Best Caffeine Pills UK 2025

Looking to buy caffeine pills but don’t know which ones to choose? This article will compare and investigate many of the caffeine tablets on the market, helping you to identify the best caffeine pills UK. 

Caffeine is the most frequently consumed stimulant across the globe, found in coffee and tea. The average Brit drinks at least two cups of tea or coffee daily to get their fix – if not more – and a significant number of people drink energy drinks too. But there is a far easier, cheaper and quicker method of caffeine consumption: taking caffeine pills.

Here, we identify our top caffeine pills to buy in 2025. They are:

1. Best Overall Caffeine Pill: Performance Lab Caffeine 2™
2. Best Budget Caffeine Pill: Pro Plus Caffeine Pills
3. Strongest Caffeine Pills: Bulk Caffeine Tablets
4. Best Quick Release Caffeine Pills: Applied Nutrition Endurance Caffeine

Read all about the top caffeine pills in the UK here

But first, what are caffeine pills safe to take and what could they do for you? Let’s find out.

Buyer’s Guide to Caffeine Pills

What are Caffeine Pills?

Caffeine pills are legal supplements containing powdered caffeine. Humans have been drinking coffee and using caffeine-rich guarana since the 16^th century. It’s one of the safest stimulants available, especially in low doses of less than 200mg.

Pure powdered caffeine is usually taken in very small doses (around 50mg caffeine per capsule) so additional ‘filler’ ingredients are required to produce normal size pills. These bulking agents are often natural waxes, starches and plant fibres. Some caffeine pills also contain additional ingredients like vitamins, amino acids and minerals to aid caffeine absorption or reduce unwanted side effects like anxiety.

Our favourite caffeine pill is Performance Lab Caffeine 2™ (formerly known as Performance Lab Caffeine-Plus) – a clean, crash-free version of a caffeine pill – which does the latter, adding useful ingredients to temper the negative effects of caffeine and to boost cognition further. We’ll talk more about that shortly.

Are Caffeine Pills Safe?

Caffeine has been used for thousands of years and compared with other stimulants, it’s relatively safe. The ‘safe dose’ varies from person to person but taking up to 400mg over a 24-hour period shouldn’t cause any serious effects.

Some people are sensitive to caffeine. This means taking even small amounts can cause them to become overly stimulated and potentially experience side effects. These include nervousness, heart palpitations, increased heart rate and insomnia if taken before bed. Likewise, anxiety can become worse if you take higher doses of caffeine regularly.

None of these side effects are usually cause for concern unless you have an underlying health problem such as heart disease, anxiety, bleeding disorders or osteoporosis. That said, the best caffeine pills are the ones that take the potential side effects seriously and provide additional ingredients to help combat them. Such as the caffeine + l-theanine combo, a combination known as ‘smart caffeine, in Performance Lab Caffeine 2™.

<<< BUY Performance Lab Caffeine 2™>>>

Don’t give caffeine pills to children or pregnant or breastfeeding women. If in doubt, talk to your doctor before taking a caffeine supplement.

How long do Caffeine Pills Last?

The length of time caffeine pills will produce effects depends on three factors: the amount of caffeine you consume, your tolerance and if you’re taking them on an empty stomach. If you’re a frequent caffeine-consumer then you may have to take two pills at a time to feel any beneficial effects. Taking them after a heavy meal might produce a weaker effect that takes longer to kick in.

On average, a caffeine pill takes around 45 minutes to start working and it should produce stimulating effects for up to 4 or 5 hours. Because of this, avoid taking caffeine pills for a few hours before sleeping as you may struggle to drift off.

How to Use Caffeine Pills

Taking caffeine pills is easy; just swallow one at a time with any drink. Water is a good common choice, but any hot or cold drink will do the trick.  Be aware, however, of how much caffeine you are consuming from other sources at the same time as taking caffeine pills. That includes caffeine in drinks like tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks, or contained within other supplements, such as nootropics or sports supps.

Generally speaking, 400mg is recognised as a safe limit for most people.

If you experience any side effects, take fewer caffeine pills or stop using them entirely. If you can handle your coffee, you shouldn’t experience any side effects.

So, with all of that in mind, let’s examine the best caffeine pills uk.

Top Caffeine Pills to Buy UK in 2025

Best Overall Caffeine Pill: Performance Lab Caffeine 2™

For cleaner, healthier stimulation

* Formerly known as Performance Lab Caffeine Plus . 

This supplement contains much more than just caffeine. Performance Lab Caffeine 2™ incorporates six additional active ingredients, chosen for their ability to boost stimulation, aid recovery from caffeine-powered activities and reduce jittering.

This supplement is the cream of the crop; 50mg of natural caffeine in every pill — just less than in a cup of coffee (Espresso or instant) — provides excellent stimulation with fewer jitters.

The beauty of having a modest 50mg of caffeine per capsule is that you can take more if you want — you have control. Take two or three capsules to enjoy 100mg-150mg of pure caffeine, still a safe but effective amount, or change the amount each day depending on your daily needs. Performance Lab recommends no more than 5 pills in 24 hours.

L-Theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, aids stimulation while reducing caffeine’s negative side effects. The other amino acid in Performance Lab 2™ is L-Tyrosine. This helps the body synthesise and replenish the neurotransmitters dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine, which can decrease with caffeine usage.

It also exhibits some brain-enhancing nootropic properties. The combination of caffeine and L-Theanine is the sign of a true quality product and is often referred to as ‘smart caffeine’.

According to the manufacturers, Performance Lab Caffeine 2™ produces fewer side effects when compared with conventional caffeine supplements. The unique blend of vitamins and amino acids minimises the risk of overstimulation.

Four vitamins are also included in Performance Lab Caffeine 2™: vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, vitamin B9 (folate) and vitamin B12. The latter three aid neurotransmitter production and conversion, while vitamin B2 supports cell energy production and vitamin conversion. Caffeine use tends to deplete the B vitamins in our body, so this is a good choice.

The organic capsules used to package each pill are made from natural, gluten-free pullan. Performance Lab Caffeine 2™ is free from artificial colours, preservatives and synthetic additives. It’s also suitable for vegans.

If you want a top-quality, performance-oriented caffeine pill we thoroughly recommend Performance Lab Caffeine 2™.

BUY: Performance Lab Caffeine 2™ direct from the manufacturer

Read our Full Review of Performance Lab Caffeine  2™

Best Budget Caffeine Pills – Pro Plus Caffeine

Despite their low price, Pro Plus Caffeine pills are surprisingly stimulating. Each pill contains 50mg of Anhydrous Caffeine, an equivalent dose to one espresso shot.

This product does also contain sorbitol, which is a calorie-free artificial sweeter. Ingesting large amounts of sorbitol can cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea, so don’t take too many pills daily.

Don’t take more than two Pro Plus Caffeine pills in three hours and don’t take more than eight daily (assuming you’re not getting caffeine from any other sources). If you’re prone to stomach issues you should probably invest in a more expensive, sorbitol-free product.

Note too that Pro Plus Caffeine doesn’t include any of the other ingredients — B vitamins, L-theanine and L-tyrosine — that are included in Performance Lab Caffeine Plus to ensure you don’t suffer from caffeine overload or negative side effects. It is a basic caffeine pill.

Pro Plus has been a student favourite for years, powering all-nighters and study sessions – it’s one of the oldest caffeine products still on the market. A pack of 48 tablets costs just over £5 on average, woring out at around 11p per tablet.

This makes Pro Plus Caffeine one the cheapest stimulant supplements available. If you need a low-cost caffeine pill, look no further. It’s stocked in many high street health shops and pharmacies including Boots and Superdrug. Packs of 24 and 36 tablets are also available.

Strongest Caffeine Pills – Bulk Caffeine Tablets, 200mg Caffeine.

For safety reasons, individual pills can’t contain more than 200mg of caffeine. This means you can’t find stronger caffeine pills in the UK without a prescription. But 200mg is a LOT of caffeine to be consuming in one go; you’ll be certain to feel mental and physical stimulation, but maybe a few side effects too.

If you’re fairly caffeine tolerant, however, you may need these stronger pills. Likewise, if you’re looking for straight caffeine pills to aid with weight loss/ fat burning or to take pre-workout, the stronger dosage could be useful.

Bulk’s 200mg Caffeine Tablets are designed for use pre-workout, and are basic pills – there are no other ingredients such as L-theanine to counteract any potential side effects from the caffeine.

Each tablet contains 200mg of anhydrous caffeine, the maximum possible dosage. Although many people take these caffeine tablets before hitting the gym, this potent product is suitable for anyone and everyone in need of improved focus, concentration and alertness.

It’s fast-acting – the tablets aren’t coated so they will start to break down and release caffeine soon after they’re swallowed. You should begin to feel a boost after around 20 minutes.

Bulk doesn’t need flashy packaging or marketing gimmicks to sell their products. By providing basic forms of their products, they keep prices low and potency high. The tablets are vegan friendly too.

Quick Energy Release Caffeine Pill – Applied Nutrition Endurance Caffeine

If you’re wanting a caffeine pill for the gym, Applied Nutrition’s quick-acting Endurance Caffeine makes an ideal pre-workout.

Designed for sport and Informed Sport batch tested, the caffeine in these 100mg tablets gets to work fast and is suitable for athletes. Each tub contains 90 servings and it’s recommended that you take one capsule once or twice a day.

Note that there is only caffeine in these pills and no fillers. The product, however, lacks L-theanine, B-vitamins or L-tyrosine to help negate any potential side effects of the stimulant. The tablets are also vegetarian friendly, but are not suitable for vegans.