
Focus Factor and Neuriva sit side by side in major grocery stores. Does this make them legit nootropics? And how do you decide which one is better?
Quick Verdict
Focus Factor is the better product because it contains over a dozen ingredients, many of which are proven nootropics. Neuriva has only two active ingredients, and the main one hasn’t been sufficiently studied.
However, Focus Factor’s formulation is severely underdosed, and the quantities of each ingredient are highly unlikely to produce the desired effects in the brain.
The two products are popular because they are widely available and affordable. But if you are serious about enhancing your cognitive capabilities, neither Focus Factor nor Neuriva will deliver results.
Feature | Winner |
---|---|
Ingredients | Focus Factor |
Dosage | Neuriva |
Short-Term Effects | Draw |
Long Term Effects | Focus Factor |
Third-Party Testing | Draw |
Clinical Research | Draw |
Side Effects | Draw |
User Reviews | Draw |
Price | Draw |
Winner
I can’t recommend Focus Factor or Neuriva as effective nootropic supplements. Both or underdosed or use single speculative ingredients.
Instead, NooCube’s formulation contains a range of effective ingredients, and I’ve felt a mental sharpness using it.
What Is Neuriva?

Neuriva is a popular nootropic brain-boosting supplement and one of the most widely distributed. It can be found at major stores like Walmart and Target.
Neuriva is a product of Reckitt, which also manufactures health and nutrition products, including Durex, Dettol, Mucinex, and others.
Neuriva is touted as a brain health supplement taken daily to improve cognitive performance in areas such as memory, focus, and learning.
The supplement can benefit people of all ages and occupations, but it promises the most benefit to aging people as a way to counteract cognitive decline.
My Neurvia review goes into full detail regarding their formulation and studies.
What Is Focus Factor?

Focus Factor is a prominent brain supplement on the American market that has been available for decades. The product is intended to boost various aspects of mental function, including memory, concentration, and focus.
The company also manufactures a variety of other supplements, including energy drinks and vision enhancement pills.
Focus Factor has a massive advantage over many competitors in distribution and availability, as it is widely available in major retailers such as Costco.
My Focus Factor review goes into full detail regarding their formulation and studies.
Neuriva vs. Focus Factor Main Differences

Benefits
Focus Factor is designed to boost brain power and deliver the same benefits typical for all nootropics. These include better memory, concentration, focus, and overall brain health. The product also contains many vitamins and minerals and can be used as a complete multivitamin supplement.
Neuriva is also designed to optimize brain health and enhance cognitive function across the board, but with only two active ingredients, the potential effects are less in quantity.
The main ingredient, Neurofactor, is used to increase the level of BDNF, which plays a critical role in the maintenance of brain cells. So, the primary goal of Neuriva is to slow down age-related cognitive decline.
Ingredients
Focus Factor has many ingredients but has the most underdosed formula I’ve encountered. It contains 15 active ingredients mixed in a proprietary blend totaling 640 mg, a criminally low amount. Some of the ingredients need as much alone to be effective.
There are two more powerful versions of Focus Factor called Extra Strength and Max Strength, but the difference is 100 mg more, which is not worth the price for me. This review focuses on the most popular Original version.
Most of Focus Factor’s ingredients don’t deserve much attention, first because they lack sufficient proof of effectiveness and second because they are included in minuscule amounts. But I will share with you the potential benefits of some of the more potent substances.
Focus Factor contains some cornerstone substances of modern nootropics. One is Bacopa monnieri, which has been shown to improve memory formation, recall, and cognitive function [5].
Other trials show improved memory and mood improvements in elderly test subjects, but only at 200-400 mg doses, which is highly unlikely to be in Focus Factor.
L-tyrosine is an amino acid that enhances cognitive control, especially in mentally demanding situations [6].
DMAE Bitartrate has been found to boost memory and attention, alertness, and mood and induce lucid dreams when taken as a supplement [1,2,3].
However, the tests were conducted with doses ranging from 500 to 2000 mg, whereas Focus Factor comprises 650 mg in total for 15 components.
Phosphatidylserine and DHA are two more notable components of Focus Factor. The first counteracts age-related cognitive loss by supporting memory formation, focus, and problem-solving [4].
DHA plays a vital role in cognitive performance, and supplementation may improve it, but the dose in this product is likely insufficient to produce results.
Neuriva has a composition with only two active ingredients. The first is a coffee fruit extract. Coffee fruit grows on the same plant as coffee beans, and the extract is used to make Neurofactor, a nootropic substance.
Studies on people taking Neuriva have observed higher levels of BDNF, which is necessary for brain function. This boosts reaction time and decision-making accuracy [7,8].
While the trials show great potential, they have one major flaw: they were done and analyzed only by the manufacturer of coffee berry extract.
The other active element in Neuriva is phosphatidylserine. Unlike coffee fruit extract, phosphatidylserine is a well-studied nootropic that improves cognitive function in older adults and people with neurological diseases [8,9].
Neuriva is available in three versions: Original, Plus, and Ultra. The variation is in the amounts of each ingredient.
The Original has 100 mg of coffee fruit extract, the Plus contains 200 mg, and the Ultra includes an additional component known as Alpinia Galanga, which is too speculative to be discussed at length.
Stimulant vs. Non-Stimulant

Neuriva and Focus Factor Pro are non-stimulant nootropics since they do not contain caffeine or any other active substance capable of immediately stimulating the nervous system.
You may mistake Neruva for a stimulant nootropic because it contains coffee fruit extract. However, unlike coffee beans, the fruit only has 0.4-1% caffeine.
This means in a dose of Neuriva, you will take 1 mg of caffeine, which is negligible even for people sensitive to the drug.
Short vs. Long-Term Effects
Because the two products in this comparison have no caffeine, they need continuous use before delivering the promised effects. While I haven’t felt anything from either of them, the manufacturers advise customers to use them for at least a month before gauging their effectiveness.
Neuriva cleverly uses a brain health challenge app to gauge cognitive abilities before and after 30 days of taking the product. Playing the brain games daily will show you if you have results from the supplement.
If you ask me, if you get better scores after one month, it’s because you’ve become better at the games, not because of the nootropic.
If the neurofactor ingredient indeed increases BDNF with time, the long-term benefits may be substantial, but they would be preventive, not something you can notice.
Focus Factor’s extremely underdosed formulation may work, but definitely not in a month. If I have to guess, you would need at least 6 months to experience a noticeable brain power boost.
Clinical Research
Both Focus Factor and Neuriva play by the same book of sckewed clinical research.
Focus Factor has a thorough study and proudly displays the “clinically tested formula” label on the bottle. The study is readily available and appropriately conducted: double-blind and placebo-controlled.
The study found a significant increase in word recall and overall words remembered in memory tests after 6 weeks of intake.
Sounds great, right? But not as much after I tell you the study was funded by the parent firm, Factor Nutrition, and was not peer-reviewed. After seeing this information, the study lost any credibility in my eyes.
The situation with Neuriva is very similar. The studies on the complete product were funded, conducted, and analyzed by the companies producing the ingredients, so you can imagine how accurate they are.
The company even went through a trial for false advertising, and since the settlement, they have removed the “clinically proven” text from the labels and marketing materials. Now, it only says clinically tested.
Side Effects
There aren’t any officially reported side effects from the two supplements. I also haven’t experienced any issues with either during my trials.
Some people can experience headaches and stomach discomfort, though, as is the case with all nootropics.
I’ve found a few reviews of Focus Factor customers complaining about these issues, which is not surprising, given the daily dose is 4 pills instead of one like it is with most nootropics.
Neuriva makes some people feel light-headed and causes sleeping problems. Few reviews share adverse effects, but they are enough to warrant attention.
User Reviews
While the clinical studies of the two supplements can be heavily criticized for being skewed, the user review policies are transparent. Both products allow full access to user reviews on their websites, and there are plenty more on Amazon that can help determine the realistic end-user experience.
I am slightly perplexed by the overall satisfaction with both products, which drastically differs from my experience. Focus Factor and Neuriva have excellent scores of 4.3/5 on Amazon.
Quite a few people do not feel any positive effects or complain about adverse effects, but in general, the scores show a high appreciation for both products.
Price
Focus Factor is available in three versions: Original, Extra Strength, and Max Strength. This review was completed after testing the Original, and the price is for this version. However, the price may vary depending on where you purchase the goods and your selected package.
Neuriva also has different versions depending on the quantity of the main Neurofactor ingredient.
Product | Original / 1 Bottle | Plus / 2 Bottles | Ultra / 3 Bottles |
---|---|---|---|
Neuriva | $26.31 / 28 servings ($0.94/serving) | $29.52 / 30 servings ($0.98/serving) | $49.86 / 45 servings ($1.44/serving) |
Focus Factor | $29.99 / 37.5 servings ($0.80/serving) | $54.75 / 70 servings ($0.78/serving) | $77.88 / 107.5 servings ($0.72/serving) |
My Experience With Neuriva And Focus Factor

This is going to be a short paragraph because I can share no meaningful experiences from either nootropic. I simply haven’t felt any effect.
As someone who is often testing nootropics and various supplements in general, I tend to be highly aware of my physical and mental states and actively look for changes. That said, there haven’t been any during my 30-day Focus Factor and Neuriva trials.
Should You Choose Neuriva Or Focus Factor?
If you are somehow limited between Focus Factor and Neuriva as your only two options for nootropics, I would recommend Focus Factor because it contains quite a few solid nootropic ingredients, albeit in minuscule doses.
But the only scenario where you have these two options alone is if you are intent on buying nootropics from the general store and nowhere else. Focus Factor and Neuriva are two of the widely available options, which mainly makes them so popular.
Many people fall for convenience and pick what’s most readily available, but this is a mistake.
I’ve tried Focus Factor and Neuriva, in addition to a dozen other nootropics, and can recommend another route with a clear conscience.
Spend a bit more time and cash and order a well-formulated nootropic such as Noocube, Hunter Focus, Braini, or something else.
Winner
I can’t recommend Focus Factor or Neuriva as effective nootropic supplements. Both or underdosed or use single speculative ingredients.
Instead, NooCube’s formulation contains a range of effective ingredients, and I’ve felt a mental sharpness using it.
References
- Malanga, G., Belen Aguiar, M., D Martinez, H., & Puntarulo, S. (2012). New insights on dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) features as a free radical scavenger. Drug metabolism letters, 6(1), 54-59.
- Blin, O., Audebert, C., Pitel, S., Kaladjian, A., Casse-Perrot, C., Zaim, M., … & Marien, M. (2009). Effects of dimethylaminoethanol pyroglutamate (DMAE p-Glu) against memory deficits induced by scopolamine: evidence from preclinical and clinical studies. Psychopharmacology, 207, 201-212.
- Dimpfel, W., Wedekind, W., & Keplinger, I. (2003). Efficacy of dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) containing vitamin-mineral drug combination on EEG patterns in the presence of different emotional states. European journal of medical research, 8(5), 183-191.
- Singh, H. K., & Dhawan, B. N. (1997). NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE AYURVEDIC NOOTROPlC BACOPA MONNlERA LINN.(BRAHMI). Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 29(5), 359-365.
- Steenbergen, L., Sellaro, R., Hommel, B., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Tyrosine promotes cognitive flexibility: evidence from proactive vs. reactive control during task switching performance. Neuropsychologia, 69, 50-55.
- Reyes-Izquierdo, T., Nemzer, B., Shu, C., Huynh, L., Argumedo, R., Keller, R., & Pietrzkowski, Z. (2013). Modulatory effect of coffee fruit extract on plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in healthy subjects. British Journal of Nutrition, 110(3), 420-425.
- Reyes-Izquierdo T, Nemzer B, Shu C, Huynh L, Argumedo R, Keller R, Pietrzkowski Z. Modulatory effect of coffee fruit extract on plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2013 Aug 28;110(3):420-5. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512005338. Epub 2013 Jan 14. PMID: 23312069.
- Robinson JL, Hunter JM, Reyes-Izquierdo T, Argumedo R, Brizuela-Bastien J, Keller R, Pietrzkowski ZJ. Cognitive short- and long-term effects of coffee cherry extract in older adults with mild cognitive decline. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2020 Nov;27(6):918-934. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2019.1702622. Epub 2019 Dec 12. PMID: 31829793.
- Ma X, Li X, Wang W, Zhang M, Yang B, Miao Z. Phosphatidylserine, inflammation, and central nervous system diseases. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Aug 3;14:975176. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.975176. PMID: 35992593; PMCID: PMC9382310.
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