In this nootropic comparison, we pit against each other one of the first mainstream nootropics and one of the newest additions on the market. Alpha Brain came out in 2011 and has been a staple on the nootropic market ever since, despite some shortcomings.
Feedamind is a barely a year-old product that came out with big promises. But does being new bring any benefits, and how does the formulation compare to that of Alpha Brain?
Despite being chronically underdosed, Alpha Brain still has higher doses of some shared ingredients than Feedamind. The Onnit product boasts a complete formulation study and tens of thousands of reviews, making it the better choice here.
Feedamind fails to impress in the short term, and the higher price is not justified by its few extra speculative ingredients compared to Alpha Brain.
Feature | Winner |
---|---|
Ingredients | Feedamind |
Dosage | Alpha Brain |
Short-Term Effects | Feedamind |
Long Term Effects | Alpha Brain |
Third-Party Testing | Draw |
Clinical Research | Alpha Brain |
Side Effects | Draw |
User Reviews | Alpha Brain |
Price | Alpha Brain |
Quick Verdict
Alpha Brain is a superior nootropic supplement with a range of effective ingredients and a positive third-party clinical trial.
Feedamind has more ingredients, including most of the ones in Alpha Brain, but the low dosages, lack of user reviews or studies, and higher price make Alpha Brain the preferable choice.
What Is Feedamind?
Feedamind is a relatively new nootropic supplement that entered the market in 2023. It is produced and distributed by the Irish company Karobra Ltd.
The product is touted as a combination of cutting-edge science and natural ingredients that should boost your mind and give it all the fuel it needs to operate optimally.
Feedamind is made in the USA in FDA-compliant facilities and is suitable for students, traders, gamers, business professionals, and many others.
Learn more about the ingredients list and my experience with it in the Feedamind review.
What Is Alpha Brain?
Alpha Brain is a nootropic developed by Onnit Labs, a well-known manufacturer of health and fitness products and equipment.
Joe Rogan, the co-founder of Onnit and owner of the world’s most popular podcasts has been endorsing Alpha Brain, contributing significantly to its popularity.
Alpha Brain came out in 2011 as a cutting-edge, caffeine-free brain blend that improves cognitive performance.
It was one of the first nootropics tested in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. It is suitable for students, professionals at work, gamers, entrepreneurs, and other groups seeking optimal cognitive performance.
Dive deeper into the formulation and features in the Alpha Brain review.
Feedamind vs. Alpha Brain Main Differences
Benefits
Feedamind improves your focus, concentration, and memory recall. Its all-natural blend boosts focus, memory, hand-eye coordination, and brain energy, allowing you to perform at your best.
Feedamind does not contain bulking agents or artificial ingredients. An in-house biotechnologist meticulously selects all ingredients, which undergo rigorous quality control.
Alpha Brain is a comprehensive supplement that improves memory, focus, and cognitive function. The blend comprises several compounds that have been shown to promote cognitive performance.
Onnit describes the pill as the “ultimate way to get in the zone” by increasing brainwave activity. One function of the Alpha Brain is to modulate the amounts of acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter.
Ingredients
Feedamind has a transparent list of ingredients, including 11 active components that aim to tackle all areas of cognitive function.
Alpha Brain also contains many ingredients, but the product does not disclose exact dosages. Instead, there are three distinct proprietary blends: Onnit Flow, Focus, and Fuel.
This approach prevents us from knowing exactly how much of each component is in a blend, as we only have the total for each. Therefore, the dosages listed here are my estimations only.
We will start with L-theanine, an amino acid found in most nootropics. It is a powerful antioxidant with a proven positive effect on stress reduction, verbal fluency, and executive function [1][2].
L-theanine also works excellently with caffeine to increase its positive and decrease its negative effects. Although Alpha Brain and Feedamind don’t contain caffeine, if you sip a drink with caffeine, it’s worth knowing L-theanine’s synergistic effect with the popular stimulant.
Feedamind contains only 50 mg of L-theanine, while Alpha Brain likely has around 150 mg.
L-tyrosine is also found in the two products. The substance is known to improve task switching and mental performance, especially in stressful environments [3][4]. Alpha brain has a slightly higher dose, 300 mg (my estimation), while Feedamind contains 250 mg.
Both products also contain Oat Straw extract, which has potential cognitive function benefits, but more comprehensive studies are needed to prove the initial claims.
Feedamind and Alpha Brain’s Focus Blend contain Bacopa Monnieri and Alpha GPC.
Bacopa Monnieri is an ayurvedic herb used in many nootropics because of its positive effects on verbal learning, memory development, attention, and processing speed [7][8].
Alpha-GPC, a choline-containing phospholipid, enhances cognitive performance in neurological disorders such as dementia. Studies also demonstrate it improves attention and may benefit brain health [9].
Feedamind has 250 mg of Bacopa, which is a low dose in general but higher than the one in Alpha Brain. Both have 100 mg of Alpha GPC, which is under the known efficacious dose.
The two supplements also contain Cat’s Claw extract, which is even listed as a standalone ingredient in Alpha Brain. Despite being a highly popular inclusion in nootropics, Cat’s Claw lacks sufficient scientific studies backing its effectiveness for cognition.
Yet another common ingredient is Pterostilbene, which combats cognitive decline in relation to aging [5].
Chocamine, a patented cocoa-based chemical that claims to deliver the same advantages as chocolate but without the sugar and fat, is an essential component of the Feedamind formulation. The primary active element in chocamine is theobromine.
Studies have shown that theobromine is unlikely to offer significant cognitive benefits on its own, but taking it with coffee may modify its effects and bring additional mood and cognitive benefits [6].
Marigold flower extract is used in Feedamind to provide 6 mg of lutein, a carotenoid found in the eyes. The chemical is beneficial for eye health and can improve macular pigment optical density and visual acuity. [10].
Dynamine is an alkaloid similar to theacrine. When mixed with caffeine, it results in faster absorption and more sustained energy without a crash. Research indicates that it may increase memory and reaction time in esports competitors [11].
A notable Alpha Brain ingredient in an efficacious dose is Phosphatidylserine. Daily supplementation with the substance has been shown to positively impact memory in older adults [12].
Stimulant vs. Non-Stimulant
Feedamind is a non-stimulant nootropic that uses ingredients like Dynamine, Chocamine, and Oat Straw extract instead of caffeine to provide fast energy and boost mood.
Alpha Brain is also a non-stim nootropic. The benefit of having no stimulants is that everyone can use the supplements. While it’s generally preferable to take them in the morning, no caffeine means you can take the pills a little later in the day without the danger of ruining your sleep.
Remember that the blends still provide some energy and may negatively influence sleep if taken close to bedtime.
Alpha Brain also has a Black Label version, which contains caffeine, but there are multiple differences in the ingredients, so it’s generally a different product from the original version.
Short vs. Long-Term Effects
Both products have short—and long-term benefits, but without stimulants, the immediate effects are barely noticeable, if at all. Non-stim nootropics, harnessing natural ingredients, work best when taken daily for months at a time.
If you are looking for something to immediately pick you up, look for a nootropic with caffeine in it.
Clinical Research
Alpha Brain was the first nootropic with published peer-reviewed studies. The research discovered that taking Alpha Brain for 6 weeks significantly enhanced tasks such as delayed verbal recall and executive functioning compared to a placebo-controlled group [13].
The issue with the study, though, is that Onnit paid for it, so the objectivity of the results will always be questioned.
Feedamind does not have a complete formula study, so Alpha Brain clearly wins in this category.
Side Effects
Both products contain quite a few ingredients that could possibly cause adverse effects in some people. Nonetheless, the substances are typically considered safe and well-tolerated at significantly higher levels than those in Alpha Brain or Feedamind.
However, just as the beneficial effects of any nootropics can vary from person to person, so can the negative effects, which typically include stomach problems, headaches, or dizziness.
User Reviews
Feedamind’s website lacks any user reviews, which is something many companies unfortunately do.
However, I discovered a handful of reviews on Trustpilot; half are good, and half are poor, which does not speak highly of the product.
Alpha Brain does things right and provides full access to user reviews on the company’s website. Since the product is also sold on Amazon, you have a wealth of reviews to read if you want to.
The score on Amazon is 4.3, whereas on the website, it is 3.5. Some customers report lackluster experiences similar to mine, but given the vast number of reviews, the score clearly shows a solid level of satisfaction among most buyers.
Price
Product | 1 Bottle | 1 / 2 Bottles | Subscription / 3 Bottles |
---|---|---|---|
Alpha Brain | $34.95 / 15 servings ($2.33 / serving) | $79.95 / 45 servings ($1.78/ serving) | $67.96 with sub ($1.51 / serving) |
Feedamind | $72.99 / 30 servings ($2.43 / serving) | $135.99 / 60 servings ($2.26 / serving) | $199 / 90 servings ($2.21 / serving) |
My Experience With Feedamind and Alpha Brain
Neither product managed to impress me, as I felt little benefit after taking them.
Feedamind is marketed as the one nootropic that can replace them all, but in my experience, this bold claim has proven to be far from true. Chocamine should deliver an energy boost similar to caffeine; however, the effect is minimal.
I tried it several times before intellectually challenging assignments, but the results were always disappointing.
Feedamind is more of a short-term nootropic, but I haven’t experienced any immediate effects. However, a handful of the substances perform significantly better with time, so if you invest in a three-month stack, perhaps the advantages will be much more evident.
Alpha Brain also does not work immediately, and I would prefer a better-formulated nootropic over either of the ones compared in this review.
Should You Choose Feedamind or Alpha Brain?
Despite my poor experience with Alpha Brain, the peer-reviewed clinical study and the thousands of positive reviews cannot be ignored, and I recommend you pick it over Feedamind.
Many people seem to love Alpha Brain, and with many proven ingredients inside, the product will likely deliver benefits in the long run, even though it is underdosed.
A noteworthy point is that three of Feedamind’s components—L-theanine, Chocamine, and dynamine—greatly enhance caffeine’s effect.
So, if you love coffee, perhaps Feedamind can be a suitable supplement to add to your morning cup of coffee to enhance the benefits and deliver possible long-term brain health and function improvements.
Winner
Alpha Brain
A nootropic supplement backed by prominent podcasters and clinical research for boosting brain function.
CHECK CURRENT DEALSSecond Best Option
Feedamind
A nootropic containing a few ingredients that boost the effects of caffeine without containing the stimulant in the formula.
CHECK CURRENT DEALSReferences
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