Best Vitamin C supplements (2025)

Performance Lab is a brand that offers dietary supplements under the commitment of enhancing human performance. As a sports dietitian, I have to be blunt and say there isn’t a ton that Vitamin C can do for athletic performance that can’t be accomplished with a healthy diet. 

The 2 capsules went down pretty decently and I had no issues. But there’s only 250 mg of Vitamin C, which I guess they justify by proclaiming it’s more bioavailable. Not that it’s abysmally low, but you can definitely find higher doses for a lower price, as this stuff is expensive for a Vitamin C supplement.

Given this, I gave a 5 out of 5 for swallowability and a 2 out of 5 for price. I will say, although the price may be out of budget for a lot of people, I do like that there isn’t a lot of extra junk. I also like that the capsule is vegan and made from prebiotic fiber, which could contribute passively to some gut health benefits. So, as far as formulation, it earns a 4 out of 5. 

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Nutricost has made a name for themselves in the supplement industry for providing affordable products that also give the consumer what they need and their Vitamin C supplement is no different. This is why we named it the best Vitamin C powder on this list. 

I was stoked when I saw how small the scoop was, though, if you thought your days of fishing your scoop out of your tub were over, you’ll have just one more using this product. It was a little messy the first time I used it.

This product offers one gram of Vitamin C per serving, which is about 1,111% of your daily needs and at only three cents per sering — a steal. With that in mind, we rated a 5 out of 5 for formulation and a 5 out of 5 for price.

In terms of taste and solubility, I had some thoughts. After mixing this with eight ounces of water, as instructed, I was shocked by how quickly it dissolved. I barely had to mix it at all. However, this happiness quickly faded when I tasted it. Unfortunately, it’s so sour and since there are no fun and fruity flavor options, it was the only taste I got. Not the most pleasant. That said, I awarded a 5 out of 5 for solubility and a 2 out of 5 for taste. 

Thorne is a trusted brand among athletes and sports teams. I actually have personal experience with Thorne’s reputation. I’ve used and trusted Thorne for all my athletes’ supplement needs when I was the head of performance nutrition at the NBA G League. But what did I think of their Vitamin C?

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I liked that the capsules were a manageable size that were easy to get down. The cellulose capsule means you’re spared of any acidic taste that you sometimes get with Vitamin C supplements. Thorne earned a 5 out of 5 for swallowability and a 5 out of 5 for taste. I also gave a 5 out of 5 for formulation. 

There’s not much to be desired. The dosage is great and I love the inclusion of the bioflavonoids. Studies done on Vitamin C supplements have shown that bioflavonoids not only enhance the antioxidant properties¹ of the supplement, but make them easier for the body to absorb as well. 

I just had to knock a bit off of the score because, while Thorne had this product tested for safety and potency, it is not NSF Certified for Sport like nearly all of their other products. 

Nordic Naturals is true to its name and included no artificial flavors or colors in their Vitamin C gummies, despite the little guys looking and tasting just like tiny orange slices. Like most of our GGR testers, I leapt at the opportunity to test this one when I found out it was a gummy vitamin. 

Let me say, man, these things are tasty. They’ve also got a texture that just crumbles in your mouth, which I’m not sure is a good thing because that means that awesome taste doesn’t stick around for long! Given this feedback they earned a 5 out of 5 for texture and 5 out of 5 for taste.

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I did have to award a 3 out of 5 for formulation though. The dosage is fine, but I hate that there are four grams of two types of sugar per serving. That’s the equivalent of five skittles, which isn’t exactly what you want in an antioxidant supplement, especially for daily intake. Unlike many Vitamin C gummies, there is no gelatin so it is a friendly product for vegans, which is good news!

This type of vitamin C is called “megadose” because it contains over 500% of your recommended daily allowance, and it is encased in special types of fats called liposomes that greatly enhance the Vitamin C bioavailability² compared to other sources like ascorbic acid, acerola, rose hips, or a multivitamin.

One serving is half a tablespoon, but that’s not included with the bottle, so if you are on the go, you’ll have to carry your measuring spoon around. Unfortunately, this isn’t the most convenient for everyone.

That said, I really liked the fatty texture of this. It coats your mouth and tastes kind of like a dreamsicle. So, I gave it a 5 out of 5 for taste. That said, I could totally see a lot of people not vibing with the texture, as it’s not typical of a vitamin supplement. The liposomal fat added could also make it tough to mix in other liquids if you don’t like the texture by itself. Thus, I had to give a 3 out of 5 for texture. 

The formulation is also interesting. There’s a megadose of Vitamin C, as promised, but there’s also the fat-soluble vitamin Vitamin E included, which should be efficiently absorbed with the healthy fats of the supplement. That said, there’s only 23% of the RDA of Vitamin E, which seems like a missed opportunity. So, I gave a 4 out of 5 for formulation. 

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Currently the #6 Best Seller in Vitamins & Minerals on the Bulk Supplements website, Bulk Supplements’ Vitamin C has to be one of the cheapest, but most popular vegan vitamins out there. If you have trouble swallowing pills like me, you’ll love these. The capsules are quite small and you only need two. Also, they really don’t taste like anything.

That considered, I gave these a 5 out of 5 for swallowability and a 5 out of 5 for taste. Just be prepared to have this in your medicine cabinet for a while, as there is no smaller container available — only bulk. 

I love the price and it’s around what it should be for a Vitamin C supplement, in my opinion. So, naturally, it earned a 5 out of 5 for price, but O had to knock the overall rating for not being tested for sport. However, such a supplement is hard to find with this brand. 

Life Extension contains Bio-Quercetin, which they claim is a form of Quercetin that is up to 62x more absorbable than standard quercetin, a type of flavonoid antioxidant. Though there is no reliable research on this particular form of quercetin, studies done on the compound have shown that it can enhance the absorption of other nutrients by up to 50%³. 

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Unlike some of the others I tried, these tablets are huge. I really had some trouble getting just one down, but hopefully someone who had better luck with pills will be more lucky. Personally, I  rated a 2 out of 5 for swallowability. I also rated a 5 out of 5 for price, as $0.09 is pretty good for a highly absorbable supplement. 

This product also earned a 3 out of 5 for formulation, in my opinion. It’s cool they include the Quercetin and one gram of Vitamin C,” Destini says. However, the extra ingredients like silica and glycerin seem unnecessary.

Garden of Life, for as long as we’ve been familiar with the brand, has been committed to organic products that are sustainably sourced. So, if you’re passionate about the environment, this is a good brand to consider.

I can’t lie, I couldn’t stand the taste of these, though. Maybe it’s because all of the extra ingredients gave it a flavor I didn’t expect, but I honestly had to hold my nose. I couldn’t help but give it a 1 out of 5 rating for taste.

The caplets are also pretty big, probably to fit in all the extra antioxidants, so it makes sense. I could have swallowed them with only moderate difficulty if the taste wasn’t so bad. Compared to the others, this one earned a 3 out of 5 for swallowability. 

On the positive side, I love that the formulation contains antioxidants from actual citrus fruits. But the total amount included is pretty small, so who knows if it’s enough to actually provide any health benefits. Still, it’s more than other brands offer, so I gave a 4 out of 5 for formulation. 

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As a kid, the one good thing about catching a cold was my aunt handing me a cup of Emergen-C while I was tucked into bed. Emergen-C is arguably the most popular Vitamin C supplement out there and for good reason, given how easy and pleasant it is to sip.

Without a doubt, the taste is a 5 out of 5. The fizziness and the not-too-sweet flavor make this a top tier supplement in my opinion. I just wish there wasn’t so much sugar. With six grams of sugar, it kind of sours all the extra vitamins and minerals in the powder, so I gave a 3.5 out of 5 for formulation. 

I also like the added electrolytes. Many people who take this are actively sick and need hydration with their fluids. It mixes in a super complete and satisfying way, too. It mixes smoothly, too, earning a 5 out of 5 for solubility. 

MegaFood’s Vitamin C supplement not only has 400 mg of Vitamin C, but also includes essences of various fruits and vegetables that, similar to Vitamin C, help to fight free radicals for a super potent supplement. Overall, the formulation was pretty good and I liked the dose of vitamin C.

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I will say, though, the tablets smell and taste like dog food. I have literally no other way to describe it; these were best put into a veggie capsule rather than Vitamin C tablets. So, they earned a 1 out of 5 for taste. 

The formulation is good, though, despite some filler ingredients. This product also offers a great dose for those who don’t want a megadose. Plus, there’s even more whole food ingredients than Vitamin C, which makes for a great value for only $0.50 per serving. With that feedback, I awarded a 4 out of 5 for formulation and a 4 out of 5 for price.