Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
frontpage Posted by WolfTheCat • Mar 12, 2024
frontpage Posted by WolfTheCat • Mar 12, 2024

Various Retailers / Brands: Protein Powder Per-Gram of Protein Cost Analysis

(May Vary By Location)

from $0.02/gram

Myprotein
121 Comments 76,421 Views
Get Deal at Myprotein
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
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.
  • 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.
Cost Per Gram of Protein Analysis (lowest to highest):
  • Visit the main forum post here and consider bookmarking this page to check back for any potential future updates/additions.
  • 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.
Featured Comment:
  • 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

Written by RevOne | Staff

Original Post

Written by WolfTheCat
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
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.
  • 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.
Cost Per Gram of Protein Analysis (lowest to highest):
  • Visit the main forum post here and consider bookmarking this page to check back for any potential future updates/additions.
  • 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.
Featured Comment:
  • 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

Written by RevOne | Staff

Original Post

Written by WolfTheCat

Community Voting

Deal Score
+144
Good Deal
Get Deal at Myprotein

Price Intelligence

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 

Sort: Most Recent
Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
10/04/23Amazon$35
10
09/14/23Amazon$29
11
04/17/23Amazon$34
3
12/10/22Amazon$29 frontpage
115
11/17/22Amazon$40 frontpage
57
03/17/22Amazon$35 frontpage
22
Show More

Current Prices

Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 4/24/2025, 10:29 PM
Sold By Sale Price
Amazon$85.99
Leave a Comment
To participate in the comments, please log in.

Top Comments

More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

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.
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

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.
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

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.

121 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Original Poster
Pro
Mar 12, 2024
2,081 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Mar 12, 2024
WolfTheCat
Mar 12, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
2,081 Posts
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

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.
Last edited by WolfTheCat March 26, 2024 at 04:26 PM.
Mar 12, 2024
241 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
Mar 12, 2024
maggiemay000
Mar 12, 2024
241 Posts
Also, beware of the accuracy of the actual protein content measurement. There are ways to increase the protein reading without increasing the actual protein content.
1
Original Poster
Pro
Mar 13, 2024
2,081 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Mar 13, 2024
WolfTheCat
Mar 13, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
2,081 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank WolfTheCat

More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

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.
Last edited by WolfTheCat March 14, 2024 at 04:42 PM.
1
7
3
Mar 13, 2024
4 Posts
Joined Jul 2016
Mar 13, 2024
jpolans
Mar 13, 2024
4 Posts
I appreciate scientific posts like this!
Mar 13, 2024
113 Posts
Joined Nov 2011
Mar 13, 2024
jamesky52
Mar 13, 2024
113 Posts
Best metric to use, great post. People get confused with serving sizes which can be all over the place. I would include myprotein since lots of deals to be had and their whey isolate is great. Also my favorite comparison to whey isolate cost is Costco's rotisserie chicken. 2.8lbs of pure meat which comes out to 1.5cents/g protein
Mar 13, 2024
232 Posts
Joined Sep 2018
Mar 13, 2024
Bharlos
Mar 13, 2024
232 Posts
Serving sizes vary so much on these 5lb bags because of this (protein %/fillers). You're often times better off getting the more expensive ones.

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)
Mar 13, 2024
118 Posts
Joined Apr 2016
Mar 13, 2024
syzygy720
Mar 13, 2024
118 Posts
Quote from jamesky52 :
Best metric to use, great post. People get confused with serving sizes which can be all over the place. I would include myprotein since lots of deals to be had and their whey isolate is great. Also my favorite comparison to whey isolate cost is Costco's rotisserie chicken. 2.8lbs of pure meat which comes out to 1.5cents/g protein
I agree at adding MyProtein. MyProtein & Nutricost are really the only two brands that I purchase. I'm suspicious of brands that don't offer unflavored versions of their product.

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.

Mar 13, 2024
169 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Mar 13, 2024
ScottH15
Mar 13, 2024
169 Posts
Quote from Bharlos :
Serving sizes vary so much on these 5lb bags because of this (protein %/fillers). You're often times better off getting the more expensive ones.

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.
Original Poster
Pro
Mar 13, 2024
2,081 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Mar 13, 2024
WolfTheCat
Mar 13, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
2,081 Posts
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

Quote from syzygy720 :
I agree at adding MyProtein. MyProtein & Nutricost are really the only two brands that I purchase. I'm suspicious of brands that don't offer unflavored versions of their product.

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.
Last edited by WolfTheCat March 14, 2024 at 04:42 PM.
Mar 13, 2024
4,861 Posts
Joined May 2022
Mar 13, 2024
AmusedDime497
Mar 13, 2024
4,861 Posts
My man.
1
Original Poster
Pro
Mar 13, 2024
2,081 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Mar 13, 2024
WolfTheCat
Mar 13, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
2,081 Posts
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

Quote from ScottH15 :
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.
Have you tried a pure isolate? If your stomach is bothering you, lactose intolerance may be the culprit.
Last edited by WolfTheCat March 14, 2024 at 04:43 PM.
Mar 13, 2024
118 Posts
Joined Apr 2016
Mar 13, 2024
syzygy720
Mar 13, 2024
118 Posts
Quote from WolfTheCat :
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.
Yeah. Their prices definitely fluctuate pretty regularly.
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.
Last edited by syzygy720 March 12, 2024 at 10:20 PM.
Mar 13, 2024
5,924 Posts
Joined Apr 2008
Mar 13, 2024
stasis
Mar 13, 2024
5,924 Posts
I stopped drinking Muscle Milk 10 years or so ago even though I was buying them with huge discount thru a friend who worked there, but I can't remember the reason. Could've been too much carb, too much sugar, too many calories, or too much powder per serving (like only 25g protein per 2 scoops). It was one of the best-tasting proteins though.
Original Poster
Pro
Mar 13, 2024
2,081 Posts
Joined Jan 2024
Mar 13, 2024
WolfTheCat
Mar 13, 2024
Original Poster
Pro
2,081 Posts
More accurate information and additional products available in this post's wiki.

Quote from syzygy720 :
Yeah. Their prices definitely fluctuate pretty regularly.
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.

Don't worry about the math. I have a spreadsheet for that.

Use this: https://slickdeals.net/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=9 . That'll give me the link and price I need. myp always has deals running.
Last edited by WolfTheCat March 14, 2024 at 04:43 PM.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Mar 13, 2024
244 Posts
Joined Jan 2018
Mar 13, 2024
tjf777
Mar 13, 2024
244 Posts
Thanks for the informative post! Cant remember when, but i think the big ass ON protein bag at costco goes on sale at certain times of the year for around $60. I am a big fan of it. Tastes pretty good and mixes well - not clumpy, can put it oatmeal and baked goods easily.

Popular Deals

View All

Trending Deals

View All