Top protein powders compared

About Top protein powders compared

Protein powder is a product where the sticker price flatters a brand and the tub tells the truth. This ranking covers 48 brands selling protein powders, ordered by what buyers actually weigh: entry price, the cost of a serving repeated every week, what sits in the scoop, and where the brand will ship. Prices at entry and the cost of a renewal tub are kept separate throughout, so a cheap first order is never mistaken for a cheap routine. Protein content per serving matters as much as pack size, because a large tub of a thin blend is not a saving. Shipping reach decides whether a low per-serving price is usable at all, and certifications and third-party testing decide how far the scoop can be trusted. The main trade-off in this category runs between proven testing marks and the lowest cost per serving, and between a flavour list worth rotating and a short one you get tired of.

How we picked

Every brand in this ranking is scored on the published weights: cost carries 40%, the offer element carries 40% and trust carries 20%. Cost and the offer element therefore count for more together than trust does, which matches how protein powder buying tends to go, with the shelf price and the serving price setting the order and testing marks breaking the remaining ties. Data is drawn from each brand's own product, delivery and policy pages, plus the range figures held for this category, with entry price shown as €3.67 to €91.41, serving cost as €0.93 to €8.76 and protein per serving as 15 to 40 g. Introductory pricing is never reported as the renewal price, and a subscription saving is read as part of the offer rather than as a headline price. Partner brands lead the list, and every brand placed here is independent, so the running order is score based throughout. A low serving price also means little in a thin blend, so protein per serving is read alongside cost at every step.

Our top picks

1. 7. HUM Nutrition

   HUM Nutrition makes this ranking on subscription value rather than shelf price. Its subscription discount of 30% is the deepest saving attached to a repeat order here, and its Core Strength protein delivers 20 g per serving under gmp manufacturing with third-party testing behind it. Support runs on email, phone and help centre. Compared with Myvitamins just below it, HUM pairs that renewal saving with a stated testing routine, while Myvitamins opens cheaper at £5.10 but sits on a shelf built around vitamins. The trade-off is reach, since HUM ships to a single market in US and protein buyers have fewer lines to pick from.

   • Price from: $15
   • Third-party tested: Yes
   • Subscription discount: 30%

   Pros

   • Products are third-party tested, a point the narrower ProSolution Plus and TestRX ranges of vitamins minerals and vitamins minerals leave unanswered.
   • multivitamins, vitamins minerals and omega 3 puts daily vitamins, omega-3, probiotics, collagen and sleep and stress plus a personalised option under the same brand.
   • Subscription customers save 30%, and the entry point of $15 sits below the €55.35 monthly plan price across the category.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, covering phone and email as well as a help centre.
   • A 30 day money back window gives a daily formula time to be judged on its own results.

   Cons

   • US only, so readers outside the US face delivery limits and a currency they may not expect.
   • Manufacturing certification rests on gmp alone, with no independent verifier or sports testing body listed alongside it.
   • Protein buyers get 20 g per serving in the protein powder line, under the 24 median across tracked brands.
   • A reader weighing renewal has the same figures to work with, since the 30% saving and the $15 entry point are the prices stated.

2. 8. Protein Works: best for lowest-price-per-serving

   Protein Works takes the lowest-price-per-serving label with servings at £0.15, under the category median of €1.37. Its whey protein blend delivers 20 g per serving across 8 flavours, and entry starts at £8.99. Support is the widest in this ranking at email, chat and phone, including live chat and a help centre, and a subscription saves 15%. Against Body & Fit below it, Protein Works costs less per serving and offers more ways to reach help, but it ships only to GB, IE and FR. Its products are not third-party tested, which is the main thing to weigh.

   • Price from: £8.99
   • Price per serving: £0.15
   • Third-party tested: No

   Pros

   • Covers a wide list of categories in multivitamins, vitamins minerals and omega 3, from multivitamins to electrolytes.
   • Entry point of £8.99 with a per serving cost of £0.15, ranked 15 of 121 brands on price per serving.
   • The range suits different diets, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options on the multivitamin formula.
   • Subscriptions come with a 15% discount for regular buyers.
   • Returns run for 180 days, longer than the typical return window on the site.

   Cons

   • Delivery covers GB, IE and FR, which is a narrower set of markets than some pharmacy-led rivals.
   • The range carries 8 flavours on its whey protein line, but the entry pricing and per serving cost come from the multivitamin product.
   • The £8.99 entry price ranks 23 of 157 brands, so the price on the front of the pack sits mid-table.

3. 9. Myprotein

   Myprotein closes this ranking with the broadest choice on the shelf and a wide shipping reach. Its Impact Whey Powder provides 22 to 23 g of protein per serving depending on flavour across 40 flavours, the longest flavour list here, and the powder holds informed sport. Support runs on email, phone and chat with phone, chat, email and a help centre. Compared with GymBeam above it, Myprotein offers more flavours, more product types and a certification mark, but costs more per serving at £1.10 from an entry price of £32.99. Shipping reaches GB, AL and AD, weighted towards Europe rather than the Americas.

   • Price from: £32.99
   • Price per serving: £1.10
   • Protein per serving (g): 22 to 23

   Pros

   • Price per serving of £1.10 puts it at 10 of 46 brands on cost per scoop, the strongest ranking in the set.
   • The catalogue covers whey protein, plant protein and creatine, so creatine, pre-workout, electrolytes and meal replacement sit in the same basket as protein.
   • The Impact Whey range carries 40 flavours, which cuts the odds of a repeat order going to waste.
   • Delivery is listed for GB, AL and AD, so the same pricing holds outside the UK.
   • Products cover vegan, vegetarian and gluten free diets, and the Impact Whey range is third-party tested and Informed Sport certified.

   Cons

   • Entry price of £32.99 ranks 44 of 66 brands, so the headline figure is not the cheapest on the market.
   • The range is certified to Informed Sport only, with no organic or GMP certification listed, while 24.8% of brands compared carry organic.
   • Protein per serving of 22 to 23 g sits just under the 24 median across protein powder brands.
   • The per serving figure of £1.10 and the entry price of £32.99 are stated for the Impact Whey range, so cost per scoop for the creatine, pre-workout, electrolytes and meal replacement in whey protein, plant protein and creatine is a separate figure for each product.

What to look for

Entry price against serving price

The tub price and the cost of a serving rarely move together, so both deserve a look. Across this ranking the median entry price is €35.99 and the median cost per serving is €1.37. The entry spread runs from €3.67 to €612.02, which is wide enough for a cheap tub to be a small pack and an expensive tub to be a bulk one.

Protein per serving

A cheap tub can still be thin, and a thin blend undoes the saving. The median serving in this ranking delivers 24 of protein, with the middle of the field running 21 to 27. Multiply that by your own daily target and check the scoop size matches what you would actually use.

Third-party testing

Independent batch testing is common in this category and separates brands that publish it from those that do not. Here 83.3% of brands are third-party tested against 16.7% that are not, so a published yes is a real differentiator and a published no is worth another look at the certification marks.

Certification marks

Marks say what has been audited, which is not the same as a flavour or a result. Among the brands in this ranking, 45.2% carry GMP, 32.3% carry Informed Sport and 32.3% hold organic, so the marks in play are a short list worth recognising.

Range beyond the tub

Protein buyers often need the rest of the shelf too, and breadth varies. In this ranking 52.1% of brands sell electrolytes, 31.2% sell collagen and 29.2% sell greens, while support access ranges from a help centre at 89.6% down to fewer routes. Check the market list for your country before planning around a price.

Frequently asked questions

Top protein powders compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

Brands compared head to head

• HerbsPro vs MaximumSlim
• MaximumSlim vs Shed Supplements

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV