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Nature Made vs NOW Foods Potassium (2026)
Disclosure: We earn commissions on purchases made through our links. This never influences our scores. Editorial policy
The Verdict
Nature Made edges NOW Foods on our rubric, 77 to 75 on our 0-100 execution score, almost entirely on purity verification (23 vs 20), where USP Verified is the strongest third-party seal available in this category and NOW has no USP or NSF certification on this SKU. NOW wins transparency (23 vs 22) and delivers 99mg of elemental potassium against Nature Made's 90mg, in the citrate form our notes prefer over gluconate; it carries our Best Value badge in the potassium scorecard. In our view the USP seal is what it is: it guarantees the tablet contains what the label says and disintegrates properly.
It does not make 90mg a meaningful dose. If you want the strongest quality assurance in the category, Nature Made is the pick; if you want the preferred form and a few more milligrams, NOW is. Neither is a substitute for dietary potassium, and anyone considering potassium supplementation for a medical reason should be doing that with a doctor rather than an over-the-counter tablet.
Nature Made Potassium Gluconate 550 mg (90 mg elemental)
Nature Made
NOW Foods Potassium Citrate 99 mg
NOW Foods
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Category | Nature Made Potassium Gluconate 550 mg (90 mg elemental) Nature Made | NOW Foods Potassium Citrate 99 mg NOW Foods |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Score | 77/100Winner | 75/100 |
| Dosing & Form | 10/25Winner | 10/25 |
| Purity | 23/25Winner | 20/25 |
| Value | 22/25Winner | 22/25 |
| Transparency | 22/25 | 23/25Winner |
| Cost/Day | $0.04Winner | $0.05 |
| Dose/Serving | 90mg | 99mg |
| Form | potassium gluconate tablet | potassium citrate capsule |
| Third-Party Tested | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Proprietary Blend | No | No |
Why This Comparison Matters
Before anything else, the honest framing: neither of these products delivers a dose our rubric considers meaningful. Both score 10 out of 25 on our dosing and form pillar, because US over-the-counter potassium supplements are effectively capped at 99mg, which is under 3% of daily needs. That cap is a regulatory artifact, not a formulation failure, and it applies to the whole category.
With that established, the two do differ. Nature Made delivers 90mg of elemental potassium from 550mg of potassium gluconate in a tablet, and it is USP Verified. NOW Foods delivers 99mg from potassium citrate in a capsule, from an NPA GMP audited facility, and citrate is the form our data prefers of the two.
Both are inexpensive: about $0.04 per day for Nature Made and about $0.05 for NOW.
Detailed Score Breakdown
Nature Made Potassium Gluconate 550 mg (90 mg elemental)
Nature Made
90 mg elemental potassium from 550 mg potassium gluconate. Below even the 99 mg OTC cap. Not a clinically meaningful dose.
USP Verified - independently tested for purity, potency, and disintegration. Gold standard third-party certification.
$0.04/day - excellent price, but you are paying for 90 mg of potassium, which has no demonstrated clinical benefit at this dose
Label clearly states 550 mg potassium gluconate yielding 90 mg elemental potassium. USP seal displayed. Minor deduction: gluconate is not the preferred form.
USP Verified is the gold standard for quality assurance. But the gluconate form delivers only 90 mg elemental potassium - even less than the 99 mg cap. The USP seal guarantees quality; it does not guarantee a meaningful dose.
NOW Foods Potassium Citrate 99 mg
NOW Foods
99 mg potassium citrate - well below any clinically effective dose for blood pressure. Evidence for potassium is strong; evidence for this dose is not.
NOW Foods is NPA GMP audited. No USP or NSF certification on this product. Consistent quality reputation.
$0.05/day after a modest rise - still among the cheapest potassium options from a major brand, though the dose is essentially negligible
Full ingredient disclosure, potassium citrate form clearly specified, no proprietary blends, clean label
Clean formulation in the preferred citrate form. But 99 mg is less than 3% of daily needs - this is not a meaningful dose for blood pressure or most health outcomes.
How We Compared These Products
Every product in our database is scored on four equally-weighted pillars: dosing accuracy and form quality, purity verification (third-party testing), cost per clinically effective dose (not cost per pill), and label transparency. Each pillar is worth 25 points for a total of 100.
Cost per effective dose is calculated using the clinically studied dose from published research, not the manufacturer's suggested serving. If a product requires multiple servings to reach the dose used in clinical trials, that cost is reflected in the value score.
For a full explanation of our scoring methodology, see our methodology page. Prices were last checked on the dates listed for each product and may have changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are both potassium supplements dosed so low?
US over-the-counter potassium supplements are effectively capped around 99mg per serving, which is under 3% of daily needs. That is why both products score 10 out of 25 on our dosing and form pillar despite being well made. The cap is a category-wide constraint, not a fault of either brand.
Is potassium citrate better than potassium gluconate?
Our notes treat citrate as the preferred form, which is why Nature Made's gluconate takes a small transparency deduction on our scoring. NOW Foods uses citrate and delivers 99mg elemental; Nature Made uses gluconate and delivers 90mg elemental from a 550mg tablet. The difference is modest at doses this small.
More Potassium Comparisons
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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.