 on a 3-month supply, Male Extra would be a better choice for the budget-conscious. (As we described earlier, if you can afford to do it, the most effective approach — from the standpoint of giving the products a change while stretching your dollar as far as possible — is to buy either a two- or three-month supply of male enhancement pills to start.)

ExtenZe was one of the first male enhancement pills to gain national attention. That was thanks in large part to a television ad campaign that featured some not-so-subtle references to the size of a man’s golf club as a stand-in for penis size and rigidity.

In the past, ExtenZe was at the heart of some controversy through the FDA, which released this statement in 2018. This was due to low levels of sildenafil, the generic form of Viagra, showing up in tested samples. The cause of this was simple: the FDA had gotten hold of counterfeit ExtenZe. But counterfeit ExtenZe is common, so we recommend buying from the manufacturer only. The real thing does not contain anything other than what it clearly states on its ingredients list.

Unfortunately, the quantities of those clearly stated ingredients remain a mystery. Leading Edge Health withholds the exact ratio of ingredients in ExtenZe for what it claims are proprietary reasons. That makes it difficult to measure its efficacy and safety against other offerings on the market.

Here’s a look at that ingredient list:

  • Zinc
  • Folic acid
  • Tribulus terrestris
  • DHEA (98%)
  • Yohimbe extract
  • Pregnenolone
  • Maca
  • L-Arginine hydrochloride
  • Velvet bean extract
  • Niacin
  • Cnidium extract
  • Barrenwort extract
  • Muira Puama extract
  • Astragalus extract
  • Piper longum

Another important ingredient note is that ExtenZe contains DHEA, which is banned as a performance-enhancing drug in many competitive leagues and organizations, including the Olympics. If you compete anywhere that tests for and prohibits the use of DHEA, you’ll want to look elsewhere. No other male enhancement pills in our guide utilize hormonal ingredients, including DHEA.

ExtenZe pricing

ExtenZe is available in a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 6-month supply:

  • A 1-month supply retails for $50, but it costs $43 with discount code INNERBODY15 — 15% off.
  • A 2-month supply retails for $100, but you can use INNERBODY25 for a 25% discount at $75.
  • A 3-month supply retails for $150, but you can use INNERBODY30 to reduce your price by 30% for a final cost of $105.
  • A 6-month supply retails for $300 but costs $210 with INNERBODY30.

At the highest bulk level, retail-price ExtenZe costs $50/month. That price comes down to $35 with the INNERBODY30 discount code. Some other male enhancement pills cost less per month at their highest bulk levels, like Semenax’s $33/month 12-month supply.

Shipping is free for ExtenZe at any level.

For more about ExtenZe, visit our full review.

Semenax

Best for semen volume and best for fertility

Semenax

Photo by Innerbody Research

Pros

  • Relatively high dose of zinc may help men with low testosterone levels
  • Pine bark dose is clinically sufficient in some research
  • Numerous ingredients may combine to increase the likelihood of success
  • The subject of a successful clinical study

Cons

  • Some ingredients appear in doses too low to be effective
  • Several ingredients are severely lacking in research
  • Leading Edge Health (Semenax’s parent company) funded its clinical study
  • Safety claims are unsupported by the company’s own study

Semenax has one of the most comprehensive ingredient lists in our guide. Some of these ingredients offer benefits for erectile strength and maintenance, but the formula is designed to increase the quantity and fertility of semen. The zinc and pine bark extract should also work to raise testosterone levels, which can have a positive ripple effect throughout your sexual health. It’s a commendable dose of zinc, as well, with its 30mg the second highest dose on our list (behind only Male Extra’s 45mg).

Other doses of individual ingredients fall short of what research suggests would be needed for success. For example, Semenax provides you with 250mg of L-Arginine. A comprehensive review of the literature up to 2019 saw most studies using doses between 1,500mg and 5,000mg.

Semenax ingredients label

Photo by Innerbody Research

Semenax was the subject of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study including nearly 100 participants. Results showed a significant increase in both measured semen volume and reported orgasm intensity. There were also noteworthy improvements in semen characteristics. Leading Edge Health funded the study, but a third-party organization conducted it.

Here’s the complete list of ingredients in Semenax:

  • Swedish flower pollen: 50mg
  • L-Arginine HCL: 250mg
  • L-Lysine: 250mg
  • Epimedium leaf: 150mg
  • L-Carnitine: 500mg
  • Zinc: 30mg
  • Catuaba bark: 200mg
  • Maca: 400mg
  • Pumpkin seed: 30mg
  • Vitamin E: 60IU
  • Pine bark extract: 300mg
  • Muira puama: 100mg
  • Hawthorn berry: 50mg
  • Cranberry: 50mg
  • Avena sativa extract: 50mg
  • Sarsaparilla: 50mg
  • Butea superba: 500mg
  • Tribulus terrestris: 50mg

Semenax pricing

You can purchase Semenax in 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month supplies at a discount with a code provided for Innerbody readers.

  • 1-month supply: retails for $80 but costs $60 using INNERBODY35, reducing your cost by 35%.
  • 3-month supply: retails for $240 but costs $132 using INNERBODY45, lowering your cost by 45%.
  • 6-month supply: retails for 480 but costs $264 using INNERBODY45 — a 45% discount.
  • 12-month supply: retails for $960 but costs $384 using INNERBODY60 — you save 60%.

The cost per month at the highest shipping tier retails for $80 but comes down to $32 with the INNERBODY60 discount code. This brings Semenax almost in line with the lowest monthly cost you’ll find from Male Extra and Max Performer. Shipping from Semenax is free on all orders.

For more information, check out our comprehensive review.

VigRX Plus

Pros

  • Contains saw palmetto and Ginkgo biloba
  • The Subject of a successful clinical trial
  • Increases bioavailability with Bioperine

Cons

  • One of the more expensive options
  • Contains artificial coloring
  • Many ingredient doses are relatively low

VigRX Plus comes from a brand that offers a slew of male sexual health products, including pills designed exclusively for fertility and sprays and wipes to help men overcome premature ejaculation.

VigRX Plus is one of just three formulas in our guide to contain Bioperine, a black pepper extract that can increase your absorption of the supplement’s other ingredients. This becomes important when you consider that many of VigRX Plus’s ingredients appear in low doses compared to those used in studies. For example, we appreciate the inclusion of saw palmetto, but studies looking into its efficacy for sexual health use doses around three times what you see in VigRX Plus.

This isn’t the case with all of the present ingredients. Ginkgo biloba, while most often thought of as a cognitive aid, has been shown effective in cases of antidepressant-induced ED in doses ranging from 60mg-120mg. VigRX’s 100mg ginkgo dose is on the upper end of that range.

Here’s a closer look at the ingredients in VigRX Plus:

  • Damiana: 200mg
  • Epimedium leaf extract: 30mg
  • Asian red ginseng: 100mg
  • Muira pauma bark extract: 50mg
  • Tribulus terrestris: 150mg
  • Cuscuta extract: 50mg
  • Hawthorne berry: 100mg
  • Catuaba bark extract: 25mg
  • Saw palmetto: 100mg
  • Ginkgo biloba: 100mg
  • Bioperine: 10mg

Like Semenax, VigRX subjected this male enhancement product to a relatively rigorous clinical study. The parameters were thorough, though the participant pool was small. As a result, its conclusions are promising but not statistically significant.

VigRX Plus pricing

VigRX is available in 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month supplies. We offer a similar discount code for VigRX as we do for Semenax. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • 1-month supply: retails for $90, costs $59 using INNERBODY35, saving you 35%.
  • 3-month supply: retails for $270, costs $149 using INNERBODY45, a 45% discount.
  • 6-month supply: retails for $540, costs $297 using INNERBODY45 — you save 45%.
  • 12-month supply: retails for $1,070, costs $432 using INNERBODY60 — you save 60%.

The cost per month at the highest shipping tier is $89 but drops to $36 with the INNERBODY60 discount code. That’s still a bit more expensive than most competitors, and some of those cheaper alternatives have better ingredients or ingredients in larger doses.

We’ve got a full review of VigRX Plus, where you can learn more.

Volume Pills

Best for erectile strength

Volume Pills

Photo by Innerbody Research

Pros

  • Grounded in Eastern medicine
  • Mostly botanical ingredients
  • Moderate dose of zinc
  • One-year supply is well-priced

Cons

  • Doses are obscured behind a proprietary blend
  • Most evidence is anecdotal or from animal studies
  • Made with artificial colors
  • Leading Edge hasn’t performed a clinical study like it has for other brands

There’s already a fair amount of crossover between Eastern medicine and the ingredients in many male enhancement products. But Volume Pills take this approach further than most, loading its supplement with both well-known and lesser-known botanicals from China, Korea, and other parts of Asia. For some men, this makes it an ideal supplement, especially for those looking to minimize their intake of chemicals that may have been synthesized in a lab. But many of those Eastern botanicals lack rigorous scientific research, making the efficacy — and risk factor — of Volume Pills harder to calculate. And since the product still contains things like artificial colors, its position as an “all-natural” supplement isn’t entirely accurate.

Volume Pills ingredients label

Photo by Innerbody Research

Other than zinc, none of the ingredients in Volume Pills found their way into our earlier breakdown of common male enhancement components. Still, they’re worth exploring. Solidin, for example, has no known research into its capabilities outside of claims made by Leading Edge Health and a few other companies that use it.

Conversely, ong chong xia cao is a mushroom with numerous health benefits similar to cordyceps seen in other pills. And emblica officinalis is an Indian fruit that’s featured in ayurvedic medicine and may boost nitric oxide production. But again, most of these claims are based on anecdotal evidence, with some scientific evidence in animal models.

Other than the zinc, Volume Pills doesn’t reveal the quantities of any of its ingredients, which we don’t like. Most other male enhancement pills explicitly list their doses and don’t rely on proprietary blends of any kind.

Here’s a look at the whole list of Volume Pills’ ingredients:

  • Zinc gluconate: 24mg
  • Solidin
  • Rou Gui
  • Ku Gua
  • 4, 5, 7 Trihydroxyflavone
  • Arjuna
  • Dong Chong Xia Cao
  • Ling Zhi
  • Xian Mao
  • Tian Men Dong
  • Drilizen
  • Fucus vesiculosus
  • Hong Hua Fen
  • Emblica officinalis

Volume Pills pricing

You can purchase Volume Pills in 1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month supplies with a discount code structure akin to other Leading Edge Health products:

  • 1-month supply: retails for $80, costs $56 using INNERBODY30 — you save 30%.
  • 2-month supply: retails for $160, costs $96 using INNERBODY40 — you save 40%.
  • 3-month supply: retails for $240, costs $144 using INNERBODY40 — you save 40%.
  • 6-month supply: retails for $480, costs $216 using INNERBODY55 — a 55% discount.
  • 12-month supply: retails for $960, costs $288 using code INNERBODY70 — a 70% discount.

At the highest level, the monthly cost of Volume Pills retails for $80, but the INNERBODY70 discount code brings that cost down to $24. That makes this one of the most affordable options at the 12-month purchasing level, but it’s worth remembering that many of the ingredients here lack the research seen with other companies’ formulas, and there’s no way to know how much of each is present.

Shipping for Volume Pills is free for U.S. customers.

Check out our comprehensive review of Volume Pills for more information.

Frequently asked questions about male enhancement

Alternatives to male enhancement pills

If the ingredient lists for the products above don’t thrill you, or you’re interested in finding non-medicinal means to improve your sexual performance, there are several compelling options out there. The most reliable alternatives specifically for treating ED are prescription medications like Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil).

As a category, male enhancement pills draw in men looking for more than just ED treatment. Many men investigate male enhancement as a means to penis growth or a way to alleviate problems like premature ejaculation. There is no pill you can take to make your penis larger, but there are a few approaches to premature ejaculation in the form of sprays and wipes that can definitely delay orgasm in most men.

Here’s a look at some of your best alternative options.

Testosterone boosters

Male enhancement pills and testosterone boosters share a lot of ingredients. But testosterone boosters often contain fewer components that target erection strength and semen quality. They also tend to center on one or two testosterone-specific ingredients you won’t often find in male enhancement products such as vitamin D. One study saw significantly increased testosterone levels in men supplementing with vitamin D compared to placebo.

It’s important to note that if you don’t have low testosterone levels, testosterone boosters aren’t going to make much of a difference in your life unless they happen to contain an ingredient in which you’re deficient, and that deficiency is contributing to sexual dysfunction. There are at-home testosterone tests you can take to check those levels without much hassle.

For a thorough look at testosterone boosters, as well as testosterone replacement therapies, consult our comprehensive guide to the best testosterone boosters on the market.

Diet and exercise

Numerous studies indicate that whether you want to improve blood flow or boost testosterone in response to ED symptoms, there are few things you can do that are more powerful than regular exercise and a good diet. In many cases, erectile dysfunction actually serves as an early indicator of potential cardiovascular issues. And there seems to be a direct link between obesity and poor sexual performance.

From a confidence standpoint, losing weight is also one of the few ways you can make your penis appear larger. As pelvic fat decreases, the penis appears to protrude more than it had before. If confidence is part of a mental angle affecting your sexual performance, this might help.

That doesn’t mean you have to start training for a 10k immediately. And it doesn’t preclude you from utilizing any of the other methods we discuss here. The best thing you can do for ED is to combine diet and exercise with one or more of the products or methods included in our guide.

Penis pumps and penis extenders

To be clear at the start: penis pumps are not designed to increase your penis size. They’re actually mechanical devices designed to draw blood to the penis using vacuum pressure, resulting in an erection of sufficient hardness for penetrative sex. Some also have settings allowing you or a partner to use them for pleasure and foreplay. You can read all about the pumps we consider best in our 2024 guide.

Men who have undergone radical prostatectomy in response to prostate cancer form a common group of men in penis pump research. These men often develop erectile dysfunction, and some experience a phenomenon in which the penis retracts slightly into the body, making it appear shorter. Studies suggest that penis pumps can both restore erectile function and prevent or reverse this size loss. However, this is not an indication that penis pumps will increase penis size; it’s a result specific to this group of men.

If you’re hoping that male enhancement products will increase the size of your penis, a penis extender would be a far better option. Admittedly, they’re a lot more tedious to use than popping a couple of pills in the morning, with regimens involving several hours of daily wearing for several months in order to see growth. Still, they can actually produce results that no male enhancement pill can claim.

Penis extenders gradually create microtears in the penile tissue, not unlike the muscular tears you create by lifting weights. Over time, those tears heal and add tissue to the penis. But with penis extension (unlike time at the gym), gains can be permanent.

You won’t see the ancillary benefits of boosted semen levels or increased energy and mental focus like you might with some male enhancement pills. Still, if the other results are what you’re after, these might be a great choice.

Check out our guide to the best penis extender for more information.

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