Prime Male Reviews: Effective T-booster or not worth the money?

A troubling 2020 clinical study revealed that as many as 40% of men have low testosterone levels by age 45.1 Fertility in males is steadily decreasing worldwide for reasons yet unclear to modern researchers.2

These findings may explain the rising popularity of testosterone boosters for men to increase their energy, make gains at the gym, and improve sexual performance. Prime Male Vitality is one such testosterone-boosting supplement that aims to help, but the category as a whole deserves a fair bit of scrutiny.

Prime Male uses a formula with several ingredients that can claim credible research illustrating a positive connection to testosterone levels. A couple even appear at doses that resemble those used in studies. But the formula as a whole remains untested, and Prime Male’s price consistently holds it back from being a top recommendation, especially when equivalent and superior options exist for less. Visit our full guide to discover the T-boosters we recommend most.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles. That includes evaluating products like Prime Male to cut through all the marketing noise and give you the facts you need to make a decision.

In Prime Male’s case, specifically, our team read more than 200 scholarly articles and research papers related to men’s sexual function and how the individual ingredients in Prime Male might bolster it. We compared its offering to the product’s most ardent competition to assess its overall value in the men’s health landscape.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We’ll continue to monitor developments with Prime Male and the men’s sexual health market at large to keep this article up-to-date.

Prime Male is far from alone in its effort to raise men’s testosterone levels. Its product contains many ingredients we commonly see in testosterone boosters and other male enhancement pills. To evaluate it, we assessed its ingredient profile. We studied the research that has been done on its individual ingredients in order to gauge their potential to improve testosterone levels and male sexual function. That ability, our effectiveness rating, had the most influence on our overall product rating.

We also used those studies to assess the safety of each ingredient and discover any potentially severe side effects or contraindications we’d want to bring to your attention. After safety, we considered things like cost and convenience to help you come to a decision about Prime Male’s ultimate place in your plans.

Let’s take a look at each criterion in more detail:

Effectiveness

Most of the ingredients in Prime Male have at least a couple of credible research papers looking into their efficacy in men’s sexual health. Several ingredients even boast studies looking specifically at their ability to boost testosterone. Ashwagandha, for example, has been shown to boost testosterone levels,3 but it’s also been studied for its apparent ability to help manage stress.4 Prime Male’s 300mg dose is on the low side of what we commonly see in the research, but its combination with the product’s other ingredients might make up for that sub-par dosing.

There’s also a fair amount of credible research linking testosterone levels with vitamin D, especially in cases of vitamin D deficiency.5 And Prime Male’s 4,000IU dose is large enough to influence testosterone levels in men deficient in vitamin D.

All that said, other ingredients lack such credible research, and there is no study looking at how the specific ingredient in Prime Male would act together. For all we know, some of these ingredients might even cancel out their potentially beneficial effects when combined. There needs to be more research before our efficacy rating can climb any higher.

Safety

As with any nutritional supplement, there are safety concerns around some of the ingredients in Prime Male. There is no research into how this particular combination of ingredients would combine. That opens the door to some potentially serious complications, but there’s no way to know that for sure without more research.

What we can assess with greater confidence are the adverse reactions that appeared in studies looking into individual ingredients. This information becomes all the more pertinent in cases where the doses used in studies are close to the doses Prime Male uses.

For example — and despite our appreciation of its potential benefits — ashwagandha may not be safe for people with thyroid issues. There is some evidence that it can increase thyroid hormone production, potentially complicating treatment for those on medication to balance their thyroid hormone levels. And for people already at risk of thyrotoxicosis, ashwagandha may have enough of an influence to put them in danger.6

Cost

Evaluating costs for us goes a bit beyond just the price tag. In addition to what a company charges for its product, we consider things like available bulk or subscription discount; return policies and money-back guarantees; and how that price fits into the range of comparable products on the market.

The cost range for most testosterone boosters runs from around $50 for a one-month supply up to about $70 at the high end or average. Prime Male busts through that ceiling with a $75 charge for one month of its pills. That’s among the most expensive testosterone boosters we’ve encountered after Nugenix and Hunter Test (the latter of which is also produced by Prime Male’s parent company, Roar Ambition).

Here’s a look at how Prime Male’s price stacks up against its closest competition:

So, in addition to having one of the highest prices of the testosterone boosters we’ve encountered, Prime Male is also one of the few not to offer any kind of money-back guarantee. There’s a 30-day return policy if you don’t open the product, but that’s it.

Convenience

Our convenience rating for a supplement takes various things into account, including:

• Website setup
• Shipping logistics
• Customer support infrastructure
• Dosage
• Pill size

Prime Male is a little below average in just about every respect here. Its pill size is run-of-the-mill, but you need to take four capsules each day — on the high end of average. And the recommended schedule is a pain: one pill with breakfast, one with dinner, and two with two different snacks throughout the day. That’s a lot to track, especially compared to supplements like Performer 8 with its three-capsule regimen or VigRX Plus, which requires just two pills daily.

The company has an email address, a physical address, and a message submission platform, but no live chat support or phone number to call. Most other companies in this market at least offer a phone number.

Delivery in the continental U.S. is fast enough, averaging 2-4 days. And the website is nearly identical to most others that sell testosterone boosters. Ultimately, there’s an above-average number of inconvenient aspects for the typical customer dealing with Prime Male.

Prime Male is a supplement focused on improving men’s health and sexual well-being by elevating testosterone levels. The company offers two products, but in this review, we specifically focused on the product that aims to improve testosterone levels: Prime Male Vitality.

Vitality is a capsule supplement, and its formula to regain healthy levels of testosterone relies on 12 ingredients:

• D-Aspartic Acid: 1,600mg
• Black Pepper: 10mg
• Boron: 5mg
• Korean Red Ginseng: 120mg
• Luteolin: 60mg
• Magnesium: 100mg
• Ashwagandha (KSM-66): 300mg
• Nettle Root Extract: 160mg
• Vitamins B6: 7.5mg
• Vitamin D3: 4,000IU
• Vitamin K2: 45mcg
• Zinc: 30mg

Prime Male Vitality aims to help men with low testosterone levels heighten their mood and libido, build muscle, and improve general health. In our opinion, the product has some potential to address low testosterone for a few subsets of men, which we’ll get into below.

Who should consider Prime Male Vitality?

Any male over 30 years old who suffers from symptoms of low testosterone could consider giving Prime Male Vitality a try. But it’s much more likely to work if you definitely have low testosterone levels and if those levels are tied to something like a zinc or vitamin D deficiency.

Some signs of low testosterone include:

• Depressed mood
• Fatigue
• Loss of mental sharpness
• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Failure to make gains in the gym

Of course, that sounds like a lot of men over 30 — certainly more than the 5-6% that have clinically low testosterone in their early 30s.7 And that’s because many of those symptoms are also symptoms of other underlying issues. The best way to find out if you have low testosterone is to test your testosterone levels. Convenient at-home tests are widely available, and we have a guide to the best among them if you’re interested.

Who won't find Prime Male Vitality useful?

Suffering from any of the above symptoms isn’t a guarantee that low testosterone is to blame. If you’re failing to see the results you want in the gym or bedroom, but the underlying cause is anything other than low testosterone, you should probably give Prime Male Vitality a pass and save your money for something else.

It’s also very possible (if not likely) that you won’t see big results from Prime Male if you’re already taking a comprehensive men’s multivitamin. Much of Prime Male’s efficacy comes from its doses of zinc, boron, and vitamin D. A less expensive multivitamin that delivers similar doses of these and other essential nutrients might offer just as much help to many men.

Also, men interested in testosterone supplements because they think it will make them more manly (stronger, sexier, etc.) despite not having any symptoms of low T are going to be disappointed.

Prime Male doesn’t replace or contain any testosterone. Instead, it delivers ingredients that promote testosterone production in the body. Often, this occurs when an ingredient increases the output of luteinizing hormone (LH), which signals the testes to produce more testosterone.

Each bottle contains 30 servings of four daily capsules. The idea is that you’ll take one capsule with each meal and one with a snack.

You should know that not every ingredient has been shown to boost testosterone in research studies. A closer look at each ingredient below will help you understand how it works and decide if Prime Male is right for you.

Each ingredient in Prime Male has potential drawbacks, with mild side effects cropping up in the research. The most common are digestive issues and headache, but there are other potential complications and contraindications, as well.

As described earlier, ashwagandha can pose complications for people with thyroid disorders or those on medications that influence thyroid hormone production. And while the advisable upper limit for zinc is 40mg/day, Prime Male’s 30mg of zinc is delivered as zinc citrate, which only contains 31% elemental zinc, or just over 9mg.24 So it’s likely safe to add to most diets. But if you’re also taking a multivitamin that contains zinc or you eat a lot of zinc-heavy foods, you might get closer to that limit than you’d like.

Prime Male’s 4,000IU daily vitamin D dose is also considered the upper limit for safety by the National Institutes of Health.25 If you’re already taking a vitamin D supplement or a multivitamin that contains vitamin D, you might want to stop taking that if you’re going to take Prime Male. The best thing you can do before starting Prime Male or any other supplement is to talk to your doctor.

Prime Male is available in one-, two-, and four-month supplies for the following prices:

• One-month supply: $75.
• Two-month supply: $150.
• Four-month supply: $225.

Orders of $130 and up used to qualify for a free bottle of the company’s Hunter Burn thermogenic fat burner. But Prime Male has since replaced that deal with a set of e-books and video guides related to eating well and getting in shape that would otherwise cost $149 from the Boss Workouts website. Both Boss Workouts and Prime Male are brands sold by the parent company, Roar Ambition.

Prime Male positions itself as a testosterone booster. And men who want or need to raise their testosterone levels would certainly hope that its specific combination of ingredients could get the job done. Based on our research, it’s possible that some men with low T could benefit from using Prime Male, but there are other options out there that might be better choices — either because they’re less expensive, more effective, or both.

Here’s a quick look at some alternatives if you’re serious about boosting testosterone: