The two products take different routes. VigRX Plus blends herbs and has its own published trial. Male Extra leans on bigger doses of a few nutrients and amino acids.
On evidence, VigRX Plus comes out ahead: a small placebo-controlled trial tested the product itself, while we found no published trial of Male Extra as a finished product. Male Extra counts in its favor that its doses are listed openly, its ingredients (L-arginine, pomegranate extract) have research behind them, and the refund window is longer. Neither is a treatment for erectile dysfunction (see a doctor about persistent symptoms), and both carry interaction risks worth raising with a doctor.
Two different companies and two different ideas sit behind these products. VigRX Plus comes from Leading Edge Health and mixes traditional aphrodisiac herbs, including ginseng, ginkgo and damiana. Male Extra, which its US site says is sold by a UK firm called Health Nutrition Limited, centers on pomegranate extract and L-arginine. The company says these support nitric oxide and blood flow.
The main practical split is evidence against transparency. A published trial covers VigRX Plus, yet its sales page gives no doses. Male Extra gives doses, but as far as we could find, no published trial covers the product itself.
| VigRX Plus | Male Extra | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Leading Edge Health (Canada, Cyprus, US) | Health Nutrition Limited (England and Wales), per its US site |
| Approach | Multi-herb aphrodisiac blend | Nitric oxide support: pomegranate, L-arginine and other nutrients |
| Daily dose | 1 pill twice a day | 3 capsules once a day |
| Doses are shown on the sales page | No | Yes |
| Published trial of the product | Yes: 2012, 75 completers, 12 weeks | None we could find |
| Guarantee | 67 days, return empty containers | 100 days, conditions apply (see below) |
Below is what each company lists. VigRX Plus leaves amounts off its main page, so look at the Supplement Facts panel on the bottle. For Male Extra, the amounts come from its US site, which names them per ingredient without saying whether they apply to one capsule or to a three-capsule serving. We assume the serving, as that's how such figures usually appear.
| VigRX Plus | Male Extra (as listed) |
|---|---|
| Damiana | Pomegranate extract, 40% ellagic acid: 500 mg |
| Asian red ginseng | L-arginine HCl: 600 mg |
| Muira puama | MSM (methylsulfonylmethane): 100 mg |
| Hawthorn berry | L-methionine: 100 mg |
| Catuaba bark | Zinc (as citrate): 45 mg |
| Saw palmetto | Cordyceps: 25 mg |
| Ginkgo biloba | Niacin (vitamin B3): 18 mg |
| Bioperine (black pepper extract) |
A few things jump out. Next to the multi-gram amounts often used in research on the amino acid, 600 mg of L-arginine is modest. The 25 mg of cordyceps is small. Zinc needs a closer look: the NIH puts the adult upper limit at 40 mg a day from all sources, which means Male Extra's 45 mg alone is over it. Over the long term, 50 mg or more of zinc a day can lower copper levels. Have a pharmacist check your combined zinc from all supplements, any multivitamin included.
Other review sites print somewhat different ingredient lists for Male Extra, which hints that the formula has shifted over the years. Trust the label on the bottle that arrives.
VigRX Plus went through a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in 2012. It enrolled men aged 25 to 50 with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, who took two capsules twice a day for 12 weeks. Of them, 75 completed it. The average rise in International Index of Erectile Function scores was 9 points, compared with 0.61 on placebo. We go through these results in our article on whether VigRX Plus works.
Real limits apply: a single small study, healthy younger men, an unusually weak placebo response and no clear funding statement. Its formula had 11 ingredients, but the current site lists eight. Our piece on whether VigRX Plus is legit examines the company and the trial further.
The Male Extra US site points to studies of single ingredients, such as L-arginine, pomegranate and cordyceps, and not to a trial of Male Extra itself. This is weaker evidence. A result for one ingredient at one dose can't tell you what this particular mix and dose will do.
Reading through the site's citations, we found a few that didn't match the claims they were attached to. One zinc and testosterone claim, for example, pointed to a reference described as a zinc absorption study. The site further describes the product as "100% safe" with "no side effects," which no supplement can honestly claim.
Both can interact with everyday medicines, though in different ways.
Nitrates for chest pain, blood thinners, blood pressure or diabetes medicines, and prescription erection drugs are all reasons to see your doctor before trying either product. Erection problems that continue can also be an early sign of heart or blood vessel disease, so they deserve a checkup anyway.
We checked the VigRX Plus site in October 2026. It listed one month from about $62 and a three-month supply from about $52 a month. On the Male Extra US site we reviewed, one month was $59.99 and three months $119.99, with free shipping. The main maleextra.com store wouldn't load for us, so treat the Male Extra prices as a guide and confirm them at checkout.
VigRX Plus backs its product with a 67-day guarantee. Send back the two empty containers plus any unopened ones, and make sure they arrive within 67 days of delivery. Shipping isn't refunded, and each customer gets one refund.
Male Extra advertises a 100-day guarantee, but its terms come in two versions. Pages on maleextra.com say to return unused, unopened product within 100 days; the refund is the price minus shipping, for orders of more than one month's supply. According to the US site, you must use the product for at least 50 days, email between 50 and 100 days after delivery, and accept a $15 deduction, and only a first purchase of more than a month's supply qualifies. Follow the terms on the site where you order. Want more volume? Our VigRX Plus vs Semenax comparison covers another option.
Choose VigRX Plus if evidence on the finished product matters most, though its lone trial is small. Choose Male Extra if you want exact doses on the label and a longer refund window, since it is the more transparent of the two. We found no product trial for it, however, and its listed 45 mg of zinc is above the NIH's 40 mg daily upper limit for adults. Neither treats erectile dysfunction, and both can interact with heart, blood pressure and blood-thinning medicines. See our complete VigRX Plus review for the full verdict on ingredients and value.
Affiliate link: if you buy through it, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The money-back guarantee runs 67 days: try two containers over 60 days, and the empty containers (plus any unopened ones) must reach the warehouse within 67 days of delivery. Shipping isn't refunded, and each customer can place one order.