Vitamin formats, compared plainly
Same vitamins. Different shapes.
A gummy, a capsule and a drop can carry the same nutrient and still differ in sugar, serving size, allergens and what a day's serving costs. We sort established brands by format, the way a weekly organizer sorts a week, and read every label literally.
- Gummies2 entries
- Capsules2 entries
- Tablets4 entries
- Softgels1 entry
- Drops1 entry
- Powders1 entry
- Guides5 guides
Six compartments hold products, one per format. The seventh holds the guides that explain the differences between them.
The organizer
Eleven products, sorted by format
Established brands · sold on Amazon · labels read literally
Each compartment is one format, and each lid color stays with that format everywhere on the site. Open an entry for its format facts: serving size, count, sugar per serving and allergen statements, as printed on the label on the day we checked.
Gummies
01 / 07Chewable and flavored. Sweeteners vary from sugar to sugar alcohols, so every gummy entry states its sugar per serving.
Capsules
02 / 07A two-piece shell, gelatin or plant-based, around a powder fill. Swallowed whole, and usually no sweetener at all.
Tablets
03 / 07Pressed powder, sometimes coated, sometimes chewable. The format that tends to fit the most into a single piece, so it is where most classic multis live.
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Nature Made Multivitamin with Iron
A one-a-day tablet multi with iron, and the storage warning that comes with it.
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Centrum Adults
The familiar tablet multi read line by line, with the % Daily Value column explained.
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Garden of Life Organics Women's Once Daily
A one-tablet multi built on a powdered organic fruit, vegetable and herb blend: what "whole food" means here.
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Jarrow Formulas Methyl B-12 1000 mcg
A chewable B12 in the methylcobalamin form, with what "methyl" on the label does and does not tell you.
Softgels
04 / 07A sealed gel shell around an oil. The usual home for fish oil and fat-soluble vitamins.
Drops
05 / 07Measured by the drop. Easy to take, and easy to miscount.
Powders
06 / 07Measured and stirred into a drink. The serving is whatever the label's spoon measure says.
Guides
07 / 07The compartment that holds the explanations.
Format guides
What the format changes, explained
Sourced from NIH, FDA and MedlinePlus
Gummies vs. Tablets: The Sugar and Dose Trade-offs
Why a gummy serving is often more than one piece, where the sugar line sits on the label, and what a chewable format can and cannot hold.
What "Methylated" Means on a Vitamin Label
Methylcobalamin, methylfolate and the older forms they sit beside: what the words describe, and what the research does and does not say about choosing one.
Fat-Soluble vs. Water-Soluble Vitamins, Plainly
Which vitamins travel with fat and which dissolve in water, why that decides whether a softgel or a powder makes sense, and why upper limits matter more for some.
How to Read % Daily Value on a Multivitamin
What the percentage column is measured against, why some lines run far past 100%, and why a missing percentage is not a mistake.
How to Store Vitamins So They Keep
Heat, humidity, light and small hands: where the bathroom cabinet goes wrong, what the label's storage line asks for, and how each format differs.
How we sort
The rules behind every compartment
Same checks on every entry
Format first
Products are grouped by how you take them, not by what they promise. The format decides the serving size, the sweetener, the allergens and whether the thing is easy to swallow.
Labels, read literally
We copy the Supplement Facts panel as printed: serving size, count, amounts, % Daily Value, sugar and the allergen statement. We do not run lab tests, and we say so.
Prices with dates
A price is only true on the day we saw it, so every price here carries that date, the size and the seller. Check Amazon before you buy; it will have moved.
No health promises
We describe what a nutrient does in the body in the careful words the NIH uses, and we do not claim a product will change how you feel. Ask a clinician what you actually need.
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