Comparison · Dated labels

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre vs Cellucor C4 Original

THE SHORT ANSWER

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre declares 200 mg of caffeine per serving and Cellucor C4 Original declares 200 mg, on labels observed August 3, 2026 and July 23, 2026. At the prices FormulaSignal observed, RAW Nutrition Essential Pre costs $1.00 a serving and Cellucor C4 Original $1.17. They share 2 declared active ingredients; RAW Nutrition Essential Pre lists 4 the other does not, and Cellucor C4 Original lists 4.

Every figure here is read from the FormulaSignal Record, from each brand's own product page, with the date it was observed. No winner is declared and no product is scored.

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At a glance

Two labels, the same five facts.

RAW NUTRITION

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre

Caffeine per serving: 200 mg
Price per serving: $1.00
Main actives at researched doses: 2 of 3
Label observed: August 3, 2026
Confirmed formula changes: 0

Full Record and history

CELLUCOR

Cellucor C4 Original

Caffeine per serving: 200 mg
Price per serving: $1.17
Main actives at researched doses: 1 of 5
Label observed: July 23, 2026
Confirmed formula changes: 1

Full Record and history · Alternatives

Which fits you

Choose by what you care about.

Each line is a measured difference between the two labels, not a verdict. Nothing here says either product works, or is safe for you.

Cost per serving matters most: RAW Nutrition Essential Pre
$1.00 against $1.17 a serving at the prices FormulaSignal observed (Aug 3, 2026). Not every price here is established as a list price.
You want creatine in the same scoop: Cellucor C4 Original
Cellucor C4 Original declares Creatine Nitrate (as NO3-T) at 1 g; RAW Nutrition Essential Pre's complete label declares no creatine.
You want more of the main actives at researched doses: RAW Nutrition Essential Pre
2 of 3 main actives on RAW Nutrition Essential Pre sit inside the dose range the cited research used, against 1 of 5 on Cellucor C4 Original. A comparison of numbers, not of how well either works.

Side by side

RAW Essential Pre and C4 Original, line by line.

The same fields the FormulaSignal API and MCP server return for this pair.

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre compared with Cellucor C4 Original on declared and observed values.
Field	RAW Essential Pre	C4 Original
Caffeine per serving The Record's total across every declared caffeine source. Neither direction is better.	200 mg	200 mg
Price per serving Observed package price divided by the stated serving count. The basis of each price is on the product's Record.	$1.00	$1.17
Monthly cost at five uses a week	$21.67	$25.35
Servings per container	30	30
Ingredients with a disclosed amount A proprietary blend total counts as one amount, and the split inside it stays undisclosed.	9 of 9	7 of 7
Main actives inside researched doses Declared amounts measured against the range the cited research used. Not a measure of effectiveness.	2 of 3	1 of 5
Documented cautions	None on file	None on file
Regulatory records A filing exists. It is not a finding about safety.	None on file	Huperzia serrata extract
Confirmed formula changes Zero means none confirmed, not that the formula never changed.	0	1
Label observed	August 3, 2026	July 23, 2026

Ingredient by ingredient

What both declare, and what only one does.

Matched by FormulaSignal's normalized identity, so two brand names for the same compound line up and two forms of one ingredient do not. Vitamins, minerals and electrolytes are left out; caffeine is compared as a total above.

Active ingredients declared by both products, with each declared amount.
Declared by both	RAW Essential Pre	C4 Original
L-citrulline	4 g	1.2 g
Beta-alanine	3.2 g	2 g

Only on RAW Nutrition Essential Pre

Chloride (as Pink Himalayan Salt): 116 mg
Sodium (as Pink Himalayan Salt): 78 mg
L-tyrosine: 2 g
Taurine: 1 g

Only on Cellucor C4 Original

L-arginine: 1.2 g
PeptiPump: 100 mg
Creatine nitrate: 1 g
Huperzia serrata extract: 5 mg

Which label?

Which label is a number from?

A caffeine figure without a date may describe a label that is no longer sold. These are the changes FormulaSignal has confirmed for this pair, and what each brand's shelf showed.

Cellucor C4 Original's label changed between the states FormulaSignal observed on January 25, 2024 and February 26, 2024: Caffeine 150 mg to 200 mg; Beta-alanine 1.6 g to 2 g. A comparison that quotes 150 mg of caffeine for Cellucor C4 Original is describing an earlier label. See the confirmed change and both sources.

Evidence

Open the sources behind every figure.

Each product's Record lists every capture, with both its observation and access dates.

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre: label
RAW Nutrition · P1 · observed August 3, 2026
Open source evidence
RAW Nutrition Essential Pre: price
RAW Nutrition · observed price, basis not established · observed August 3, 2026
Open source evidence
Cellucor C4 Original: label
Cellucor · P1 · observed July 23, 2026
Open source evidence
Cellucor C4 Original: price
Cellucor · observed price, basis not established · observed August 3, 2026
Open source evidence

Questions

RAW Essential Pre vs C4 Original: common questions

Which has more caffeine, RAW Essential Pre or C4 Original?

Neither. Both labels declare 200 mg of caffeine per serving (observed August 3, 2026 and July 23, 2026).

Is RAW Essential Pre stronger than C4 Original?

If “stronger” means caffeine, RAW Nutrition Essential Pre declares more (200 mg against 200 mg). FormulaSignal does not rate how strong a product feels; that is an experience question the labels cannot answer.

Which is cheaper per serving?

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre, at $1.00 a serving (observed price, basis not established on Aug 3, 2026), against Cellucor C4 Original at $1.17 a serving (observed price, basis not established on Aug 3, 2026).

Do RAW Essential Pre and C4 Original contain creatine?

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre: none declared on its complete label. Cellucor C4 Original: Creatine Nitrate (as NO3-T) (1 g).

Do they contain beta-alanine?

RAW Nutrition Essential Pre: Beta Alanine (3.2 g). Cellucor C4 Original: CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine (2 g).

Has either formula changed?

Keep comparing

Lists that include both

Every comparison · Pre-workout lists · What the Record covers

Considering both?

Keep them in your Locker, free.

Save either one as Considering. Your Locker keeps the dated label reference, and optional monitoring tells you if a formula you rely on changes before you reorder.

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