Best probiotics UK, tried and tested by health experts 2024

The strength of probiotics is measured in colony-forming units (CFU) — the higher the number the more active microbes there are per dose.

Supplements cannot replace a balanced diet, and eating a variety of plant foods with high levels of fibre and consuming fermented food and drinks will also help to support the number and variety of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Read on for our pick of the best probiotics on sale in the UK right now. For more information, our friends at Good Food have a detailed guide to what are probiotics.

Looking for more wellbeing inspiration? Read our guides to the best collagen supplement UK, best vitamin D supplements UK and best greens powder.

Jump to:

• Best probiotics UK at a glance
• Best probiotics supplements UK to buy 2024
• What type of probiotic is best?
• Is it worth taking probiotics UK?
• What to look for in probiotics?

Best probiotics UK at a glance

• Best all-round probiotic: Vitabright Advanced Bio-Cultures Complex, £18.99
• Best probiotics for on the go: ProVen Probiotics ShapeLine, £23.62
• Best probiotics for convenience: ProVen Probiotics For Adults – 25 Billion, £15.11
• Best liquid probiotics: Symprove Daily, from £39.99
• Best value for money probiotics: Vitl Daily Biotic, £7.49
• Best everyday probiotic: JS Health Probiotic Multi-strain, £36.99
• Best chewable probiotic: Holland & Barrett Live Friendly Bacteria, £7.69

Best probiotics supplements UK to buy 2024

Vitabright Advanced Bio-Cultures Complex

• Available from Amazon (£16.99), Vitabright (£18.99)

Best all-round probiotic

Star rating: 5/5

This probiotic gives you the choice of taking one or two capsules per day which means you'll have up to two months' supply from one bottle. We were impressed with the number of live strains in this probiotic, 11 of which are at amounts above 1bn CFU (there are 45bn CFU in total). We couldn't find any information about the exact strains of bacteria used, but overall we think this is a good option, especially given the price.

Available from:
Amazon (£16.99)
Vitabright (£18.99)

ProVen Probiotics ShapeLine

• Available from Amazon (£23.62), Holland & Barrett (£23.62)

Best probiotics for on the go

Star rating: 4.5/5

While there aren't any details of what the brand's claims of making a 'shapelier you' means, once we'd got past this we were impressed by the ingredients of this probiotic capsule. It contains 50bn CFU of microbes with five different strains, although there aren't specific details of proportions provided.

Included in the ingredients are vitamins D3 and C as well as zinc, so make sure you check these against any other supplements you might be taking.

Available from:
Amazon (£23.62)
Holland & Barrett (£23.62)

ProVen Probiotics For Adults – 25 Billion

• Available from Amazon (£15.11), Holland & Barrett (£16.99)

Best probiotics for convenience

Star rating: 4/5

Also from ProVen, this probiotic has 25bn CFU from four strains, although once again the proportions aren't detailed. Other ingredients in the probiotics include calcium, zinc, selenium and vitamins C and D3. There's also FOS which acts as a prebiotic.

Available from:
Amazon (£15.11)
Holland & Barrett (£16.99)

Symprove Daily

• Available from Symprove (from £39.99), Amazon (from £79.99)

Best liquid probiotics

Star rating: 3.5/5

This is the only liquid-based probiotic in this list, and this is due to the fact that it's a water-based solution which helps protect the bacteria during stomach transit. It comes in three choices of flavour: original, mango & passionfruit and strawberry & raspberry. We tried the mango & passionfruit flavour which we found a little bit vinegary.

It contains a total of 10bn CFU from four strains. It's worth bearing in mind that this is one of the pricier probiotics we tried, and needs to be kept in the fridge and consumed on an empty stomach.

Available from:
Symprove (from £39.99)
Amazon (from £79.99)

Vitl Daily Biotic

• Available from Amazon (£7.49), Holland & Barrett (£7.49), Waitrose & Partners (£12), Vitl (£14.99), Boots (£15)

Best value for money probiotics

Star rating: 3.5/5

With a cost of 50p per day this is the most affordable probiotic on this list. Although there are over 14bn CFU from nine different species, two thirds are below levels of 1-10bn CFU individually.

The capsules are suitable for those on a vegan diet and include chicory root, an FOS, as a prebiotic source.

Available from:
Amazon (£7.49)
Holland & Barrett (£7.49)
Waitrose & Partners (£12)
Vitl (£14.99)
Boots (£15)

JS Health Probiotic Multi-strain

• Available from JS Health (£36.99), Amazon (£36.99)

Best everyday probiotic

Star rating: 3.5/5

Here you get 60 tablets or two months' supply of probiotics, making it a convenient probiotic for everyday use, especially since it doesn't need to be stored in the fridge. It contains 35bn CFU from seven different strains.

Available from:
JS Health (£36.99)
Amazon (£36.99)

Holland & Barrett Live Friendly Bacteria

• Available from Holland & Barrett (£7.69)

Best chewable probiotic

Star rating: 3.5/5

If you don't like swallowing pills these probiotics are chewable for ease. Compared to other supplements in this list they contain a relatively low level of just 1bn CFU in total. The tablets have a flavour which on test we thought was similar to strawberry milkshake.

Available from:
Holland & Barrett (£7.69)

What type of probiotic is best?

There are many different probiotic strains used in the products we tested. Each should be listed in the ingredients, for example: 'Bifidobacterium longum W11'. Here 'Bifidobacterium' refers to the genus or family name of the bacteria, 'longum' is the species or type within the family group and 'W11' indicates the specific strain.

The most common strains found in probiotic supplements are Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus and Bacillus families as these tend to be the most effective and have been well tested in research studies.

Is it worth taking probiotics UK?

It's important to look after your gut bacteria as it can impact health and wellbeing. There are lots of factors that can have an impact on the microbial balance of our guts – including high levels of stress, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking and taking antibiotics.

Taking a probiotic may help to reset the balance of microbial bacteria, for example if you've taken a course of antibiotics, or to maintain the balance of friendly bacteria within your gut.

What to look for in probiotics?

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a probiotic supplement. The first is the number of colony-forming units (CFU) per dose, which really needs to be over 1bn (for each type of bacteria) to be effective. It's also important to look at the specific bacteria that's included in the product and, if it's not one of the most popular forms, to double check whether it's been tested in clinical trials.

Other elements to improve the performance of probiotics include a food source for the bacteria, and the delivery method. 'Prebiotic' is the term usually used for for the former, which help fuel the microbes and will be listed in the ingredients. Most common prebiotics include fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS).

The delivery method — that's either the coating on the capsule or the liquid base — is important to ensure the probiotics reach the gut where they are needed. An enteric coating will protect against stomach acid and help the bacteria reach the intestine alive; while a water-based liquid will progress quickly through the gut, giving the bacteria a better chance of survival.

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