Home / AG1 vs IM8

Independent comparison · Updated September 2026

AG1 vs IM8

Two of the biggest names in daily all-in-one supplements, priced close to each other and built on different philosophies. Written by ThryveOn Naturals, which makes a competing product — stated here, not hidden, since neither AG1 nor IM8 is ours.

AG1
Next Gen
$79/mo subscribe · $99 one-time
vs
IM8
Essentials PRO
~$2.96/serving (published by IM8)

Last updated September 2026 · Sources and methodology below

AG1 Next Gen pouch next to an IM8 Essentials PRO sachet, illustrating the independent comparison — both products, neither made by ThryveOn TWO COMPETITORS, INDEPENDENTLY COMPARED AG1 Next Gen 83 ingredients · 3 blends VS IM8 ESSENTIALS PRO ~92 ingredients · 5 complexes

Transparency

Both fall short of their own marketing

AG1 groups several ingredients into proprietary blends and doesn't claim otherwise. IM8 markets "no proprietary blends, no hidden dosages," but its own published panel groups ingredients into five named complexes — including one covering 26 ingredients under a single combined weight.

Where they differ

Gut support and track record

IM8's marketing describes a broader gut-support system (prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics) than AG1's probiotics-plus-one-enzyme approach — worth verifying against IM8's actual label. AG1 has the longer public track record by a decade.

Where they're tied

Testing and certification

Both hold NSF Certified for Sport status and both publish third-party testing claims — one of the few categories where the two products are functionally equivalent on paper.

Executive Summary

If you only have 60 seconds.

AG1 is the more established option and groups several ingredient categories into proprietary blends without disclosing individual doses. IM8 markets itself as having "no proprietary blends, no hidden dosages" — but its own published Supplement Facts panel groups ingredients into five named complexes, including one 26-ingredient complex sharing a single combined weight.

Where AG1 has the edge

Track record — over a decade in market, more independent scrutiny, broader public review base, and a milder, more neutral flavor that mixes easily into smoothies.

Where IM8 has the edge

A broader gut-support system in its marketing materials (prebiotics and postbiotics alongside probiotics, plus a fuller enzyme panel than AG1's single enzyme) — though this specific claim should be checked against IM8's actual label, not just its marketing copy, given what the transparency comparison below found.

Where they're tied

Both cost about the same, both hold NSF Certified for Sport status, and — despite different marketing language — both fall short of full ingredient transparency on their actual Supplement Facts panels.

Neither product is as transparent as its marketing suggests. If full ingredient disclosure is what you're actually after, neither AG1 nor IM8 fully delivers it — that's the specific gap the "third option" section below addresses.

How We Built This Comparison

Sources & methodology

This comparison is based on AG1's and IM8's own publicly published Supplement Facts panels and marketing materials, cross-checked where possible against independent third-party reviews. ThryveOn Naturals authored this page and makes a competing product, VITALS — this is stated in the topbar above, not buried in a footer, since neither AG1 nor IM8 is the product being sold here.

Why this page differs from our other comparisons: our ThryveOn vs AG1 and ThryveOn vs IM8 pages compare our own product against a competitor, with an obvious commercial interest in the outcome. This page compares two products neither of which is ours — we have no direct financial stake in whether you choose AG1 or IM8 over each other, though we do have a stake in whether either matters to you at all versus a third option, addressed transparently near the end of this page.

Where claims are unconfirmed: where we could not independently verify a specific figure (such as AG1's current per-serving subscription price) against a primary source, we say so directly rather than repeating a possibly outdated third-party number.

If either brand updates its formulation or pricing, we will update this comparison accordingly. Last updated: September 2026.

Data Sources

AG1 Supplement Facts panel (drinkag1.com)
IM8 Supplement Facts panel & press materials (im8health.com)
Independent third-party reviews

Category 01 · Transparency

Both market transparency.
Neither's label fully delivers it.

Short answer: AG1 groups several ingredient categories into proprietary blends and doesn't claim otherwise. IM8 markets "no proprietary blends, no hidden dosages" — but its own published Supplement Facts panel tells a different story.

AG1's label lists total weights for groupings like its Active Superfood and Prebiotic Complex, which means you can't tell exactly how much of any one botanical you're getting. That's standard practice across much of the industry, and AG1 doesn't market itself as fully transparent — its position is that formula synergy matters more than any single disclosed number.

IM8's case is different, because its marketing explicitly claims full transparency. But according to IM8's own published Supplement Facts panel, ingredients are grouped into five named complexes — a Raw Superfoods, Greens, Fruits & Herbs Complex containing 26 separate ingredients sharing one combined weight; a Hydra Electrolytes Complex; an Essential Amino & Renew Complex; a Joint & Muscle Complex; and a 100mg CRT8™ Complex. Astaxanthin, for example, sits inside that CRT8 Complex at an estimated ~3mg — not disclosed as a standalone amount.

This isn't really an AG1-vs-IM8 differentiator — it's a category-wide pattern. "Full transparency" is common marketing language that rarely matches the actual Supplement Facts panel on either product.
AG1
Metric
IM8
Several blends, undisclosed by design
Proprietary blends
5 named complexes, despite "no blends" marketing
~50% individually disclosed
Ingredients individually disclosed
~72% individually disclosed

Note: neither figure above is a claim of overall superiority — it reflects the specific % of each brand's own ingredient count with an individually listed dose, sourced from each brand's own label.

Category 02 · Gut & Digestive Support

Probiotics, prebiotics,
and postbiotics.

Short answer: IM8's marketing describes broader gut support than AG1's. AG1 focuses on probiotics and a single enzyme; IM8's marketing adds prebiotics, a postbiotic ingredient, and a fuller enzyme panel.

AG1's gut-health approach centers on five probiotic strains (10 billion CFU total: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, L. acidophilus NCFM, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, L. casei LC-11, L. plantarum LP-115) plus bromelain as its sole digestive enzyme.

IM8's marketing describes a three-tier system — probiotics, prebiotic fiber, and a postbiotic ingredient (FloraSMART) — alongside a broader enzyme panel than AG1's single enzyme. Worth flagging directly: given what the Transparency category above found about the gap between IM8's marketing language and its actual label, these specific gut-support claims are worth checking against IM8's own Supplement Facts panel before treating them as confirmed.

On marketing claims alone, IM8 describes the broader system. Whether that holds up dose-for-dose on the actual label is a fair thing to verify independently before deciding it's the deciding factor.

Category 03 · Testing & Certification

Where the two are
functionally tied.

Short answer: Tie. Both carry NSF Certified for Sport status and both publish third-party testing claims.

This is one of the few areas where the two products are genuinely equivalent on paper. NSF Certified for Sport means every batch is screened against a list of substances banned in competitive athletics — a meaningful credential for anyone subject to drug testing, and a reasonable proxy for manufacturing consistency for everyone else. Both brands also publish some form of third-party lab testing, though the depth of publicly available documentation varies and is worth checking directly on each brand's site if that level of detail matters to you.

Tie — both hold the same sport-specific certification, functionally equivalent on this category.

Category 04 · Price & Track Record

Close on price.
Not close on tenure.

Short answer: IM8 states its own subscriber price at roughly $2.96/serving; we don't have an equivalently sourced current figure for AG1, so treat any specific AG1 number as unconfirmed until checked directly. AG1 wins clearly on public track record — over a decade in market versus IM8's much more recent launch.

AG1
Metric
IM8
Unconfirmed — verify directly
Current per-serving subscription price
~$2.96/serving (IM8's own published figure)
Launched 2010 — longest track record in category
Public track record
Launched 2025 — much newer

Time in market is its own kind of evidence — more years means more time for manufacturing issues to surface publicly and get resolved, independent of formula quality.

Honest Guidance

Who each one is
actually for.

Choose AG1 if:
You want the most established name in the category with the longest public track record
You prefer a milder flavor that blends easily into smoothies
You're comfortable trusting formula-level synergy over seeing every individual ingredient amount
Choose IM8 if:
You want more individually disclosed ingredients than AG1 provides, even though IM8's own "no blends" marketing overstates it
You care about a fuller gut-support system on paper (prebiotics and postbiotics, not just probiotics) — worth confirming against the label
You're comfortable with a brand that has less public track record than AG1
A third option, ThryveOn VITALS, with all 63 ingredients individually disclosed and zero proprietary blends NOT SATISFIED WITH EITHER LABEL? There's a third option built specifically to close the transparency gap. THRYVEON VITALS™ 63 ingredients · 0 blends

A Third Option

What if you want both — full transparency
and the fuller formula?

Comparing AG1 and IM8 surfaces a real gap: both market some version of "transparent formula," and neither's actual label fully delivers it — AG1 groups ingredients into blends by design, and IM8's own panel does too despite marketing language that says otherwise. ThryveOn VITALS was built to close that specific gap: every one of its 63 ingredients is individually disclosed, with no proprietary blends or named complexes anywhere on the label.

63
Individually disclosed ingredients — zero proprietary blends
16.1g
Single daily stick pack — Mixed Berry or Tropical Punch
NJ
Manufactured by Vitaquest, New Jersey — cGMP facility

A few formulation choices worth naming specifically: Ashwagandha at 350mg, Lion's Mane at 500mg (fruiting body extract), Lutein and Zeaxanthin dosed to the AREDS2 clinical reference (10mg/2mg), CoQ10 at 100mg, and B-vitamins in their bioactive forms (P5P, R5P).

Where VITALS is still catching up: NSF Certified for Sport is not yet held — AG1 and IM8 both already hold it. VITALS is newer to market than both, with less independent track record than either, and no published customer review base yet.

Want the direct breakdown instead? See ThryveOn VITALS vs AG1 or ThryveOn VITALS vs IM8.

Side By Side

All three, at a glance.

Category
AG1
IM8
ThryveOn VITALS
Ingredients disclosed individually
Partial — several in blends
Partial — 5 named complexes despite "no blends" marketing
Yes — all 63
Proprietary blends
Yes, several
Yes, 5 named complexes
None
Digestive enzyme panel
Single enzyme (bromelain)
Full panel (per marketing)
Multi-enzyme
NSF Certified for Sport
Yes
Yes
Not yet certified
Manufacturing certification
Third-party tested
Third-party tested
Vitaquest, NJ — cGMP facility
Serving format
13g scoop
Single-serve powder
16.1g stick pack
Public track record
Longest in category
Newer brand
Newest — pre-launch

Ingredient counts, certifications, and pricing change over time on all three brands. Verified as of September 2026 from publicly available sources — confirm current details directly with each brand before purchasing.

ThryveOn VITALS™ is a daily dietary supplement in a 16.1 g stick pack, made by ThryveOn LLC (ThryveOn Naturals) and manufactured by Vitaquest International in a cGMP facility in New Jersey, USA. One stick is mixed with 250–350 ml of water once daily. It contains 63 ingredients, each listed on the Supplement Facts label with its exact amount — vitamins and minerals in active forms, adaptogens, a five-strain probiotic blend, digestive enzymes, and antioxidant botanicals, with zero proprietary blends and no sprinkle dosing. VITALS™ costs $99.99 one-time or $89.99 per month on subscription (10% off), and ships free to the United States and Canada. VITALS™ has not been studied as a finished product in a clinical trial; research referenced on this site relates to individual ingredients, and several — including lion's mane, MSM, milk thistle, citicoline and PQQ — are included at amounts below the doses used in the cited studies.

FAQ

AG1 vs IM8 —
questions we get asked.

Is AG1 or IM8 better?
+

Neither is universally better — they're built on different philosophies, and both fall short of the full transparency their marketing implies. AG1 groups many ingredients into proprietary blends and doesn't claim otherwise. IM8 markets "no proprietary blends, no hidden dosages," but its own published label groups ingredients into five named complexes, including one that shares a single combined weight across 26 ingredients. AG1 has the longer track record; IM8's transparency marketing is the claim most worth checking against its actual label.

Are AG1 and IM8 the same price?
+

Close, on what's confirmed. IM8 has published its own subscriber price at approximately $2.96/serving. There is no equivalently sourced current figure for AG1 confirmed for this page, so treat any specific AG1 number as unconfirmed until checked directly on their site. Historically the two have landed in a similar range.

Do AG1 and IM8 both have NSF Certified for Sport status?
+

Yes, both brands hold NSF Certified for Sport status on their flagship daily powders, meaning each batch is tested against a list of substances banned in competitive sport. This is one of the few areas where the two products are functionally equivalent.

What's the main formulation difference between AG1 and IM8?
+

Both group a meaningful share of their formula into named, combined-weight complexes rather than individual doses — AG1 openly, IM8 despite marketing language stating otherwise. Where they differ more clearly is gut support: IM8's marketing describes prebiotic and postbiotic ingredients alongside a broader enzyme panel than AG1's single enzyme, though those specifics should be checked against IM8's actual label rather than its marketing copy.

Is there an alternative to both AG1 and IM8?
+

Yes. ThryveOn VITALS is a 63-ingredient daily formula that fully discloses every ingredient amount with no proprietary blends, manufactured in the USA by Vitaquest (New Jersey), a cGMP facility. It's newer to market than either AG1 or IM8, so it doesn't yet have their length of public track record.

See all ThryveOn FAQs →

References

Formulation Data

AG1 Next Gen Supplement Facts panel (drinkag1.com, accessed September 2026).

IM8 Essentials PRO Supplement Facts panel and press materials (im8health.com, accessed September 2026).

This page compares two products, neither of which is manufactured by ThryveOn Naturals. All claims about AG1 and IM8 are sourced from each brand's own published materials as of September 2026 and are subject to change — verify directly before purchasing.

*This comparison page was authored by ThryveOn Naturals, which manufactures VITALS, a product in the same category as both AG1 and IM8 — disclosed here directly. All AG1 and IM8 formulation data is sourced from each brand's own publicly published materials as of September 2026. AG1 and Athletic Greens are registered trademarks of their respective owners; IM8® is a trademark of Prenetics Global Limited. ThryveOn Naturals is not affiliated with either brand. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary.