Third-Party Tested Glucosamine and Chondroitin
Buy Cosamin DS: it is on NSF/ANSI 173 and has the 1,500 mg glucosamine and 1,200 mg chondroitin used in the largest US trial, at $0.67 a day. Only 3 of the 9 brands we checked are on a testing list.
By Erin Rose Updated October 23, 2026 How we score
Our recommendation
Buy Cosamin DS
Three capsules a day match the largest trial’s amounts. NSF checks that each bottle holds what the label says, and tests for lead, mercury and arsenic.
Buy on Amazon · $39.99- Want the lowest cost? Nature Made TripleFlex + D3 is USP Verified, at $0.32 a day. It has 800 mg chondroitin, the low end of the 800 to 1,200 mg trials used. Pick Cosamin DS for the trial’s exact amounts, or Nature Made to spend half as much.
- Want the sulfate form? Thorne Glucosamine & Chondroitin is on NSF/ANSI 173, at $1.33 a day for 750 mg chondroitin.
Which glucosamine supplements are third-party tested? (3)
An outside program checked each of these and lists it by name. Tap a badge to see the listing.
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Our pick
Cosamin DS
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (HCl) · chondroitin 1,200 mg. 3 capsules a day.
$0.67 a day
Buy on Amazon · $39.99 -
Lowest cost tested we link
Nature Made TripleFlex + D3
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (HCl) · chondroitin 800 mg · MSM 750 mg. 2 caplets a day. Also has vitamin D3.
$0.32 a day
Buy on Amazon · $26.08 -
Thorne Glucosamine & Chondroitin
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (sulfate) · chondroitin 750 mg. 3 capsules a day. Sulfate form, with chondroitin under the 800 to 1,200 mg trials used. The highest cost a day here.
$1.33 a day
Buy on Amazon · $38.00
A day = the label’s daily serving. Costs are each brand’s list price (or a named store’s regular price) divided by the days in the bottle, checked October 23, 2026. Amazon’s price can differ. We count a listing only when it names the same product.
Not on any testing list (6)
We also checked these 6. We did not find them on NSF/ANSI 173, USP Verified, NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport and Informed Choice. That does not mean they are bad, only that no public list checks them.
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Double Wood Glucosamine Chondroitin
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (sulfate) · chondroitin 1,200 mg. Cheapest here with the full 1,500 mg and 1,200 mg.
$0.33 a day
Check price -
Doctor’s Best Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (sulfate) · chondroitin 1,200 mg · MSM 1,000 mg. 4 capsules a day.
$0.55 a day
Check price -
NOW Glucosamine & Chondroitin Extra Strength
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (sulfate) · chondroitin 1,200 mg.
$0.51 a day
Check price -
Nutricost Glucosamine Sulfate
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (sulfate) · no chondroitin. The cheapest per day here, but it has no chondroitin.
$0.17 a day
Check price -
Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (HCl) · chondroitin in a blend, amount not stated. Also has Boswellia extract. Without a chondroitin amount, we cannot check it against the trials.
$0.66 a day
Check price -
Move Free Advanced Plus MSM
Not on a public list
Glucosamine 1,500 mg (HCl) · chondroitin 200 mg · MSM 1,500 mg. Only 200 mg chondroitin.
$0.73 a day
Check price
How much glucosamine and chondroitin trials used
The largest US trial, GAIT, gave 1,500 mg glucosamine and 1,200 mg chondroitin a day. Other trials used 800 to 1,200 mg chondroitin. Check the label for the amount in a full day’s serving, not in one pill: most products here take 2 to 4 pills to reach it.
Labels also name the form. GAIT used glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl). Some trials that used glucosamine sulfate found more benefit (Reginster 2001), but the results are mixed. Our pick and Nature Made use HCl; Thorne, Doctor’s Best, Double Wood, NOW and Nutricost use sulfate.
Comparing on more than testing? See the best glucosamine chondroitin supplement.
What does each program check?
| Program | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Checks that what the label says is in the bottle, and that lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium stay under set limits. It does not screen for banned substances. |
| USP Verified | Checks that the bottle holds the ingredients on the label in the stated amounts, and that heavy metals and pesticides stay under set limits. |
How to check your own bottle
- Look for the USP Verified mark or the NSF mark on the bottle.
- Search NSF’s list or USP’s list for the exact product name.
- Add up a full day’s serving: aim for 1,500 mg glucosamine and 800 to 1,200 mg chondroitin.
- Skip labels that list chondroitin inside a blend with no amount of its own.
This page compares products. It is not medical advice. Ask your doctor before starting glucosamine if you take a blood thinner or have diabetes.
Questions
Is Cosamin DS worth the extra cost?
Yes, if you want the same 1,200 mg of chondroitin the largest US trial used. It costs about 2 times as much a day as Nature Made, which is also tested. We found no trial that compared the two brands.
Does glucosamine work?
Results are mixed. In the largest US trial, glucosamine with chondroitin was not better than a placebo overall, and the American College of Rheumatology advises against it for knee and hip arthritis.
Is glucosamine safe?
For most people, yes. Many glucosamine supplements are made from shellfish shells, so check the label if you have a shellfish allergy. Ask your doctor first if you take warfarin, because it may raise bleeding risk, or if you have diabetes (NCCIH).
Sources
- Clegg DO, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2006. PMID 16495392
- Kolasinski SL, et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020. PMID 31908163
- Reginster JY, et al. Long-term effects of glucosamine sulphate on osteoarthritis progression: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Lancet. 2001. PMID 11214126
- NCCIH. Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis. nccih.nih.gov
- USP Verified and NSF/ANSI 173: each program’s own list, searched by product name, October 23, 2026.