Methylcobalamin vs cyanocobalamin: what is the price difference?
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.
4 labeled strengths we track are sold in both forms, so the two can be set side by side at each: 200 mcg, 1,000 mcg, 3,000 mcg, 5,000 mcg.
At 200 mcg a serving, the cheapest methylcobalamin we track costs 19.0¢ per 1,000 mcg and the cheapest cyanocobalamin 18.0¢, a gap of 1.0¢. Every package at this strength is BulkSupplements.com's, so this is one seller's two lines side by side, not the two forms across the market.
At 1,000 mcg a serving, the cheapest methylcobalamin we track costs 6.65¢ per 1,000 mcg and the cheapest cyanocobalamin 15.9¢, a gap of 9.3¢.
At 3,000 mcg a serving, the cheapest methylcobalamin we track costs 9.26¢ per 1,000 mcg and the cheapest cyanocobalamin 10.2¢, a gap of 0.9¢.
At 5,000 mcg a serving, the cheapest methylcobalamin we track costs 2.16¢ per 1,000 mcg and the cheapest cyanocobalamin 7.33¢, a gap of 5.17¢.
The argument usually made between these two forms is about how the body absorbs and uses them. Those are claims about physiology. We do not measure any of them, and this page does not settle them. The form is read from each Supplement Facts panel, shown as a spec, and never enters the cost ranking. Prices are before delivery.
200 mcg, 4 products
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | BulkSupplements.com Vitamin B12 Methylcobalamin 200 mcg (500 capsules) | 19.0¢ | $18.97 | 500 |
| Methylcobalamin | BulkSupplements.com Vitamin B12 Methylcobalamin 200 mcg (240 capsules) | 39.5¢ | $18.97 | 240 |
| Cyanocobalamin | BulkSupplements.com Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin 200 mcg (500 capsules) | 18.0¢ | $17.97 | 500 |
| Cyanocobalamin | BulkSupplements.com Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin 200 mcg (240 capsules) | 39.5¢ | $18.97 | 240 |
500 mcg, 1 product
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 500 mcg (240 capsules) | 13.3¢ | $15.97 | 240 |
720 mcg, 1 product
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | Havasu Nutrition Organic Methyl B12 Liquid 720 mcg (1 fl oz) | 83.3¢ | $17.99 | 30 |
1,000 mcg, 7 products
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 1,000 mcg (240 capsules) | 6.65¢ | $15.97 | 240 |
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 1,000 mcg (120 capsules) | 9.97¢ | $11.97 | 120 |
| Methylcobalamin | Thorne Vitamin B12 1,000 mcg (90 capsules) | 37.8¢ | $34.00 | 90 |
| Methylcobalamin | Thorne Vitamin B12 1,000 mcg (60 capsules) | 40.0¢ | $24.00 | 60 |
| Cyanocobalamin | Nature Made Vitamin B12 1000 mcg (150 softgels) | 15.9¢ | $23.89 | 150 |
| Cyanocobalamin | Nature Made Vitamin B12 1000 mcg (90 softgels) | 19.2¢ | $17.29 | 90 |
| Cyanocobalamin | Nature Made Vitamin B12 Fast Dissolve 1000 mcg (50 tablets) | 19.8¢ | $9.89 | 50 |
2,000 mcg, 3 products
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 2,000 mcg (240 capsules) | 3.54¢ | $16.97 | 240 |
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 2,000 mcg (120 capsules) | 5.82¢ | $13.97 | 120 |
| Methylcobalamin | Sports Research Methyl Vitamin B12 2,000 mcg (120 liquid veggie capsules) | 10.4¢ | $24.95 | 120 |
3,000 mcg, 2 products
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | MegaFood Extra Strength Methyl B12 3,000 mcg (90 capsules) | 9.26¢ | $24.99 | 90 |
| Cyanocobalamin | Nature Made Vitamin B12 Extra Strength 3000 mcg (60 softgels) | 10.2¢ | $18.39 | 60 |
5,000 mcg, 5 products
| Form | Product | Per 1,000 mcg | Bottle | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 5,000 mcg (240 capsules) | 2.16¢ | $25.97 | 240 |
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Organic Vitamin B12 Liquid Drops 5,000 mcg (3.8 fl oz) | 2.95¢ | $16.97 | 115 |
| Methylcobalamin | Nutricost Vitamin B12 5,000 mcg (120 capsules) | 3.16¢ | $18.97 | 120 |
| Methylcobalamin | Sports Research Methyl Vitamin B12 5,000 mcg (120 liquid veggie capsules) | 4.99¢ | $29.95 | 120 |
| Cyanocobalamin | Nature Made Vitamin B12 Maximum Strength 5000 mcg (60 softgels) | 7.33¢ | $21.99 | 60 |
Strength, form and servings are read from each product's own label. Every strength, each priced only against itself, is on the methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin pages. Which bottles a certifier names: which vitamin B12 brands are third-party tested.
Where to buy: the pick for each type
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 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 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 1 product and 1 retailer listing 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 1 product and 1 retailer listing 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.
Full comparison of every product in this category: Vitamin B12. 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.