The supplement scanner app that reads the label, not the marketing.
Scan any bottle — barcode or just the Supplement Facts panel — and see whether the doses match published human trials, whether the forms actually absorb, and which fillers to avoid. No “product not found.” Ever.
Look up any supplement.
Supplements, nutrients, brands, and health areas — every active scored and cited.
The ledger.
Every claim on this page maps to a number in the codebase. No marketing inflation.
Every ingredient links to NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and Examine.com — the same sources researchers use. We provide the scoring layer; they provide the deep dive. No black-box ratings.
The math doesn’t lie.
One trendy “heart health” capsule, decoded against published research.
Betaine · TMG
0.4% of the clinical dose.
A trendy “heart health” capsule lists betaine on the front. The label says 10 mg. Clinical trials use 2,500 mg.
Brand-trust apps score this product 90/100. We don’t.
The field guides.
One real question per guide — answered with doses from published trials, not marketing — then the 60-second version in the app.
The free tools.
No sign-up. Check an interaction, a dose, or a form in seconds — then get the full efficacy score in the app.
Questions, answered.
What is the best app to scan supplements?
BioStacks scans any supplement — by barcode or by photographing the Supplement Facts label — and scores it 0–100 against published clinical research: trial doses, form bioavailability, and evidence strength. Unlike barcode-only scanners, it never dead-ends on products missing from a database. Learn more →
How does the 0–100 supplement score work?
Each ingredient is scored on three multiplied factors: clinical dose (your dose vs. the range used in human trials), form and bioavailability (magnesium glycinate scores far above oxide), and evidence weight (RCTs and meta-analyses count more than mechanism or tradition). A separate safety score — overdoses, interactions, inactive-ingredient ratings — can only lower the final number, never raise it. Learn more →
Can I scan a supplement that has no barcode or isn't in any database?
Yes. Point the camera at the Supplement Facts panel and BioStacks reads the ingredients, doses, and forms straight off the label, then scores the product on the spot — new launches, indie brands, and imported bottles included. Learn more →
Does BioStacks check supplement interactions?
The Stack Safety analysis sums every ingredient across all the products you take and flags totals above tolerable upper limits plus known risky combinations, like long-term zinc without copper. For prescription-drug interactions, share your stack link with a pharmacist. Learn more →
What counts as an effective supplement dose?
The dose range used in published clinical trials — not the Daily Value. Ashwagandha stress trials used 300–600 mg of root extract; berberine metabolic studies used 900–1,500 mg per day. A product with 5–10% of the studied dose is flagged as underdosed. Learn more →
Which magnesium is best for sleep?
Well-absorbed forms — glycinate or citrate — at 200–400 mg elemental magnesium match what sleep trials used. Oxide is poorly absorbed. The evidence is moderate: meta-analyses show modest improvements in sleep onset, mainly in older adults and people with low intake. Learn more →
What is a proprietary blend, and why does it score low?
A proprietary blend lists a total weight but hides each ingredient's dose, so you can't verify whether anything reaches a clinical dose. Unverifiable doses can't earn efficacy credit — blends are flagged and scored conservatively. Learn more →
Which harmful ingredients does the app flag?
Inactive ingredients are rated Safe / Caution / Avoid with plain-English explanations — for example titanium dioxide, banned as a food additive in the EU in 2022 over unresolved genotoxicity concerns, or purely cosmetic FD&C dyes. Learn more →
Is BioStacks free?
The app is free to download on iOS and Android, and scanning and scoring work without payment. An optional premium subscription unlocks the advanced analysis features.
Next time you're holding a bottle
Scan it. Score it. Decide in seconds.
613 actives · 20 algorithms · 91 rules · every claim cited
Not medical advice. Talk to a clinician before changing what you take.
