Nordic Naturals vs Thorne Fish Oil (2026): Which to Buy
If it is down to these two, buy Thorne Super EPA. NSF checks that the bottle holds what the label says (NSF/ANSI 173), and you can look it up. The regular Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega bottle is on no public list. They cost about the same per gram of omega-3: $0.66 vs $0.65 per 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA on Amazon.
By Erin Rose Updated October 17, 2026 Methodology
Nordic Ultimate Omega
- Cost
- $0.65 per 1,000 mg EPA+DHA
- Testing
- No public list; brand shares its own test results
Want triglyceride form or a lemon taste? Buy Nordic Naturals. Its label says rTG form; Thorne’s site says ethyl ester. The form question.
Not set on either brand? Our top fish oil overall is Viva Naturals Triple Strength Omega-3. It scores 10.0/10, is on IFOS, and costs $0.30 per 1,000 mg at list price. Check it on Amazon or see the best fish oil.
Drug-tested in sport? Buy neither of these. Buy Momentous Omega-3, which is on NSF Certified for Sport for every lot. Tested fish oils.
Price: about the same per gram of omega-3
On Amazon (October 23, 2026), Thorne Super EPA is $41.00 for 90 gelcaps, and each gelcap has 695 mg of EPA+DHA. Nordic Ultimate Omega is $64.56 for 180 soft gels, and two soft gels have 1,100 mg of EPA+DHA. (The bottle says 1,280 mg because it counts all omega-3s; EPA and DHA are the two we compare.) That works out to $0.66 and $0.65 per 1,000 mg.
| Bottle | Price | EPA+DHA in bottle | Per 1,000 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne Super EPA, 90 gelcaps | $41.00 | 62,550 mg | $0.66 |
| Nordic Ultimate Omega, 180 soft gels | $64.56 | 99,000 mg | $0.65 |
At list price Thorne costs less: $0.72 per 1,000 mg ($45.00 at thorne.com) against $0.77 ($75.95 Nordic list price). Prices move, so check on the day you buy: divide the price by the total EPA+DHA in the bottle.
Testing: Thorne is on NSF; Nordic shares its own results
- Thorne Super EPA: NSF/ANSI 173. NSF checks that the bottle holds what the label says and that contaminants stay under set limits; the Amazon listing is titled “NSF Contents Certified.” Thorne also sells a Super EPA on NSF Certified for Sport (listing 1237707, which screens for drugs banned in sport), but on its own store, not this Amazon listing.
- Nordic Naturals: its own results. The label has a QR code “to check your product’s test results,” and Nordic’s site offers a Certificate of Analysis for any product. Nordic does not name the lab. We found the regular Ultimate Omega on none of the public lists we search. Nordic’s Sport-labeled fish oils are on NSF, but they are different products.
- Neither is on IFOS. IFOS is the fish-oil testing list run by Nutrasource. It lists Nordic only for its non-GMO test, and lists no Thorne products.
- Friend of the Sea is not a purity test. Nordic says its fish come from Friend of the Sea certified fisheries. That label is about fishing practices, not what is in the soft gel.
How we checked
We searched each program’s own list for both brands on October 12, 2026, and on October 17, 2026 compared Thorne’s two Super EPA versions on thorne.com with the Amazon listing. “Listed” means we found this product on the program’s list. Informed Sport blocked our searches, so we could not check it for either brand.
| Program | Thorne | Nordic |
|---|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Not this bottle (Thorne’s store-only Sport version is) | Not listed (Nordic’s Sport versions are) |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Listed | Not listed (Nordic’s Sport versions are) |
| IFOS | Not listed | Not listed (Nordic is listed for non-GMO testing only) |
| USP Verified | Not listed | Not listed |
| Informed Choice | Not listed | Not listed |
Does the form matter?
Fish oil comes in two main forms. Triglyceride is the form omega-3 takes in fish; ethyl ester is a form made when the oil is concentrated. Nordic’s label says its omega-3s are triglyceride form (rTG). Thorne’s product page says Super EPA is ethyl ester. In a two-week study, rTG oil raised blood EPA and DHA more than ethyl ester, and over six months both worked; taking ethyl ester with a meal helps it absorb. Both bottles give you the EPA and DHA on the label. More on the two forms: triglyceride vs ethyl ester.
Per serving: one gelcap against two soft gels
Thorne puts 695 mg of EPA+DHA in one gelcap. Nordic puts 1,100 mg in two soft gels, 550 mg each. For 1,000 mg a day you would take about 1.4 Thorne gelcaps or 1.8 Nordic soft gels.
| Per serving | Thorne | Nordic Naturals |
|---|---|---|
| Serving | 1 gelcap | 2 soft gels |
| EPA | 425 mg | 650 mg |
| DHA | 270 mg | 450 mg |
| EPA + DHA | 695 mg | 1,100 mg |
| EPA + DHA per pill | 695 mg | 550 mg |
| Form | Ethyl ester, per Thorne’s site (not on the label) | Triglyceride (rTG), per the label |
| Fish | Anchovy, sardine, mackerel | Anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring |
| Flavor | Unflavored | Lemon |
| Pills per bottle | 90 | 180 |
| Label dose | 1 gelcap 2 to 3 times a day | 2 soft gels a day |
| Bottle lasts at the label dose | 30 to 45 days | 90 days |
What the labels say
Both panels list EPA and DHA from small oily fish. Nordic’s adds lemon flavor and rosemary extract; Thorne’s has no flavor.
Who should buy which
- You want a fish oil on a testing list you can checkThorne
On NSF/ANSI 173 at $0.66 per 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA.
- You are drug-tested for sportNeither
Neither Amazon bottle here is on NSF Certified for Sport. Momentous Omega-3 is, for every lot. Check which program your sport accepts.
- You want triglyceride formNordic Naturals
Nordic’s label says rTG. Thorne’s site says ethyl ester.
- You want a flavored fish oilNordic Naturals
Lemon-flavored soft gels. Thorne’s gelcaps have no flavor.
- You already eat fish once or twice a weekMaybe neither
The American Heart Association advises 1 to 2 seafood meals a week (Rimm 2018). Fish oil adds most if you rarely eat fish. How much to take: omega-3 dosage guide.
More: best fish oil, third-party tested fish oil, Nordic Naturals vs Sports Research and Carlson vs Nordic Naturals.
Questions
Is Thorne fish oil better than Nordic Naturals?
For most people, yes. They cost about the same per gram of omega-3 ($0.66 vs $0.65 per 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA on Amazon), and Thorne Super EPA is on NSF/ANSI 173, a list you can look up. Nordic’s edge is the form: its label says triglyceride (rTG), and Thorne’s site says Super EPA is ethyl ester.
Is Thorne Super EPA NSF certified?
Yes. NSF/ANSI 173 lists Super EPA, which means NSF checks that the bottle holds what the label says. The Amazon bottle is titled “NSF Contents Certified.” Thorne also sells a Super EPA on NSF Certified for Sport (listing 1237707), which screens for drugs banned in sport, but on its own store, not this Amazon listing.
Is Nordic Naturals NSF certified?
Some Nordic products are, but not the regular Ultimate Omega. NSF lists Nordic’s Sport-labeled fish oils, such as Ultimate Omega 2X Sport. The lemon Ultimate Omega most people buy is not on NSF Certified for Sport or NSF/ANSI 173.
Is Nordic Naturals IFOS certified?
No. Nutrasource, which runs IFOS, lists Nordic Naturals only for IGEN, its non-GMO test. None of Nordic’s products showed as IFOS-listed when we searched on October 12, 2026. Thorne is not on IFOS either.
Is Thorne fish oil triglyceride form?
No. Thorne’s product page says Super EPA is the ethyl ester form; the label itself names no form. Nordic’s label says its omega-3s are in triglyceride form (rTG).
Sources
- Labels: NIH DSLD 321972 (Thorne Super EPA, 90 gelcaps) and 313197 (Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon, 90 soft gels). Amazon listings for Thorne Super EPA, 90 gelcaps and Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega, 180 soft gels, read October 23, 2026.
- Testing: NSF Certified for Sport listing 1237707 (Thorne’s store-only Sport version, SP608; the Amazon bottle is SP608NC, “NSF Contents Certified”) and the full NSF Certified for Sport list; NSF/ANSI 173 for Thorne and Nordic; Nutrasource (IFOS and IGEN); USP Verified and Informed Choice. All searched October 12, 2026.
- Brand pages: Thorne Super EPA, NSF Certified for Sport and Super EPA, 90 servings (ethyl ester form, read October 17, 2026), and Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega (triglyceride form, Friend of the Sea fisheries, Certificates of Analysis).
- Rimm EB, et al. “Seafood Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.” Circulation. 2018;138(1):e35-e47. PubMed 29773586