Written by Dr Zeeshan Afzal (MBBS) — Medical Doctor & Medical Content Lead, Welzo
Medically reviewed & evidence-based · Last updated: 30 July 2026 · Reading time: approx. 9 minutes
Welzo sells both products compared here, and Welzo Ultra Purity is our own brand. Prices and specifications were taken from the product listings on the date of publication.
Akkermansia muciniphila has gone from an obscure mucus-dwelling bacterium to the most talked-about organism in microbiome science, and two products dominate the UK conversation: Pendulum's single-strain live capsule and Welzo Ultra Purity's high-potency multi-ingredient formula. They are built on genuinely different philosophies, and they sit at very different price points — £68.99 against £21.99 for the same 30-day supply. This comparison sets both side by side on ingredients, dosing, testing and cost per day. It forms part of our digestive health hub and gut health range.
|
Winner: Welzo Akkermansia 60 Billion AFU (£21.99) It costs 68% less than Pendulum for the same 30-day supply, publishes a downloadable Certificate of Analysis, discloses every ingredient quantity with no proprietary blends, and delivers a complete gut-and-metabolic formulation rather than a single organism. At 73p per day against £2.30, it is the more practical choice for the 8–12 weeks of continuous use that microbiome supplements actually require. |
Price: £21.99, reduced from £39.99 · Size: 60 capsules, 30 servings · Serving: 2 capsules daily · Cost per day: £0.73 · GTIN: 5070004247508 · Multi-buy: 2 bottles £39.99, 3 bottles £55.99
Per 2-capsule serving: Akkermansia 60 billion AFU · Lactobacillus acidophilus 64 billion CFU · Berberine 700mg · Inulin 200mg · Astaxanthin 2.4mg · Chromium 10µg (13% NRV). Other ingredients: vegetable cellulose capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) and microcrystalline cellulose — nothing else.
The design intent here is a complete protocol in one bottle rather than a single isolated organism. Akkermansia is paired with a prebiotic to feed it, a complementary Lactobacillus for the gut lumen, and metabolic cofactors. It is vegan, needs no refrigeration, and every quantity is printed rather than hidden inside a "proprietary blend".
Price: £68.99, reduced from £89.99 · Size: 30 capsules, 30 servings · Serving: 1 capsule daily · Cost per day: £2.30 · GTIN: 850043014003
Per capsule: live Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001, 100 million AFU · chicory inulin 276mg. Other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose capsule, L-leucine, silica. Free from gluten, dairy and soy; suitable for vegetarians.
Pendulum's approach is deliberately minimal: one named, patented strain delivered live, with a prebiotic and nothing else. It is a purist's product, and the strain designation is printed on the label — a transparency practice we would like to see more brands adopt.
| Welzo Akkermansia | Pendulum Akkermansia | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (30 days) | £21.99 | £68.99 |
| Cost per day | £0.73 | £2.30 |
| Cost per year | ~£268 | ~£839 |
| Published Certificate of Analysis | Yes — downloadable | Not published on listing |
| Strain designation | Not stated | WB-STR-0001 |
| Prebiotic included | Inulin 200mg | Chicory inulin 276mg |
| Second probiotic | L. acidophilus 64bn CFU | None |
| Metabolic cofactors | Berberine, chromium, astaxanthin | None |
| Authorised GB claim available | Yes — via chromium | No |
| Proprietary blends | None | None |
| Reviews on welzo.com | 92 | 70 |
| Multi-buy discount | Yes — up to 15% | No |
This is the argument that matters most, and it is not a marginal difference. Welzo is £21.99 against £68.99 for an identical 30-day supply: 73p a day versus £2.30. Over a year that is roughly £268 against £839, a difference of £571.
Price is not a trivial consideration with this category, because microbiome supplements only work if you keep taking them. Both brands say the same thing on their own listings: meaningful effects develop after 8 to 12 weeks of continuous daily use. A three-month course costs about £66 with Welzo and about £207 with Pendulum. In practice, the cheaper product is the one people actually finish — and a completed twelve-week course beats an abandoned four-week one every time. Welzo also offers multi-buy pricing (three bottles for £55.99, effectively 62p a day); Pendulum does not.
Welzo publishes a downloadable Certificate of Analysis directly on the product page. You can open it, read it and check it before you buy. Pendulum's listing describes third-party testing but does not publish the document.
Both are meaningful signals, but they are not the same thing. A statement that testing happens asks you to trust the brand; a published certificate lets you verify. In a category where consumers cannot assess a live bacterial product by looking at it, that difference matters, and it is the single most objective transparency measure available.
Neither product hides behind proprietary blends, which is to both brands' credit. But Welzo discloses quantities for six active ingredients rather than two, and each one has a clear rationale:
Bought separately, a decent Akkermansia product, a berberine supplement and a prebiotic would each cost more than £21.99 on their own.
This is a technical point with real consequences. No probiotic species holds an authorised health claim in Great Britain — not Akkermansia, not Lactobacillus, not any of them. The word "probiotic" is itself treated as an unauthorised claim on GB and EU labelling.
Chromium is different. It carries authorised GB claims: chromium contributes to normal macronutrient metabolism and chromium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. Because the Welzo formula contains chromium, it can lawfully make a glucose-related statement grounded in the GB claims register. A pure Akkermansia product cannot. If metabolic support is your reason for buying, that is the difference between a claim backed by regulation and a claim backed only by marketing.
Welzo's 60-capsule bottle carries 92 reviews on welzo.com against Pendulum's 70, and offers tiered multi-buy savings. Both are once-daily routines — two capsules versus one — and neither requires refrigeration.
A fair comparison has to say where the competitor leads, and Pendulum leads in one important place: it names its strain. WB-STR-0001 is printed on the label, and strain-level identification is the gold standard in probiotic labelling because probiotic effects are strain-specific rather than species-specific. Welzo's listing does not currently state a strain designation for its Akkermansia. If strain-level traceability is your single highest priority and budget is not a constraint, Pendulum has a genuine claim on your money.
It is also the simpler product. If you already take berberine, a prebiotic or a Lactobacillus supplement separately, Pendulum's minimalism avoids duplication — and for anyone who cannot take berberine, it is the appropriate choice. See single vs multi-strain probiotics and our full Pendulum Akkermansia review.
| If you... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Want the best value for a full 8–12 week course | Welzo |
| Want gut and metabolic support in one bottle | Welzo |
| Want to read the batch testing before you buy | Welzo |
| Already take berberine or a separate probiotic | Pendulum |
| Take medication that interacts with berberine | Pendulum |
| Need strain-level traceability above all else | Pendulum |
Whichever you pick, give it a proper run. Both brands advise 8–12 weeks, which matches what we say in how long probiotics take to work. Related reading: Akkermansia vs conventional probiotics, pasteurised vs live Akkermansia, CFU vs AFU explained, gut barrier function, microbiome diversity, gut health and blood sugar, best probiotics UK, how to choose a probiotic, gut microbiome testing and when to take probiotics.
|
⚠ Read before buying
|
For most buyers, yes. Welzo costs £21.99 against Pendulum's £68.99 for the same 30-day supply, publishes a downloadable Certificate of Analysis, and includes a prebiotic, a complementary probiotic and metabolic cofactors rather than a single organism. Pendulum's advantage is that it names its strain, WB-STR-0001.
68% cheaper. Welzo is £21.99 for 30 servings (73p per day) against Pendulum's £68.99 (£2.30 per day). Across a full year that is roughly £268 versus £839.
Not directly comparable, and you should be sceptical of anyone who presents it as a simple 600-fold difference. AFU counts depend on the preparation method and the form of the organism, so figures only compare meaningfully between like products. Judge these two on price, published testing, formulation and ingredient disclosure instead.
AFU means Active Fluorescent Units, counted by flow cytometry. CFU means Colony Forming Units, counted by culturing on a plate. Anaerobes like Akkermansia are difficult to culture, so AFU is often used instead. The two are not interchangeable.
Yes — 700mg per two-capsule serving. That is a meaningful pharmacological dose. It is a genuine formulation strength for metabolic support, but it also means you should check with your GP or pharmacist if you take prescribed medication, particularly diabetes or blood pressure treatment.
Both brands advise 8 to 12 weeks of continuous daily use for meaningful effects, though some people notice digestive changes within one to two weeks. This is the main practical reason cost per day matters: the course is long.
Neither product requires it. Store both in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and steam.
Generally yes, there is no known contraindication. Be aware of duplication: the Welzo formula already contains 64 billion CFU of L. acidophilus, plus inulin, so a separate multi-strain probiotic may be unnecessary.
The published human research is on the species rather than on either commercial product. The most cited trial (Depommier and colleagues, Nature Medicine, 2019) enrolled just 32 overweight volunteers and used a pasteurised preparation at 10¹⁰ cells daily. Neither product is that exact preparation, so treat any brand's claim to own that evidence with caution.
Speak to your GP or pharmacist before either. If you would rather avoid a botanical with known drug interactions altogether, Pendulum's berberine-free formula is the more straightforward option.
This article is for general information and education. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for assessment, diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Food supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet or prescribed medical treatment. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking prescribed medication or living with a diagnosed condition, speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting any supplement.
Dr Zeeshan Afzal, MBBS is a Medical Doctor and Welzo's Medical Content Lead, reviewing Welzo's clinical content against NHS, NICE and MHRA guidance.
Calificado excelente por 26,523+ reseñas
Garantía de devolución de dinero 100%
Nuestra garantía de devolución de dinero garantiza que reciba sus artículos o obtenga un reembolso completo.
