Modatec vs Modalert: Which Big-Name Modafinil Should You Buy?

Written by Dr. Marcus Bennett · Medically reviewed by Dr. Elena Marquez, MD · Fact-checked November 2026 · How we review

Most generic modafinil comparisons pit a famous brand against something nobody has heard of. Modatec vs Modalert is different. Both come from major Indian drug companies, Cipla and Sun Pharma, so the usual "known maker vs mystery maker" argument doesn't really apply. What's left is price, store history and pack sizes, and on Afinil those don't line up the same way.

How we compared them: on November 1, 2026 we went through Afinil's Modatec 200 mg and Modalert 200 mg pages and recorded the price at every tier, the review count and rating, the stated maker and the claims each page makes. We checked both makers against Indian online pharmacy listings and the drug facts against the US prescribing information for Provigil (modafinil). Nobody here has taken or tested either tablet, so there are no personal effect reports. Treat this as a buyer's guide, not medical advice.

The comparison in brief

• Active ingredient: modafinil 200 mg in each tablet, per Afinil.
• Manufacturer: Cipla for Modatec, Sun Pharma for Modalert. Indian pharmacy listings agree on both.
• Price: Modatec is cheaper at all eight shared pack sizes, from $1.00 less per tablet at 10 to $0.60 less at 500.
• Largest pack: 500 for Modatec, 1,000 for Modalert.
• Store reviews: 2 for Modatec, both five stars, against 14 for Modalert averaging 4.7.
• US status: prescription-only, and neither brand is FDA-approved.

Put simply, Modatec gives you a well-known maker for less money, and Modalert gives you more store history and a bigger bulk tier.

How the prices compare

The figures below are what Afinil listed on November 1, 2026. Prices on vendor sites change without notice, so confirm on the live page before you order.

Reading the table

• Small packs: the gap is $10 on a 10-pack and on a 20-pack. Not much either way if you're just trying a brand.
• The 100-pack: Modatec costs $30 less, roughly 15% cheaper.
• Bigger orders: the difference widens to $70 at 200 tablets, $100 at 300 and $300 at 500.
• Bulk per tablet: Modatec's 500-pack ($0.99 each) beats even Modalert's 1,000-pack ($1.09 each), so the bigger Modalert tier doesn't win on unit price.

Worth noting: Modatec's ladder on Afinil is identical to several other lower-priced 200 mg brands in the same store, while Modalert sits at the top of the price range. In other words, Modalert's premium looks like a pricing decision by the store for its most famous brand rather than anything about the tablet itself. That's a guess based on the listings, not something Afinil states.

Example: a year of occasional use (illustration only)

Take a hypothetical prescription user who takes one tablet three days a week. That's about 156 tablets a year. At the 200-pack price, a year's supply would cost about $279 for Modatec and $349 for Modalert. At the 100-pack price for 156 tablets, it would be roughly $264 against $310. These are rough numbers built from the listings above, purely to show the scale of the difference. They leave out shipping, discounts and the fact that tablets expire.

Promotions that apply to both

Afinil's store-wide offers are the same whichever brand you pick: an advertised 24% discount for paying with Bitcoin, free shipping over a threshold that you should confirm at checkout, credit for returning customers and reviews, and free sample tablets with orders. They shift the total, but not the comparison.

The makers: two heavyweights

Cipla, the company behind Modatec

Cipla is a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company founded in the 1930s and one of India's largest drugmakers. It's best known internationally for low-cost generic medicines, especially HIV, respiratory and antibiotic drugs, and it sells in many countries. Indian online pharmacies such as 1mg and Practo list Modatec 200 mg under Cipla, sold in strips of 10 and marked as prescription-only in India.

Sun Pharma, the company behind Modalert

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is also one of India's biggest drug companies and has a large US business through its subsidiaries. Modalert is its modafinil brand and has been exported for years, which has made it the most talked-about generic modafinil online. Indian pharmacy listings show Modalert 200 under Sun Pharma, again as a prescription medicine.

What that means for you

With most budget brands, the biggest unknown is who actually made the tablets. Here both names check out, so the decision is less about trust in the factory and more about the store's track record with each product. That's a useful position to be in, because it lets price carry more weight than usual.

What neither maker name tells you is anything about the supply chain between the factory and your mailbox. That's down to the vendor, and it's the same for both brands on Afinil.

Claims on the pages to treat with care

On the Modatec page

• "Buy Cheap Modatec 200 mg Online OTC." Modafinil isn't over-the-counter in the US. It's a Schedule IV prescription drug.
• "Same level of effectiveness" as the brand-name drug. Same ingredient, same strength, so similar effects are a reasonable expectation. But no FDA review has tested Modatec against Provigil, so this is a claim, not a finding.
• "99.9% legal and secure to import" for personal use. Not true for US buyers. Importing a controlled substance without a prescription isn't a legal route, and customs can seize parcels.

On the Modalert page

• The export warning. A banner says Sun Pharma will stop allowing export of Modalert and Waklert "in a few months" over "legal issues" and suggests switching to ModaXL or ArmodaXL. We couldn't find any Sun Pharma statement confirming this. Since the page still sells Modalert, read it as marketing.
• "Can be bought from almost any online pharmacy without a prescription." Not legally in the US.

What doesn't change between the two

The active drug is identical, so the US Provigil label applies to both:

• Who it's for: adults with excessive sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea or shift work disorder.
• Standard dose: 200 mg once daily, taken in the morning for narcolepsy or sleep apnea, or around one hour before a shift for shift work disorder.
• Higher doses: up to 400 mg a day has been well tolerated in trials, without consistent evidence of more benefit than 200 mg.
• Onset: peak blood levels about 2 to 4 hours after a dose. Food can delay this by roughly an hour.
• Duration: an effective half-life of about 15 hours with repeated doses, so taking it late in the day can interfere with sleep.

According to the label, the most common side effects include headache, nausea, nervousness, a stuffy or runny nose, back pain, diarrhea, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness and upset stomach. It also warns of rare, serious skin reactions and allergic reactions and says to stop taking it and seek medical help at the first sign of a rash. Your prescriber should decide your dose and timing, whatever the brand.

Same dose, same tablet?

Not necessarily. Two products can carry the same milligrams and still use different fillers or coatings that change how quickly the tablet breaks down. In the US, that's what bioequivalence testing for approved generics is meant to check. Neither Modatec nor Modalert has gone through FDA review, so there's no public data showing the two behave identically. A big-name maker reduces the uncertainty but doesn't remove it.

Which should you choose?

Modatec is the better fit if

• You want a recognised maker at a lower price. Cipla is a major company, and Modatec is cheaper at every pack size on Afinil.
• You buy in larger quantities. The savings grow with pack size, reaching $300 at 500 tablets.
• You'd rather avoid the Modalert export uncertainty. Whatever happens with Sun Pharma's export plans won't affect a Cipla product.

Modalert is the better fit if

• You already know it suits you. If a prescriber has you on modafinil and Modalert has worked well, switching to save $30 a 100-pack may not be worth the change.
• You want more store history. Fourteen reviews isn't many, but it's more to go on than two.
• You need a 1,000-tablet pack for some reason. Only Modalert offers it, although Modatec's 500-pack is cheaper per tablet.

Neither may be ideal if

• You need quick US delivery. Both ship from abroad. Afinil's domestic US option is built around ModaXL; our domestic USPS shipping review explains it.
• You're still comparing brands. Our ModaXL vs Modalert, Modvigil vs Modalert and Modavinil vs Modalert comparisons cover other options at different prices.
• You'd rather buy legally in the US. With a prescription, a US pharmacy can fill FDA-approved generic modafinil.

Ordering sensibly

If you have a prescription and want to try one of these brands:

1. Begin with a 10-pack. $29 for Modatec or $39 for Modalert is a small outlay to see what arrives.
2. Check the strip. It should show the brand name, "modafinil 200 mg", Cipla or Sun Pharma, a batch number and an expiry date. If any of that is missing, contact the store before taking anything.
3. Don't buy more than you'll use before expiry. The 100-pack gives most of the per-tablet saving. Larger packs only pay off if you'll actually get through them in time.
4. Keep them properly. Store the tablets in their original strips at room temperature, out of reach of children.

Shipping and payment

Both products ship from the same store on the same terms. Afinil's pages say orders placed by 5 pm Pacific ship the same day, and the store advertises reshipment if a parcel doesn't arrive; our reshipment policy explainer goes through the conditions. International parcels can take one to several weeks. Payment options shown on the product pages include cards, PayPal and Bitcoin.

Legal notes for US readers

Modafinil is a Schedule IV controlled substance in the US, and buying it requires a valid prescription from a licensed US prescriber. Neither Modatec nor Modalert is FDA-approved, even though both are made by large companies. "OTC" and "legal to import" wording on vendor pages doesn't change US law, and customs can seize parcels. Our guide to whether buying modafinil is legal explains the rules.

Verdict

Modatec vs Modalert is one of the few generic modafinil match-ups where both makers are big, verifiable companies. That shifts the decision onto price and store history. On Afinil, Modatec is cheaper at every pack size, by $30 on a 100-pack and $300 on a 500-pack, and it comes from Cipla, a maker you can check. Modalert costs more, carries an export warning nobody has confirmed, but has more store reviews and the only 1,000-tablet tier. If you have a prescription and no strong attachment to Modalert, Modatec is the better value. If Modalert already works for you, there's no urgent reason to switch.

*This page is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.*

FAQ

Is Modatec the same as Modalert?

They contain the same drug in the same amount, 200 mg of modafinil per tablet. They're made by different companies: Modatec by Cipla and Modalert by Sun Pharma. Inactive ingredients, tablet appearance and packaging can differ.

Which is cheaper, Modatec or Modalert?

Modatec. On November 1, 2026 Afinil charged $2.99 a tablet for 10 Modatec, $1.69 for 100 and $0.99 for 500. Modalert cost $3.99, $1.99 and $1.59 at the same sizes. A 500-pack of Modatec was $499 against $799 for Modalert.

Are Cipla and Sun Pharma both real companies?

Yes. Both are large, publicly listed Indian drugmakers that sell medicines in many countries. Indian online pharmacies list Modatec 200 under Cipla and Modalert 200 under Sun Pharma, which backs up the maker names Afinil gives.

Is Modatec as strong as Modalert?

On paper, yes. Both are listed as 200 mg of modafinil. We know of no published head-to-head study of the two brands, so claims that one is stronger are anecdotes, often shaped by sleep, timing, food or expectations.

Is Modatec FDA-approved?

No, and neither is Modalert. The FDA-approved modafinil products in the US are Provigil and its approved US generics. Being made by a large company doesn't give an imported brand FDA approval.

Why does Modalert cost more?

Afinil doesn't say. A likely reason is demand: Modalert is the best-known generic modafinil name online, so the store can charge more for it. The listed drug and strength are the same.

Is Modalert going to be discontinued?

Afinil's Modalert page says Sun Pharma will stop allowing export of Modalert and Waklert "in a few months". We found no Sun Pharma announcement confirming this, and Modalert is still listed for sale, so treat the banner as a vendor claim.

Do I need a prescription for Modatec or Modalert in the US?

Yes. Modafinil is a Schedule IV controlled substance in the US. Vendor wording like "OTC" doesn't change that, and importing either brand without a prescription isn't a legal route.