simplyNAD+ vs Elysium Basis: 600mg NR vs 250mg, and the Trial We Do Not Have

By the simplyNAD+ Research Desk · September 2026 · Every figure below was taken from the manufacturer’s own website or a major retailer’s label listing, and we say so when a number could not be verified.

Elysium Basis is the most credible NAD+ supplement on the market, and if you want the short version of this comparison: Basis has a published clinical trial and simplyNAD+ does not. That matters, and we are going to say it before we say anything else.

What Basis does not have is dose, price or a format you will still be using in month four. Here is the whole picture.

The numbers, off both labels

Give Basis its due first

In 2017, Elysium published a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of the exact NR-and-pterostilbene combination it sells as Basis. 120 adults aged 60 to 80, three arms, results in npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease: blood NAD+ rose an average of 40% at 30 days at the recommended dose and held at 60 days. They have also run a six-month liver study and published toxicology work on their NR.

Almost nothing else in this category has that. Most NAD+ brands, including us, are selling a well-studied ingredient in an unstudied formula. Elysium studied the formula. That is a real distinction and no amount of milligrams cancels it.

Basis also came out of serious science — the company was co-founded by an MIT biologist whose lab did foundational work on sirtuins. If a peer-reviewed trial on the finished bottle is your bar, Basis clears it and we do not.

Now the part Basis cannot answer: the dose

Basis gives you 250mg of nicotinamide riboside per serving. simplyNAD+ gives you 600mg. That is 2.4 times the NR, and it is not a marketing figure — read both Supplement Facts panels.

This matters because Elysium’s own trial gives you the dose-response: the 250mg arm raised NAD+ about 40%, and the double-dose arm raised it about 90%. Their own data says more NR moves NAD+ further. You can get to a higher intake by buying two servings of Basis a day, which costs $4.34, or one packet of simplyNAD+, which costs $0.83.

simplyNAD+ also carries three things Basis does not: 250mg of quercetin phytosome, 150mg of trans-resveratrol, and 40mg of PQQ. Basis contributes 50mg of pterostilbene, which resveratrol’s chemical cousin, and nothing else. Neither stack has a head-to-head trial behind it. But if you were buying quercetin, resveratrol and PQQ separately alongside your Basis, you would be spending more again.

Two capsules a day is the real competitor

Here is what does not appear on any comparison chart: the failure mode of a longevity supplement is not that it stops working. It is that you stop taking it.

NAD+ support is cumulative. Elysium’s trial measured at 30 and 60 days for a reason — this is a daily-habit product, and the person who takes it 19 days out of 30 has bought something different from the person who takes it 30. Two capsules on an empty stomach every single morning is a small ask that a meaningful number of people quietly stop honouring around week six.

simplyNAD+ is a packet you tear open and drink. It tastes like a sweet berry shot, it takes about ten seconds, and there is nothing to swallow, mix or wash down. That is not a scientific advantage over Basis. It is a behavioural one, and behaviour is what determines whether you got any value from either product.

So which one

Buy Basis if a published randomised trial on the finished product is non-negotiable for you, you are comfortable at $65 a month, and capsules are genuinely no obstacle in your routine.

Buy simplyNAD+ if you want considerably more NR per day, you want quercetin, resveratrol and PQQ in the same serving instead of three more bottles, you would rather spend $0.83 a day than $2.17, and you know from experience that you are more likely to finish something you drink than something you swallow.

Plenty of people would be well served by either. We are not going to tell you Basis is a bad product, because it is not — it is the most rigorously studied one on the shelf.

simplyNAD+ Daily is 600mg nicotinamide riboside, 250mg quercetin phytosome, 150mg trans-resveratrol and 40mg PQQ in one mixed-berry packet you drink straight — no water, no capsules, ten seconds. 30 packets per box, first box $25 with free US shipping. See the packets and pick your supply →

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Prices and product specifications were verified on brand websites in September 2026 and may change — check the manufacturer’s current label before buying. simplyNAD+ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand named in this article. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is educational and is not medical advice — talk to your doctor before starting any supplement.