Active ingredient
Glyphosate
Glycine (EPSP synthase inhibitor)
A non-selective systemic herbicide that blocks an enzyme pathway plants have and animals do not.
What it does
Kills essentially any green plant it lands on, roots included, and leaves nothing in the soil. That combination is why it is the standard tool for killing a lawn before reseeding and for fence lines near desirable trees.
What it does not do
It prevents nothing. Seeds already in the soil germinate normally the week after, so a cleared strip regrows and needs repeating — and it cannot be used selectively in turf, because your grass is a green plant too.
The label constraint people miss
Not all Roundup-branded bottles contain it. Two in our own catalogue differ: one is glyphosate with triclopyr, the other has no glyphosate at all. Reason about glyphosate and apply it to the second bottle and you have reasoned about the wrong chemical.
Products we review that contain it
Every product below is here because we opened its label — on EPA's own database or the registrant's — and read Glyphosate in the ingredient statement. Registration numbers are on each product's page.
Non-Selective Systemic Herbicide (concentrate)
Compare-N-Save Concentrate Grass & Weed Killer, 41% Glyphosate (1 gal)
★★★★☆ (4/5)
The cheapest way to buy plain glyphosate — and the fastest way to put a dead brown patch in a lawn if you spray it there.
Best for: Killing off an existing lawn before renovation, plus gravel, fence lines and hardscape
$36–$42
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Non-Selective Ready-to-Use Herbicide (wand sprayer)
Roundup Weed & Grass Killer₄ with Pump 'N Go 2 Sprayer (1.33 gal)
★★★★☆ (3.5/5)
The most important thing about this bottle is what is no longer in it: Bayer removed glyphosate from residential Roundup, and this is one of the replacements.
Best for: Spot-killing weeds in driveways, patios and bed edges with no mixing
$22–$28
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Aquatic-Labelled Systemic Herbicide (glyphosate, shoreline and emergent)
Airmax Shoreline Defense Emergent Weed Control, 1 Quart
★★★★☆ (4.1/5)
An aquatic-labelled glyphosate for cattails and phragmites — and the product where treating too much at once can kill the fish rather than just the weeds.
Best for: Cattails, phragmites and emergent shoreline growth on a private pond, treated in sections rather than all at once
$44–$54
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Non-Selective Systemic Herbicide (41% with surfactant included)
Generic (distributor pack) Glyphosate 4 Extra, 2.5 Gallons
★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
41% glyphosate with the surfactant already in it, at acreage volume — the cheapest route to a systemic kill if you have the area to justify 2.5 gallons.
Best for: Acreage-scale non-selective work — fence lines, gravel yards, and lawn kill-off before renovation
$68–$82
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Non-Selective Systemic Herbicide (53.8% concentrate)
Albaugh Gly Star 5 Extra, 2.5 Gallons
★★★★☆ (4.2/5)
53.8% rather than 41%, so you carry and store less liquid for the same job — but check whether the label expects you to add your own surfactant.
Best for: Acreage non-selective work where a higher loading means fewer containers to store and carry
$82–$98
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Brush and Poison Ivy Herbicide (concentrate, two actives)
Roundup Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer Concentrate, 32 oz
★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
A Roundup-branded bottle that genuinely does contain glyphosate — 18% of it — plus 2% triclopyr, and is therefore non-selective in a way the pure triclopyr bottles are not.
Best for: Clearing a fence line or bank completely, where grass and brush both have to go
$26–$32
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Guides that use Glyphosate
- Best Brush Killer: The Method Decides the Formulation
- Best Grass and Weed Killer: Three Jobs, Three Products
- How to Get Rid of Quackgrass: Wipe, Do Not Spray
- Glyphosate vs Glufosinate: The Roots Are the Difference
- Bare Ground Herbicide: It Reaches Roots You Cannot See
- How to Kill Bermuda Grass in a Fescue Lawn: Mow It Out First
Buy for the active, then read the label anyway. Two products with the same active are not interchangeable — concentration, labelled sites and species tolerances all vary, and a three-part registration number means a narrowed label. How to read one in two minutes. Where our page and your container disagree, the container is the legal authority.