Goat's Verdict

Supplement 01

Omega-3

Fourteen fish oils, seven weighted criteria, one winner.

Most decent fish oils lose on exactly one thing - and that one thing is what you are here to learn to spot. So this is a scorecard rather than a pass-or-fail stamp: one GOAT, and for everyone else, the single place they lost.

The scorecard How it was judged

Generic exploded render of a fish-oil softgel: shell halves apart, oil as droplets

The ranking

All 14, scored

Weighted score out of a hundred, from labels and certificates. Price is shown dated where it matters and never scored, because prices move and this page should outlast them.

Every price below was read by hand from that product's own linked page on 10 September 2026, in USD (US dollars) as the page displayed it, and is not converted. The page was read with iHerb set to its US locale, before sales tax. Each per 1000 mg figure is computed from the bottle price, the milligrams per capsule and the capsule count, in the same currency.

91/ 100 01

Sports Research Triple Strength Omega-3

Front label
1250 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
1000 mg
Concentration
80%
Form
Triglyceride
Independent test
IFOS 5-star, MSC
Bottle price
40.67 USD for 120 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.34 USD

The only product with no weak spot: 1000 mg in a single capsule, triglyceride form, IFOS 5-star with a publicly checkable protocol, MSC certification on the source, and it passed at Consumer Reports. It wins by never losing anywhere. The 1000 mg is the declared panel figure (690 EPA + 310 DHA), read like every other bottle here; the IFOS certificate separately guarantees a minimum of 690 EPA + 260 DHA, so 950 is the floor rather than the declared amount.

Source IFOS certificate

Where to buy
Verdict: GOAT
Product photo: Sports Research Triple Strength Omega-3, 1250 mg
86/ 100 02

Wiley's Finest Peak EPA

Front label
1000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
1000 mg
Concentration
80%
Form
Ethyl ester
Independent test
IFOS 5-star, NSF Certified for Sport
Bottle price
71.19 USD for 120 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.59 USD

Lost on form. IFOS 5-star, NSF Certified for Sport, a thousand milligrams per capsule - and still an ethyl ester, the least absorbable form. The brand's own liquid is ninety percent triglyceride; the capsules are not. A certificate tells you there is no mercury in it. It does not tell you how well you absorb it.

Source Ethyl esters explained (OmegaQuant) · AlaskOmega raw material

Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: Wiley's Finest Peak EPA, 1000 mg
77/ 100 03

Viva Naturals Triple Strength Omega-3

Front label
2500 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
1035 mg
Concentration
90%
Form
rTG
Independent test
None
Bottle price
price not read

Price not read: the linked page no longer offers the 90 softgel pack this entry describes. On 9 September 2026 it offered only a 30 and a 180 count, and a price for a different pack size is not shown against this one.

Lost on evidence. The highest dose and the highest concentration in the field, in the right rTG form. But no independent certification - everything you know about it, it told you itself.

Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: Viva Naturals Triple Strength Omega-3, 2500 mg
77/ 100 04

Carlson Elite Omega-3 Gems

Front label
1600 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
700 mg
Concentration
Not established
Form
Triglyceride
Independent test
IFOS
Bottle price
79.90 USD for 240 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.48 USD

Source IFOS certificate

Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: Carlson Elite Omega-3 Gems, 1600 mg
62/ 100 05

NOW Foods Ultra Omega-3

Front label
1000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
750 mg
Concentration
75%
Form
Concentrate
Independent test
None
Bottle price
36.74 USD for 180 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.27 USD
Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: NOW Foods Ultra Omega-3, 1000 mg
59/ 100 06

Life Extension Super Omega-3

Front label
2000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
600 mg
Concentration
60%
Form
Not stated
Independent test
IFOS 5-star
Bottle price
32.25 USD for 120 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.45 USD

Lost on dose. Oxidation protection nobody else here matches: enteric coating, olive polyphenols, rosemary, a tocopherol blend, IFOS 5-star. But 600 mg per capsule means four capsules a day for a dose others reach in one.

Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: Life Extension Super Omega-3, 2000 mg
59/ 100 07

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega

Front label
1280 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
550 mg
Concentration
~55%
Form
Triglyceride (rTG)
Independent test
Friend of the Sea
Bottle price
64.56 USD for 180 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.65 USD

Lost on dose and on proof. 550 mg per capsule because the serving is two soft gels, and the oxidation certificate is the company's own rather than a testing programme's. The form is the best in the field. Concentration is derived from the panel's total fat line, not from a stated oil weight, so it is approximate.

Where to buy
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega, 1280 mg
45/ 100 08

GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil

Front label
1000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
500 mg
Concentration
80%
Form
Ethyl ester
Independent test
None; passed at Consumer Reports
Bottle price
price not read

Discontinued on iHerb, verified 6 September 2026, so there is no linked page to read a price from.

The front number is EPA+DHA rather than oil, which is honest, but the serving is two softgels, so a capsule holds 500 mg and not the 1000 printed on the box. The ingredient line reads Fish Oil (as Ethyl Esters). Nobody independent has measured it either.

Source Product page (GNC)

No link. Discontinued on iHerb, verified 6 September 2026.
Verdict: Contender
Product photo: GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil, 1000 mg
37/ 100 09

California Gold Nutrition Omega-3 Premium Fish Oil

Front label
1100 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
300 mg
Concentration
27%
Form
Triglyceride
Independent test
iHerb in-house testing
Bottle price
26.53 USD for 240 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.37 USD

1100 mg of oil, of which 300 mg is EPA+DHA - a concentration of 27%. It is also iHerb's own brand, and iHerb is the shop the links on this page open. It is ranked here the same way as everything else.

Where to buy
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: California Gold Nutrition Omega-3 Premium Fish Oil, 1100 mg
37/ 100 10

MegaRed Advanced 4in1

Front label
900 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
600 mg
Concentration
67%
Form
Ethyl ester
Independent test
None
Bottle price
31.43 USD for 40 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
1.31 USD

Lost on proof, not on dose. 600 mg of EPA+DHA in a single softgel at 67% concentration beats both bottles it is shown against, and the panel prints it plainly. What it has never had is an independent measurement of any kind, and the ingredient line reads as ethyl esters.

Where to buy
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: MegaRed Advanced 4in1, 900 mg
29/ 100 11

Nature's Bounty Fish Oil 1200 mg

Incomplete data. See the caveats.

Front label
1200 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
under 360 mg
Concentration
under 30%
Form
Not stated
Independent test
Passed at Consumer Reports
Bottle price
price not read

Not found on iHerb, so there is no link and no linked page to read a price from.

Source Product page

No link. Not found on iHerb.
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: Nature's Bounty Fish Oil 1200 mg
28/ 100 12

Qunol Ultra Omega-3

Incomplete data. See the caveats.

Front label
1000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
Not stated
Concentration
Not established
Form
Not stated
Independent test
Consumer Reports: failed on content
Bottle price
price not read

Not found on iHerb, so there is no link and no linked page to read a price from.

Source Consumer Reports

No link. Not found on iHerb.
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: Qunol Ultra Omega-3, 1000 mg
20/ 100 13

Nature Made Burp-Less Fish Oil 1200 mg

Front label
1200 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
300 mg
Concentration
25%
Form
Not stated
Independent test
None
Bottle price
37.49 USD for 200 capsules, read 10 September 2026
Per 1000 mg EPA+DHA
0.62 USD

The front says 1200 mg and that is the oil. The panel says 720 mg of omega-3 and 600 of EPA+DHA, but the serving is two softgels, so one capsule carries 360 mg of omega-3 of which 300 is EPA+DHA. EPA and DHA are printed added together and never apart.

Where to buy
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: Nature Made Burp-Less Fish Oil 1200 mg
13/ 100 14

Kirkland Signature Fish Oil 1000 mg

Front label
1000 mg
EPA+DHA per capsule
250 mg
Concentration
25%
Form
Not stated
Independent test
Consumer Reports: failed on rancidity
Bottle price
price not read

Costco exclusive, not sold on iHerb, so there is no link and no linked page to read a price from.

Source Product page (Costco)

No link. Costco exclusive, not sold on iHerb.
Verdict: Waste
Product photo: Kirkland Signature Fish Oil 1000 mg

The interesting part

Same fish, same supplier, double the price

Wiley's Finest Peak EPA and Sports Research Triple Strength are both made from wild Alaska pollock out of the Bering Sea, from the same AlaskOmega raw material - Sports Research lists it on its own IFOS certificate. Per gram of EPA+DHA, Wiley's costs about 74% more. And the more expensive bottle uses the cheaper form: turning an ethyl ester back into a triglyceride takes an extra enzymatic step that costs money, which is why ethyl esters dominate the market. So the cheaper bottle went through the more expensive process and came out ahead on form - a bioavailability index of 124 against 73. Both capsules carry the same 1000 mg of EPA+DHA at the same 80% concentration, read from their panels on 9 September 2026, so form and price are all that separate them. The price comparison uses the same readings as the table above.

Sources AlaskOmega raw material · Bioavailability (Dyerberg et al.)

How it was judged

Seven criteria

Each one is derived from something checkable on a label or in a certificate. The weights are printed beside them because they are judgements, not measurements.

Generic render: one large softgel beside four small ones
Dose per capsule: one capsule, or four, for the same gram.
Generic exploded render of a fish-oil softgel: shell halves apart, oil drifting as droplets between them
Concentration: how much of the oil in the shell is EPA+DHA.
Generic render of a softgel cut in half
Form and concentration: what is inside the shell.
Generic render of oil droplets
Freshness: the criterion no label shows you.
  1. 01

    Dose per capsule

    Milligrams of EPA+DHA in one capsule, not the weight of the oil. In practice: how many capsules you swallow to reach one gram. Across this field the difference is fourfold.

    22%
  2. 02

    Independent testing

    IFOS 5-star with a published protocol beats IFOS, which beats NSF or USP, which beats nothing. For a beginner this matters most: it is the only criterion you can use to check all the others.

    22%
  3. 03

    Concentration

    EPA+DHA divided by the weight of the oil. Lower concentration means more filler, and more material that can oxidise. The spread here runs from 25% to 90%.

    17%
  4. 04

    Form

    Triglyceride and rTG at the top, unspecified concentrate in the middle, ethyl ester at the bottom. Bioavailability index 124 / 100 / 73.

    17%
  5. 05

    Freshness

    Published oxidation values, independent rancidity results, antioxidants in the formula, and how the container handles air. A burp-less claim does not count.

    17%
  6. 06

    Price per gram

    Shown, never scored. Prices move and this page should outlast them. It sits beside the score as a dated figure - and the clash between price and score turns out to be the most interesting thing here.

    0%
  7. 07

    Label honesty

    Does the big number on the front mean oil, or omega-3? Are EPA and DHA listed at all? The lowest weight, and the best teaching material.

    5%

What this is not

Nothing here was tested in a lab

The limits of this scorecard, stated up front rather than buried.

Five per-capsule figures are provisional

For nine of the fourteen products the per-capsule milligrams were read from the supplement facts panel itself. For the other five - Viva Naturals, Carlson Elite, NOW Foods, Nature's Bounty and Qunol - they come from a listing rather than the panel, which is where a serving of two softgels gets mistaken for one capsule. Their figures, and their places in the ranking, are provisional until the panel is read.

Nothing here was tested in a lab

Not one bottle was opened. This is an audit of labels and certificates. Every third-party measurement is credited to whoever made it - the rancidity findings come from Consumer Reports and from published studies, not from us.

Source Consumer Reports - What's in Your Fish Oil Pill

The weights are judgements, the inputs are not

The seven weights and the 0-10 sub-grades are editorial decisions. What is measured and documented are the inputs: milligrams from labels, form, certification, and the results of independent tests.

Two products have incomplete data

Twelve of the fourteen have EPA+DHA per capsule documented from a label or a certificate. Nature's Bounty and Qunol do not, and are marked incomplete in the table rather than quietly estimated.

Where the fish came from is not a scoring criterion

It does not separate anyone - every serious brand uses small, short-lived fish - and it cannot be verified from a label. What actually matters about the source is how fresh the raw material was and how fast it was processed, and only an oxidation measurement shows that. So the weight went to the test, not to the origin.

Source IFOS / Nutrasource