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
Alpha Brain
4.4 / 5
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
Cons
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
Cons
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
Unique Ingredients in Alpha Brain
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
Alpha Brain
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.