The 3 Best Fish Oil Supplements of 2026
The best fish oil for most people is Viva Naturals Triple Strength: 1,035 mg of EPA and DHA a softgel, $0.30 per 1,000 mg. IFOS, a testing program for fish oil, posts a report for each lot it tests. Fish burps bother you? Puori O3 says it has none, and IFOS tests it. Drug-tested? Buy Momentous Omega-3. If you eat fish once or twice a week, you may not need fish oil at all.
By Erin Rose Updated October 17, 2026 How we score
Our 3 picks, side by side
 Viva Naturals Triple Strength |  Puori O3 |  Momentous Omega-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | ||
| Most people | If fish burps bother you | Drug-tested athletes |
| Our score | ||
| 10.0/10 | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
| EPA+DHA a softgel | ||
| 1,035 mg | 583 mg | 800 mg |
| Cost per 1,000 mg | ||
| $0.30 | $0.81 | $0.83 |
| Testing list | ||
| IFOS | IFOS | NSF Certified for Sport |
| Form | ||
| Triglyceride (rTG) | Triglyceride | Triglyceride |
| Check price | Check price | Check price |
Our pick for: Most people
Viva Naturals Triple Strength
10.0/10 Our score
Tied for our top score with Sports Research, and it costs less per 1,000 mg
- EPA+DHA
- 1,035 mg a softgel2,070 mg in the 2-softgel serving
- Per 1,000 mg
- $0.30Amazon price
- Bottle
- 180 softgels$55.96 on Amazon
- Testing list
- IFOSLot reports online, checked October 17, 2026See the listing
- Form
- Triglyceride (rTG)
Why we pick it Each softgel holds 1,035 mg of EPA and DHA, the most of the 11 we compare, and it costs the least per 1,000 mg of the ones on a testing list. IFOS, a testing program built for fish oil, posts a report for each lot it tests. In the report we read (lot SG26050712), two softgels held 1,573 mg of EPA and 640 mg of DHA, more than the label’s 1,500 and 570.
What you give up The softgels are large, and the label serving is two. One softgel is enough for most people (one or two?).
Which fish oil is right for you?
Fish oil’s two useful fats are EPA and DHA. Read those two lines on the label, not the big number on the front: our pick’s “2,500 mg” is fish oil, and 2,070 mg of it is EPA and DHA. If you eat fish such as salmon, sardines or trout once or twice a week, as the American Heart Association advises, you may not need one.
Do fish burps bother you? Try Puori O3.
Puori says its O3 has “no fishy taste or burps.” That is the brand’s claim. IFOS tests it, and 3 softgels give 1,750 mg of EPA and DHA. It costs $0.81 per 1,000 mg. At 1,000 mg a day it costs about $188 a year more than our pick. More ways to stop burps: the best burpless fish oil.
Puori O3
$0.81 per 1,000 mg · IFOS
Already take Nordic Naturals? Carlson is tested and costs less.
Healthline names Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega the best fish oil. It is the rTG form and states its EPA and DHA clearly, but it scores 6.0/10 with us. IFOS lists Nordic only for its non-GMO test, so we can’t check its fish oil against a public list; Nordic posts its own lab reports instead. It costs $0.62 per 1,000 mg, about 2.1 times our pick, or about $116 more a year at 1,000 mg a day. If you want an oil that IFOS tests, buy Carlson Elite Omega-3 Gems: 2 softgels give 1,400 mg of EPA and DHA, and it costs $0.47 per 1,000 mg. It is the ethyl ester form, not rTG, so take it with a meal (does the form matter?).
Carlson Elite Omega-3 Gems
$0.47 per 1,000 mg · IFOS
Drug-tested in your sport? Buy Momentous Omega-3.
NSF Certified for Sport tests it for drugs banned in sport, and the listing covers every lot, so there is no lot number to check. Two softgels give 1,600 mg of EPA and DHA. At 1,000 mg a day it costs about $194 a year more than our pick.
Momentous Omega-3
$0.83 per 1,000 mg · NSF Certified for Sport
Don’t eat fish? Buy an algae oil.
Fish get their EPA and DHA from algae, so algae oil gives you the same two fats. Nordic Naturals Algae Omega has 585 mg in 2 softgels. It costs $1.15 per 1,000 mg, about 4 times our pick. More algae oils.
Nordic Naturals Algae Omega
$1.15 per 1,000 mg · No testing list
Every fish oil we compared
We compared 11 omega-3 oils, all for sale on Amazon, on dose, testing, cost, label and recalls, and we checked each testing list ourselves (dates in the sources below). Here they are, best score first, with why each one is or is not a pick. Costs are for 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA at Amazon prices.
| Fish oil | Per 1,000 mg | Why it is or is not a pick |
|---|---|---|
| Viva Naturals Triple Strength10.0/10 · Triglyceride (rTG) · IFOS | $0.30 | Our pick: top score, IFOS, and the lowest cost of the tested oils |
| Sports Research Triple Strength10.0/10 · Triglyceride · IFOS | $0.34 | On IFOS and ties our pick on score, with 950 mg in one softgel; $0.34 per 1,000 mg |
| Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg9.0/10 · Form not stated · USP Verified | $0.42 | On USP Verified, with the lowest bottle price, but only 300 mg a softgel, so 1,000 mg costs $0.42 |
| Carlson Elite Omega-3 Gems9.0/10 · Ethyl ester · IFOS | $0.47 | On IFOS, but costs $0.47 per 1,000 mg against $0.30 for our pick |
| Thorne Super EPA8.0/10 · Ethyl ester · NSF/ANSI 173 | $0.66 | On NSF/ANSI 173, which checks the bottle matches the label. Thorne’s Sport-tested version is not the one sold on this Amazon listing |
| Puori O38.0/10 · Triglyceride · IFOS | $0.81 | Our pick if fish burps bother you (IFOS; the brand says it has no fishy burps) |
| Momentous Omega-38.0/10 · Triglyceride · NSF Certified for Sport | $0.83 | Our pick for drug-tested athletes (NSF Certified for Sport, every lot) |
| Barlean’s Ideal Omega 38.0/10 · Form not stated · IFOS | $0.97 | On IFOS, with 1,000 mg in one softgel, but about 3 times the cost of our pick |
| Nordic Naturals Algae Omega8.0/10 · Algae oil, triglyceride | $1.15 | Our pick for people who eat no fish |
| NOW Ultra Omega-37.5/10 · Ethyl ester | $0.21 | The lowest cost, but tested only by the brand itself |
Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega, Healthline’s pick, is the other one we compared: 6.0/10, $0.62 per 1,000 mg, on no testing list we check. Already take Nordic Naturals?
Questions people ask
What is the best fish oil supplement?
For most people, Viva Naturals Triple Strength: 1,035 mg of EPA and DHA a softgel for $0.30 per 1,000 mg, with IFOS lot reports. The lowest cost we found is NOW Ultra Omega-3, at $0.21 per 1,000 mg, but it is not on a testing list we check. If fish burps bother you, try Puori O3 (the brand says it has none). If you are drug-tested, buy Momentous Omega-3 (NSF Certified for Sport).
Should I take one softgel or two?
For most people, one. One softgel of our pick gives 1,035 mg of EPA and DHA. That is more than the 250 to 500 mg a day that European food safety experts advise for adults, counting fish you eat (EFSA 2012). Take more only if your doctor tells you to. How much to take.
Does fish oil help your heart?
Not much, if your heart is healthy. In two large trials, VITAL and ASCEND, 1 g a day did not lower the main count of heart attacks, strokes and heart deaths. If you have a heart condition, ask your doctor before taking fish oil.
Is fish oil safe?
For most adults, yes. US and European regulators say up to 5 g of EPA and DHA a day from supplements is safe. The usual side effects are a fishy taste, burps and loose stools. In heart trials, fish oil raised the risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, by about a quarter, more above 1 g a day (Gencer 2021). Ask your doctor first if you have heart disease or take a blood thinner.
Does the form matter?
A little. In short studies the rTG form raised blood EPA and DHA more than the ethyl ester form, but over six months both worked and the gap was small (Neubronner 2011). Take any fish oil with a meal. Forms compared.
How we score
Five marks, 10 points in all: dose (3), a public testing list (3; a brand’s own claim earns half), cost at the brand’s own price (2), a label that states the amounts (1) and the FDA recall record (1). Costs on this page are Amazon prices. More on our method.
Sources
- Manson JE, et al. “Marine n-3 Fatty Acids and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer” (VITAL). N Engl J Med. 2019. PubMed 30415637
- ASCEND Study Collaborative Group (Bowman L, et al.). “Effects of n-3 Fatty Acid Supplements in Diabetes Mellitus.” N Engl J Med. 2018. PubMed 30146932
- Gencer B, et al. “Effect of Long-Term Marine ω-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Randomized Controlled Trials of Cardiovascular Outcomes.” Circulation. 2021. PubMed 34612056
- Neubronner J, et al. “Enhanced increase of omega-3 index in response to long-term n-3 fatty acid supplementation from triacylglycerides versus ethyl esters.” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011. PubMed 21063431
- Rimm EB, et al. “Seafood Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.” Circulation. 2018. PubMed 29773586
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. “Scientific Opinion on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA).” EFSA Journal. 2012;10(7):2815. US FDA letter of enforcement discretion on EPA and DHA claims, June 2019 (Docket FDA-2014-Q-1146).
- Testing lists, read October 17, 2026: IFOS (Viva Naturals, Sports Research, Carlson, Puori (read October 18, 2026), Barlean’s, and Nordic Naturals entries NRDN0025 and NRDN0002, non-GMO only), NSF Certified for Sport (Momentous Omega-3 1597386, every lot; Thorne Super EPA 1237707 lists a Sport version, while the Amazon listing we link says NSF Contents Certified). USP Verified (Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg), read September 22, 2026. FDA recalls: openFDA enforcement reports.
- Healthline, “5 Best Fish Oil Supplements for 2026, According to Experts,” updated June 30, 2026, read October 17, 2026.