FOCUSfast and Focus Factor are two nootropics stacks with long ingredient lists that make them seem more like multivitamins than concentrated, well-formulated nootropic supplements. (Spoiler alert: In our experience, they sort of are.) They’ve got dozens of vitamins and minerals, along with some common (and some not so common) brain boosters like tyrosine, Ashwagandha, vinpocetine, and various forms of choline-containing compounds. Do either of these supplements work to improve focus and/or energy, and which is the better nootropic?
Our testers weighed in below. For in-depth discussions of each stack, read our full FOCUSfactor and Focus Fast reviews.
FOCUSfactor versus Focus Fast
One important thing to note is that with the “proprietary” blends and lengthy ingredient lists on each of these broad stacks, user experience can vary significantly, as there are many, many ingredients that will seem different in potency to different users. However, our testers generally — and we emphasize generally — preferred FOCUSfactor to Focus Fast. They found FOCUSfactor to be the more consistent of the two caffeine-free nootropics, and it paired fairly well with breakfast for a mild clarity and focus boost.
However, one downside of FOCUSfactor is the relatively large serving size (4 pills). If you’re prone to upset stomach from ingesting capsules or pills, this is definitely not one to take without food in order to ease absorption.
Our testers felt next to no cognitive boost when taking Focus Fast, perhaps because the supplement’s proprietary blend (i.e. you don’t know how much of particular ingredients are in it) may not have contained enough of the active ingredients to actually impart a benefit.
Are There Better Nootropic Stacks?
After years of testing nootropic supplements, our testers tend to feel the combo multivitamin/nootropic supps aren’t that effective. They’re simply trying to cram too many ingredients into one supplement, and that means they often have antagonistic ingredients or too little of some active ingredients to make any difference.
And while both FOCUSfactor and Focus Fast seem to be marketed toward beginners in the nootropic space — they contain relatively straightforward ingredients, though just many in extremely small quantities — we think there are better options. Our ultimate guide to nootropic stacks for beginners lists every nootropic we’ve ever tested, along with our general experience and rankings from best to worst (most effective to least effective, although there’s some variability on criteria).