Best L-Tyrosine Supplement 2026: Ranked by Cost Per Gram
Informational summary — not medical advice. This page ranks products on cost per gram of tyrosine; on whether tyrosine works and when, see the evidence.
Because the studied dose is measured in grams, the right metric is cost per gram of tyrosine — and that makes powder the value winner. Plain powders deliver a gram of tyrosine for roughly $0.05–0.08, while capsules run $0.14–0.38/g — several times more. Of the 11 products here, 2 are plain powders and 2 are NALT, which we price separately because it's poorly converted and its milligrams don't map to usable tyrosine.
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The one-line takeaway The number that matters is cost per gram of tyrosine, not the price on the bottle — because a real dose is ~2 g and up. On that metric, plain powders win by a wide margin (~$0.05–0.08/g vs ~$0.14–0.38/g for capsules), and NALT sits outside the ranking because it's poorly converted — its milligrams overstate the usable tyrosine you'd get.
Every product compared: form, tyrosine & cost per gram
Sorted plain powders first, then plain capsules by cost per gram of tyrosine, with NALT last and its cost-per-gram left blank (not comparable). Read the $ / g tyrosine and Servings to 2 g columns, not the price. Full data is a public CC BY JSON file.
| Product | Form | Tyrosine / serving | Servings to 2 g | $ / serving | $ / g tyrosine | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutricost L-Tyrosine Powder, 1,000 mg per serving (500 g) | Powder | 1000 mg | 2 | $0.05 | $0.05 | Plain powder |
| BulkSupplements L-Tyrosine Powder, 500 mg per serving (250 g) | Powder | 500 mg | 4 | $0.04 | $0.08 | Plain powder |
| Horbaach L-Tyrosine 1,000 mg (250 Capsules) | Capsule | 1000 mg | 2 | $0.14 | $0.14 | Plain capsule |
| Nutricost L-Tyrosine 500 mg (180 Capsules) | Capsule | 500 mg | 4 | $0.08 | $0.16 | Plain capsule |
| Double Wood L-Tyrosine 1,000 mg per serving (120 Capsules) | Capsule | 1000 mg | 2 | $0.17 | $0.17 | Plain capsule |
| NOW Foods NOW L-Tyrosine 500 mg (120 Veg Capsules) | Capsule | 500 mg | 4 | $0.09 | $0.18 | Plain capsule |
| NOW Foods NOW L-Tyrosine 750 mg (90 Veg Capsules) | Capsule | 750 mg | 3 | $0.14 | $0.19 | Plain capsule |
| Jarrow Formulas L-Tyrosine 500 mg (100 Capsules) | Capsule | 500 mg | 4 | $0.15 | $0.30 | Plain capsule |
| Solaray L-Tyrosine 500 mg (100 Capsules) | Capsule | 500 mg | 4 | $0.20 | $0.40 | Plain capsule |
| BulkSupplements N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) Powder, 400 mg per serving (500 g) | Powder | 400 mg | 5 | $0.02 | not comparable | NALT — poorly converted ⚠ |
| Nutricost N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) 350 mg (120 Capsules) | Capsule | 350 mg | 6 | $0.11 | not comparable | NALT — poorly converted ⚠ |
Prices are live Amazon buy-box figures, July 2026; they move. Cost per serving = price ÷ servings per container at the labeled serving. Cost per gram of tyrosine = cost per serving ÷ (mg per serving ÷ 1000). NALT's cost per gram is blank because it's poorly converted — comparing its milligrams to plain tyrosine overstates the usable dose; see the dose gap & NALT.
Reading the verdicts
Three tiers, and only the first two are directly comparable per gram of tyrosine:
- Plain powder — plain L-tyrosine you scoop to a real dose. Cheapest per gram (~$0.05–0.08/g) and the practical way to reach the ~2 g studied dose. 2 of 11 products.
- Plain capsule — plain L-tyrosine, just pre-portioned. Convenient, but ~$0.14–0.38/g, and a 500 mg cap is only ¼ of the 2 g floor, so a real dose is a handful of capsules.
- NALT (N-acetyl-L-tyrosine) — marketed "more bioavailable," but poorly converted to usable tyrosine (56% excreted unchanged by IV; Magnusson 1989). We list it with cost per serving but no cost per gram, because its milligrams don't equal usable tyrosine milligrams.
None of these products carries a USP or NSF certification. Because tyrosine is a single, well-defined amino acid (not a variable botanical), the dominant factor is cost per gram at a real dose — use a manufacturer testing claim only as a tiebreaker between similarly priced powders.
The 2 NALT products: priced separately, on purpose
These are honest products, but N-acetyl-L-tyrosine is poorly converted to free tyrosine, so treating its milligrams as interchangeable with plain tyrosine overstates the usable dose:
- BulkSupplements N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) Powder, 400 mg per serving (500 g) — 400 mg NALT/serving, $0.02/serving. Cost per gram of tyrosine is left blank: on IV/plasma evidence, much of an NALT dose is excreted unchanged rather than converted, so per milligram it delivers less usable tyrosine than plain L-tyrosine.
- Nutricost N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) 350 mg (120 Capsules) — 350 mg NALT/serving, $0.11/serving. Cost per gram of tyrosine is left blank: on IV/plasma evidence, much of an NALT dose is excreted unchanged rather than converted, so per milligram it delivers less usable tyrosine than plain L-tyrosine.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best L-tyrosine supplement?
For value, a plain powder — the studied dose is in grams, and powders deliver a gram of tyrosine for ~$0.05–0.08 vs ~$0.14–0.38/g for capsules. NALT is priced separately because it's poorly converted. Cheapest per bottle ≠ cheapest per gram at a real dose.
Capsules or powder for value?
Powder, by a wide margin (~$0.05–0.08/g vs ~$0.14–0.38/g). A 500 mg capsule is only ¼ of the 2 g floor, so a real dose is a handful of caps. Capsules suit travel or a small fixed dose; powder wins for reaching a studied dose cheaply.
Why is NALT priced separately?
Because it's poorly converted — an IV study found 56% excreted unchanged and plasma tyrosine up only ~25% (Magnusson 1989). Its milligrams don't map to usable tyrosine, so a cost per gram would be misleading; we leave it blank.
Is third-party testing worth a premium?
A reasonable tiebreaker, not a reason to overpay. No product here is USP/NSF certified, and tyrosine is a single well-defined amino acid, so cost per gram at a real dose dominates. Use a testing claim to split two similar powders.
Related
- L-tyrosine: what it is & who it's for
- The dose gap & NALT — the 500 mg capsule vs the studied dose, and why NALT is poorly converted
- L-tyrosine dosage guide — ~2 g up to 100–150 mg/kg + a "how many capsules" calculator
- Does L-tyrosine work? — the honest, stress-labeled evidence
Sources
- Manufacturer labels and live Amazon pricing for all listed products, July 2026. Full dataset: /l-tyrosine/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).
- Magnusson I, et al. "N-acetyl-L-tyrosine and N-acetyl-L-cysteine as tyrosine and cysteine precursors during intravenous infusion in humans." Metabolism. 1989. PMID: 2507878 (56% of NALT excreted unchanged; plasma tyrosine +25% — poorly converted; IV/plasma study).
- Jongkees BJ, et al. "Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands — a review." J Psychiatr Res. 2015. PMID: 26424423 (studied dose ~2 g up to 100–150 mg/kg).