Primal Greens vs. AG1

In the United States, roughly 60% of adults over the age of 20 take dietary supplements to fill in nutrition gaps or achieve certain health goals,1 while only about 10% are meeting their daily fruit and vegetable intakes.2 These may seem like wholly unrelated statistics, but there’s a question to consider — would you be more likely to take in adequate fruits and vegetables if you could easily supplement them instead? If your answer is yes, then “greens powders” may be something to consider. (We used quotation marks there because, as you’ll see, these products provide much more than powdered greens.)

As the market for these products has expanded over time, it’s become increasingly difficult to know which one is the best for your unique needs.3 In this review, we’re pitting two popular contenders against each other: Primal Greens and AG1.

Throughout this head-to-head comparison, we’ll explain the pros, cons, and details that drove our decisions in each category. But if you’re short on time, here’s our 2024 verdict: we believe that AG1 is the better overall pick for most people at this time. Check out our summary table and read this entire extensive comparison to learn about all of the factors that led to our conclusion.

Before we delve into further details, the chart below offers a quick overview of which greens powder won in each category.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

For this comparison of Primal Greens and AG1, our team spent 90+ hours reading through over 80 different studies on greens powders, common ingredients, and their potential benefits and drawbacks. We also explored every inch of the customer experience, tested out subscriptions, purchased these products ourselves, and gave them each a fair try.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.

For this comparison of Primal Greens and AG1, we judged each greens powder using criteria that we felt were most important to consumers — their safety, efficacy, cost, convenience, and taste. Here’s a quick summary of what each criterion covers:

• Safety: The safety and testing measures taken by the manufacturers and whether or not the ingredients in each product are suitable for a broad range of consumers
• Efficacy: The potential effectiveness of each greens powder based on nutrient content
• Cost: The price of the products, including subscription deals, bundling discounts, and money-back guarantees
• Convenience: The customer experience, such as contact options, guarantees, and how easy the products are to order (one time and as a subscription) and use
• Taste: The flavor of each greens powder, including aftertaste, texture, and how “green” they are

Safety

Winner: AG1

Primal Harvest and Athletic Greens, the companies behind Primal Greens and AG1, respectively, both take noteworthy steps to ensure the safety of their customers.

It’s worth noting that the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements the same way it does prescription medication.4 However, other countries handle things differently than the U.S. In New Zealand, where AG1 is made, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This agency does, in fact, regulate “complementary medicines,” including nutritional supplements and vitamins.5

AG1 is also NSF Certified for Sport,6 meaning it’s been tested for contaminants, banned substances, and to ensure that what’s on the label is actually what’s in the product.7 All NSF Certified for Sport products must also be manufactured in GMP-certified facilities that are audited yearly or every other year.7 Primal Greens, despite not having this NSF certification, is also manufactured in a GMP-certified facility and the product undergoes third-party safety testing.

Ingredient-wise, AG1 does contain soy, while Primal Greens has no allergens in its ingredients (though it is produced on shared machinery). And some botanical ingredients, like ashwagandha (in both), may interact with certain medications or health concerns.8

That being said, with TGA oversight, NSF certification, and thorough third-party testing for more than just contaminants, AG1 still stands apart from most other greens powders — including Primal Greens — and earns our choice for safety.

Efficacy

Winner: AG1

The efficacy of a greens powder is directly related to its nutritional value, and AG1 beats Primal Greens by a mile in this sense. While Primal Greens contains five vitamins and minerals — with only two over 100% of your Daily Value — AG1 offers 21, and ten of those cover 100% or more of your Daily Value. AG1 also has generally larger doses of its blends and more probiotic content per serving.

In addition, multiple (self-funded) studies have been done on AG1's potential for supporting gut health. The results found higher levels of healthy gut bacteria, better digestion, and more appetite control. Of course, self-funded studies introduce the potential for bias, but studies on specific products may never exist without the company funding them. Athletic Greens notes the involvement of third parties in these studies to try and reduce bias, at least. Primal Greens, on the other hand, has had no studies done on it at the time of this writing.

To give Primal Greens some credit, both it and AG1 have similar potential for improving energy and reducing the risk of chronic health conditions. Eating more fruits and vegetables to try and reach the recommended five servings a day may lower your chances of developing chronic diseases,11 and the complex carbs in these greens powders can give you lasting energy.12 13

Cost

Winner: Primal Greens

As we’ll explain in more detail later on in this review, Primal Greens costs about half of what you’d spend on AG1; this is a consistent fact whether you’re looking at subscriptions or one-time purchases. Greens powders, in general, are pricier than typical supplements, but subscription discounts, bulk purchase deals, and money-back guarantees can help ease the financial burden of trying them out.

The chart below details how the prices break down for a 30-day supply from each brand. (It’s worth noting that Primal Greens is only available as one product, a pouch of powder, while AG1 is available as a pouch or in travel packets, hence the price ranges.)

In the case of Primal Greens, subscription and bulk purchase discounts allow you to save some money on both recurring and one-time purchases. In contrast, you can only save on AG1 with a subscription. Of course, to get those bulk purchase discounts from Primal Greens, you need to buy at least two pouches — meaning you’ll be spending more upfront. But, we still appreciate seeing any discount at all for one-time purchases.

Additionally, both products are covered under a 90-day money-back guarantee, which could make a larger upfront investment (for either Primal Greens or AG1) feel less intimidating.

Convenience

Winner: AG1

Both Primal Greens and AG1 are fairly convenient products. They both have easy-to-navigate websites that make purchasing simple, subscription options that can be managed or canceled at any time, 90-day guarantees, and multiple ways to contact customer service representatives.

AG1 managed to squeak past Primal Greens due to a couple of small differences:

• Extended customer service hours (24/7 versus 9-5 EST on business days only)
• Additional subscription delivery interval options
• An easier-to-mix product
• The availability of travel packets

As we explain later on in this review, while these reasons do make AG1 a bit more convenient, none of this is likely enough to prevent someone from wanting to use Primal Greens. In the end, they’re both convenient, but AG1 has a slight edge.

Taste

Winner: Primal Greens

Primal Greens and AG1 both have mildly fruity flavors and are sweetened by stevia. However, only one of them manages to properly mask the “green” taste that these types of products are known for — Primal Greens.

AG1 seemingly tries to mask the green taste with a lot of stevia, which is very noticeable and leaves a distinct aftertaste. The fruit that you do taste — mainly pineapple and apple — is quite nice when you manage to push past the stevia. Primal Greens, on the other hand, tried to work with the green flavor by adding complementary fruits that cover most of the bitterness. It’s harder to pinpoint exactly what fruit Primal Greens tastes like, however, but it’s definitely better than AG1.

Primal Greens, from the company Primal Harvest, and AG1, from Athletic Greens, are both supplemental products known as “greens powders” or “powdered greens.”14 Both terms mean the same thing; if you come across a product referring to itself as a “powdered greens supplement,” it’s a greens powder and vice versa. However, the term “greens powder” is the more commonly used one, so that’s what we’ll be referring to them as from here on out.

As for what greens powders are, Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic, defines them as “a variety of different fruits and vegetables that have been freeze-dried and ground down to a very fine powdered form that can be mixed pretty easily into a beverage or food.”14

Primal Greens and AG1 both contain a collection of blends and complexes with various fruits, vegetables, herbs, botanicals, extracts, mushrooms, and more. They also each have a selection of vitamins and minerals to support your daily requirements — or, in some cases, meet them entirely. These products are plant-based, low-carb, and low-calorie, making them suitable for a wide range of diets, needs, and preferences (which we’ll cover in the next section of this review).

Overall winner: AG1

Because the FDA doesn’t have the authority to approve supplements in the same way it does medication, manufacturers need to take extra steps to ensure consumers' safety.4 However, Athletic Greens’ AG1 isn’t an American product; it’s made in New Zealand and, therefore, falls under the jurisdiction of the country’s FDA equivalent, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). In contrast to the FDA, the TGA does regulate “complementary medicines,” including vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal and traditional medicines.5 This means that AG1 is likely held to higher initial safety standards than Primal Greens, which is made in the U.S.

All of this isn’t to say that Primal Greens is unsafe, though. The company behind it, Primal Harvest, also takes commendable steps to protect customers. Here’s a quick comparison of the precautionary measures taken for each product.

As you can see, both greens powders undergo third-party testing and are produced in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified locations.15 However, only AG1 is Certified for Sport by NSF International (more on that later) and made in a facility that’s registered with its applicable regulatory agency — in this case, a TGA-registered one.6

Allergen content and safety of ingredients

Winner: Primal Greens (barely)

Pivoting to the products themselves, both greens powders should be generally safe for most healthy adults. Children, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, and those with certain health conditions — such as autoimmune concerns,16 including dermatological ones,17 or chronic kidney disease — should get the okay from a doctor first or avoid greens powders, as several common ingredients may be unsuitable or lead to complications.18

Additionally, some botanical ingredients, like ashwagandha (in both products),8 Rhodiola (in AG1),19 and turmeric (in Primal Greens), may cause miscarriages, exacerbate certain health conditions, and interact with prescription medications.20

And when it comes to food allergies — including gluten, eggs, wheat, dairy, and other common culprits — the only major issue stems from AG1’s soy-derived content. Primal Greens doesn’t contain any common allergens, but it is manufactured in a facility that processes tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. AG1 doesn’t mention other allergens in its facilities, but we’d still suggest proceeding with caution. Ultimately, if you have any food allergies that may be triggered through cross-contact, we recommend speaking with your doctor or allergist first to make sure these greens powders are safe for you.21 (And it’s best to avoid AG1 entirely if you’re allergic to soy.)

For specific diets

Winner: AG1 (barely)

If you’re wondering whether or not these products are suitable for keto, paleo, vegetarian, or vegan diets, here’s how Primal Greens and AG1 stack up:

Winner: AG1

As we mentioned earlier, AG1 is NSF Certified for Sport, while Primal Greens is not.6 The NSF Certified for Sport program is recognized and recommended by several major sports organizations, including (but not limited to) the National Hockey League, Canadian Football League, and Major League Baseball.

As stated on the official website, Certified for Sport means that all supplements, functional foods, cosmetics, and personal care makers and suppliers “meet stringent certification guidelines” developed by groups including sports industry professionals.26

Those guidelines include verifying that certified products:7

• Do not contain any of the 290 substances banned by major athletic organizations
• Have contents that match what’s printed on the label
• Contain no unsafe levels of any contaminants
• Are manufactured in GMP-certified facilities that are audited annually or bi-annually for safety and quality

Primal Greens, in comparison, does undergo safety testing for contaminants and is produced in a GMP-certified facility. However, Athletic Greens' extra safety measures for AG1 go above and beyond the basics, which we appreciate.

Winner: AG1

Generally, most of the potential health improvements you may see from taking a greens powder can be attributed to the fact that you’re consuming more fruits and vegetables. This is also why people who already eat a diverse array of fruits and vegetables in recommended amounts (a combined total of five servings, daily) aren’t likely to see much, if any, additional benefit from taking a greens powder.14 27

For example, a 2021 meta-analysis found that — compared to those who ate only two servings — people who ate five servings of fruits and vegetables daily had a lower risk of death from all causes, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory diseases. However, eating more than five servings didn’t improve the statistics.11 So, it stands to reason that the same would apply to adding on a greens powder if you already regularly eat your recommended amount of fruit and veggies.

Now, if you find yourself struggling to meet your recommended daily intake — like around 90% of adults in the U.S. — then a greens powder could be a quick and easy way to fill in the gap.2 And if you’re looking to do just that, then you more than likely want the greens powder with the most fruit and vegetable content. Between Primal Greens and AG1, the latter has more nutrients by far.

Greens powders typically contain a selection of different blends of fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients — and Primal Greens and AG1 are no different. Thankfully, they have fairly similar blends and nutrient complexes, which lets us compare them a bit more easily. The chart below breaks down the size of these blends, along with some vitamin and mineral details, including how many of those vitamins and minerals are in quantities large enough to meet your Percent Daily Value (%DV).

Note: Primal Greens’ superfood blend also contains its antioxidant and mushroom ingredients, which AG1 has in separate blends and complexes. So, Primal Greens’ “superfood” content in the chart isn’t only superfoods, while AG1’s is. And, in contrast, AG1 puts its digestive ingredients with its mushrooms, while Primal Greens’ digestive complex is by itself. We’ll go into more detail on these different blends in a bit.

As you can see, AG1 provides far more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients than Primal Greens — all of which give the former a stronger foundation for providing potential health benefits.

Head-to-head ingredient comparison

Before discussing the research behind some of the most prominent ingredients in Primal Greens and AG1, let’s review their basic supplement facts and the Percent Daily Value (%DV) of the vitamins and minerals.

Per serving, Primal Greens contains:

In comparison, each serving of AG1 contains:

Now, as mentioned earlier, greens powders are often made up of various proprietary blends; this means you may know what the ingredients are, but not the amount of each individual ingredient. From our experience with greens powders, they’ll usually list individual vitamin and mineral content along with the total amount of each proprietary blend or complex — and, as you can see, that’s exactly how the Supplement Facts for Primal Greens and AG1 are presented.

With proprietary blends, it’s important to know that there are rules for how a Supplement Facts panel needs to be formatted in the U.S. The FDA explains that, for proprietary blends, “Indented underneath the name of the blend, you must list the ‘other dietary ingredients’ in the blend, either in a column or linear fashion, in descending order of predominance by weight.”28

Considering that information, we’ve put together a chart with some scientific research on the first two ingredients in each product’s blends.

Overall winner: AG1

While the previous section goes over the broader health-boosting potential of Primal Greens and AG1 based on nutrient content and prominent ingredients, this section delves into more specifics about certain concerns and how these greens powders may be able to help. Generally, there are about four main benefits greens powders are purported to provide:

• Better gut health
• Boosted immunity
• Lower risk of chronic health conditions
• Improved energy levels

We cover each of these potential health benefits — in that order — below.

For gut health

Winner: AG1

At the time of this writing, Athletic Greens has conducted three separate scientific studies on AG1's potential for improving gut health. Additionally, the company has collaborated with experts to publish different peer-reviewed pieces of research on its greens powder, some of which also cover AG1’s impact on gut health. Many of these studies — including those from Athletic Greens and other researchers — use an experimental model of the gut known as SHIME.68

The acronym SHIME stands for Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem. As defined by experts, it’s an in vitro (taking place outside of a living being) model researchers use to simulate “the entire gastrointestinal tract incorporating stomach, small intestine, and different colon regions.” Additionally, experts note this model is “a highly standardized system” that “leads to highly reproducible results.”69

This amount of research is impressive; it’s usually a stroke of luck to find a single study done on a branded supplement. Self-funded studies do have the potential for bias, but studies on specific products often wouldn’t happen without the company funding them. In an attempt to prevent (or at least reduce) bias, Athletic Greens notes the involvement of third-party experts and independent clinical research organizations.

Below, we’ve put together a chart offering a quick overview of the three aforementioned gut health studies and their results.

With all of that in mind, it becomes clear why we chose AG1 for gut health over Primal Greens. The latter does include some of the same gut-friendly ingredients, however, like probiotics, inulin, and fungal digestive enzymes, so it still has the potential to be beneficial. Here’s how those ingredients may help:

• Probiotics can help reduce harmful gut bacteria, promote a healthy GI microbiome, and may even improve mood.72
• Inulin is a prebiotic fiber that helps feed the good bacteria in your GI system.50 This fiber may also regulate bowel movements, reduce appetite, and repair your gut microbiome.51
• In vitro research shows that fungal digestive enzymes appear to effectively improve digestion of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in acidic conditions similar to the human stomach.73

Additionally, Primal Greens’ larger Digestive Complex blend may make it better for those with sensitive stomachs. If your system isn’t used to eating a bunch of greens and other vegetables, then Primal Greens could be a better starting point. However, AG1 still ultimately wins in this category due to its scientific support.

For better immunity

Winner: AG1

According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, there are certain vitamins and minerals that are essential for proper immune function. These include:74

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Zinc

Between Primal Greens and AG1, the latter contains the majority of those nutrients (with the exception of vitamin D); the former is limited to vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc only. Here’s how these two greens powders compare in the content of each, and the Percent Daily Value (%DV):

Examining the cases where they both have entries in the chart above, AG1 has at least double the amount of each.

As a side note, the vitamin C content difference is most interesting to us since Primal Greens has ingredients with some of the highest vitamin C content — like acerola cherries, which contain 50-100 times the amount as citrus fruits.43

In the end, though, AG1’s higher immune-supporting nutrient content gives it the crown in this category, despite Primal Greens’ promising ingredients.

For reducing the risk of chronic health conditions and boosting energy

Winner: Draw

While some of the possible health improvements from greens powders, like better immunity, can be partially attributed to certain ingredients (such as vitamin C, citrus fruits, certain mushrooms, etc.), most of this potential comes from — as we touched on previously — eating more fruits and vegetables.14

The closer to five servings you eat per day, the lower your chances of developing various chronic health concerns,11 particularly cardiovascular ones.75 This information does support the notion that greens powders can reduce your risk of chronic disease — but, to reiterate, this is because of the fruit and vegetable content, not anything unique to greens powders themselves.

On a similar note, the ability of greens powders to potentially boost your energy is also most likely due to increased fruit and vegetable intake. Many of the fruits and veggies in Primal Greens, AG1, and other greens powders are complex carbs, which are high in fiber or starches and take longer for your body to break down.12 As explained by registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD, “Complex carbs provide lasting energy. These are the types of foods that can get you through your day.”13

The list below contains some examples of complex carbohydrate fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber or starches. Next to each entry, we’ve added which greens powder it’s present in: AG1, Primal Greens, or both.12 13 76

• Apple (both)
• Artichoke (AG1)
• Banana (Primal Greens)
• Barley (AG1)
• Berries (both)
• Broccoli (both)
• Brussels sprouts (Primal Greens)
• Leafy greens; spinach, kale, etc. (both)

A majority of these ingredients are found in both Primal Greens and AG1, meaning their potential for maintaining lasting energy is fairly similar.

Poor nutrition can also lead to low energy or fatigue,77 no matter your age or health status, so providing your body with the nutrients it’s missing may help boost your energy levels.78 79 With that in mind, both Primal Greens and AG1 have the potential to increase your energy and reduce your risk of chronic disease due to their sizeable and diverse fruit and vegetable content.

Winner: Primal Greens

To put it plainly, high-quality greens powders are often quite expensive. But, if you think of greens powders more like an assortment of fruits and vegetables and less like a typical supplement, then it’s not that surprising to learn that they can be on the pricey side. Studies have shown that,80 even as far back as the 1800s,81 healthier foods, like fruits and vegetables, are generally more expensive than those high in simple carbohydrates, sugar, and fats.82

That being said, AG1 is a fair bit more expensive than Primal Greens due to its higher quantities of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Primal Greens isn’t the least expensive greens powder on the market, either, but it is more affordable than AG1.

However, subscription discounts can ease the cost burden of both products. No matter which greens powder you choose, subscribing takes around 20% off the price. And both products are covered by generous 90-day money-back guarantees. Additionally, subscribing to Primal Greens means you get free shipping, while AG1, in contrast, will always charge those in the U.S. a flat rate of $9, subscription or not.

The chart below shows the prices for each product. AG1 also comes in individual travel packets, so its prices are written as a range (and the travel packets are always the more expensive option).

Additionally, AG1 subscriptions come with free gifts with your first delivery, while Primal Greens just sends you the powder itself. AG1’s gifts include:

• Single subscription: Canister (pouch only), shaker bottle, 5 travel packets
• Double subscription: Same gifts as above, plus a 1-year supply of vitamin D3+K2

Gifts or not, the price of AG1 is still quite a bit higher than that of Primal Greens. The protection of the money-back guarantee could make the cost of AG1 less of a dealbreaker for some people, while others will still greatly prefer the more cost-effective appeal of Primal Greens.

But, in any case, the data in the chart above clearly shows that AG1 is roughly double or more the cost of Primal Greens in almost all cases. With this large of a price difference, plus the perk of having both bulk and subscription discounts available, choosing Primal Greens as our winner for cost was all but guaranteed.

Winner: AG1 (barely)

Generally, both Primal Greens and AG1 are convenient products. AG1 just so happened to win by a hair for a couple of reasons:

• Longer customer service hours
• An easier-to-mix powder

As you can see, these are some pretty small details, but they were noticeable during our testing. Let’s review each aspect of the customer experience and explain this further.

None of Primal Greens’ inconveniences are all that bad; they shouldn’t stop you from enjoying it as a greens powder. They’re just something to keep in mind. So, while AG1 technically wins in this category, it’s not by a landslide or anything.

Winner: Primal Greens

If you don’t like the taste of a greens powder, you’re less likely to want to actually drink it. When mixed in cold water, neither Primal Greens nor AG1 were considered “pleasure drinks” by our testers, but Primal Greens definitely won out between the two. Primal Greens does taste distinctly “green,” but it also has a noticeable fruitiness that gradually becomes the main flavor the more you drink. The only bad part about drinking Primal Greens was the foam that can appear from mixing; that tasted more like watery vegetable juice and was promptly scooped off by our testers.

AG1, in comparison, has a strong stevia aftertaste. Primal Greens also contains stevia, but you can’t tell as much as you can with AG1. Once you get past the stevia, though, AG1 tastes vaguely like pineapple and apples (both of which are in the various blends). One tester with a particularly strong sensitivity to bitter flavors noticed a faint “onion-like” aftertaste with AG1, but none of our other testers experienced this.

Ultimately, while Primal Greens is our choice for flavor over AG1, this category is so subjective that you may love AG1 more, or even dislike them both. This is another place where the 90-day guarantee for each comes in handy — if you don’t like either, you can get your money back.

Depending on your personal reasons for wanting to try Primal Greens or AG1, there are a host of other products out there that may be just as good, or even better, for your needs.

Other greens powders

While Athletic Greens’ AG1 is our favorite greens powder overall, in our guide to the best there could be other options that might better suit your needs. For example, though Primal Greens won for taste over AG1 in this review, it wasn't our top pick for the best-tasting unflavored greens powder in our guide — that title goes to Amazing Grass. Similarly, Primal Greens wasn’t the best budget pick in our guide, meaning there are much more cost-effective greens powders out there.

To learn more about these other options — the runner-up, best budget pick, widest variety of flavors, and more — check out our guide to the best greens powders linked below.

Colostrum (for immunity)

If you’re searching for heightened immunity — and you don’t adhere to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet — then bovine colostrum powders may be something to consider. These powders are made from the initial, immunoglobulin-rich milk produced by cows around 2-4 days after giving birth. Taking these supplements can boost gut health, immunity, skin health, and more.83 And our top pick, ARMRA, offers a product that may also be beneficial for athletes.

Mushroom coffee (for adaptogens and energy)

Multiple greens powders, including both Primal Greens and AG1, contain mushrooms and other adaptogens that may improve your body’s response to stressors.84 If the main draw of a greens powder for you is more energy and additional adaptogen content, then you might find mushroom coffee to be an interesting option, as well.

These beverages — which don’t always actually contain coffee or even caffeine — are often packed with functional mushrooms and other botanicals intended to boost your health and wellness in various ways. The flavors are fairly diverse, too, with regular coffee, matcha, and hot chocolate being only a small selection of available options.