Various Retailers / Brands: Protein Powder Per-Gram of Protein Cost Analysis
from $0.02/gram
(May Vary By Location)
+141Deal Score
62,921 Views
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.
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."
*** 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:
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).
New Notes:
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.
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.
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
ASIN:
B0106ZJ27K
Brand:
Muscle Milk
Item Dimensions LxWxH:
12 x 5 x 16 inches
Item Weight:
5 pounds
Item model number:
71954
Manufacturer:
CYTAB
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:
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.
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.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Found new world nutritional is fraudulent. Someone posted images of independent testing and it's maltodextrin mostly. Here to find a replacement. Thank you for your work op
Thought I should update you guys on my calculations buying from dairy suppliers directly, TLDR is shipping cost included, for me in California, it's 10.66 or 10.19 per pound buying in a 33 or 44lb bag from them.
Bongards:
Quote
:
Personal use only:
We occasionally sell single bags of protein to the end user/consumer as a courtesy to those that want a non-flavored bulk protein. The product does not come with a plastic scoop or any recipes as we are a supplier to large manufacturers.
1 bag of product is 15kg/33.069lbs
Pricing would be as follows PLUS UPS charge:
Instant WPI $9.50/lb *
* Pricing can change with market demand and availability. Pricing is good for one week from date of quote. Please treat subject until confirmed.
Please provide your full address and Laura can quote you what the UPS charge would be.
Shipping to Orange County California is 45.67.
Dana Foods:
Quote
:
Our product comes in 44 lb bags and Pricing for our IWPI is 8.00/lb. plus shipping. So the total cost would be $448.43. Shipping is 96.43. We take check, ACH, Or Wire.
At the quantity, calculating shipping cost of both to California, it's 47 cents difference between the two, which at 44lbs, results in a $20.70 price difference.
Found new world nutritional is fraudulent. Someone posted images of independent testing and it's maltodextrin mostly. Here to find a replacement. Thank you for your work op
Gonna try the iodine test. according to 'dr' berg it would turn a deep blue/purple with maltodextrin/carbs. But their store shows nothing right now.
Gonna try the iodine test. according to 'dr' berg it would turn a deep blue/purple with maltodextrin/carbs. But their store shows nothing right now.
The guy is giving refunds, I'm done with it there's a reddit thread with proof.
There's boiling test failed. It behaves differently than confirmed real whey isolate. The importyeti link on the reddit thread i'm thinking of shows the purchases and maltrodextrin was a huge one. And then the store is closed, so many people got refunds. I'm getting mine processing now, the last 75%.
The guy is giving refunds, I'm done with it there's a reddit thread with proof.
There's boiling test failed. It behaves differently than confirmed real whey isolate. The importyeti link on the reddit thread i'm thinking of shows the purchases and maltrodextrin was a huge one. And then the store is closed, so many people got refunds. I'm getting mine processing now, the last 75%.
I did the iodine test and it passed(didnt change color, vs bread turned dark). I did the boiling water test a couple months ago and its bs. Iso100 didnt clump either. Didnt try the water test on whey concentrate tho. Could be other explanations for refunds / being out of stock. If the store was closed, it wouldn't still be on ebay with a website up.
Tried iodine with iso100, new world and ON (has 2% maltodextrin). They all looked similar. It's either legit, I'm testing it wrong, or it has a filler that doesn't react with iodine( that is not maltodextrin).
Can you use a unit other than grams? People do not typically measure their protein in units of grams.
Best Bulk Whey Protein via eBay: 15-lbs. New World Nutritionals Whey Protein Isolate $111.97 + free shipping
1.88 cents/gram of protein =
4.252e-9 Bitcoin (BTC) per 1.102 × 10-6 us ton of protein. Hope it helped. /s
But on a serious note,
1. Despite your favorite unit or weight not used, lower price per unit weight points to better value. Lower the better.
2. It's easy to convert to your desired unit of weight yourself by just asking Google.
3. If you still expected someone to calculate it for you, at least specify what unit you're looking for - like $ per Oz - rather than simply declare 'ppl don't use that unit'. All others reading this thread being fine with cents/gm only suggests otherwise.
I did the iodine test and it passed(didnt change color, vs bread turned dark). I did the boiling water test a couple months ago and its bs. Iso100 didnt clump either. Didnt try the water test on whey concentrate tho. Could be other explanations for refunds / being out of stock. If the store was closed, it wouldn't still be on ebay with a website up.
Anyone else here can read it, I was open minded for a long time and I took this since October but just comparing between 3-4 different isolates this one behaves totally differently - no bubbling, no huge powder puffs when i'm pouring it out, it's damning especially when looking at
the importyeti link, looking at the boiling test someone did on youtube, then looking at the sample that was certified by someone sending it into the lab. you want to pay for me to ship you the crap product i have remaining? i'd be happy to send you free whey protein isolate if you really think that's the case.
You're pretty dense but I understand if you're trying to keep the option open without coming to a conclusion, which is typically how I function. Pretty damning evidence here, and I'm the one that posted the original deal, smh, sorry to any who have purchased it. I got my full refund and just read the thread on what BS the seller said to them after being confronted with facts - that's also damning too lol
Not sure why you are downvoted. Protein/nitrogen spiking is a thing that some supplement companies do
For 80%+ of the people that post here it's a lot like politics. They have their own strongly desired narrative, and anything challenging that (or in this instance the great price they much preferring paying out to the alternatives) is going to be met with an ample amount of vitriol
Pretty sure I got a fair amount of down votes here last year for pointing out in a random thread how New World Nutrition's low isolate prices really didn't make any current market sense. which really was on that blatantly obvious All American Whey level of "if something looks too good to be true....".
Shame they didn't get more heavily questioned and exposed a lot sooner. Glad to see it happening regardless.
after posting that, i went through a handful of reddit threads discussing it... and it seemed to be overwhelmingly positive... for the taste and quality.. the only negatives i saw people posting were that its a concentrate instead of isolate.. and that one scoop is 6.3g for 5g of protein, but then others were pointing out thats a very common practice with protein powders.
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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.
Bongards:
We occasionally sell single bags of protein to the end user/consumer as a courtesy to those that want a non-flavored bulk protein. The product does not come with a plastic scoop or any recipes as we are a supplier to large manufacturers.
1 bag of product is 15kg/33.069lbs
Pricing would be as follows PLUS UPS charge:
Instant WPI $9.50/lb *
* Pricing can change with market demand and availability. Pricing is good for one week from date of quote. Please treat subject until confirmed.
Please provide your full address and Laura can quote you what the UPS charge would be.
Dana Foods:
Reddit thread is how I got started on contacting them:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Suppleme...?con
===
Gonna try the iodine test. according to 'dr' berg it would turn a deep blue/purple with maltodextrin/carbs. But their store shows nothing right now.
There's boiling test failed. It behaves differently than confirmed real whey isolate. The importyeti link on the reddit thread i'm thinking of shows the purchases and maltrodextrin was a huge one. And then the store is closed, so many people got refunds. I'm getting mine processing now, the last 75%.
There's boiling test failed. It behaves differently than confirmed real whey isolate. The importyeti link on the reddit thread i'm thinking of shows the purchases and maltrodextrin was a huge one. And then the store is closed, so many people got refunds. I'm getting mine processing now, the last 75%.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Best Bulk Whey Protein via eBay: 15-lbs. New World Nutritionals Whey Protein Isolate $111.97 + free shipping
1.88 cents/gram of protein =
4.252e-9 Bitcoin (BTC) per 1.102 × 10-6 us ton of protein. Hope it helped. /s
But on a serious note,
1. Despite your favorite unit or weight not used, lower price per unit weight points to better value. Lower the better.
2. It's easy to convert to your desired unit of weight yourself by just asking Google.
3. If you still expected someone to calculate it for you, at least specify what unit you're looking for - like $ per Oz - rather than simply declare 'ppl don't use that unit'. All others reading this thread being fine with cents/gm only suggests otherwise.
https://www.reddit.com/r/naturalb...yqin
Anyone else here can read it, I was open minded for a long time and I took this since October but just comparing between 3-4 different isolates this one behaves totally differently - no bubbling, no huge powder puffs when i'm pouring it out, it's damning especially when looking at
the importyeti link, looking at the boiling test someone did on youtube, then looking at the sample that was certified by someone sending it into the lab. you want to pay for me to ship you the crap product i have remaining? i'd be happy to send you free whey protein isolate if you really think that's the case.
You're pretty dense but I understand if you're trying to keep the option open without coming to a conclusion, which is typically how I function. Pretty damning evidence here, and I'm the one that posted the original deal, smh, sorry to any who have purchased it. I got my full refund and just read the thread on what BS the seller said to them after being confronted with facts - that's also damning too lol
Pretty sure I got a fair amount of down votes here last year for pointing out in a random thread how New World Nutrition's low isolate prices really didn't make any current market sense. which really was on that blatantly obvious All American Whey level of "if something looks too good to be true....".
Shame they didn't get more heavily questioned and exposed a lot sooner. Glad to see it happening regardless.
Never heard of it
after posting that, i went through a handful of reddit threads discussing it... and it seemed to be overwhelmingly positive... for the taste and quality.. the only negatives i saw people posting were that its a concentrate instead of isolate.. and that one scoop is 6.3g for 5g of protein, but then others were pointing out thats a very common practice with protein powders.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.