Vyvamind and Neuriva couldn’t be more opposite on the nootropic spectrum. One uses the most effective brain boosting combination of caffeine and L-theanine while the other uses speculative ingredients with an in-house study to back it’s formulation.
Can you guess which is which?
Quick Verdict
Vyvamind is an infinitely better nootropic than Neuriva. It includes only well-studied and proven effective nootropic substances to deliver the promised benefits, which include better focus, more energy, stress and anxiety relief, and increased motivation and drive.
The only real benefit of Neuriva is that it’s available in Target, Walmart, and other big stores, and you can pick it up while shopping for groceries.
There are many positive reviews for the product online, but the lackluster formulation and heavily skewed research lead me to believe this is only a placebo.
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Vyvamind |
| Dosage | Vyvamind |
| Short-Term Effects | Vyvamind |
| Long Term Effects | Vyvamind |
| Third-Party Testing | Vyvamind |
| Clinical Research | Vyvamind |
| Side Effects | Draw |
| User Reviews | Neuriva |
| Price | Neuriva |
Winner
I love my nootropics to hit instantly. Hence why I’ve chosen Vyvamind as the winner as it simply works.
I don’t believe there’s any reason to buy Neuriva unless you’re testing the claims for yourself.
What Is Vyvamind?
Vyvamind is a natural, fast-acting, over-the-counter nootropic designed for high-performing individuals and produced by SAP Nutrition.
Vyvamind is specifically developed for usage in mentally demanding situations, making it suitable for students, programmers, traders, and anybody else who needs to stay ‘locked in’ when working late.
Vyvamind’s ingredients have been clinically proven to increase brain energy and cell membrane production and improve memory, visual tracking, and reaction time. This is coupled with a light dose of caffeine to combat weariness and increase productivity.
My Vyvamind review goes into more detail.
What Is Neuriva?
Neuriva is one of the most popular nootropic brain-boosting supplements, accessible in major grocery stores such as Walmart and Target.
Neuriva is touted as a brain performance supplement, and it has made headlines for its simple yet bold claims of improving cognitive skills.
This supplement is specifically designed for people who want to improve their memory and mental clarity as they age.
Neuriva is owned by Reckitt, a parent business that develops and sells numerous well-known health and nutrition products. Durex, Dettol, and Mucinex are some names you may be familiar with.
My Neuriva review goes into more detail.
Vyvamind vs. Neuriva Main Differences
Benefits
Vyvamind utilizes caffeine and L-theanine to deliver a rapid onset of energy and brain power. The combination of all ingredients increases concentration, reduces stress and anxiety, and delays mental fatigue in both the short and long term.
Neuriva claims to fuel up to 7 key indicators of brain health, such as learning ability, memory, focus, reasoning, mental alertness, and concentration.
Unfortunately, none of them has been proven in independent studies, nor have I experienced any of them.
Ingredients
The two products have no matching ingredients, and all 4 ingredients in Vyvamind have been clinically proven, while Neuriva only has 2 active ingredients, one of which is highly speculative.
Vyvamind’s formulation revolves around the caffeine + L-theanine stack, one of the original nootropic combos. Caffeine improves reaction time, visual processing speed, working memory, and alertness and reduces exhaustion and mental fatigue.
At the same time, L-theanine reduces the worst of the adverse effects of caffeine and enhances its effect [1][2]. When the two ingredients are combined, a lesser amount of caffeine produces the same effect as larger doses without L-theanine.
The other two ingredients in Vyvamind are L-Tyrosine and Citicoline. L-tyrosine is known to enhance task switching and boost mental performance in demanding conditions [3][4], while Citicoline is beneficial for memory [5].
Both are slightly underdosed in the formulation, but the synergizing effect should not be underestimated.
Neuriva only uses two ingredients to supposedly deliver all of the promised results. The first is a coffee fruit extract. Coffee fruit grows on the same plant as coffee beans, and in this case, the extract is used as a nootropic and branded as Neurofactor.
Studies show improvements in reaction times and may improve the accuracy of decision-making and increased levels of BDNF, which is essential for brain health [6,7].
While the studies show big promise, there is a major problem with them- they were conducted and analyzed entirely by the company manufacturing the coffee fruit extract. For me, this is a potential big-time bias.
The other active ingredient in Neuriva is Phosphatidylserine. Unlike the coffee extract, Phosphatidylserine is a well-studied nootropic ingredient that positively affects memory in older adults and people with neurodegenerative diseases [8,9].
Neuriva is offered in three versions- Original, Plus, and Ultra. The difference is in the quantities of ingredients. The Original has 100 mg of coffee fruit extract, the Plus has 200 mg, and the Ultra adds another ingredient called Alpinia Galanga, which is just as unsupported as Neurofactor.
Stimulant vs. Non-Stimulant
Vyvamind is a stimulant nootropic, while Neuriva does not contain stimulants. The caffeine in Vyvamind can be a big benefit or a drawback, depending on your personal needs.
Neuriva contains coffee fruit extract, but don’t let the name misguide you. The coffee fruit contains only 0.4-1% caffeine, which is negligible.
Stimulants provide immediate results that you may rely on whenever you face a difficult assignment. On the other hand, if this occurs in the evening, drinking caffeine is usually a terrible choice if you want to get a good night’s sleep, recover, and wake up feeling refreshed the next day.
Neuriva does not claim to provide energy at any stage.
Short vs. Long-Term Effects
Vyvamind provides a dependable short-term effect, as is its intention. You get increased energy levels, enhanced focus, and the ability to work more productively.
L-tyrosine and Citicoline provide some long-term accumulating benefits, and Vyvaminds manufacturer advises customers to take the supplement for 3 months to enjoy all effects.
Neuriva has more of a long-term nootropic effect. The producer suggests people take it for 30 days and take a brain health test before and after to gauge their progress. I personally haven’t had any success with Neuriva, but I like this approach, as something similar is done by one of my favorite nootropics, Braini.
Clinical Research
Vyvamind does not have a complete formula study to boast with, but all four ingredients are well supported by clinical research, especially caffeine and L-theanine, both of which are thoroughly studied separately and in combination [1][2][10][11].
Neuriva has complete formula studies but there is a big catch. All of them have been paid for, conducted, and analyzed by companies making the specific substances, which makes me wonder how accurate the studies are.
Neuriva has been accused of falsely advertising the product as scientifically proven to enhance brain power. Since then, the parent company has agreed to change the label and description and to remove “clinically proven” from everywhere.
Side Effects
I haven’t experienced any side effects from either product, but there are things you should know.
Vyvamind contains a healthy dose of caffeine, which may be troublesome for some. Caffeine adverse reactions include anxiety, jitters, and sleep disturbance.
While the dose is not high enough to cause problems for most people, and L-theanine further decreases the possibility of adverse effects, you should be careful if you know you have issues with caffeine.
For Neuriva, there are quite a few user reviews on Amazon from people feeling light-headed and sleepy. They are a small percentage of the whole but are enough to warrant attention.
User Reviews
I am honestly surprised at the number of positive reviews on Amazon for Neuriva. There are 30,000 reviews with a score of 4.2/5, which means most customers are happy with the supplement.
The first possible explanation is a placebo. The second is that maybe I don’t react to the supplement, but people in different age groups and with more prolonged use see benefits from it.
Vyvamind only has a handful of positive reviews on its website, which is a practice I admit I don’t like because you cannot get a complete overview of the public’s opinion.
Price
| Product | Original / 1 Bottle | Plus / 2 Bottles | Ultra / 3 Bottles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vyvamind | $74.99 / 30 servings ($2.50/ serving) | $139.98 / 60 servings ($2.33/serving) | $207 / 90 servings ($2.30/serving) |
| Nooceptin | $26.31 / 28 servings ($0.94/serving) | $29.52 / 30 servings ($0.98/serving) | $49.86 / 45 servings ($1.44/serving) |
My Experience With Vyvamind And Neuriva
As expected, Vyvamind works. The caffeine and L-theanine stack is a well-known nootropic stack, and I have experienced near-instant focus, energy, and productivity boosts.
I love to be able to rely on a product to help each time I have a challenging mental task in front of me, which is quite often. Not only was I more awake from Vyvamind, which is the effect of the caffeine, but I felt my mind became sharper as I neared my 30-day test period of the supplement.
I can’t say anything of the sort about Neuriva. Despite my skepticism, I gave it a shot, but I haven’t felt any effects in 30 days of taking it. I haven’t tried the app test the company suggests users use, but I am aware enough to determine whether it’s working better in my day-to-day work.
Should You Choose Vyvamind Or Neuriva?
Honestly, there is no reason to pick Neuriva over Vyvamind except for the price. This comparison between the two products is only necessary because Neuriva is cheap and available in big stores, and many people will be tricked into buying it.
If you are after legitimate cognitive benefits, choose Vyvamind or some other well-formulated nootropic if caffeine is not for you. But if you are after a stimulant nootropic, few are better than Vyvamind.
Best Short-Term Cognitive Function
Vyvamind Neurostimulant
An effective stimulant nootropic with the effective caffeine and l-theanine stack for enhanced focus and alertness.
CHECK CURRENT DEALSRunner Up
Neuriva
A readily available nootropic supplement at your local grocery store but lacks brain boosting benefits.
CHECK CURRENT DEALSReferences
- Haskell, C. F., Kennedy, D. O., Milne, A. L., Wesnes, K. A., & Scholey, A. B. (2008). The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood. Biological psychology, 77(2), 113-122.
- Owen, G. N., Parnell, H., De Bruin, E. A., & Rycroft, J. A. (2008). The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutritional neuroscience, 11(4), 193-198.
- 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.
- Jongkees, B. J., Hommel, B., Kühn, S., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands—A review. Journal of psychiatric research, 70, 50-57.
- Nakazaki E, Mah E, Sanoshy K, Citrolo D, Watanabe F. Citicoline and Memory Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr. 2021 Aug 7;151(8):2153-2160. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab119. PMID: 33978188; PMCID: PMC8349115.
- 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.
- Robinson, J. L., Hunter, J. M., Reyes-Izquierdo, T., Argumedo, R., Brizuela-Bastien, J., Keller, R., & Pietrzkowski, Z. J. (2020). Cognitive short-and long-term effects of coffee cherry extract in older adults with mild cognitive decline. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 27(6), 918-934.
- Kang, E. Y., Cui, F., Kim, H. K., Nawaz, H., Kang, S., Kim, H., … & Go, G. W. (2022). Effect of phosphatidylserine on cognitive function in the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ????????, 54(1), 52-58.
- Ma, X., Li, X., Wang, W., Zhang, M., Yang, B., & Miao, Z. (2022). Phosphatidylserine, inflammation, and central nervous system diseases. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14, 975176.
- Hidese, S.; Ogawa, S.; Ota, M.; Ishida, I.; Yasukawa, Z.; Ozeki, M.; Kunugi, H. Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102362
- Williams, J.L., Everett, J.M., D’Cunha, N.M. et al. The Effects of Green Tea Amino Acid L-Theanine Consumption on the Ability to Manage Stress and Anxiety Levels: a Systematic Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 75, 12–23 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5
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