Comparative Efficacy of Different Peptides

How to read these comparisons

As of October 2026, we found no published head-to-head human trial within any of the peptide groups below. Each comparison is pieced together from separate studies with different designs and populations, plus user reports, so the rankings reflect how strong the evidence is rather than proven results.

Evidence levels follow the site's scale, where strong requires human trials plus extensive animal data. Every dose quoted says where it comes from, and none is a recommendation. Our overview of peptide dosing protocols has more detail.

Growth hormone secretagogues

GHRPs raise growth hormone (GH) through the ghrelin receptor, and GHRH analogs act on the GHRH receptor. Human studies show both reliably raise GH and, with repeated dosing, IGF-1. What hasn't been shown in healthy adults is the outcome people want. In a 2-year trial in 65 older adults, MK-677 (ibutamoren, a small molecule usually grouped with these peptides) at 25 mg by mouth daily added about 1.1 kg of fat-free mass compared with placebo. Strength and function didn't change, and fasting glucose rose about 5 mg/dL.

GHRPs side by side

Community guides call ipamorelin the cleanest GHRP because it seems to cause less hunger and fewer hormone side effects. No human head-to-head trial has tested that. Its one efficacy trial, a Phase 2 study in 117 adults after abdominal surgery, gave 0.03 mg/kg IV twice daily. Median time to a first tolerated meal was 25.3 hours versus 32.6 on placebo, a difference that wasn't statistically significant, and development stopped. Nothing in that trial speaks to long-term use, so there's no basis for calling ipamorelin the best long-term choice.

Hexarelin is the one GHRP with human data on tolerance. In a 16-week study in 12 healthy older adults, the GH response was partly blunted and recovered after stopping. Users describe a similar fade and commonly cycle it.

GHRH analogs

In 2006 studies in healthy adults, CJC-1295 with DAC had a half-life of 5.8-8.1 days, and single doses of 30-60 mcg/kg were best tolerated. No trial measured muscle or fat. Sermorelin was once FDA-approved (Geref) for GH deficiency in children, but its adult data are thin: in 11 men aged 64-76 given 2 mg nightly for 6 weeks, IGF-1 didn't change, and neither did body composition.

Tesamorelin is a prescription medicine. As of October 2026, the FDA has approved it only to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The labeled daily dose is 2 mg for the original Egrifta (the Phase 3 dose) and 1.4 mg for Egrifta SV. Egrifta WR, approved in March 2025, is labeled at 1.28 mg, and the labels say the formulations aren't substitutable mg for mg. Research-labeled vials aren't equivalent to any of them.

What users report about combining them

Pairing a GHRH analog with a GHRP is near-universal in user reports, most often Mod GRF 1-29 (CJC-1295 without DAC) with ipamorelin at 100-300 mcg each at bedtime. We found no controlled human trial of the combination, so any "best GH stack" ranking rests on user reports. As of October 2026, WADA prohibits everything in this section at all times (S2.2.4).

Recovery peptides: BPC-157 and TB-500

Earlier versions of this page said BPC-157 had strong evidence for tendon injuries. By the site's own definitions it doesn't. A 2025 systematic review in orthopaedic sports medicine included 36 studies, 35 of them preclinical. The rodent data on tendon and muscle healing are consistent, but no controlled human trial has reported. A University of Arkansas Phase 1 trial after rotator cuff repair is registered but isn't due to start until January 2027.

TB-500 is a 7-amino-acid fragment of thymosin beta-4. Trials of the full protein don't apply to it, and the FDA says it has found no human exposure data for the fragment. Many users aren't sure which one their vial holds.

Vendors call the BPC-157 and TB-500 pairing synergistic, but we found no controlled study of the combination. User results are mixed: some describe clear improvement within weeks, others notice nothing. Uneven gray-market product quality and the lack of any human tendon trial both help explain the gap.

Fat-loss peptides

Tesamorelin is the only peptide here with trial-proven fat loss. In two 26-week Phase 3 trials in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, visceral fat fell 14-18% while body weight didn't change, and the label says it isn't indicated for weight loss.

AOD-9604 was developed as an obesity drug and failed. Per the FDA's 2024 advisory committee briefing, its largest trial (OPTIONS) enrolled 536 adults with obesity on oral doses up to 1 mg daily; weight loss at 12 weeks didn't beat placebo, and the company ended development. Users commonly report 300 mcg by subcutaneous injection daily, a route no human trial has tested. Fragment 176-191, a closely related piece of growth hormone sold for fat breakdown (lipolysis), has no human trial we could find.

MOTS-c improves insulin sensitivity in mice, which is where the old "beneficial" glucose rating came from. As of October 2026, the FDA says it has found no human exposure data for MOTS-c. Its analog CB4211 had one 4-week trial in adults with fatty liver (25 mg daily by subcutaneous injection): liver enzymes fell, but liver fat dropped about as much on placebo. CohBar, the developer, said that formulation wasn't suitable for further development and announced in November 2023 that it would liquidate.

Mitochondrial peptides: MOTS-c and SS-31

SS-31 (elamipretide) has far more human data than MOTS-c. On September 19, 2025, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Forzinity (elamipretide) for Barth syndrome in patients weighing at least 30 kg. It's a prescription medicine labeled at 40 mg by subcutaneous injection once daily. The approval rests on knee-muscle strength in 12 patients, and the FDA requires a confirmatory trial. Other trials have missed their goals: in the MMPOWER-3 Phase 3 trial, 218 adults with primary mitochondrial myopathy saw no gain in walking distance or fatigue. Users describe about 0.5-4 mg/day, far below the label dose, and research vials aren't equivalent to the approved product.

Earlier versions of this page ranked MOTS-c for endurance and SS-31 for post-workout recovery. Neither has been tested for those uses in healthy people; the rankings came from animal studies and user reports. As of October 2026, WADA lists MOTS-c under S4.4.1, while SS-31 isn't named and its status since approval is unverified.

Evidence by goal

For peptides compared with anabolic steroids, see our peptides vs. steroids comparison.

User-reported stacks by goal

These are combinations users describe on forums. None has been tested as a combination in a human trial.

• GH release: Mod GRF 1-29 plus ipamorelin at bedtime.
• Injury recovery: BPC-157 plus TB-500, often called the Wolverine stack.
• Fat loss: fragment 176-191 or AOD-9604 added to a GH secretagogue.
• Mitochondrial: SS-31 run before MOTS-c.

Stacking adds side effects too. GH secretagogues raised fasting glucose in trials, so users who combine them often track glucose and IGF-1; our guide to monitoring protocols covers those markers.

Cost

Gray-market prices shift quickly, so we don't list them. Peptides dosed in micrograms generally cost less per month than those dosed in milligrams. A lower price doesn't make a peptide better value if the evidence behind it is thin.

What we still don't know

• Whether any peptide here beats another in people; no head-to-head human trial exists.
• Whether BPC-157's rodent results hold up in humans. The University of Arkansas trial (an estimated 30 participants) lists primary completion in August 2027.
• Whether elamipretide's knee-strength result means real benefit in Barth syndrome. The required confirmatory trial will decide whether the approval stands.