The Lowdown
- Live it Up Super Greens (formerly Ensō Supergreens) - Best for Comprehensive Nutrition
- Athletic Greens - Good for Athletes, Not Everyday Users
- Green Vibrance - Good for Probiotics, Lacks Other Nutrients
While leafy green vegetables may not be most people’s favorite foods, they are some of the most important ingredients to incorporate into your diet. It may be challenging to integrate greens into your daily meals. Still, super greens powders provide a simple and convenient solution, helping bridge the gap between your current nutrient intake and the optimal levels your body requires.
When you start looking into greens powders, you’ll likely find Athletic Greens and Green Vibrance frequently promoted as some of the best options available. Both brands have built a solid reputation for providing more nutrition, but they each serve different purposes and have their own set of claimed health benefits. What’s more, their formulas are extremely different, so you have to understand each one before you’re able to choose the right product for your lifestyle.
In this review, we will evaluate both brands in-depth, assess how each one holds up to our product Live it Up Super Greens, and give you all the information you need to pick the best greens powder for you.
Quick Comparison
100% all natural | |||
Made with organic vegetables | |||
Wide variety of superfoods | |||
Probiotics | |||
Digestive enzymes | |||
Local sourcing | |||
Manufactured in the US | |||
NSF Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) registered facilities | |||
Third party tested | |||
Sugar free | |||
No stevia | |||
Caffeine free | |||
Non GMO | |||
Nut free | |||
Free shipping without any limitations or spend limit | |||
Money-back guarantee | |||
Live chat with a real person and responsive customer service | |||
Cost per serving (for the subscription) | $2.63 | $1.40 | $1.33 |
Athletic Greens Overview
Athletic Greens (AG1) is a superfoods-powder supplement that has become extremely popular in the sports world. It’s optimized for endurance and performance, so if you are a sports fan or exercise heavily, you may enjoy the Athletic Greens formula as a natural energy support.
AG1 is the super greens supplement made from a specialized formula of several proprietary blends:
- Nutrient-Dense Superfood Complex (7388 mg per serving)
- Nutrient-Dense Extracts, Herbs & Antioxidants (2732 mg per serving)
- Digestive Enzymes & Super Mushroom Complex (154 mg per serving)
- Dairy-Free Probiotics 7.2 billion CFUs (38 mg per serving)
Each serving of AG1 packs 75 superfoods, herbs, adaptogens, and digestive components into one glass. This can be a major convenience for athletes and active people who want to drastically increase their nutrient intake each day.
Some of the standout ingredients include spirulina, wheatgrass juice powder, beetroot powder, and acerola fruit juice extract. The mushroom complex contains reishi and shiitake mushrooms, as well as astragalus and burdock root extract.
There are no additives in Athletic Greens, but it does contain soy-derived products and “natural flavors," which are listed as additional ingredients.
What Is Athletic Greens?
Since it was founded in 2010, Athletic Greens has become over a $1 billion net worth company. It’s the official supplement of the USA cycling team, and there are many professional athletes, celebrities, and fitness influencers who swear by AG1.
The company is NSF-Certified for Sports and has lots of information on its website about its sourcing practices, quality control, and the ingredients in its formula.
With 75 ingredients, AG1 is one of the most well-rounded and comprehensive super greens powders available. The company says that its potential benefits include improved athletic recovery, greater immunity, more energy, and enhanced gut health.
Pros | Cons |
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Bottom Line: Athletic Greens AG1 is a highly specialized greens powder formula optimized for athletes. It delivers well over your daily recommended intake of essential nutrients, but this could be over-the-top for regular people who just want to improve their daily nutrition.
Green Vibrance Overview
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance is a long-standing greens powder with 70 ingredients, digestive enzymes, pre and probiotics, and adaptogens. It’s better suited for the average person than AG1 since it delivers a good daily dose of nutrients without surpassing your daily recommended intake to the point of excess.
While a long ingredient list doesn’t always equate to a quality formula, it can be beneficial when there has been considerable research and consideration put into the blend. That seems to be the case with Green Vibrance; the full quantity of each ingredient is listed on the back of the product, so you can take a look and find out exactly what you’ll get in each serving.
Some of the most notable superfood ingredients in Green Vibrance are certified organic spirulina powder, certified organic goji berry juice powder, and certified organic spinach leaf powder. Each one of these superfoods may offer numerous health benefits. For example, spirulina has been shown to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflamattory effects, suggesting the potential to boost brain health, reduce allergy symptoms increase endurance and muscle strength, among other things.
Most of the ingredients in Green Vibrance are USDA Organic, and you can learn more about them in the company’s handy “Ingredientopedia.”
What Is Green Vibrance?
Green Vibrance is the signature product of Vibrant Health, a wellness company that has been in business since 1992. With over 30 years in the industry, they have an established reputation as a transparent, trustworthy brand that makes high-quality, effective products.
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Bottom Line: Green Vibrance focuses on holistic wellness rather than performance and endurance; they also have one of the highest pre/probiotics blends in a greens powder. It may offer total-body support for anyone who wants to improve their daily nutrition intake without going overboard on supplements.
Live it Up Super Greens Overview
Live it Up's flagship product, Live it Up Super Greens, is a premium supergreens powder that combines over 20 superfoods, 5 billion CFUs of probiotics, and digestive enzymes into one potent blend. This nutritional supplement purports many possible health benefits, including aiding immune function, digestion, and energy throughout the day.
This product is plant-based, allergen-friendly, and free of added sugar, sweeteners, fillers, synthetics, genetically modified organisms, and caffeine. Like Athletic Greens and Green Vibrance, Live it Up Super Greens can be mixed into water, milk, or smoothies or sprinkled on top of meals. However, unlike most other greens powders, Live it Up Super Greens does not taste earthy or bitter and distinguishes itself with its naturally sweet and minty flavor.
What Is Live it Up?
Live it Up was founded in 2021 by Brazilian native Haim Nigri. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, Haim always had access to fresh food and produce. It wasn’t until he moved to New York City as an adult that he found himself struggling to meet his daily recommended fruit and vegetable intake.
Nigri combined his passion for nutrition with his entrepreneurial experience working at big companies like Amazon and smaller start-ups to found Live it Up. His mission was to help people boost their daily nutrient consumption and overall health in a way that’s both simple and convenient.
Live it Up always puts its customers’ experience and safety first. All of our products are third-party tested and created in a GMP-Certified facility, so customers know they are always consuming the highest quality greens. Live it Up also offers customers a full money-back guarantee, allowing them to experiment with the product and return it if it does not meet their standards.
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Bottom Line: Live it Up Super Greens provides a potent superfood blend with 20+ nutrient-packed ingredients, probiotics, and digestive enzymes intended for optimal health and a difference you can taste at an affordable price point. Live it Up always puts its customers’ well-being and satisfaction first with only the highest standards.
Benefits Analysis
Athletic Greens, Green Vibrance, and Live it Up Super Greens are all popular greens powders, but their focus differs. Find out how each one tackles these key benefits:
Support Energy Levels
The high-powered vitamin doses in AG1, along with the reishi mushroom, have the potential to make it a good energy aid for athletes. For the average person, however, its dose could feel extreme and be much more than they need in their life.
Green Vibrance is scaled down in terms of doses, so it might help you feel more energized by improving your overall nutrition without exaggerated dosages.
Live it Up Super Greens may support physical and mental energy levels throughout the day. Unlike AG1 and Green Vibrance, it does not contain green tea, meaning it relies on other natural ingredients like peppermint leaf and wheatgrass. Peppermint leaf may promote energy balance and reduce daytime fatigue, while wheatgrass can help the body metabolize and store energy.
All three powders include super greens, which may support your energy levels by helping your body work at its optimal capacity.
Support Immune Health
Diet is one of the most important aspects of a strong immune system. By increasing your daily vitamin intake, getting enough essential minerals, and taking care of your gut biome, you may help your body become more effective at fighting off illnesses.
Green Vibrance, AG1, and Live it Up Super Greens have many of the nutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients that your body needs to be healthy. Phytonutrients and phytochemicals play a crucial role in protecting your immune system health.
Regulate Digestion
Fiber is one way you can support your digestive system; AG1 offers 2 grams per serving, and Green Vibrance provides 3 grams in each cup. This makes up over 10% of your daily recommended value from each brand.
On top of adding more fiber to your diet, Athletic Greens and Green Vibrance both may provide their own digestive support through unique blends featuring enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Green Vibrance elevates their formula by offering 25 billion CFUs of probiotics per serving (the highest of any super greens powder). Athletic Greens contains over 7 billion CFUs, which is more suitable for supporting general gut health.
What Live it Up Super Greens lacks in fiber, it makes up for in probiotics and digestive enzymes. While this blend only contains 0.3 grams of fiber per dose, it contains 5 billion CFUs of dairy-free probiotics and three types of digestive enzymes, including papain, bromelain, and vegetarian pepsin. Each digestive enzyme may help support gut and digestive health in a different way. For instance, pepsin plays a role in helping the body break down proteins, minimizing indigestion, and supporting liver function.
Enhance Overall Nutrition
Athletic Greens has extremely high doses of nutrients, but they’re designed to help support endurance, energy, and athletic performance. Green Vibrance and Live it Up Super Greens are formulated with “whole-body wellness” in mind, so these products are better suited for someone who is looking for a daily greens supplement that ties in nicely to their already healthy diet.
Taking any of these three formulas isn’t a bad idea depending on your existing diet and health needs, as they all feature high-quality ingredients known to provide a wealth of nutrients. Ultimately, the choice of which one is right for your nutrition needs will come down to your lifestyle and dietary gaps.
Ingredients Analysis
We’ve researched the various ingredients in all three products so you can feel confident about what you’re putting in your body.
Wide Variety of Superfoods
Superfoods have been shown in studies to help your brain perform better, on top of offering potential physical health benefits like antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Athletic Greens, Green Vibrance, and Live it Up Super Greens all feature a good range of superfoods, but their formulas are also made up of herbal extracts, adaptogens, pre/probiotics, and enzymes. All feature important superfoods like spinach, leafy greens, spirulina, and cereal grasses.
Probiotics
AG1, Green Vibrance, and Live it Up Super Greens all include probiotics in their formulas, but the dose in Green Vibrance is much higher at 25 billion CFUs per serving compared to Athletic Greens’ 7 billion CFUs and Live it Up Super Greens’ 5 billion CFUs per serving.
That said, as a general rule, a probiotic needs at least 1 billion CFUs in order to be effective, and all three formulas contain significantly more than that amount per dose.
Digestive Enzymes
All three formulas include digestive enzymes.
Local Sourcing
Athletic Greens sources its ingredients globally, and Green Vibrance sources its produce from USDA-certified farms. Live it Up sources all of its ingredients from high-quality farms worldwide.
Manufactured in the U.S.
Green Vibrance and Live it Up Super Greens are made in the USA, and Athletic Greens is manufactured in New Zealand.
NSF Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Registered Facilities
Athletic Greens is NSF-Certified for Sports and makes its products in TGA-registered facilities, while Live it Up Super Greens is made in a GMP-Certified facility.
Green Vibrance doesn’t offer any information about its manufacturing process or the facilities it uses.
Third-party Tested
All brands claim to use third-party testing for their products. Athletic Greens uses NSF standards, which screen for 280 substances banned by most athletic organizations. They also perform third-party testing to look for 180 other contaminants, like pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.
Live it Up Super Greens undergoes third-party testing for purity standards and heavy-metal contaminants. Vibrant Health doesn’t go into detail about its third-party testing process.
Sugar-free
AG1 has less than 1 gram of sugar per serving, and Green Vibrance has 2 grams per serving. Live it Up Super Greens is completely sugar-free.
No Stevia
Green Vibrance and Live it Up Super Greens do not contain stevia, but Athletic Greens does.
Caffeine-free
All of these products are caffeine-free, but there are trace amounts of caffeine in AG1 and Green Vibrance, as both feature green tea leaf extract. Conversely, Live it Up Super Greens is 100% without caffeine.
Non-GMO
All products are non-GMO.
Nut-free
All of the products are nut-free.
Taste Review
Greens powders are often known for having an earthy or grassy taste that can make it hard to enjoy your daily supplement. That’s why we’ve evaluated what reviewers have said about the taste of these three products below.
Overall Taste Satisfaction
Athletic Greens only has one flavor, which most people report to be pleasant. It’s a slightly sweet, vanilla flavor that can be enjoyed on its own or blended into a smoothie.
Green Vibrance has been known for being extremely grassy in its original blend; there is a chocolate coconut flavor available as an alternative and slightly different variations of the Green Vibrance formula in chocolate and vanilla flavoring. Nonetheless, Many customers are not huge fans of the Green Vibrance taste.
Live it Up Super Greens has distinguished itself from the bulk of other greens powders with its fresh, sweet, and minty flavor. Specific ingredients in Live it Up Super Greens give it its unique taste; monk fruit naturally sweetens the blend, and peppermint leaf may bring several benefits and its distinct but subtle minty flavor that’s enjoyable to drink with just water.
Texture & Mixability
AG1 can be gritty, even when it's blended into milk or smoothies; the best way to get around this is by incorporating a creamy fruit like avocado or banana to make it smoother.
Green Vibrance and Live it Up Super Greens mix well in water or milk and can be enjoyed on their own without worries of lumps or a grainy texture. Live it Up Super Greens’ blend is relatively thin, so many customers prefer to mix it into milk or a smoothie.
Chalky Taste
Athletic Greens can be chalky, but customers have not complained about chalkiness in Green Vibrance or Live it Up Super Greens.
Cost Comparison
Athletic Greens is an expensive super greens powder. You’ll have to pay $99 for a one-time pouch that contains 30 servings.
Green Vibrance costs $82.40 for a one-time order of 60 servings, while Live it Up Super Greens costs $59.99 for a one-time order of 30 servings, making it the most cost-effective product of the three, even before subscription discounts.
Loyalty Perks
Signing up for Athletic Greens comes with a variety of perks, depending on what package you choose. Subscribers get discounted costs per pouch as well as free items like AG1 travel pouches and vitamins.
Vibrant Health has a subscription program that offers a 30% discount, free shipping, and the ability to change your delivery frequency or cancel anytime.
Customers who subscribe to Live it Up Super Greens receive a 33% discount, which they can cancel at any time. Regardless of whether you choose to subscribe to the product, you will receive free shipping in the U.S.
Return Policies
Athletic Greens has a 30-day return policy, but double subscribers have a 90-day money-back guarantee. Vibrant Health offers all customers a 90-day return policy, and Live it Up offers all customers a 30-day return policy.
Go Green with Live it Up Super Greens
Live it Up offers a much more refined approach to daily nutrient absorption compared to Athletic Greens and Green Vibrance. It’s an all-in-one daily green powder supplement that replaces one serving of greens with a superfood blend that’s made with organic vegetables.
We strive to make staying healthy easy, and our green drink will have you looking forward to your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. All of our products are made in GMP facilities in the U.S. We hold ourselves to the highest standards because our customers only deserve the very best for their health.
With an affordable price, subscription options, and a money-back guarantee, you can order with peace of mind knowing that you’re working with a company that cares about your health and happiness.
Final Thoughts
Greens powders are a great way to start your day, look after your body, and may even improve your mental health. Consuming the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals means your body can start performing all its essential functions at its greatest potential.
We’ve made it easier than ever to choose a super greens powder that tastes amazing and is truly good for you. Live it Up Super Greens has been specifically designed to help support the greatest version of your health, using only the best ingredients available.
References
- https://drinkag1.com/en
- https://vibranthealth.com/products/green-vibrance
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8839264/
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-health-benefits-peppermint
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9772031/#:~:text=Nutrition%20plays%20an%20essential%20role,sufficient%20concentrations%20to%20immune%20cells
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537005/#:~:text=Pepsin%20is%20a%20stomach%20enzyme,the%20pH%20of%20the%20stomach.
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/#