Product Comparison
Compare the three citrulline formats head-to-head — the pure trial-dose powder, the training-format malate, and the arginine-citrulline dual. In citrulline's comparison, the honest principle is: the form should match the question, and the dose should match the trial.
At a glance
NOW Sports L-Citrulline Powder
L-Citrulline Malate 2:1
NOW Arginine & Citrulline (Dual)
Multi-dimensional comparison
Multi-dimensional Comparison
| Metric | 🏆NOW Sports L-Citrulline Powder NOW Sports | L-Citrulline Malate 2:1 Various (bulk powder) | NOW Arginine & Citrulline (Dual) NOW Foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Form | Powder | Powder | Capsule |
| Strength | 3 g per scoop | 3 g citrulline per serving (as malate) | 500 mg arginine + 500 mg citrulline per capsule |
| Servings / Container | 83 | 66 | 120 |
| Retail Price | $21.99 | $19.99 | $16.99 |
| Cost / Serving | $0.26 | $0.30 | $0.14BEST 💰 |
| Overall Score | 82/100 | 78/100 | 77/100 |
| 3rd-Party Testing | None | None | None |
| Vegan Friendly | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Did you know?
The trial dose
The mild-ED trial used 3 g of pure L-citrulline daily — the dose this page's top pick delivers in one scoop. The 6–10 g pre-workout doses are the training community's extrapolation.
The form evidence split
The ED trial used pure citrulline; the training trials used citrulline malate. Each form has its own evidence base — neither borrows the other's. Check the citrulline-equivalent dose on malate labels.
The blood-pressure caution
Citrulline lowers blood pressure modestly — additive with antihypertensives and potentially additive with PDE5 inhibitors (the same cGMP pathway). Physician coordination for the medicated user.
The pharmacological advantage
Citrulline bypasses the liver, converts to arginine in the kidney, and raises blood arginine better than oral arginine — the established pharmacokinetic finding the entire supplement logic rests on.
The food arithmetic
The watermelon dose-equivalent: roughly 3 pounds daily. The food is real; the dose is the supplement's territory. The citrulline supplement is not correcting a deficiency.
The Nobel pathway
The molecule citrulline feeds (NO) earned the 1998 Nobel Prize — the first gas identified as a human signaling molecule. The supplement feeds the system the prize committee recognized.