This will be a very interesting comparison article as both of these SARMs are used for cutting.
Despite Andarine being abandoned in favor of Ostarine in clinical trials – given Ostarine’s better safety profile – that doesn’t mean that the former is necessarily going to be forgone by bodybuilders.
Bodybuilders generally look for results in lieu of the safety profile presented by the SARM in question.
With that being said, let’s have a closer look at these two SARMs!
Andarine (S4)
Andarine is a SARM that is purportedly stronger than Ostarine in building muscle mass and promoting bone health, at least that’s what studies on animals revealed.
When Andarine was first discovered, it was seen as a miracle in the science community as it boasted high bioavailability, tolerability, affinity to the androgen receptor…
This all came to a halt when it was discovered that Andarine impaired vision in those taking it in higher dosages, which led scientists to shun the SARM and as of now, no new studies have been done on it.
Read more about Andarine here.
Ostarine (MK-2866)
Ostarine, being the most studied and popular SARM out there, boasts similar effects to those of Andarine, but without vision impairment as a side effect.
It is relatively mild and very safe to use, but despite that, one has to watch his dosages, as Ostarine can cause heavy suppression if you overdo it.
Ostarine is currently being investigated by scientists as a potential remedy for osteoporosis and other bone wasting diseases.
You can find my article on Ostarine here.
Andarine vs Ostarine (Half-life)
Ostarine is far easier to use as it requires dosing only once a day, in comparison to Andarine, whose purported half-life of four hours makes it necessary to dose multiple times a day.
I think that it’s pretty clear that Ostarine takes the cake here, as dosing multiple times a day requires a strict time schedule and commitment not many of us have.
Andarine VS Ostarine - Benefits
It will be interesting to see just how these two SARMs fare up against each other when it comes to benefits. I’ve taken both of these SARMs, so I’ll be sharing my experiences inside of this section.
Muscle Mass
Both Andarine and Ostarine will preserve muscle during a cut.
The real question is, how much muscle will you gain while on a caloric deficit with these two SARMs?
From experience, I can tell you that you’ll gain around 2 to 3 pounds of lean muscle mass with both of these compounds and there isn’t much of a difference between them in this department.
Fat Loss
This is where the real battle happens! I found Andarine to be just a tad bit better at fat loss in comparison to Ostarine. The difference is minimal, but it’s still out there and those looking for better results are going to be choosing Andarine for fat loss.
Strength
You will only experience a minor increase in strength while on these two SARMs. Considering the fact that you’ll most likely be taking them on a caloric deficit, you cannot expect to really gain a significant amount of strength.
If I had to compare the two based on the strength gains I’ve made (which were miniscule in their nature), I would have to call it a tie once more.
Andarine VS Ostarine – Side Effects
So far, Andarine might have looked like the better SARM to take, but after this section, things will become unclear as Andarine has a lot of problems when it comes to side effects.
Impaired Vision
While Ostarine doesn’t have this side effect, it is still worthy of mentioning just because Andarine has it and it’s serious.
People that take too much Andarine or that are susceptible to this particular side effect experience a yellow tint in their peripheral area and their vision is seriously hindered at night.
I remember driving one night while on an Andarine cycle and I’m being completely honest here – I couldn’t see jack out there! It’s a miracle I came home safely.
My advice is to not downplay the negative effects of Andarine and to be very careful while imbuing it.
Suppression
Contrary to popular belief, Andarine and Ostarine do cause suppression to occur in our bodies.
While they might be the mildest SARMs out there, they still suppress Testosterone in our body and it’s important to watch your dosages as to prevent heavy suppression from occurring.
If I had to judge the more suppressive out of the two, I would have to say Andarine, since it’s a bit stronger and one takes it multiple times a day.
Andarine VS Ostarine – Results
Results will be similar from both of these compounds, but Andarine wins when it comes to intensity and the amount of fat and weight lost.
As already stated above, Andarine is a tad bit stronger than Ostarine and anecdotal evidence from bodybuilders shows that it burns more fat and makes you lose more weight.
In a typical Ostarine cycle, you will lose about 3% of your total body fat and around seven pounds of weight.
On the contrary, with Andarine, you will shed around 4% of your total body fat and eight to ten pounds of weight.
It might not seem like that much of a difference at first glance, but for professional bodybuilders, every pound counts!
Andarine VS Ostarine - Pricing
If you’re in a cash crunch and are unsure which one of these two you should pick, heed to the following advice: At first glance, it might seem wiser to buy Andarine as it looks cheaper on a mg to mg basis, but what many people seem to forget is that one is taking Andarine three or more times a day!
For example, at science.bio, which is a trusted vendor of mine, 1500mgs of liquid Andarine will cost you about $50 and 900mgs of liquid Ostarine will set you back $45.
Considering that people take up to 75mgs of Andarine a day (25mgs, three times a day), it is only natural to choose Ostarine, whose dosages in bodybuilders don’t exceed 20mgs a day.
This means that Ostarine is the more budget-friendly option and that you should stick with it, not only because it costs less money but because it also induces less side effects in users.
Conclusion
We can draw some conclusions from the sections above, mainly the fact that while Andarine might be a bit stronger than Ostarine, it carries more risks to the end user, and one should be careful while handling it.
If you’re a newbie to SARMs, I definitely recommend that you go for Ostarine, as the effects of the two SARMs mentioned above are similar and the differences in results miniscule.
If you already have experiences with SARMs and know what to expect, then you may go ahead and opt for Andarine – It will produce better results.
