Move Free vs Triflex
Today at MobilityOI we have a face-off between two heavyweight joint supplements: GNC TriFlex vs Schiff Vitamins Move Free. We’re going to break down their ingredient formulas to see which one comes out on top in terms of quality, safety, price, and effectiveness at improving your joint comfort & function. Starting with a brief summary.
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free SUMMARY:
While neither one makes it onto our “top list”, we do rank GNC TriFlex as the more effective option. It has the premium Boswellia Serrata extract which gives it the edge in pain relief and anti-inflammatory category. If you’re on a tight budget, though, Move Free should still give you some joint health benefits with its study-backed MSM and vitamin D.
Still, when it comes to supporting your all-around joint health, including cartilage repair, mobility improvement, and long-term joint function, neither GNC TriFlex nor Move Free have ingredient profiles that are on par with the market-leading supplements, which, sadly, also require deeper pockets.
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free: Product Overview
GNC TriFlex and Schiff Move Free are both heavyweight joint supplements from well-known American vitamin companies.
They claim to improve your everyday comfort, ease pain, and lubricate joints to give you an all-around improvement in quality of life, especially when it comes to exercise and everyday movement.
The question is, which one of these is better at doing what it claims, and how do they compare to the rest of the joint supplement market?
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free: Comparing the Ingredients
GNC TriFlex’s Ingredients
The previous iteration of GNC Triflex that we reviewed didn’t look like an overly complex formula.
You got the basics – Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM.
However, since then, GNC TriFlex has added curcumin and Boswellia serrata, two powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients, making this formula more effective than it used to be.
All of these ingredients are known to help improve joint health one way or another. For example, glucosamine is the fundamental building block for your cartilage and other joint tissues.
It breaks down from age as well as from everyday wear and tear. This can result in increased joint pain and inflammation.
Supplementing glucosamine is a way for many people to ease their joint pain, but also support their joint function in the long run. The evidence on this ingredient is mixed but its safety makes it a worthy addition here.1
A similar story is with chondroitin and MSM. The latter is especially effective at reducing joint pain – I consider it to be an essential ingredient in any quality joint formula. The only problem is that the dosage of 50 mg of MSM per serving is nowhere near the optimal recommended dosage of 1500-3000 mg per day.
Overall, GNC Triflex looks decent. The only issue is its awful lot of filler ingredients – far more than the active ingredients themselves. This includes the controversial titanium dioxide.
In terms of how it should work for you, GNC Triflex is a somewhat study-backed joint formula. It should give you a relief from aches and pains. That said, don’t expect wonders. Sub-optimal doses of key ingredients like curcumin and MSM limit its effectiveness.
Move Free’s Ingredients
Move Free has an almost identical formula to Triflex in terms of the ingredients.
It has the same three core ingredients – Glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin, along with a tiny 3.3mg of Hyaluronic Acid.
The key difference is that Move Free also has Calcium Fructoborate & vitamin D. Both of which are focused on bone health rather than affecting joint pain or flexibility.
Another major difference is in the ingredient dosages. Move Free actually has significantly less Chondroitin than Triflex (1200mg vs 200mg), but it has much more MSM (750mg vs 50mg).
Both Move Free and TriFlex should give you a noticeable relief from joint pain. But the addition of the high-quality ApresFlex Boswellia Serrata extract gives the edge to TriFlex in our eyes, especially for joint pain and inflammation.2
The only area where we see Move Free is advantageous is that it has fewer “inactive” ingredients, aka, fillers. This could be a deal-breaker if you want to avoid synthetic ingredients where possible.
Overall then, TriFlex looks to have a superior ingredient profile that is more likely to improve your joint pain and function. Still, it is missing core ingredients such as selenium, ginger, and a higher dose of MSM and curcumin. Without these, its formula may not give you the same results as the market-leading joint supplements.
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free: Safety Analysis
Of the two, Move Free is less likely to be harmful due to the fact that it has a cleaner and higher-quality ingredient profile. There are no fillers, whereas with TriFlex you have a ton of unnecessary ingredients that may or may not have a negative long-term impact. The best way to know for sure is to chat with your doctor to see what they recommend for your specific situation.
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free: User Reviews
Both GNC TriFlex and Move Free have many reviews online and are highly regarded among customers. While there are those that complained about not getting the results they expected, and some that said they experienced negative side effects, both supplements enjoy good ratings online.
It’s worth noting that these can easily be paid ads, but again, the reviews overall look good. We know for certain that we aren’t dealing with scam supplements here but products from reputable companies.
GNC TriFlex vs Move Free: Pricing & Value
A 120-tablet bottle of GNC TriFlex will set you back by $35.99 for a one-time purchase.
Schiff Move Free, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $14.92 to over $30 depending on the version, the bottle size, and where you purchase it (it is available on Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, and other big websites).
The Bottom Line
Between the two, GNC TriFlex is the winner in our eyes. You are more likely to notice an improvement in your comfort and mobility, thanks to the higher dosages of key ingredients chondroitin and MSM.
Even then, GNC TriFlex is not an overwhelmingly impressive formula. It could use higher doses of curcumin and MSM for a stronger pain relief.
As for Move Free, it has a higher dose of MSM but other ingredients like curcumin are missing. You should feel similar benefits whichever you pick.
While both products are safe, we don’t think either is as good of a value for money as some other options on the market. With a little research, you can find an even more effective product, albeit it might also be more expensive!
- Williams C, Ampat G. Glucosamine Sulfate. [Updated 2023 Jul 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. ↩︎
- Yu G, Xiang W, Zhang T, Zeng L, Yang K, Li J. Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Jul 17;20(1):225. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02985-6. PMID: 32680575; PMCID: PMC7368679. ↩︎
