Best Iron Bisglycinate 2026: Ranked by Dose & Cost

By Erin Rose Updated October 6, 2026 How we score

The best iron bisglycinate is Thorne Iron Bisglycinate 25 mg: 25 mg a capsule, on NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173, $0.27 a capsule at list price. In trials, mostly in pregnant women, bisglycinate was gentler on the stomach. Most labels give about 25 mg, under half the 60 mg used to treat low iron, so ask how much you need first.

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Our pick for: Gentle iron on a testing list

Thorne Iron Bisglycinate 25 mg

6.5/10 Our score

6.5/10, tied for #2 of the 13 bisglycinates we score

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Good

On the NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173 lists (checked October 5, 2026)
Label states the amount, with no blend
No FDA recall for the brand in 24 months

Watch for

Below a treatment dose: 25 mg per serving (we count 40 mg or more)
Costs 3.6 times as much per dose as the cheapest of its kind we score

Iron: 25 mg1 capsule
A capsule: $0.27brand list price
Testing list: NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173
Also in it: Iron only
Bottle: 60-capsule bottle, $16.00Thorne’s list price
Per 60 mg: $0.643 capsules

Our take

25 mg of iron as bisglycinate in one capsule, on NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173: NSF checks it holds what the label says and screens it for drugs banned in sport. It is the top-scoring bisglycinate on a public testing list.

Testing record

NSF Certified for Sport: banned substances, by lot See the listing Checked October 5, 2026.
NSF/ANSI 173: contents match the label Checked October 5, 2026.

Not found on: Informed Sport, Informed Choice, USP Verified.

Our other 3 picks

Our pick for: Vegan, on a testing list

Momentous Iron+ 25 mg

6.5/10 Our score

6.5/10, tied for #2 of the 13 bisglycinates we score

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Good

On the NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173 lists (checked October 5, 2026)
Label states the amount, with no blend
No FDA recall for the brand in 24 months

Watch for

Below a treatment dose: 25 mg per serving (we count 40 mg or more)
Costs 4.5 times as much per dose as the cheapest of its kind we score

Iron: 25 mg1 capsule
A capsule: $0.33brand list price
Testing list: NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173
Also in it: Vitamin C 50 mg, B vitaminslabeled vegan
Bottle: 60-capsule bottle, $19.99Momentous’s list price
Per 60 mg: $0.803 capsules

Our take

25 mg of iron as bisglycinate with 50 mg of vitamin C, labeled vegan, on NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173. $0.33 a capsule at list price.

Testing record

NSF Certified for Sport: banned substances, by lot See the listing Checked October 5, 2026.
NSF/ANSI 173: contents match the label Checked October 5, 2026.

Not found on: Informed Sport, Informed Choice, USP Verified.

Our pick for: More iron per capsule

Thorne Advanced Iron Complex 36 mg

6.5/10 Our score

6.5/10, tied for #2 of the 13 bisglycinates we score

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Good

On the NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173 lists (checked October 5, 2026)
Label states the amount, with no blend
No FDA recall for the brand in 24 months

Watch for

Below a treatment dose: 36 mg per serving (we count 40 mg or more)
Costs 4 times as much per dose as the cheapest of its kind we score

Iron: 36 mg1 capsule
A capsule: $0.43brand list price
Testing list: NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173
Also in it: Vitamin C 15 mg, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12
Bottle: 60-capsule bottle, $26.00Thorne’s list price
Per 60 mg: $0.722 capsules

Our take

36 mg of iron a capsule, with vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12, on NSF Certified for Sport + NSF/ANSI 173. Fewer capsules to reach a treatment dose: 2 for 60 mg.

Testing record

NSF Certified for Sport: banned substances, by lot See the listing Checked October 5, 2026.
NSF/ANSI 173: contents match the label Checked October 5, 2026.

Not found on: Informed Sport, Informed Choice, USP Verified.

Our pick for: The lowest price

Nature's Bounty Gentle Iron 28 mg

5.5/10 Our score

5.5/10, #5 of the 13 bisglycinates we score

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Good

The lowest cost per dose of its kind that we score
Label states the amount, with no blend
No FDA recall for the brand in 24 months

Watch for

Not on any public testing list we check
Below a treatment dose: 28 mg per serving (we count 40 mg or more)

Iron: 28 mg1 capsule
A capsule: $0.08brand list price
Testing list: None found
Also in it: Vitamin C 60 mg, folic acid and vitamin B12
Bottle: 90-capsule bottle, $7.50Nature's Bounty’s list price
Per 60 mg: $0.183 capsules

Our take

28 mg of iron as bisglycinate for $0.08 a capsule, the least per mg of any chelated iron we score. It is not on a public testing list, so no outside group has checked the label.

Testing record

Not found on any testing list we check.

Not found on: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, Informed Choice, NSF/ANSI 173, USP Verified.

Why bisglycinate

Bisglycinate is iron bound to the amino acid glycine. In trials of pregnant women, it caused 64% fewer reported stomach side effects than other iron and raised hemoglobin a little more (Fischer 2023). In children it made no difference, and there are too few trials in other adults to say. Guidelines say no form of iron works better than another (AGA 2024), so the reason to pay more is your stomach. Ferrous sulfate vs bisglycinate.

What the labels on sale give

We read 145 on-market labels in NIH’s database whose iron is bisglycinate alone (read August 29, 2026). The middle one gives 25 mg of iron a serving; half give between 18 and 28 mg. 25% need two or more capsules or tablets for one serving. Only 1.4% tell you to take more than the 45 mg upper limit in a day.

So most bisglycinate is a daily-need amount, not a treatment dose. If a test shows low iron and your doctor wants about 60 mg, that is two to four capsules, or one standard ferrous sulfate tablet. How much iron to take.

Figure 1. What 60 mg of iron costs as bisglycinate, at each brand’s list price

Our 4 picks. Teal: on a public testing list. Capsules hold 18 to 36 mg, so the bars show the cost of the capsules it takes to reach 60 mg. Source: Each brand’s own list price (iHerb where named), checked October 6, 2026.

Figure 1. What 60 mg of iron costs as bisglycinate, at each brand’s list price
Item	Value
Nature's Bounty Gentle Iron 28 mg	$0.18
Thorne Iron Bisglycinate 25 mg	$0.64
Thorne Advanced Iron Complex 36 mg	$0.72
Momentous Iron+ 25 mg	$0.80

We score 13 iron bisglycinate products. Every one by price, or the best iron of any form.

Questions

Is iron bisglycinate the same as Ferrochel?

Ferrochel is a branded iron bisglycinate. Several products here use it and say so on the label; others list iron bisglycinate without a brand.

Is 25 mg of iron bisglycinate enough?

It covers the 18 mg daily need of women 19 to 50. For treating low iron it is on the low side: the absorption trials used 60 mg. In pregnancy, 25 mg of bisglycinate kept iron up as well as 50 mg of ferrous sulfate (Milman 2014).

Why not just buy the cheapest bisglycinate?

Nature's Bounty Gentle Iron 28 mg costs $0.18 per 60 mg of iron, the least of any chelated iron we score, but it is on no public testing list, so no outside group has checked that it holds what the label says. If that matters to you, Thorne costs more and is on two NSF lists; if price matters most, it is one of our picks above.

Sources

Fischer JAJ, et al. Nutr Rev. 2023. PubMed 36728680
Milman N, et al. J Perinat Med. 2014. PubMed 24152889
DeLoughery TG, et al. AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Iron Deficiency Anemia. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024. PubMed 38864796
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplement Label Database: 145 on-market iron bisglycinate labels, read August 29, 2026; each figure held when the labels were split in half and checked separately.
Testing lists: NSF/ANSI 173, NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Choice read October 5, 2026; USP Verified and Informed Sport from our copies of September 22, 2026. Prices: each brand’s list price, checked October 6, 2026.