February 1, 2025
Viome vs. Zoe: How effective are their nutritional recommendations?
Check out our unbiased Viome vs. Zoe comparison and find out whether their nutritional recommendations are science-backed and effective.
While it’s clear that generic nutritional advice falls short, personalized recommendations are still inaccessible for most people, requiring substantial money and time. Services like Viome and Zoe were created to bridge this gap. They offer affordable nutrigenomic tests and nutritional guidance you can access from the comfort of your home.
Still, these services vary in many key aspects, including breadth of testing and pricing, so you should analyze them carefully before purchasing. In this Viome vs. Zoe comparison, we’ll explore how they work and whether they live up to the marketing claims, consulting with user reviews to offer a practical assessment.
Note: Viome, Zoe, and similar personalized nutrition services aren’t replacements for medical advice and could lead to adverse effects in some individuals. It’s best to consult a medical professional before testing with these services or applying any of their advice, especially if you have a diagnosed disease or an eating disorder.
Viome vs. Zoe: A quick comparison
Here’s a brief overview of Viome and Zoe before we analyze their services in-depth:
*Supplements are available only in the U.S.
Viome: Personalized guidance for overall health
Viome is a microbiome testing service that analyzes your microbiome and its effects on your whole body, including gut, oral, and cellular function. More importantly, it can provide diet and supplement recommendations to improve your health and even curate and deliver custom supplement formulas.
The first step to using Viome is to order and take the tests, requiring you to collect saliva, blood, and stool samples and mail them to the lab. To get started, you can subscribe to Viome to access all of its benefits, including the supplements, or start with only the test and buy the products later.
Viome offers a few test options, including simple gut and oral health tests and the highly comprehensive Fully Body Intelligence test.
Once Viome analyzes your samples, you’ll get your results within two to three weeks. These will include up to 50 health scores across eight areas, including inflammation and heart health, as well as recommendations for foods, supplements, and biotics. If you order supplements, expect them to arrive within five to 14 days.
Source: Viome
Zoe: Personalized guidance for gut health
Similarly to Viome, Zoe can analyze your microbiome and provide personalized advice to improve your diet. Still, it focuses on gut health only. Besides your microbiome, it can also analyze your metabolism with a blood test and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).
Another key difference is that Zoe requires you to purchase a membership to access the testing service. You can then collect your blood and stool samples at home and mail them to Zoe. You can also log your meals in the app and use the provided CGM to track your metabolic responses to test meals and other foods.
These insights will allow Zoe to identify the nutrients that your body needs and prefers. Within six weeks of testing, you’ll get the results, which will include:
Scores for different foods based on your response to them
A breakdown of the “good” and “bad” microbes within your gut
A personalized nutrition program for each week
As you progress through the program, you can use the app to log your meals, get motivational daily scores, and access educational content like recipes. Zoe also offers unlimited chat support with nutrition coaches and has a community where you can discuss relevant topics with other Zoe users.
Source: Zoe
Bonus read — Discover similar services through our reviews:
Zoe vs. Viome: Detailed comparison across 5 factors
Viome and Zoe offer at-home microbiome testing and nutrition recommendations to improve your gut and overall health. Still, these services differ in almost every other way, including sample requirements, types of recommendations, and pricing models.
After checking expert and user reviews, we’ve found some limitations you should know before buying their tests. We’ll reveal all our findings in the following sections:
Depth of testing
Scientific background
Accuracy of testing
Efficacy of recommendations
Pricing and perceived value
1. Depth of testing
As you wear the CGM, Zoe will track your blood sugar and fat levels. It will monitor how these markers change as you eat the provided test meals — carefully formulated and prepared cookies — to understand your metabolic responses to specific nutrients. For the microbiome test, Zoe will use deep shotgun sequencing to analyze your microbiome DNA and identify your gut’s microbes.
Viome analyzes only your microbiome and uses metatranscriptomic sequencing, focusing on gene expression (RNA) instead of static DNA. This allows it to examine which microbes are present and how they interact with your body.
The service offers three types of microbiome tests, including specific Gut and Oral Intelligence tests and a comprehensive Full Body Intelligence test. The Full Body test analyzes gut, oral, and cellular health, though its recommendations allegedly benefit the whole body.
Viome also offers an early cancer detection test for oral and throat cancer. The FDA has approved Viome's technology for this test and designated it a breakthrough device.
Tip 💡
Viome and Zoe can provide some insight into your nutritional needs, but they can’t screen for gut-related diseases and conditions like type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, and gastric cancer. Still, these health problems can influence your responses to nutrients significantly. To understand your risks, choose a medical-grade genetic test that uses whole-genome sequencing technology.
Nucleus can analyze nearly 100% of your DNA and accurately assess your risk for hundreds of diseases and conditions and wellness-related traits like BMI and longevity. With Nucleus, you’ll get detailed but easily understandable reports and actionable advice to help you manage risks through diet, supplementation, and other lifestyle choices. Order your kit today!
2. Scientific background
Viome and Zoe aren’t regulated by the FDA and state that their services aren’t intended for medical use, but they claim that their methods are effective and scientifically rigorous. The companies allegedly work with top experts in the field and have conducted clinical trials to prove the effectiveness of their tests and dietary recommendations.
That said, some experts believe that Viome, Zoe, and similar platforms offering personalized nutrition are out of their depth.
The problem with microbiome testing
While existing research indicates immense potential for leveraging the microbiome to improve health, it is insufficient for commercial application.
Despite the companies’ claims, science hasn’t been able to define a healthy microbiome or pinpoint universally “good” and “bad” microbes due to significant individual differences. Viome and Zoe likely base their analyses on associations between specific microbes and symptoms. Still, if a microbe has been associated with a symptom, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the cause.
Viome hasn’t disclosed its research methods or how it creates diets based on customers’ microbiome test results. Additionally, several employees have admitted that the company has questionable protocols and leadership, claiming that it:
Has made promises it couldn’t deliver on
Has focused on growth at the cost of scientific integrity
Doesn’t create custom probiotics and prebiotics formulas like it says it does
Experts say that services like Viome and Zoe could even cause harm. Applying their recommendations may reduce the microbiome’s diversity and worsen various diseases and conditions.
The problem with CGM use
CGMs are well-established and widely used medical devices that help diabetic individuals manage their condition. While Zoe offers them to all users, regardless of their medical history, there’s no evidence that these devices benefit non-diabetic users.
According to some experts, glucose alone isn’t a meaningful indicator of metabolic health. Glucose spikes, which Zoe suggests controlling through dietary changes, don’t necessarily cause metabolic problems and could result from an underlying disease or condition. By attempting to lower these spikes, Zoe may be treating a symptom rather than the core issue.
Additionally, experts warn that using a CGM could cause some individuals to obsess over the numbers, leading to an eating disorder.
3. Accuracy of testing
Zoe and Viome work with CLIA-certified labs, meeting basic testing quality standards. Still, their labs don’t have CAP accreditation, which is considered the gold standard in lab testing and indicates stringent quality control.
Some experts suggest that microbiome testing is generally unreliable, with different labs providing different results for the same sample. Various factors could impact the veracity of results, such as inconsistent at-home sample collection, varying analysis methods, or incentives to sell more supplements.
Some Viome and Zoe users found that their results didn’t align with their observations, such as this Viome customer:
Bonus read — Discover the accuracy of other health-oriented testing services:
4. Quality of recommendations
Upon testing, Viome gives you a breakdown of the microbes in your gut, scores for different health areas, and food recommendations marked with one of the four labels:
Superfoods
Enjoy
Minimize
Avoid
Still, many users found their results uninformative, vague, and lacking explanations and actionable advice. They also report that Viome doesn’t provide raw results that you can take to your doctor for additional input.
Additionally, many customers state that Viome’s recommendations weren’t helpful, with some even experiencing side effects after taking the supplements.
Source: Viome
By testing with Zoe, you’ll get scores for different food items and meals, a personalized week-by-week diet program, and advice on preparing meals that work specifically for your body. Most users seem pleased with Zoe’s insights, finding them detailed and beneficial.
Still, some users report that Zoe’s meal logging system was exhausting and that the scores caused anxiety and even demotivated them.
5. Pricing and perceived value
With Viome, you can purchase the test only or bundle it with the supplements. See the available options and their prices below:
*The listed prices include a one-month supply of supplements.
Viome also offers subscription plans that include tests, retests, and supplements, which cost $79/month (Gut and Oral Health plans) and $199/month (Full Body Health plan).
Zoe requires a subscription and gives you three plans to choose from:
While some users are satisfied, most Viome and Zoe users find the service too expensive. This sentiment is more common among Zoe users, though. They state that the subscription, which covers access to the app and food logging feature, isn’t worth the ongoing cost.
Final thoughts on the Viome vs. Zoe comparison
While Viome and Zoe may be helpful for some individuals, they are costly. Users and experts criticize them for lacking scientific rigor and practical efficacy. If you’re experiencing gut problems, it’s better to visit a healthcare provider who can order standardized lab work to understand your case better and determine the best course of action.
To optimize your diet and health, you should understand how your genes may impact them. Nucleus Premium is a clinical-grade, physician-approved test that reveals your genetic predispositions for numerous diseases, conditions, and traits. By working with CAP and CLIA-certified labs, using the latest whole-genome sequencing technology, and analyzing nearly 100% of your DNA, Nucleus can achieve 99.9% accuracy.
With easy-to-understand reports and actionable advice, you can fine-tune your nutrition, prevent future health problems, and maintain your well-being.
Nucleus: Clinical-grade DNA testing for full-body health
Once you mail your sample to the lab, Nucleus will analyze your genome and provide detailed reports revealing your genetic predisposition to over 800 diseases and conditions, including:
Food and diet-related conditions like type 2 diabetes and celiac disease
Various types of cancer, including gastric cancer
Mental health conditions such as anxiety, OCD, and ADHD
You’ll also understand your genetic influence on traits like BMI, muscle strength, longevity, and your carrier status for inheritable diseases and conditions. Besides your genetic risks, you’ll get absolute risk scores, revealing how your non-genetic factors like age and smoking affect your predispositions and health.
Nucleus will explain each result clearly and offer actionable recommendations to help you improve your diet and health outcomes. Unlike Viome and Zoe, Nucleus can connect you with an expert — a board-certified genetic counselor from SteadyMD — who can answer your concerns and guide your healthcare decisions.
Nucleus: Test once, reap the benefits for life
Nucleus’ all-in-one analysis is only $399, making it one of the most affordable whole-genome tests. The price includes free two-way shipping and all available health and trait reports.
While Zoe and Viome require regular retesting to track your health, Nucleus’ DNA insights are for life. Still, you can choose to receive updated reports as Nucleus and your lifestyle factors evolve.
To get your all-in-one DNA analysis, you should:
Provide your personal information
Order your kit
Your kit will arrive at your doorstep within days. The sample collection process is quick and simple as you only need to swab your cheeks. Once the lab receives your sample, you'll get your results online within six to eight weeks.
Being a HIPAA-compliant platform, Nucleus will employ industry-standard measures to protect your sensitive data.
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Featured image source: Ella Olsson
