Brain Force Plus vs. Alpha Brain is an intriguing head-to-head showdown between two performance-oriented nootropic stacks from two very different manufacturers.
Brain Force Plus is a product of Alex Jones Infowars, a website where you can read about conspiracy-driven news and shop for survival gear (including nutritional supplements) on the side.
Alpha Brain is made by Onnit, which sells performance-oriented nutritional supplements along with exercise gear and related products.
Both of these organizations have large, loyal followings. Both are driven not by nutritional supplement brands, but rather by specialized niche lifestyle brands.
Only one can come out on top. Let’s find out which is better in this vs. review:
Table of Contents
Tale of the Tape
Brain Force Plus |
vs. |
Alpha BRAIN |
||
Ingredients | Dosage | Ingredients | Dosage | |
Vitamin B6 (s Pyridoxine Hcl) | 5 mg | 250% | B-6 (Pyridoxine HCL) | 10 mg |
Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) | 20 mcg | 333% | Onnit® Flow Blend | 650 mg |
Bacopa Herb Extract | 200 mg | L-Tyrosine, L-Theanine, Oatstraw Extract (Avena sativa), Phosphatidylserine | ||
Alpha GPC (Glycerylphosphoryl Choline) | 156 mg | AC-11® (Uncaria tomesntosa Extract) | 350 mg | |
Yerba Mate Leaf Powder | 150 mg | Onnit® Focus Blend | 240 mg | |
Theobromine | 100 mg | Alpha-GPC, Bacopa manniera Extract, Huperzia serrata Extract | ||
PhosphatidylSerine | 81 mg | Onnit® Fuel Blend | 65 mg | |
L-Theanine | 50 mg | L-Leucine, Vinpocetine, Pterostilbene | ||
Black Pepper Fruit Extract | 5 mg | |||
Huperzine A (from Toothed Clubmoss Aerial Parts Extract) | 300 mcg |
Round 1: Formulas
Brain Force Plus is a 2017 upgrade of the original Brain Force formula, which appears among the survivalist-oriented products Alex Jones fans can buy at the Infowars Life online store.
Given the conspiratorial nature of Infowars, you would think that Brain Force Plus was designed to boost brainpower that is related to surviving and apocalypse. Well, that’s what we assume, anyway – their marketing is far more general, suggesting vague brainpower benefits.
In contrast to the far-out theories espoused by Infowars, Brain Force Plus is a conservative nootropic stack. Its B vitamins, Alpha GPC, and phosphatidylserine are all solid foundation nootropics that help to support overall brain health, especially as we grow older.
Bacopa monnieri, yerba mate, and theobromine combine for more tangible brain-boosting effects. These nootropics bring benefits for alertness, mental stimulation, stress resistance, and dynamic aspects of memory recall, which may be useful to students.
L-Theanine adds a soothing and relaxing effect, while Huperzine-A delivers key support for brain chemicals tied to focus and attention.
The black pepper extract is a formula upgrade for Brain Force Plus that helps with nutrient absorption.
Alpha Brain is a popular nootropic supplement with a formula design that revolves around its three proprietary blends: Flow blend, Focus blend, and Fuel blend.
- The flow supplies 2X Alpha Brain waves support from l-theanine and oatstraw extract, along with L-Tyrosine to help counter the effects of stress and phosphatidylserine. While phosphatidylserine is considered more of a structural nutrient for brain cell membrane health, in this particular blend it is probably intended more for its mood supportive properties.
- Focus blend’s Alpha GPC, but Coppola and Huperzine-A supply foundation plus faster-acting supports for mental clarity.
- Meanwhile, Fuel blend supplies nootropics that help to increase blood flow to the brain, which in turn delivers glucose and oxygen that the brain burns for energy.
Alpha Brain’s secret weapon is AC-11®, a branded form of cat’s claw that they have an exclusive agreement to use. You won’t find it in any other brain supplement. Anecdotally, AC-11® does everything for the brain; in terms of research, it might help with age-related cognitive function.
When it comes to formula design, superior nootropics are made to work. We appreciate the ingredients chosen by Brain Force Plus, because they are pretty balanced and evidence-backed. But Alpha Brain has a sharper, more clearly defined formula design, neatly split into its blends. At the end of the day, it’s unlikely the Brain Force Plus will help you survive the apocalypse, but Alpha Brain’s formula design is far more likely to improve your flow, focus, and fuel.
Round 1… Alpha Brain Wins.
Round 2: Dosages
Brain Force Plus does the right thing and showing us the dosage of every ingredient – but in doing so, it shoots itself in the foot because some of its dosages are decidedly weak.
In particular, 81 mg of phosphatidylserine, 150 mg of yerba maté powder, and 50 mg of l-theanine are unlikely to hit minimum effective dosing to bring any sort of nootropic benefits.
Conversely, Brain Force Plus’s Bacopa monnieri is a strong 200 mg – but perhaps not as strong as it looks. More on that later.
Brain Force Plus’s ingredients are some of the best nootropics out there, but its dosages are all over the map.
Alpha Brain, on the other hand, does the wrong thing – they hide most of their dosages in proprietary blends, so we cannot tell how much of each nootropic ingredient is being supplied in each serving.
With Brain Force Plus’s transparent the label and Alpha Brain’s hidden proprietary blends, it is difficult to make a comparison regarding dosages.
We can see that Alpha Brain supplies twice as much vitamin B6, delivering 10 mg versus the 5 mg found in Brain Force Plus.
Beyond that, it is guesswork – although, given that Alpha Brain’s Flow Blend is a beefy 650 mg (Alpha Brain Instant supplies even MORE), we are guessing that the blends l-theanine and phosphatidylserine are equal to or greater than the paltry dosages of those nootropics found in Brain Force Plus.
Give this analysis an asterisk, but based on the size and order of its blends, when it comes to dosages…
Round 2… Alpha Brain Wins.
Round 3: Ingredient Quality
Both of these brain supplements have strong ingredient choices, including some of our favorite nootropics.
But for Brain Force Plus vs. Alpha Brain, the “ingredient quality” round is one of those rounds where the fighters throw a lot of soft jabs and tie each other up so no real punches can be thrown.
The sad reality is neither of these supplements uses premium, advanced, or superior quality ingredients. Neither is providing standardized herbs or concentrated herbal extracts. Just plain, basic powders. (check out our #1 nootropic stacks to see an example of top-shelf brain-booster ingredients)
- Circling back to the high dosage of Bacopa monnieri found in Brain Force Plus – this is a great ingredient, but they use a very basic form. A highly concentrated or standardized form of Bacopa monnieri with a lower dosage would almost surely be more powerful and reliable than the plain powder found in Brain Force Plus. Sometimes ingredient quality is more important than dosage.
If we are going to give any points in this round, will give a nod to Brain Force Plus for using the superior methylcobalamin form of vitamin B12.
And, we will give a couple of points to Alpha Brain for their use of AC-11®. This is a branded ingredients, and Alpha Brain is the only nootropic supplement that is allowed to use it. It is a quality ingredient, too, though not backed by a ton of research.
Regardless, given its exclusivity and its brain boosting potential, AC-11® pushes Alpha Brain over the top in this round.
Round 3… Alpha Brain Wins.
Round 4: Price
Brain Force Plus | vs. | Alpha Brain | ||
1 Bottle (36 capsules) | $29.95 | 1 Bottle (30 capsules) | $34.95 | |
Price Per Capsule | $0.83 | Price Per Capsule | $1.17 | |
Price Per Serving | $1.66 | Price Per Serving | $2.33 |
Round 4… Brain Force Plus Wins.
Round 5: Brain Force Plus vs. Alpha Brain JUDGEMENT
Both of these smart pill stacks have well-defined audiences, but both of those audiences are quite different. Brain Force Plus is speaking directly to the conspiracy theorists of the world, who may be preparing for an apocalypse that never comes. As a formula, Brain Force Plus is decent, but scattered – it is not particularly well tailored to the specific needs of its audience. Rather, it is a general cognitive enhancer, with the facts that will be mild at best.
Alpha Brain is far more practical and realistic – it speaks directly to competitive types, whether they are professionals, gamers, athletes, or thrill seekers. The formula matches the needs of this audience, and takes an innovative approach with focus, flow, and fuel. The combinations and Alpha Brain also work well together, in some cases, working in synergy. All in all, Alpha Brain is designed to deliver a specific set of cognitive improvements that may add up to a mental performance edge.
Best 5 is not thrilled that Alpha Brain hides its dosages in proprietary blends, but based on the strength of this formula, in the Brain Force Plus vs. Alpha Brain battle, the big winner by knockout is…
ALPHA BRAIN
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