NOW Vitamin D-3 2,000 IU is the value pick in our vitamin D roundup (84/100), and in this category price is most of the story. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is cheap to make and the dose that matters — a sensible 2,000 IU (50 mcg) daily maintenance amount — is the same across every serious softgel, so once a product hits that dose in an oil base there is almost nothing left to compete on except a certification seal and price. We pulled NOW’s published pricing, checked July 2026, and turned it into the three numbers that matter: per serving, per month, per year.
The cost, in one table
NOW sells this in two sizes — a 120-softgel bottle at about $8.99 and a 240-softgel bottle at about $16.99 — both one-time purchases through major retailers, with no subscription-first auto-ship to cancel. At one softgel a day the 120-count is about a four-month supply, which is why the monthly and yearly figures below matter more than the sticker. Figures checked July 2026.
| Bottle price (120 softgels) | ~$8.99 | one-time, no subscription needed |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle price (240 softgels) | ~$16.99 | lowest cost per softgel |
| Cost per serving (2,000 IU) | ~$0.07–$0.08 | about half a USP-verified rival |
| Cost per month (~30 servings) | ~$2.25 | daily use |
| Cost per year (~365 servings) | ~$26 | about three 120-count bottles |
What that buys next door
The number that frames NOW’s price is the per-serving comparison, because the vitamin D is the same molecule at the same dose across the softgels below. Our best-overall pick, Nature Made Vitamin D3 2,000 IU (87/100), runs about $0.13 a serving — roughly $47 a year, or about $20 more than NOW for the identical 2,000 IU dose. What that premium buys is one real thing NOW does not carry: a USP Verified seal, an independent per-product verification a shopper can point to on the label. It does not buy a better dose or a better form — both are 2,000 IU of D3 in an oil-based softgel. Further up the price ladder, Nordic Naturals D3 1,000 IU (75/100) costs about $0.15 a serving for half the dose — the priciest per international unit here — and Sports Research D3+K2 (69/100) lands near $0.40 a serving, adding K2 and a vegan lichen source but at a 5,000 IU dose that exceeds the 4,000 IU daily upper limit. The avoidable mistake in this aisle is overpaying: vitamin D is one of the cheapest things in the supplement store to do well, and NOW does it for pennies. Whether the USP seal is worth about $20 a year is the honest question; the review and the roundup lay out both routes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does NOW Vitamin D-3 2,000 IU cost per serving?
About 7 to 8 cents a serving, based on a ~$8.99 bottle of 120 softgels (or ~$16.99 for 240) at one softgel a day, checked July 2026. That is the cheapest vitamin D in our comparison — roughly half what our USP-verified top pick charges for the same 2,000 IU (50 mcg) dose in the same oil-based softgel.
How much is NOW Vitamin D-3 per month and per year?
At one softgel a day it works out to about $2.25 a month and roughly $26 a year — about three 120-count bottles. Even our top-scoring rival, at about $0.13 a serving, only reaches around $47 a year, so vitamin D is inexpensive to do well either way.
Does NOW Vitamin D-3 have a subscription?
No. NOW sells it through major retailers, Amazon and its own channels as a one-time bottle rather than a subscription-first auto-ship, so you can buy it outright without enrolling in recurring shipments or managing a cancellation.
Why is NOW Vitamin D-3 cheaper than other brands?
It isn’t cutting the dose or the form — it delivers the same 2,000 IU of D3 in an oil-based softgel as pricier rivals. What it skips is a consumer-facing USP or NSF product seal; quality rests on an Intertek GMP certification and NOW’s in-house lab instead, which is why it costs about half a USP-verified equivalent.
Sources
- NOW Foods — official product and pricing pages (2,000 IU / 50 mcg D3 from lanolin, olive and safflower oil base, bovine-gelatin softgel, ~$8.99 for 120, ~$16.99 for 240). Checked July 2026. nowfoods.com
- The Ingredient Report — NOW Vitamin D-3 2,000 IU review (84/100), the vitamin D roundup, and scored reviews of Nature Made (87/100), Nordic Naturals (75/100) and Sports Research (69/100). Checked July 2026.
Update history
- July 17, 2026 — Page first published. Facts checked this date. Next check: August 2026.
Content is for informational purposes only and is not medical or financial advice. Medical disclaimer.