Shopping for the right nootropic is hard work. Hundreds of brands each claiming to be the best can make decision making difficult. The average person does not have the time, budget or subject matter expertise to run through dozens of products and find out which is best. Neither would you want to risk your health by experimenting with multiple nootropics.

The good news? We have done the work for you by evaluating dozens of the best known brain supplements. During our analysis, NooCube and Alpha Brain are two brands that stood out. It is not recommended that you take two nootropic supplements at the same time. So if you have to choose between NooCube and Alpha Brain, which should you go for? 

We have run a comparison of the two covering everything from features to ingredients to side effects to cost. Want to know which product comes out on top? Read on. 

NooCube

4.8 / 5

  • Shatters mental barriers hindering attainment of life goals.
  • Sharpens oral and written communication.
  • Some ingredients are backed by centuries of medicinal use.

Alpha Brain

4.4 / 5

  • Improves alpha brain wave activity.
  • Regulates neurotransmitter production.
  • Subjected to extensive real world testing. More than a million bottles sold.

What is NooCube?

Manufactured by Wolfson Brands, NooCube is a nootropic designed to improve brain performance, enhance memory, boost mental energy, better concentration and sharpen communication. 

It aims to shatter the barriers that prevent you from reaching your goals. NooCube is made from natural, well researched, clinically proven ingredients, some backed by centuries of medicinal use. It’s a mix of herbal plants, antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids.

Manufacturer

Wolfson Brands is a beauty and health products maker headquartered in the UK. In operation for over a decade, the company is widely recognized as a leader in the health supplement space. Its dozens of products include NooCube, Crazy Nutrition, Smart Protein, Proactol XS, PhenQ and Battle Ready Fuel.

Pros

  • Improves brain performance.
  • Enhances memory.
  • Boosts mental energy
  • Supports concentration.
  • Made in an FDA-approved facility.

Cons

  • Contains gluten.
  • Results may vary from person to person due to uniqueness of individual brain chemistry.

What is Alpha Brain?

Manufactured by Onnit Labs, Alpha Brain is one of the earliest and most recognizable brands in the nootropic space. Its principal mode of action is improving alpha wave activity in the brain as well as regulating neurotransmitter production. The result is improvements in focus, memory, mental processing speed and general brain function. 

Alpha Brain aims to elevate your mind to a place where it is running at its best. With more than one million bottles sold, few mind supplements can claim to have been subjected to as much real world testing. For this reason, many nootropic experts advise that you try out Alpha Brain if you are contemplating using a brain supplement for the first time.

Manufacturer

Onnit Labs Inc is a mind, fitness and general health supplements maker based in Austin, TX. It manufactures over a dozen products including Alpha Brain, New Mood, Total Gut Health, Shroom Tech, Key Minerals and Krill Oil. In 2021, the company disclosed it was in talks to be acquired by consumer goods conglomerate Unilever.

Pros

  • Improves focus.
  • Boosts memory.
  • Enhances mental processing speed.
  • Strengthens general brain function.
  • Gluten-free.

Cons

  • Proprietary blends obfuscate the quantity of each ingredient.
  • Results may vary by person as a result of the unique composition of individual brain chemistry.

Ingredients

Common ingredients

Ingredient

NooCube serving (two pills)

Alpha Brain serving (two pills)

Alpha GPC

50 mg

Unknown (a component of the proprietary Onnit Focus Blend)

Avena Sativa (Oat straw)

150 mg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

Bacopa Monnieri (Brahmi herb)

250 mg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

Huperzine A (from Chinese/toothed clubmoss (huperzia serrata))

20 mg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

L-theanine

100 mg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

L-tyrosine

250 mg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

Pterostilbene

140 mcg

Unknown (proprietary blend)

Uncaria tomentosa (Cat’s Claw) bark

175 mg

350 mg

NooCube and Alpha Brain have a striking ingredient similarity. The two supplements have eight ingredients in common which should ideally make it easy to perform a like-for-like comparison. Unfortunately, in Alpha Brain’s case, nearly all of the shared ingredients are contained within proprietary blends. This means the exact quantities are unknown.

The exception is cat’s claw (uncaria tomentosa) bark extract where Alpha Brain has 200 percent more per serving than NooCube. This extract has oxidants known to enhance mind performance and cognitive health. 

You could infer that at 250mg, NooCube contains more bacopa monnieri than Alpha Brain. The 250 mg exceeds the total quantity of Onnit Focus Blend (240 mg) per serving. Bacopa monnieri has been shown to inhibit stress, reduce anxiety, enhance mind performance, diminish forgetfulness and improve nerve cell health.

Unique Ingredients in NooCube

  • Resveratrol - A type of polyphenol antioxidant that naturally occurs in grapes, it supports short-term brain function and long-term cognitive health.

Unique Ingredients in Alpha Brain

  • Pyridoxine HCI (Vitamin B6) - Essential for healthy brain growth and function, it supports the production of dopamine, serotonin and other emotion-influencing neurotransmitters.
  • Onnit Flow Blend - A proprietary blend that supports production of the brain’s alpha waves. Like NooCube it contains l-tyrosine, l-theanine and avena sativa (oat straw). It however has phosphatidylserine as well. Phosphatidylserine is a naturally occurring type of fat found in cell membranes and that safeguards the health and function of brain cells.
  • Onnit Fuel Blend - A proprietary blend that supports nerve communication and overall brain health. Like NooCube, it contains pterostilbene. What sets it apart is l-leucine, which is known to boost the synthesis of protein.

Side Effects

Neither nootropic has known side effects. Both NooCube and Alpha Brain are formulated from widely used, well researched and clinically tested ingredients. Still, no two people have an identical composition of brain chemicals. That implies the response, experience and reactions may vary from person to person.

As a standard precaution however, talk to your doctor before you start to use either one. This is crucial if you are below 18, breastfeeding, pregnant, on medication or been diagnosed with a long term neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular or renal disease.

Prices and Offers

NooCube

  • $59.99 per bottle of 60 pills (30 days)
  • Price discounts on orders of at least two bottles
  • Free shipping worldwide
  • 60-day money back guarantee

Alpha Brain

  • $34.95 per bottle of 30 pills (15 days) - $79.95 per bottle of 90 pills (45 days)
  • Price discounts on orders of at least two bottles
  • Free shipping limited to orders of at least $150.
  • No money back guarantee. 

On the price and offers score, NooCube is the better product. It costs less per 30-day supply. To enjoy a lower price per serving than NooCube, you have to buy the 90-day Alpha Brain bottle. 

NooCube offers free shipping worldwide and has a 60-day money back guarantee. This stands in contrast to Alpha Brain where free shipping is only available to orders exceeding $150 and that are destined for the contiguous US. 

Alpha Brain does not offer a money back guarantee though the company does refund orders of the 90-day bottle within 90 days of delivery under stringent conditions.

Final Thoughts

The achievement of your life goals depends on multiple factors but none more important than your state of mind. While exercise, good diet, regular reading and sufficient rest are all vital for brain health, you may need an extra hand to get your mind to where it should be. 

Nootropics like NooCube and Alpha Brain can help you do just that. While both of these brain supplements are a cut above their peers, one does have a slight edge in this head-to-head review – NooCube. Here’s why.

Unlike Alpha Brain, NooCube does not use proprietary blends. You have a clear picture of not just what you are taking but also the quantities of each ingredient. 

NooCube contains larger amounts of the crucial nootropic agent bacopa monnieri. Bacopa monnieri has been shown to inhibit stress, reduce anxiety, enhance mind performance, diminish forgetfulness and improve nerve cell health.

NooCube has a more compelling price and offers value proposition. It costs less per 30-day dose, offers free shipping worldwide on all orders and has a 60-day money back guarantee.

About the Author Tim Rockwell

Tim Rockwell is a highly skilled and knowledgeable fitness expert. With a background in exercise science and years of experience in the fitness industry, Tim is passionate about sharing his expertise with others through his writing. He currently contributes articles to Eurasc, where he shares practical tips and strategies for leading a healthy, active lifestyle.

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