Best fish oil, ranked by cost per mg of EPA+DHA

What people ask us most.

Q01

How much EPA+DHA per day do I actually need?

For general cardiovascular maintenance the common target is 250-500 mg combined EPA+DHA per day, the range the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements cites as adequate intake from oily fish or supplements. For elevated triglycerides, trial doses run 2,000-4,000 mg/day under clinical supervision (the dose used in prescription-grade formulations). Read the EPA+DHA line on the label, not the total fish oil figure: a 1000 mg softgel is often only ~300 mg EPA+DHA, so three softgels may be needed to clear even a 500 mg/day target.

Q02

Triglyceride form vs ethyl ester, does it matter?

Natural fish oil is in triglyceride form; concentrating it commonly converts it to ethyl ester, which can be re-esterified back to triglyceride at added cost. Dyerberg 2010 measured higher absorption of EPA+DHA from triglyceride and free-fatty-acid forms than from ethyl ester over a two-week intake. The practical effect is modest and ethyl ester still works, especially taken with a fat-containing meal, but at equal $/mg the triglyceride form is the better buy.

Q03

Is fish oil worth it, and what does the evidence show?

The cardiovascular evidence is mixed and dose-dependent. The Hu 2019 JAHA meta-analysis of 13 trials (over 127,000 participants) found small reductions in cardiovascular and coronary mortality that scaled with dose. Earlier secondary-prevention trials like GISSI-Prevenzione showed benefit, while several recent primary-prevention trials at ~1 g/day were null. The AHA science advisory supports omega-3 for specific patient groups rather than blanket use. For most people, 2-3 servings of oily fish per week is the evidence-led default and supplements fill the gap when intake is low.

Q04

How do I avoid rancid or oxidized fish oil?

Oxidation is measured by TOTOX (total oxidation value); independent programs like IFOS publish per-lot TOTOX and the GOED voluntary standard caps it at 26. Buy products that publish third-party oxidation testing, check for an expiration date well in the future, and store capsules cool and dark. A strong fishy smell or taste on the burp, or a bitter softgel, signals oxidation; a fresh product should be close to odorless. Liquids oxidize faster once opened than softgels.

Q05

Fish oil vs algae oil for vegans?

Algae oil is the direct vegan source of preformed EPA+DHA and is the only plant option that supplies DHA without conversion. Flax, chia, and walnut provide ALA, but humans convert ALA to DHA at low single-digit percentages, so ALA is not a reliable EPA+DHA substitute. Algae oil typically costs more per mg of EPA+DHA than concentrated fish oil and often supplies more DHA than EPA; for non-vegans fish oil is cheaper per active mg, for vegans algae oil is the only equivalent.

Q06

Do I still need fish oil if I eat fish?

If you eat 2-3 servings of oily fish per week (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring), you are likely meeting the 250-500 mg/day EPA+DHA maintenance range and a supplement adds little. A single 100 g serving of farmed salmon supplies roughly 1,500-2,000 mg EPA+DHA. Supplements earn their place when fish intake is low, when a clinician has set a high therapeutic dose for triglycerides, or when mercury exposure from larger fish is a concern and a tested low-contaminant oil is preferred.