Top-10 Blood Ketone Meter Comparison Table & Our #1 Pick
After testing my ketones earlier today to see if I was in ketosis, I noticed that I was just about out of testing strips. When I attempted to order more however, I came to find out that the testing strips for my Keto-Mojo blood ketone meter had been discontinued.
I knew they had upgraded the Keto-Mojo somewhat recently, but for some reason I expected the ketone testing strips to remain available for the original model, at least a while longer. After searching the Keto-Mojo website I was directed to a page that offers the opportunity to trade up to the newer unit.
The process requires you to enter the serial number of your original Keto Mojo meter, which will be retired and no longer able to sync to the app or the MyMojoHealth platform. In exchange, you will receive a discount towards the upgraded GK+ meter and testing kit combo.
Although I had been very happy with my Keto-Mojo meter, it had been 4 years since I had purchased it, so I thought I’d do a little research before immediately opting for the upgrade. In this article I will summarize the process I used to narrow down the list of the 10 top brands of blood ketone meters and which one I ultimately decided to purchase in the end.
Assessing the Top 10 Blood Ketone Meters
In order to narrow down the list and determine which one to buy, I first started with a list of the top 10 brands, and created categories based on reputation, accuracy, price and the features they offer. I then listed the top 2 or 3 brands in each category, and made my choice based on which meters consistently showed up at the top in the categories most important to me.
FDA Approved
I was a little surprised to see that several top selling blood keto meters had not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, or more accurately, may not have made the effort to apply for approval. Not being FDA approved in this instance may not necessarily be an indication that a blood ketone meter is of low quality, however the extra oversite is worth noting and a good way to begin narrowing down the list.
FDA approved blood ketone meters – Keto-Mojo, KetoSens, FORA, KetoCoach, Nova Max & Precision Xtra
Not FDA approved – Keto-Doc, KetoBM, Kiss My Keto & KetoTrak
Warranties
Although I never had any issues with my Keto-Mojo and I don’t pay much attention to warranties in general, this category presented another option to narrow the list a bit. Although all of the meters offer at least a 2 year warranty, only two offer lifetime warranties.
Blood ketone meters with lifetime warranties – Keto-Mojo & Kiss My Keto
Warranties of the remaining meters – KetoSens (5-yrs), FORA (5-yrs), Keto-Doc (2-yrs), KetoBM (2-yrs), KetoCoach (5-yrs), KetoTrak (5-yrs), Nova Max (3-yrs) & Precision Xtra (4-yrs)
Blood Ketone Meters that Can Also Measure Glucose
I have used the glucose testing capabilities of my Keto-Mojo on occasion, so this feature was also worth teasing out.
Ketone meters that can also test glucose – Keto-Mojo, FORA, Nova Max & Precision Xtra
Ketone meters that cannot test glucose – KetoSens, Keto Doc, KetoBM, KetoCoach, Kiss My Keto & KetoTrak.
Accuracy & Consistency
This is a critical category for me, but also the most difficult to assess on my own. Ultimately, I examined multiple sources in which someone else had tested a meter or multiple meters against their recent lab results.
I was not able to locate instances in which all 10 of the meters on my list had been tested together or even independently, however, on occasions in which multiple meters were tested against lab results, the Precision Xtra was most often found to be the most accurate and consistently accurate blood ketone meter, followed by the Keto-Mojo.
Bluetooth Enabled & App Options
This is not a particularly important feature for me, but if you are the type of person that likes to track things on your phone and get feedback, this may be something you are interested in. The Keto-Mojo, FORA and New KetoCoach are the only blood ketone meters on this top-10 list that offer these features.
Price of Blood Ketone Meter Testing Kit
When purchasing a blood ketone meter for the first time you will also need a lancing device and lancets as well as the single-use disposable ketone testing strips. Some meters come with a lancing device and lancets, some do not. Some meters come with testing strips, and some do not, and for those that do, the number of testing strips included also varies.
Because there is no standard with respect to what comes with a meter, I did my best in finding the best price of each meter kit, and listed the number of test strips that come with each in the table below. Lancing devices and lancets are very inexpensive and the cost per replacement strip will ultimately be the more important factor in the long run.
Cost Per Replacement Strip
If you are using your ketone meter daily, or multiple times per day, the cost per test strip adds up fast. I don’t use my ketone meter as much as I used to, mostly just to assess major changes in my diet or fasting strategies, but this is still a critical category for me.
Among my top-10 meter list, the price per replacement strip ranges from $0.60 (KetoTrak) to $2.00 (Nova Max) with the rest coming in around $0.80 to $1.00 (see table below).
Other Considerations
The following options aren’t particularly important to me, but they are still worth noting for the sake of being thorough.
Memory Test Quantity – The Keto-Mojo, KetoSens and FORA can all store up to 1000 records, while the remaining meters only hold between 180 and 500 records.
Utilize a Control Solution – This is described as a process for recalibrating your meter from time to time, however some reviewers have complained that this feature is just a waste of testing strips. Neither the Precision Xtra (the meter considered to be the most consistently accurate) nor my original Keto-Mojo required a control solution, so I’m a little on the fence with this one.
The new Keto-Mojo, the Keto Doc, KetoBM and KetoTrak all provide and recommend the use of a control solution. The remaining meters do not.
English and Spanish Instructions – The Keto-Mojo, KetoSens, FORA, KetoTrak, and Nova Max provide instructions in both English and Spanish, the remaining meters do not.
Covered by HSA/FSA – The Keto-Mojo, FORA, KetoCoach, and Nova Max all claim to be covered by a pre-tax Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Savings Account (FSA). This is where that FDA approval seems to make the difference.
Blood Sample Size Requirements – These range slightly between meters, but not enough to really matter in my opinion. For me the lance prick always provides more than enough blood for the test.
Results Time – All of the meters provide test results within 5 to 10 seconds.
Top-10 Blood Ketone Meter Comparison Table
My top-2 choices for blood ketone meters are listed in order at the top of this table. I had trouble placing the remaining eight meters in order, however the KetoSens and KetoCoach would have been much higher on the list if testing glucose was not also a priority for me.
| Blood Ketone Meter | FDA Approved | Warranty | Also Measures Glucose | Bluetooth & App | Price of Testing Kit | Strips Per Kit | Cost Per Ketone Replacement Strip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keto-Mojo | Yes | Lifetime | Yes | Yes | $44.99 | 10 Ketone & 10 Glucose | $0.80 |
| Precision Xtra | Yes | 4 yrs | Yes | No | $24.36 | None | $1.00 |
| FORA | Yes | 5 yrs | Yes | Yes | $109.99 | 50 Ketone & 50 Glucose | $1.00 |
| Nova Max | Yes | 3 yrs | Yes | No | $38.99 | 10 Ketone & 50 Glucose | $1.89 |
| KetoSens | Yes | 5 yrs | No | No | $29.99 | 10 Ketone | $0.84 |
| KetoCoach | Yes | 5 yrs | No | Yes | $39.95 | 10 Ketone | $0.80 |
| KetoTrak | No | 5 yrs | No | No | $39.99 | 50 Ketone | $0.60 |
| KetoBM | No | 2 yrs | No | No | $26.97 | 10 Ketone | $1.00 |
| Kiss My Keto | No | Lifetime | No | No | $39.99 | 10 Ketone | $1.00 |
| KetoDoc | No | 2 yrs | No | No | $48.95 | 10 Ketone | $1.50 |
The #1 Blood Ketone Meter
Ultimately, I opted to upgrade my Keto-Mojo, but I would likely have gone with the Keto-Mojo even if I was buying a blood ketone meter for the very first time.
The Precision Xtra is a no bells and whistles ketone meter that has been around for long time and has a reputation for being the most accurate ketone meter on the market. The price of the Precision Xtra meter and its replacement strips have come down considerably since I purchased my original Keto-Mojo four years ago, so it made my number 2 spot.
As mentioned earlier, if being able to also test glucose was not a priority for me, the KetoSens and KetoCoach blood ketone meters would have been much higher on the list.
Have you found this information helpful? Which blood ketone meter do you use, or are planning to purchase? Please consider sharing your experience by commenting below in order to help others living a fit keto lifestyle.
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