I did an informal self-experiment comparing citrulline malate (2:1 ratio) to pure L-Citrulline over two 6-week training blocks with the same program, diet, and sleep schedule.
Phase 1 -- Citrulline Malate (8g pre-workout): This delivers approximately 5.3g of actual citrulline and 2.7g of malic acid. The pump and endurance effects were solid. I got the fuller muscles, the extra rep or two, the enhanced vascularity that people report. Taste was more sour than I expected -- the malic acid gives it a tart, almost candy-sour quality that some might find unpleasant. I experienced mild stomach gurgling on two occasions, both on leg days when I was also pushing high volume.
Phase 2 -- Pure L-Citrulline (6g pre-workout): After a 2-week washout, I switched to 6g of pure L-Citrulline. This delivers more actual citrulline than the 8g of citrulline malate. The taste was milder -- slightly sour but much more neutral. The pump and endurance effects were, to my honest assessment, indistinguishable from the citrulline malate phase. If anything, the pump was marginally better, which makes sense because I was getting more citrulline per dose. The stomach issues did not recur.
My conclusion matches what the recent clinical literature suggests: there is no meaningful performance advantage to citrulline malate over pure L-Citrulline at equivalent citrulline doses. The malate component does not appear to independently contribute to exercise performance in any perceptible way. Pure L-Citrulline is typically cheaper per gram of citrulline, has a more neutral taste, and is easier on the stomach.
The one scenario where citrulline malate might make sense is if you are buying a pre-formulated product where it is the only option. But if you are buying bulk powder (which you should be -- it is dramatically cheaper), go with pure L-Citrulline and dose at 6-8g.