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Testosterone deficiency is a serious condition. It can cause weight gain, depression, loss of bone density, and reduced libido, among other worrying symptoms. But even if your testosterone levels are within a normal range, you’ll still lose about 1% of this vital hormone every year once you hit 40. That may not qualify as a clinical deficiency, but you can nonetheless experience some of those same symptoms.
Testosterone boosters seek to remedy the situation by supplying your body with critical nutrients that can cause you to produce more testosterone. Studies show that many of these ingredients take effect quickly so that you can see significant improvements in your mood, body composition, and sex drive within a matter of weeks.
The only downside is that there are dozens of companies out there peddling miracle supplements, and they can drown out the safest, most effective options on the market. Our research team has studied and tested the top supplements in the field to determine which testosterone booster is likely to be the best for you.
TestoPrime is our top choice for testosterone enhancement. Superior ingredients, a proven track record, and lifetime guarantee set them apart from the rest.
TestoPrime uses 12 all natural, clinically studied ingredients in their formula. It’s designed to increase muscle strength, build endurance, reduce stress, and leave you feeling overall energized.
At Innerbody Research, we extensively test each health service we review, including testosterone boosters. All told, our team has collectively spent hundreds of hours testing and researching these companies to provide an accurate, unbiased analysis of how they stack up, free of marketing jargon and gimmicks.
Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions to live healthier lifestyles. We evaluate the service based on adherence to quality, the latest medical evidence and health standards, and a simple question: would we buy the product or service ourselves if it weren’t part of our job, and would we recommend it to family and friends?
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.
Winner: TestoPrime
There are a lot of shared ingredients among testosterone boosters on the market, but the quantity and combination of these ingredients vary. TestoPrime presents a combination of some of the most effective ingredients for boosting total and free testosterone, and their portions consistently beat out the competition. You could consider Nugenix Ultimate and Testogen strong runners-up in this category, especially if you want to get as much of a highly effective ingredient — D-Aspartic acid — in your formula as possible. However, they fall a little short in quantities as you move down their ingredients lists.
Winner: Roman Testosterone Support
If safety is your primary concern, you may want to seek a testosterone booster with fewer ingredients but ones that are known for their efficacy nonetheless. And if those ingredients can be naturally derived, all the better. Roman’s Testosterone Support contains just six ingredients, with ashwagandha as its centerpiece. The known side effects for its components are rare and mild, and the company produces the pills in the US. Testogen drops are an intelligent choice as a runner up here, but their ingredients might not boast the same efficacy.
Winner: TestoPrime 3-month supply
Many of these companies offer savings if you buy in bulk, but few of them get their price as low as TestoPrime does without a significant sacrifice in ingredients and effectiveness. With the TestoPrime 3-month supply, the company gives you an additional three months for free. That works out to six months of treatment at $30/month.
Winner: Roman
Roman is more than just a testosterone company. They’ve grown into a telehealth juggernaut over the past years, offering everything from hair loss and ED treatments to mental health services. That expansion coincided with growth and refinement in customer service, with a sleek, intuitive website and a friendly, responsive phone staff.
If you’re in a hurry and want to learn how our top pick compares to close contenders like Testogen and Roman, check out this video that also shows you what you’ll receive in the mail when you order.
Men produce less testosterone as they age, and men over 40 lose testosterone at a greater rate than men under 40 — a phenomenon sometimes called male menopause. Men can experience these symptoms as early as 30, but it’s mostly men over 40 who will notice the changes. Whatever your age, you may have lower testosterone levels than normal.
We spoke to Reda Elmardi, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, registered dietician, and owner of The Gym Goat, about issues low testosterone could present. Low sex drive was at the top of the list. “Low sex drive can be caused by many things, but the most common cause is low testosterone levels,” he told us. “If your body has low testosterone levels, then you may not feel like having sex at all. This could lead to erectile dysfunction.”
There are other warning signs to look for, such as the following symptoms:
If you notice any of these symptoms, you may have low testosterone levels. But you shouldn’t jump right into a supplement regimen just because those symptoms are present. There could be several causes for those experiences. Ideally, you should talk to your physician before beginning any supplement regimen and see if they can test for your testosterone levels. At-home testing is also a viable option.
If you know for a fact that you have low T, you can confidently seek out a supplement or replacement therapy to remedy the situation. At-home tests make it tremendously easy to measure your testosterone levels. You can see our favorite at-home testosterone tests in our comprehensive guide, many of which you can get with a discount as an Innerbody reader.
Some of these tests check for multiple markers that can give you a clear picture of your hormonal health. The LetsGetChecked Male Hormone Test may be the best as it includes an analysis of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels.
In our opinion, the best testosterone booster currently on the market is TestoPrime. This supplement offers generous quantities of some of the best-researched ingredients to address low testosterone levels. It edged out Testogen due to its favorable pricing, increased zinc quantity, and the presence of ashwagandha.
Take a look at this chart to see how the top brands compare. We chose these six ingredients based on the quality and quantity of available research supporting their efficacy in raising testosterone levels.
Testosterone boosters work on different parts of your endocrine system, depending on their ingredients. In most cases, you’ll either stimulate the production of testosterone directly or stimulate the production of something like luteinizing hormone from the pituitary, which will signal the testes to make testosterone one step down the line.
There are also testosterone-boosting ingredients that don’t increase the amount of testosterone in the body but decrease the volume of sex hormone binding globulin (SBHG). SBHG binds to testosterone, reducing the amount of free testosterone that your muscles and other critical systems can use. By suppressing SBHG, you effectively increase the free testosterone you have from your regular testosterone supply.
Understanding how a given product can help raise your testosterone levels starts with understanding its ingredients. In addition to the five components included in our chart, there are others that are likely helpful. Many have a fair amount of credible research behind them and could combine to make a robust product. Keep in mind that individual response varies; when you purchase a product that contains multiple potentially useful ingredients, it won’t be possible to know which ones are helping you.
Here’s a breakdown of our top ingredients to look for in a testosterone supplement:
Studies show that D-Aspartic acid increases the luteinizing hormone (LH) in men and women. In men, this hormone signals the testes to produce testosterone. More LH will invariably lead to more testosterone.
Ashwagandha has been the subject of several extensive studies, including a crossover study that showed a 15% increase in testosterone levels after several weeks of administration. Other studies show ashwagandha to have significant mood-enhancing and anti-anxiety effects.
Zinc offers many benefits to your health, but studies support the notion that it suppresses sex hormone binding globulin. That allows more of the testosterone you produce to be free, which you want to reduce fatigue and gain lean muscle mass.
Boron functions as another tool to enhance your free testosterone. It acts similarly to zinc in this regard but through a slightly different mechanism, so combining the ingredients may have a significant effect.
There seems to be a direct link between vitamin D levels and testosterone levels. Men diagnosed with low T often have a vitamin D deficiency and vice versa. Studies repeatedly show that increasing vitamin D intake can increase testosterone.
Fenugreek is one of the oldest herbs associated with sexual health. Studies connect it with libido, metabolism, and energy levels in participants.
In a systematic review of herbal testosterone supplementation, ginseng offers some promising results. It can also serve as a potent antioxidant.
Maca may offer numerous benefits to users, including blood pressure regulation, learning and memory enhancement, and mood improvement. These are all aspects of your health that suffer when your testosterone levels are low.
This is an exciting ingredient because there’s nothing to associate directly with testosterone. But black pepper is prevalent in many supplements for its ability to increase your nutrient absorption, so your body can get more benefit from whatever you consume.
Most testosterone supplements should be completely safe for the majority of users. However, because some ingredients can affect blood flow and influence the activity of the testes and other parts of the endocrine system, we highly recommend speaking to your doctor before starting any testosterone regimen.
Elmardi doesn’t seem too worried. “The safety of testosterone boosters has been questioned due to the fact that some of them have been linked to side effects like liver damage and heart problems. However, these risks are rare and only occur if you take too much of the supplement. If you use a safe dosage, you should not experience any negative side effects.”
Testosterone replacement therapies introduce significantly more risk than supplements, especially gels that can leave a residue and transfer to women and children. There are reported instances of early-onset puberty and unexpected hair growth in children unknowingly exposed to testosterone-boosting gels. But if you use caution and employ thorough cleaning practices, you and your loved ones should be safe.
Best overall
TestoPrime is our top recommendation for testosterone booster supplements, thanks to its high D-Aspartic acid, zinc, and ashwagandha concentrations. Its total ingredient profile is outstanding for its price point.
Photo by Innerbody Research
TestoPrime is incredibly confident in their product. So much so that they offer a lifetime guarantee. This won’t be necessary for most men, as you’ll know within a month or two whether the supplement is working. TestoPrime will return your entire investment less shipping and handling if it doesn’t work for you.
If you compare them side-by-side, you’ll see that TestoPrime and Testogen have a lot of similarities. They both offer high doses of well-researched testosterone boosting ingredients. They even cost the same if you buy just one bottle from either company.
But there are some crucial differences in the ingredient lists that favor TestoPrime. You could theoretically make up for that difference — and even get a better overall effect — by taking both Testogen’s capsules and drops, but that combination gets expensive.
Here’s a handy chart that breaks it down:
TestoPrime | Testogen Capsules | Testogen Drops | |
---|---|---|---|
D-Aspartic acid | |||
Ashwagandha | |||
Ginseng | |||
Fenugreek | |||
Green tea extract | |||
Pomegranate extract | |||
Vitamin D3 | |||
Vitamin B6 | |||
Vitamin B5 | |||
Vitamin K1 | |||
Zinc | |||
Magnesium | |||
L-arginine | |||
Boron | |||
Epimedium | |||
Garlic extract | |||
Nettle leaf extract | |||
Pfaffia paniculata | |||
Moringa oleifera | |||
Black pepper extract |
Best for boosting free testosterone and fastest possible results
Nugenix offers more than a dozen products targeting men’s health. They may struggle to compete due to their prices, but they have some of the most potent ingredient profiles on the market. We’ve identified their top total testosterone and free testosterone boosters as the best options for you.
If you can afford it, you can stack these products together, as their ingredients complement one another and would provide you with the most complete approach to testosterone boosting on the market.
Nugenix has a reliable 90-day return policy, but the process is a little more complicated than other companies. It changes depending on what kind of order you have placed with the company.
The biggest difference between Nugenix and TestoPrime is the quantity of products available from Nugenix, whose men’s health offerings include prostate supplements, thermogenic fat burners, and cellular health support.
Nugenix has some of the best testosterone boosters on the market, with long lists of effective ingredients in high doses. But their prices consistently hold them back from being considered the best overall option.
Best for ED and easiest to take (drops)
With their testosterone drops, Testogen offers one of the more interesting products on the market. These drops work best when you combine them with the company’s capsules, as the drops on their own are not particularly strong. If your test results show that your testosterone levels are normal, but on the low side of normal, something as light as these drops might be an excellent place to start because they’re easy to take, and they shouldn’t create any overcorrection.
Photo by Innerbody Research
That doesn’t mean you should neglect Testogen’s capsules, however. They are among the most effective that you’ll find.
Note: Testogen is not forthcoming about all ingredient amounts in their drops.
Testogen offers a 100-day return policy if you aren’t completely satisfied, but they’ll charge you a $15 “fixed claim fee,” which the company says covers their administrative costs. They’ll also only accept claims on your first order.
Compared to Testogen, Nugenix has a lot more products available. Many of those are testosterone boosters, but Nugenix also sells supplements for prostate health, fat loss, and cellular maintenance. Nugenix Ultimate is the closest product to Testogen capsules, with nearly identical ingredient lists. The most striking difference between these two is price. Where Testogen capsules cost $59.99 for a single bottle and as little as $36/bottle in bulk orders, Nugenix Ultimate costs $89.99/bottle.
Test Boost Max relies on some familiar ingredients to get the job done, but it also has a handful that you won’t see in too many other products. Central to their formula is Tribulus Terrestris (TT), which is the subject of much controversial research. A recent review didn’t completely debunk its potential for use as an aphrodisiac or sexual performance enhancer, but it did call into question TT’s commonly accepted mechanism of action. That doesn’t mean it’s ineffective, but we have a long way to go before we fully understand its potential.
Take advantage of our discount and take 25% off sitewide using code: SCULPTTB25
While their ingredient list might not be as impressive as others, they have an excellent return policy, offering to give you your money back as part of a lifetime guarantee. Note that the return does not include shipping.
With the exception of a 600mg dose of ashwagandha extract, there aren’t a lot of doses that hold a candle to what you’ll find in most testosterone boosters from Nugenix. At this time, the only reasons you might prefer Test Boost Max are that it includes Tribulus Terrestris — which you’ll rarely see in a Nugenix supplement — and that it costs a lot less. That price gap grows if you buy multiple bottles of Test Boost Max. That can end up costing you just one-third of the prices you’ll see from Nugenix.
Best budget pick
Roman continues to grow into one of the most comprehensive men’s health providers online. Their range of high-quality products and services is right up there with their competitors like Hims. But unlike some of those competitors, Roman has a dedicated testosterone booster that contains a targeted set of six effective ingredients. And if your testosterone supplementation gives you some benefit, but not all you were looking for, the company has additional products for hair loss, sexual health, mental health, and more.
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Your first order will come with a plastic jar capable of holding a month’s worth of testosterone support. Subsequent shipments will arrive in pouches that you tear open and use as refills for your jar. This is a nice way for the company to save a little money on packaging and protect the environment.
Roman’s return policy is a bit unclear. It states that they cannot provide refunds for any prescription products, but their testosterone support — and many other products on offer — do not require a prescription. Still, when pressed about the issue, Roman states that they do not accept returns on their testosterone support.
If essential supplementation falls short of your needs, or if you’ve received a clinical hypogonadism diagnosis, you may require more than dietary support. That’s where testosterone replacement therapies come in. These processes intend to add testosterone directly to the body, often with targeted supplementation or medication.
Most testosterone replacements come in creams or injectables. The creams are undeniably more convenient, but they carry more risk, especially if you live in a house with women or children. They can be particularly susceptible to contact with such creams. There have been examples of early-onset puberty, unwanted hair growth in girls, and interference with pregnancy and hormonal cycles.
Testosterone replacement therapies are consistently more expensive than supplements, but the fact that they have diagnostic testing built into their systems might make them a more convenient choice if you suspect your low T is a serious issue.
Here’s a quick look at common TRT medications:
Testosterone cypionate and testosterone enanthate are androgens and anabolic steroids bioidentical to testosterone in the body. Clinical doses should only mimic the levels of testosterone you’d see in a normal, healthy young man. You can take them as subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, as creams, or as sublingual troches. Side effects can be severe and include an increased risk of heart attack, prostate enlargement, and liver malfunction, among others.
Doctors treating patients with low testosterone often prescribe a therapy to increase testosterone levels. But if a man’s aromatase enzymes are actively converting testosterone into estradiol, that could unintentionally increase a patient’s estrogen. Anastrozole acts as an aromatase inhibitor, preventing the enzyme from converting this extra testosterone.
Sometimes seen as the brand Clomid, clomiphene citrate is an estrogen modulator that increases the production of luteinizing hormone (LH). That hormone signals the testes to produce more testosterone and sperm, making this ingredient critical for men with ED or infertility issues.
In pregnant women, the placenta produces human chorionic gonadotropin as a signal to produce more progesterone. In men with low T, hCG performs like LH, providing additional signals to the testes that it’s time to make more testosterone.
Your consulting physician will prescribe these alone or in combination according to the symptoms you present and your goals for therapy.
Insider Tip: Testosterone cypionate uses a better carrier oil than testosterone enanthate, resulting in more comfortable injections and less irritation at the administration site. It also has a longer half-life than enanthate, so opt for companies offering cypionate whenever you can.
Here’s a quick chart comparing two of the top TRT companies:
Vault | Hone Health | |
---|---|---|
Initial test cost | $150 | $145 |
Test self-administered? | ||
Membership cost | None | $120/month |
Medication costs | $165-299/month | $20-48/month |
Injectable | Testosterone cypionate | Testosterone enanthate |
Human chorionic gonadotropin |
Best testosterone replacement therapy
Hone Health operates similarly to many at-home testing companies. You can order and take a test for a flat fee, then sign up for a monthly membership to access prescriptions, drug discounts, and free retesting every three months. Unlike Vault’s system, you’re on your own for the blood draw, though that does seem to reduce the cost of the initial test.
Your initial test will look for the following biomarkers:
Your consulting physician may order a supplemental test before they design your regimen. That test looks for:
Follow-up tests are free from Hone, so your doctor can ensure the treatments are working and the doses are safe. They look at the following biomarkers.
Hone Health offers the following treatments in their TRT regimens:
Starting prices for medications (flexible by dose):
Vault provides a handful of men’s health services in addition to comprehensive COVID-19 testing. These include:
Their TRT program begins with an initial assessment and blood draw. Vault will send someone to your home to perform this draw, or you can go to a local facility and have them report their results to Vault. After those results come in, you’ll go over them with a Vault physician and build a treatment plan.
Vault offers the following treatments as part of their testosterone replacement therapy:
One of the most compelling offers on this list is the hCG. This is a hormone we hear about most often around pregnancy, as the placenta produces it. Its presence or elevation in a woman is usually a sign of pregnancy.
In men, hCG behaves like a luteinizing hormone, signaling the testes to produce sperm and testosterone. Low T patients mainly concerned with fertility would do well to bring this option up in a Vault consultation.
Vault doesn’t utilize a membership system, so the only monthly costs you incur come from medications. However, their drugs are usually more expensive than their most direct competitors’.
There’s a whole subcategory of nutritional supplements that may help men with low testosterone or those with its symptoms. These are commonly known as male enhancement pills. They come from a handful of companies and consist of many ingredients similar to those you might find in a testosterone-targeted supplement.
Most of the ingredients from testosterone boosters that also make their way into male enhancement pills are the ones whose research points toward increased libido and sexual performance. They tend to have fewer studies looking specifically at their relationship to testosterone levels.
Still, for men with performance issues who suspect they might not have low testosterone, these can offer an excellent, targeted approach.
BEST PRICE: $32.50/bottle
Performer 8’s ingredients are about as close to many of targeted testosterone boosters as you’ll see among male enhancement pills. A 3,000mg dose of Muira pauma gives it the ability to address erectile dysfunction while many of its other ingredients work to raise testosterone.
The best thing about Performer 8 is its money-back guarantee. It’s a lifetime promise that if you’re unsatisfied at any point in the process, you can set up a return and receive a full refund.
Here’s a quick look at Performer 8’s ingredients:
In our estimation, Performer 8 is currently the best male enhancement pill on the market.
BEST PRICE: $45/month
While many male enhancement supplements rely on studies that focus on individual ingredients, VigRX can boast studies specific to its formulation. Several prominent journals have published works that look specifically at VigRX and its potential to treat erectile dysfunction and improve sexual health. Some of these results are tied up with testosterone activity, as evidenced by the ingredients here that you’ll also find in dedicated testosterone boosters:
You can learn all about the impressive studies and ingredients in VigRX in our thorough coverage.
BEST PRICE: $33.33/bottle
Semenax has the most extensive ingredients list of anything else in this guide, with 18 minerals, botanicals, and amino acids that studies show can stimulate testosterone and increase semen production. Here’s a complete list:
You can learn more about Semenax in our complete review.
BEST PRICE: $30/month
Compared to Semenax, Male Extra has a much slimmer ingredients list. They do charge a lot of components, especially those with the most robust studies dedicated to them. Male Extra has an ingredient that many others do not in Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, a form of sulfur. Anecdotal evidence suggests a link between sulfur and penis enlargement, but extensive study is still missing from the picture.
More useful perhaps is the included pomegranate juice. A pair of studies suggest the juice can lead to stronger erections and improved nitric oxide performance.
Male Extra’s whole ingredients list:
You can read more about Male Extra’s potential here.
BEST PRICE: $41.66/month
ExtenZe is one of the better-known brands for male enhancement on the market. Their ingredients list is extensive, and they have a fair amount of shared ingredients with some of the top testosterone boosters (like maca and DHEA). Just make sure you buy directly from the company on this one, as the FDA found some imitation ExtenZe on the market back in 2018 that contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra.
As far as their exact ingredient breakdown goes, ExtenZe is very protective of their formula – so much so that there are more ingredients listed on a box than the company’s website, and even more according to company reps. They don’t provide quantities per ingredient either, apparently for the sake of security. We prefer more transparency when it comes to the quantities of ingredients, and we think you should too.
Here’s a look at ExtenZe’s ingredients:
We go deeper into the ingredients and possibilities of ExtenZe in our review
BEST PRICE: $29.08/month
Fans of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine will appreciate the combination of ingredients they’ll find in Volume Pills. The company certainly isn’t the first to look for effective treatments in Eastern medicine, but they go the furthest to include an impressive variety.
Here’s a complete list of Volume Pills ingredients:
Volume Pills provides the ingredient quantity of their entire proprietary blend per dose, but not for the individual ingredients. We go deeper into Volume Pills’ possibilities in our full review.
BEST PRICE: $33.33/month
The ingredients in Max Performer are about as close to the ingredients in the average testosterone booster that you can get. The only things missing are ashwagandha root, D-Aspartic acid, boron, and fenugreek. It offers a competitive amount of horny goat weed, maca, and zinc and should produce positive results, even if not to the same degree as testosterone boosters when it comes to that specific goal. Our testers were fairly impressed with Max Performer.
Here’s a closer look at what’s inside:
If you’re curious about Max Performer, you can read more in our review.