Vitamin D3 1,000 IU vs 5,000 IU: which costs less?
Our picks, by labeled strength, with a link to buy them: see where to buy. A strength with nothing certified at it has no pick, and is not listed there.
Per 1,000 IU, the cheapest 1,000 IU product we track costs 4.43¢ and the cheapest 5,000 IU product costs 0.96¢, about 4.6× less per unit for the stronger softgel. Both figures are among capsules, softgels and tablets; 3 packages at these strengths in another format are priced against their own format on the category page.
This is a price comparison and nothing else. Which strength anyone should take is a question for the person and their clinician, and it is not answered here. Everywhere else the site ranks products only within a strength; this page sets two strengths side by side on price alone. Prices are before delivery.
1,000 IU, 10 products
| Product | Per 1,000 IU | Bottle | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Research Vitamin D3 1,000 IU (360 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | 4.43¢ | $15.95 | 360 |
| BulkSupplements.com Vitamin D3 1,000 IU Softgels (500 count) | 4.59¢ | $22.97 | 500 |
| Nutricost Vitamin D3 1,000 IU (240 softgels) | 6.24¢ | $14.97 | 240 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU (300 softgels) | 6.43¢ | $19.29 | 300 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU (180 softgels) | 6.94¢ | $12.49 | 180 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU (100 softgels) | 8.59¢ | $8.59 | 100 |
| Thorne Vitamin D-1,000 (180 capsules) | 18.3¢ | $33.00 | 180 |
| Thorne Vitamin D-1,000 (90 capsules) | 18.9¢ | $17.00 | 90 |
| MegaFood Vitamin D3 1,000 IU (90 tablets) Second active this price does not pay for: food blend 724 mg (organic brown rice, S. cerevisiae, organic parsley leaf, organic broccoli, organic carrot, organic beetroot) | 30.0¢ | $26.99 | 90 |
| MegaFood Vitamin D3 1,000 IU (60 tablets) Second active this price does not pay for: food blend 724 mg (organic brown rice, S. cerevisiae, organic parsley leaf, organic broccoli, organic carrot, organic beetroot) | 35.0¢ | $20.99 | 60 |
5,000 IU, 12 products
| Product | Per 1,000 IU | Bottle | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro Ingredients Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (500 softgels) | 0.96¢ | $23.95 | 500 |
| Sports Research Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (360 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | 1.05¢ | $18.95 | 360 |
| BulkSupplements.com Vitamin D3 5,000 IU Softgels (500 count) | 1.12¢ | $27.97 | 500 |
| Nutricost Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (240 softgels) | 1.25¢ | $14.97 | 240 |
| BulkSupplements.com Vitamin D3 5,000 IU Softgels (365 count) | 1.42¢ | $25.97 | 365 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 Extra Strength 5000 IU (180 softgels) | 3.22¢ | $28.99 | 180 |
| Nutricost Vegan Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (60 capsules) | 3.99¢ | $11.97 | 60 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 Extra Strength 5000 IU (90 softgels) | 4.00¢ | $17.99 | 90 |
| Nature Made Vitamin D3 Extra Strength 5000 IU Fast Dissolve (70 tablets) | 5.43¢ | $18.99 | 70 |
| Momentous Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (60 capsules) | 6.33¢ | $18.99 | 60 |
| Thorne Vitamin D-5,000, NSF Certified for Sport (120 capsules) | 6.50¢ | $39.00 | 120 |
| Thorne Vitamin D-5,000, NSF Certified for Sport (60 capsules) | 6.67¢ | $20.00 | 60 |
Strength and count are read from each product's own label. Every strength we track, each ranked only against itself, is on the vitamin D3 page.
Where to buy: the picks, by labeled strength
The pick is the cheapest certified product, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no adverse finding on record, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving; per delivered dose where the retailer publishes a delivery rate. Where none does, it is the cheapest such product before delivery, and it says how far the order is from free delivery. It is the same pick the category page shows.
How these lines are chosen
Among 10 products and 10 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
How these lines are chosen
Among 8 products and 8 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
How these lines are chosen
Among 4 products and 4 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
How these lines are chosen
Among 12 products and 12 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
How these lines are chosen
Among 3 products and 3 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
How these lines are chosen
Among 2 products and 2 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below. No product here that clears every other bar publishes a delivery rate below its free-delivery threshold, so the pick is priced before delivery.
How these lines are chosen
Among 10 products and 10 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below. No product here that clears every other bar publishes a delivery rate below its free-delivery threshold, so the pick is priced before delivery.
Full comparison of every product in this category: Vitamin D3. Every question we answer: the question index.
What this rests on: prices we last recorded at the retailer named on each product page, which go stale, and each page says when it was checked; the products we track, not every product sold, and Amazon and Walmart are not among the stores; listings and labels read at the source, each linked from the page. Found an error? Tell us. The full method: How we compare.