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Various Retailers / Brands: Protein Powder Per-Gram of Protein Cost Analysis
from $0.02/gram
(May Vary By Location)
Note: While some items listed may not be on sale currently, we are promoting these offers on the Frontpage due to strong feedback from and excellent contributions made by the community, who view this as a way to compare products and save money on a more consistent basis between stronger sales.
Various Retailers have select Protein Powders starting at 1.88 Cents per Gram of Protein. Pricing may be subject to change as determined by the manufacturer and/or retailer.
Thanks to WolfTheCat and all other community members involved in contributing to and evaluating this list.
Various Retailers have select Protein Powders starting at 1.88 Cents per Gram of Protein. Pricing may be subject to change as determined by the manufacturer and/or retailer.
Thanks to WolfTheCat and all other community members involved in contributing to and evaluating this list.
- Pricing and availability may vary in-store vs. online (where applicable) and/or by region.
- A higher or lower cost-per-gram-of-protein may not be indicative of quality.
- Visit the main forum post here and consider bookmarking this page to check back for any potential future updates/additions.
- Best Bulk Whey Protein via eBay: 15-lbs. New World Nutritionals Whey Protein Isolate $111.97 + free shipping
- 1.88 cents/gram of protein
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 86.7% of mass is Protein
- 90.4% of calories are Protein
- 1.88 cents/gram of protein
- My Protein: 11-lbs. MyProtein Impact Whey Concentrate $116.99 w/ code ENJOY35 + free shipping
- 2.37 cents/gram of protein
- 13.9% of Protein is Leucine
- 76% of mass is Protein
- 76% of calories are Protein
- 2.37 cents/gram of protein
- Amazon: 5-lbs. Dymatize Elite 100% Whey Protein Powder $46.18 w/ $7.01 + 15% clipped coupons + Subscribe & Save
- 2.88 cents/gram of protein
- 10.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 69.4% of mass is Protein
- 71.4% of calories are Protein
- Free shipping w/ Prime or on $35+ orders
- You may cancel your subscription any time after your order ships.
- 2.88 cents/gram of protein
- Aldi (In-Store): 2-lbs. Elevation Vanilla Whey Blend Protein Powder (Concentrate) $18.29
- 3.29 cents/gram of protein
- 10.4% of Protein is Leucine
- 61.2% of mass is Protein
- 70.6% of calories are Protein
- Aldi store locator
- 3.29 cents/gram of protein
- Amazon: 4-lbs. Animal Whey Isolate Whey Protein Powder $46.50 + free shipping
- 3.39 cents/gram of protein
- 10.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 75.8% of mass is Protein
- 80% of calories are Protein
- 3.39 cents/gram of protein
- Costco Wholesale: 5.6-lbs. Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Blend (Isolate > Concentrate) $69.99 + free shipping
- 3.65 cents/gram of protein
- 11% of Protein is Leucine
- 75% of mass is Protein
- 80% of calories are Protein
- 3.65 cents/gram of protein
- WolfTheCat:"The primary metric here is cost per gram of protein, because I figure that is what you want in protein powder. I also list:
- The type of protein (Whey, soy, etc...). If it is a blend, I include the first two main components in order. For example Isolate > Concentrate means the blend is primarily isolate and has some concentrate.
- The size of the container, in pounds. Some people don't want 15lb containers.
- The percent of protein that is Leucine, considered the most important BCAA and a metric of a quality amino acid profile.
- The percent of product mass that is protein. More mass-dense proteins have fewer ingredients that you may not want, such as inert ingredients, moisture, fat, and carbs (or, in some cases, heavy metals...).
- The percent of calories that is protein. This is important for folks avoiding fat and/or carbs."
Editor's Notes & Price Research
Written by
- About these stores:
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Original Post
Written by
Edited March 13, 2024
at 05:18 PM
*** Edited with more products, and new notes in red at the bottom***
* Products with an Amazon link assume a full 5-product S&S discount for calculations. If you aren't getting the full discount, check out this post.
This post isn't about a single deal, but more a comparison of recent SlickDeals and options from Costco, Amazon, MyProtein, and Aldi that compare well. I added Muscle Milk to have a main URL, and it's competitive, but it doesn't conclusively "win" the comparison - you should look at the other options.
(*)MyProtein has constantly revolving sales and coupons that I can't keep up with. You can usually find a 50% off coupon if you search for one online, so I based the calculations assuming you have one, but YMMV.
Notes:
The primary metric here is cost per gram of protein, because I figure that is what you want in protein powder. I also list:
Stuff I don't consider, but you are free to debate in the comments:
* Products with an Amazon link assume a full 5-product S&S discount for calculations. If you aren't getting the full discount, check out this post.
This post isn't about a single deal, but more a comparison of recent SlickDeals and options from Costco, Amazon, MyProtein, and Aldi that compare well. I added Muscle Milk to have a main URL, and it's competitive, but it doesn't conclusively "win" the comparison - you should look at the other options.
- 1.51¢/g Protein - Deal Supplement Pea Isolate [amazon.com]
- Price: $28.01 for 5 lbs.
- 7.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 81.8% of mass is Protein
- 90% of calories are Protein
- 1.88¢/g Protein - New World Whey Isolate
- Price: $111.00 for 15 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 86.7% of mass is Protein
- 90.4% of calories are Protein
- 2.06¢/g Protein - Zen Principle Brown Rice Protein [amazon.com]
- Price: $46.71 for 6 lbs.
- 8.5% of Protein is Leucine
- 83.3% of mass is Protein
- 76.9% of calories are Protein
- 2.37¢/g Protein - MyProtein Impact Whey Concentrate(*) [myprotein.com]
- Price: $89.99 for 11 lbs.
- 13.9% of Protein is Leucine
- 76% of mass is Protein
- 76% of calories are Protein
- 2.77¢/g Protein - BPI Sports Whey Isolate
- Price: $48.55 for 4.8 lbs.
- 10.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 80.6% of mass is Protein
- 83.3% of calories are Protein
- 2.78¢/g Protein - NOW Soy Isolate
- Price: $21.03 for 2 lbs.
- 9% of Protein is Leucine
- 83.3% of mass is Protein
- 88.9% of calories are Protein
- 2.85¢/g Protein - Muscle Milk 100% Whey Whey Blend (Isolate > Concentrate) [amazon.com]
- Price: $42.49 for 5 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 65.8% of mass is Protein
- 71.4% of calories are Protein
- 2.88¢/g Protein - Dymatize Whey Blend (Conentrate > Isolate)
- Price: $46.00 for 5.1 lbs.
- 10.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 69.4% of mass is Protein
- 71.4% of calories are Protein
- 3.02¢/g Protein - MyProtein Impact Whey Isolate(*) [myprotein.com]
- Price: $132.49 for 11 lbs.
- 11.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 88% of mass is Protein
- 97.8% of calories are Protein
- 3.29¢/g Protein - Elevation Vanilla Whey Blend (Conentrate > Isolate) [aldi.us]
- Price: $18.29 for 2 lbs.
- 10.4% of Protein is Leucine
- 61.2% of mass is Protein
- 70.6% of calories are Protein
- 3.39¢/g Protein - Animal Whey Whey Blend (Isolate > Concentrate) [amazon.com]
- Price: $46.50 for 4 lbs.
- 10.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 75.8% of mass is Protein
- 80% of calories are Protein
- 3.65¢/g Protein - Optimum Nutrition Whey Blend (Isolate > Concentrate) [costco.com]
- Price: $69.99 for 5.6 lbs.
- 11% of Protein is Leucine
- 75% of mass is Protein
- 80% of calories are Protein
(*)MyProtein has constantly revolving sales and coupons that I can't keep up with. You can usually find a 50% off coupon if you search for one online, so I based the calculations assuming you have one, but YMMV.
Notes:
The primary metric here is cost per gram of protein, because I figure that is what you want in protein powder. I also list:
- The type of protein (Whey, soy, etc...). If it is a blend, I include the first two main components in order. For example Isolate > Concentrate means the blend is primarily isolate and has some concentrate.
- The size of the container, in pounds. Some people don't want 15lb containers.
- The percent of protein that is Leucine, considered the most important BCAA and a metric of a quality amino acid profile.
- The percent of product mass that is protein. More mass-dense proteins have fewer ingredients that you may not want, such as inert ingredients, moisture, fat, and carbs (or, in some cases, heavy metals...).
- The percent of calories that is protein. This is important for folks avoiding fat and/or carbs.
Stuff I don't consider, but you are free to debate in the comments:
- Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, types of flavorings/sweeteners.
- Whether the supplier is honest. The supplement industry is unregulated, and I am only comparing what they claim. That may or may not match what is actually in the product, and I have no way of knowing if they tell the truth or not.
- Serving/scoop size because it is an irrelevant metric. This is normalized by giving a price per gram protein. You can adjust your servings to have as much or little protein as you want.
- Extra ingredients (wanted or unwanted).
- If you want another product considered, add a comment and add a deal so I have a link and discounted price for calculations.
- If the link is to SlickDeals, I use the deal price for calculation.
- I will add and remove products, and will post a comment when I do so. If you want to stay current, subscribe to this post.
Created 03-12-2024
at 03:36 PM
by WolfTheCat
If you purchase something through a post on our site, Slickdeals may get a small share of the sale.
Price Intelligence
Give Feedback Model: Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder, Chocolate, 5 Pound, 66 Servings, 25g Protein, 2g Sugar, Low in Fat, NSF Certified for Sport, Energizing Snack, Workout Recovery, Packaging May Vary
Deal History
Deal History includes data from multiple reputable stores, such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The lowest price among stores for a given day is selected as the "Sale Price".
Sale Price does not include sale prices at Amazon unless a deal was posted by a community member.
Sale Price does not include sale prices at Amazon unless a deal was posted by a community member.
Current Prices
Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 4/25/2024, 11:22 PM| Sold By | Sale Price |
|---|---|
 Amazon | $85.99 |
| Rating: | (4.4 out of 5 stars) |
| Reviews: | 6,852 Myprotein Reviews |
| Product Name: | Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder, Chocolate, 5 Pound, 66 Servings, 25g Protein, 2g Sugar, Low in Fat, NSF Certified for Sport, Energizing Snack, Workout Recovery, Packaging May Vary |
| Manufacturer: | CYTAB |
| Model Number: | 71954 |
| Product SKU: | B0106ZJ27K |
| UPC: | 660726760703 |
Community Wiki
Last Edited by WolfTheCat
April 4, 2024
at
07:10 AM
*** Moved to Wiki - I will try to keep this current-ish.
- Anyone can add/remove products now, but I may whomp changes when I re-copy from my spreadsheet
* Products with an Amazon link assume a full 5-product S&S discount for calculations. If you aren't getting the full discount, check out this post.
* Products with a SlickDeals link use the price shown in the deal.
[b](*)MyProtein has constantly revolving sales and coupons won't be able to keep up with. You can usually find a 50% off coupon if you search for one online, so I based the calculations assuming you have one, but YMMV.
Stuff I don't consider, but you are free to debate in the comments:
- Anyone can add/remove products now, but I may whomp changes when I re-copy from my spreadsheet
* Products with an Amazon link assume a full 5-product S&S discount for calculations. If you aren't getting the full discount, check out this post.
* Products with a SlickDeals link use the price shown in the deal.
- 1.7¢/g Protein - Deal Supplement Pea Isolate [amazon.com]
- Price: $31.41 for 5 lbs.
- 7.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 81.8% of mass is Protein
- 90% of calories are Protein
- 1.7¢/g Protein - Micro Ingredients Pea Powder [amazon.com]
- Price: $31.41 for 5 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 81.8% of mass is Protein
- 90% of calories are Protein
- 1.88¢/g Protein - New World Whey Isolate
- Price: $111.00 for 15 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 86.7% of mass is Protein
- 90.4% of calories are Protein
- 1.88¢/g Protein - Earthborn Elements Soy Isolate
- Price: $26.99 for 3.8 lbs.
- 8% of Protein is Leucine
- 83.3% of mass is Protein
- 90.9% of calories are Protein
- 1.96¢/g Protein - Carlyle Pea Protein [amazon.com]
- Price: $44.99 for 7 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 72.5% of mass is Protein
- 72.5% of calories are Protein
- 1.99¢/g Protein - Pure Original Soy Isolate [amazon.com]
- Price: $32.39 for 4 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 90% of mass is Protein
- 98.2% of calories are Protein
- 2.06¢/g Protein - Zen Principle Brown Rice Protein [amazon.com]
- Price: $46.71 for 6 lbs.
- 8.5% of Protein is Leucine
- 83.3% of mass is Protein
- 76.9% of calories are Protein
- 2.06¢/g Protein - NOW Pea Isolate [amazon.com]
- Price: $47.65 for 7 lbs.
- 8.4% of Protein is Leucine
- 72.7% of mass is Protein
- 74.4% of calories are Protein
- 2.3¢/g Protein - Rule 1 Casein [amazon.com]
- Price: $30.40 for 4 lbs.
- Unknown % of Protein is Leucine
- 73.5% of mass is Protein
- 83.3% of calories are Protein
- 2.37¢/g Protein - MyProtein Impact Whey Concentrate(*) [myprotein.com]
- Price: $89.99 for 11 lbs.
- 13.9% of Protein is Leucine
- 76% of mass is Protein
- 76% of calories are Protein
- 2.55¢/g Protein - Naked Unflavored Pea Protein [amazon.com]
- Price: $52.19 for 5 lbs.
- 9.3% of Protein is Leucine
- 90% of mass is Protein
- 90% of calories are Protein
- 2.95¢/g Protein - NOW Soy Isolate [amazon.com]
- Price: $22.27 for 2 lbs.
- 9% of Protein is Leucine
- 83.3% of mass is Protein
- 88.9% of calories are Protein
- 3.01¢/g Protein - MyProtein Casein (*) [myprotein.com]
- Price: $57.50 for 5.5 lbs.
- 8% of Protein is Leucine
- 76.7% of mass is Protein
- 83.6% of calories are Protein
- 3.02¢/g Protein - MyProtein Impact Whey Isolate(*) [myprotein.com]
- Price: $132.49 for 11 lbs.
- 11.8% of Protein is Leucine
- 88% of mass is Protein
- 97.8% of calories are Protein
- 3.29¢/g Protein - Elevation Vanilla Whey Blend (Conentrate > Isolate) [aldi.us]
- Price: $18.29 for 2 lbs.
- 10.4% of Protein is Leucine
- 61.2% of mass is Protein
- 70.6% of calories are Protein
- 3.4¢/g Protein - Naked Vanilla Pea Protein [amazon.com]
- Price: $52.19 for 5 lbs.
- 10.1% of Protein is Leucine
- 67.6% of mass is Protein
- 71.4% of calories are Protein
- 3.65¢/g Protein - Optimum Nutrition Whey Blend (Isolate > Concentrate) [costco.com]
- Price: $69.99 for 5.6 lbs.
- 11% of Protein is Leucine
- 75% of mass is Protein
- 80% of calories are Protein
[b](*)MyProtein has constantly revolving sales and coupons won't be able to keep up with. You can usually find a 50% off coupon if you search for one online, so I based the calculations assuming you have one, but YMMV.
Stuff I don't consider, but you are free to debate in the comments:
- Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, types of flavorings/sweeteners.
- Whether the supplier is honest. The supplement industry is unregulated, and I am only comparing what they claim. That may or may not match what is actually in the product, and I have no way of knowing if they tell the truth or not.
- Serving/scoop size because it is an irrelevant metric. This is normalized by giving a price per gram protein. You can adjust your servings to have as much or little protein as you want.
- Extra ingredients (wanted or unwanted).
- If you want another product considered, add a comment and add a deal so I have a link and discounted price for calculations.
- I will add and remove products, and will post a comment when I do so. If you want to stay current, subscribe to this post.
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Featured Comments
Slickdeals Frontpaged this deal, which takes away my ability to edit the main post.
They also removed several of the products in the comparison and altered some of the pricing in ways that no longer make sense (for example, they changed a 50% my protein coupon to a 35% coupon, but didn't change the per-gram price, making the math wrong).
I have put the original post in the wiki, where I (or anyone else) can edit it.
My favorite, being an obligate carnivore, but didn't include on list because it isn't a protein powder.
Thanksgiving Turkey. An 18lb bird, 59c/lb near thanksgiving, with about 7lb yield after roasting:
- 1.23c per gram of protein
- $10.62 for 7lb of meat
- 53% of calories from protein
- 27.3% of edible mass from protein
- 6.7% of protein is Leucine
I have ten of these in my freezer outside.
It's a sad day in August when you run out of Thanksgiving turkey.
Cost is not the only important thing. Some powders may have more value to you for various reasons that are not considered in this analysis, such as merchant reputability, additional ingredients like Creatine, how well it dissolves, how good it tastes, GMO, Vegan, Kosher, etc... Feel free to discuss all that here in the comments.
As an example, I think Muscle Milk is competitive. It's not the cheapest in cost/g, but it's a major brand sold at stores, probably more reputable, and is primarily whey isolate, but I am suspicious of it's low percentage protein (in both calories and mass), making me think it has a lot of extra stuff that you may not want/need.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Cost is not the only important thing. Some powders may have more value to you for various reasons that are not considered in this analysis, such as merchant reputability, additional ingredients like Creatine, how well it dissolves, how good it tastes, GMO, Vegan, Kosher, etc... Feel free to discuss all that here in the comments.
As an example, I think Muscle Milk is competitive. It's not the cheapest in cost/g, but it's a major brand sold at stores, probably more reputable, and is primarily whey isolate, but I am suspicious of it's low percentage protein (in both calories and mass), making me think it has a lot of extra stuff that you may not want/need.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank WolfTheCat
My favorite, being an obligate carnivore, but didn't include on list because it isn't a protein powder.
Thanksgiving Turkey. An 18lb bird, 59c/lb near thanksgiving, with about 7lb yield after roasting:
- 1.23c per gram of protein
- $10.62 for 7lb of meat
- 53% of calories from protein
- 27.3% of edible mass from protein
- 6.7% of protein is Leucine
I have ten of these in my freezer outside.
It's a sad day in August when you run out of Thanksgiving turkey.
That said 5lb bag of muscle milk pretty regularly goes on sale for $35, and at that price it's a solid budget protein with ok taste. But I'd wait for Optimum Nutrition or Dymatize when it's $45-50 (<45 on a good day)
It always seemed to me that those blended products are kind of a trick. Too many companies are selling their blended product for slightly more than you can purchase their Concetrate & Isolate separately & mix them together yourself.
Also, if you are extremely picky, if the company is still selling their product with soy lecithin instead of sunflower lecithin, its a good indicator that they aren't doing a good job keeping up with better quality brands since most have moved away from using soy lecithin.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
That said 5lb bag of muscle milk pretty regularly goes on sale for $35, and at that price it's a solid budget protein with ok taste. But I'd wait for Optimum Nutrition or Dymatize when it's $45-50 (<45 on a good day)
Agreed with this.
I tend to only buy Dymatize ISO100 as the hydrolyzed protein is easier on my stomach and has always been a quality product. Waiting for it to go back to $45 to pull the trigger again.
It always seemed to me that those blended products are kind of a trick. Too many companies are selling their blended product for slightly more than you can purchase their Concetrate & Isolate separately & mix them together yourself.
Also, if you are extremely picky, if the company is still selling their product with soy lecithin instead of sunflower lecithin, its a good indicator that they aren't doing a good job keeping up with better quality brands since most have moved away from using soy lecithin.
Post a MyProtein deal or two with a price and product and I'll add it. I've bought their isolate before.
The problem with MyP is their obnoxious rotating coupon codes and sales. I can't nail down a solid price to use for calculations.
I tend to only buy Dymatize ISO100 as the hydrolyzed protein is easier on my stomach and has always been a quality product. Waiting for it to go back to $45 to pull the trigger again.
The problem with MyP is their obnoxious rotating coupon codes and sales. I can't nail down a solid price to use for calculations.
I don't currently have a bag that their product comes in so I will have to use what they list on their website.
This is for Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate:
It's currently
$72.50 per 5.5 pounds (2494.76 grams)
A 25 gram scoop = 22 grams of protein
90 calories per serving
22 grams of protein x 4 calories per gram of protein = 88 calories
88 calories / 90 calories = 97.7% of the calories are protein
Didn't see how many servings they list per container on their website anywhere. So...
5.5 pounds (2494.76 grams) in a bag / 25 grams per scoop = 99.7904 servings per container?
99.7904 servings x 22 grams of protein per serving = 2,195.3888 grams of protein per container
$72.50 / 2,195.3888 grams of protein per container = 3.3 cents/gram of protein
Not sure how you were calculating mass & I don't see leucine content listed on their website.
Also, someone definitely double check my math.