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Best Folate Supplements (2026)
Clinical dose: 400-800mcg daily for general health; at least 400mcg of folic acid daily before conception and during pregnancy for neural tube defect prevention (folic acid is the form proven for this); a prior neural tube defect pregnancy calls for a higher dose set by your doctor
Bottom line
In our scoring, Folate / Methylfolate rates strong evidence: the research is strong for neural tube defect prevention. Our top-scored product is Pure Encapsulations Folate 400mcg (L-Methylfolate) (91/100), about $0.24 a day at a clinical dose of 400-800mcg daily for general health. Bottom line: worth it for the right goal. This is our opinion, not medical advice; talk to your clinician before starting.
Our Top Picks
Pure Encapsulations Folate 400mcg (L-Methylfolate)
$0.24/day at effective dose
Price checked 2026-08-07
Pregnant or planning to be? Our Top Pick is a methylfolate. CDC says folic acid is the only type of folate shown to help prevent neural tube defects, so choose the folic acid option on this page unless your OB says otherwise.
Nature Made Folic Acid 400mcg
$0.02/day at effective dose
Price checked 2026-08-07
Thorne 5-MTHF 1mg (L-Methylfolate)
$0.40/day at effective dose
Price checked 2026-08-07
We earn commissions on purchases made through our links. This never influences our scores or recommendations. See our editorial policy.
What to know first
Folate is the rare supplement where the evidence is genuinely settled, and the form question has a clear answer for pregnancy. Folic acid is the proven form. ACOG says "Folic acid is the only form of folate that has been proven to help prevent NTDs," and the CDC recommends 400mcg of folic acid daily for anyone who could become pregnant.
Folic acid is also the form used in the trials that established the benefit and in food fortification. L-methylfolate is the form your body ends up using, and it is sold as an alternative, but it has far less neural tube defect evidence. You may have read that a gene called MTHFR means folic acid does not work for you. The CDC says people with an MTHFR variant "can process all types of folate, including folic acid."
The folic acid here costs $0.02 a day and our top methylfolate costs $0.24, twelve times more. For most people the cheap tablet is the right buy, and it is the highest-scoring product we tested. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, choose folic acid unless your OB advises otherwise. One caution that applies to both: intakes above 1,000mcg a day can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, so the higher-dose products here are not automatically the better ones. Our full folate scorecard grades each product separately.
The Verdict
Pure Encapsulations Folate 400 is our Top Pick at $0.24 a day. It is Metafolin L-methylfolate at exactly the 400mcg target, hypoallergenic, Eurofins-tested, and it scores 91. Nature Made Folic Acid is our Best Value at $0.02 a day, and it scores 93, the highest on this page, because it is USP Verified and costs almost nothing. That the Best Value outscores the Top Pick is deliberate rather than an oversight: Nature Made is the better-executed product, and it is folic acid, the form ACOG says is proven to help prevent neural tube defects. Our Top Pick is the pick among methylfolates, not a reason to skip folic acid.
Between the methylfolates, Bluebonnet at $0.21 a day is the cheapest here and slightly undercuts our Top Pick at a higher 800mcg dose. Thorne at $0.40 and Seeking Health at $0.33 are both dosed at 1,000mcg, which is more than most people need and sits right at the level where B12 masking becomes a genuine consideration. The recommendation is unusually simple for this category: buy the two-cent folic acid tablet, especially if pregnancy is possible, and choose a methylfolate only if your clinician suggests one.
Folic acid or methylfolate: which form to choose
Folic acid is synthetic folate. It is what fortified flour and cereal contain and what the landmark trials used, so the evidence base sits on this form. ACOG says it is the only form of folate proven to help prevent neural tube defects.
L-methylfolate is the active form your body makes from folic acid. It is sold as an alternative and skips the conversion steps, but it has far less neural tube defect evidence.
Some people carry an MTHFR gene variant that changes one of those steps. The CDC says they can still process all types of folate, including folic acid, and that common variants are not a reason to avoid folic acid. So the practical choice looks like this:
- Nature Made Folic Acid, 400mcg, $0.02 a day, USP Verified, scores 93. Our Best Value and the highest-scoring product here.
- Pure Encapsulations Folate 400, 400mcg Metafolin, $0.24 a day, scores 91. Our Top Pick, and an alternative if your clinician suggests methylfolate.
- Bluebonnet, 800mcg Quatrefolic, $0.21 a day. The cheapest methylfolate on the page.
- Seeking Health, 1,000mcg at $0.33, and Thorne, 1,000mcg Metafolin at $0.40. Both above what most people need.
Metafolin and Quatrefolic are the two branded methylfolate ingredients worth recognising on a label, and both are the genuine article. The scorecard carries the full pillar breakdown for each.
Why more folate is not better
The target is 400 to 800mcg a day. Above roughly 1,000mcg, supplemental folate can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency: it corrects the anaemia that would otherwise reveal the deficiency while the nerve damage carries on underneath. That is a documented clinical concern rather than a theoretical one, and it is why the tolerable upper intake level for supplemental folate sits at 1,000mcg a day.
Two of the five products here are dosed at exactly that line: Thorne at $0.40 a day and Seeking Health at $0.33. Neither is a bad product, and both are entirely reasonable for someone whose clinician has recommended a higher dose. They simply are not the default, and the pricing does not signal that, so you can end up paying more for a dose you did not need.
Whatever dose you land on, co-supplementing B12 is sensible, and it is worth clearing the timing with your doctor if you take methotrexate, which works by blocking folate.
What the Evidence Says About Folate / Methylfolate
How A-F grades work- ANeural tube defect prevention
- AHomocysteine reduction
- CCardiovascular disease prevention
- BDepression / antidepressant augmentation
- CCognitive decline prevention
A = strong RCT evidence · B = moderate · C = limited · D = weak · F = no evidence.
Detailed Reviews
Nature Made Folic Acid 400mcg
folic acid | 400mcg/serving | 250 servings
Price checked 2026-08-07
The most trusted, most affordable folic acid option. The form ACOG calls proven for neural tube defect prevention, and the lowest-cost option here. USP Verified quality.
Pure Encapsulations Folate 400mcg (L-Methylfolate)
Pregnant or planning to be? Our Top Pick is a methylfolate. CDC says folic acid is the only type of folate shown to help prevent neural tube defects, so choose the folic acid option on this page unless your OB says otherwise.
L-methylfolate (Metafolin) | 400mcg/serving | 90 servings
Price checked 2026-08-07
Our top methylfolate pick: Metafolin form, Eurofins-tested, hypoallergenic, at a more reasonable per-day cost than the 1mg premium options. Also the best choice for people with food sensitivities.
Bluebonnet CellularActive Methylfolate 800 mcg
L-methylfolate (Quatrefolic) vegetable capsule | 800mcg/serving | 60 servings
Price checked 2026-08-07
Excellent value for 800mcg methylfolate. The 800mcg dose is convenient for pregnancy support without needing multiple capsules.
Also Scored
Thorne 5-MTHF 1mg (L-Methylfolate)
$0.40/day | L-methylfolate (Metafolin)
Price checked 2026-08-07
Full score breakdownSeeking Health L-Methylfolate 1mg (1,700 mcg DFE)
$0.33/day | L-methylfolate (L-5-MTHF)
Price checked 2026-08-07
Full score breakdownProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply.
What to Look For When Buying
- ✓400 to 800mcg a day is the target; more is not better, and above 1,000mcg supplemental folate can mask a B12 deficiency
- ✓Folic acid is the form used in the landmark trials and in fortified flour, and ACOG calls it the only form proven to help prevent neural tube defects
- ✓The CDC says people with an MTHFR variant can process all types of folate, including folic acid, so a variant is not a reason to skip it
- ✓L-methylfolate is a reasonable alternative outside pregnancy, but it has far less neural tube defect evidence
- ✓If you are pregnant or planning to be, choose folic acid unless your OB advises otherwise
- ✓Metafolin and Quatrefolic are the two branded methylfolate ingredients worth recognising on a label
- ✓Co-supplement B12, and clear the timing with your doctor if you take methotrexate, which works by blocking folate
Our #1 Pick
Pure Encapsulations Folate 400mcg (L-Methylfolate)
Frequently Asked Questions
Folic acid vs methylfolate - which should I take?
For pregnancy or trying to conceive, take folic acid. ACOG says "Folic acid is the only form of folate that has been proven to help prevent NTDs," and the CDC says people with an MTHFR variant "can process all types of folate, including folic acid." Methylfolate is a reasonable alternative for other uses, but it has far less neural tube defect evidence and we do not call it safer. Folic acid is also cheaper. If you want methylfolate during pregnancy, ask your ob-gyn first.
What is MTHFR and should I get tested?
MTHFR is a gene that encodes an enzyme involved in turning folate into its active methylfolate form. Common variants (C677T, A1298C) reduce how well that enzyme works. The CDC says common MTHFR variants "are not a reason to avoid folic acid" and that people with a variant can process all types of folate, including folic acid. For most people, testing will not change which form to take, so ask your doctor before paying for a test.
How much folate do pregnant women need?
ACOG says to take a prenatal vitamin with at least 400mcg of folic acid starting at least 1 month before pregnancy if possible and during the first 12 weeks, and the CDC recommends 400mcg of folic acid daily for anyone who could become pregnant. Women who have already had a child with a neural tube defect are advised by ACOG to take 4mg (4,000mcg) of folic acid per day as a separate supplement, which requires a prescription-strength supplement. Most prenatal vitamins contain 400-1,000mcg. The critical window is the first 28 days after conception - often before a positive pregnancy test.
What is the difference between 'DFE' and 'mcg' on folate labels?
DFE stands for 'Dietary Folate Equivalents' - a unit accounting for the fact that synthetic folic acid is ~1.7x more bioavailable than naturally occurring food folate. 400mcg folic acid = 680mcg DFE. Labels from 2020 forward are required to list folate in mcg DFE. 400mcg of L-methylfolate = 400mcg DFE. When comparing products, use mcg DFE for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Can folate supplementation help with depression?
Possibly, particularly for people with MTHFR variants and low folate status. Clinical trials have used 15mg/day of L-methylfolate as an adjunct to antidepressants (Deplin is the prescription version). Studies show it particularly helps patients who have not responded adequately to SSRIs/SNRIs alone. At standard supplemental doses (400-800mcg), the antidepressant effect is less certain but correcting deficiency may improve baseline mood. This is not a standalone depression treatment.
Sources
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.