From the RecordNº 002Protein powder
What a gram of protein actually costs.
The tub price tells you almost nothing. We divided the price of a serving by the protein printed on the label for 22 powders, so you can compare them on the one number that matters.
Nutrition Facts
Protein powder · 131 tracked · 22 priced per gram
- Lowest per 100 g protein
- $4.81
- Median per 100 g protein
- $8.80
- Highest per 100 g protein
- $12.64
- Spread, low to high
- 2.63x
THE SHORT ANSWER
Across 22 protein powders, 100 g of protein costs between $4.81 and $12.64, with a median of $8.80. That is the serving price divided by the grams of protein the label prints, on brand-store prices. The lowest on file is Apollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen Protein. A typical scoop is about 74% protein by weight; the rest is carbohydrate, fat, flavor and thickener.
The same 100 g of protein costs $4.81 or $12.64.
Sorted by what a gram of protein costs, cheapest first. The cheapest scoop is not the cheapest protein.
Fig. 1 Cost of 100 g of protein, 22 powders
See the numbers
| Product | Type | Protein per serving | Price per serving | Per 100 g of protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen Protein | Whey | 32 g | $1.54 | $4.81 |
| Allmax Nutrition Casein-FX | Casein | 25 g | $1.30 | $5.20 |
| Six Star Pro Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Plus | Whey | 30 g | $1.61 | $5.37 |
| Kaged Casein | Casein | 25 g | $1.55 | $6.20 |
| NutraBio Micellar Casein | Casein | 25 g | $1.68 | $6.72 |
| Allmax Nutrition IsoFlex Chiller | Whey | 27 g | $2.14 | $7.93 |
| Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Casein Protein | Casein | 25 g | $2.00 | $8.00 |
| Apollon Nutrition Egg-cellent Egg Protein | Egg | 24 g | $1.92 | $8.00 |
| Alpha Lion SUPERHUMAN Protein - WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE | Whey | 25 g | $2.14 | $8.56 |
| 1st Phorm Level-1 Natural | Whey | 24 g | $2.10 | $8.75 |
| EHP Labs OxyWhey Lean Whey Protein | Whey | 25 g | $2.20 | $8.80 |
| Apollon Nutrition 50/50 Formula | Blend | 24 g | $2.14 | $8.92 |
| 1st Phorm Level-1 | Whey | 23 g | $2.10 | $9.13 |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% Casein | Casein | 24 g | $2.30 | $9.58 |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% Plant Protein | Plant | 24 g | $2.37 | $9.88 |
| 1st Phorm Vegan Power Pro | Plant | 19 g | $1.90 | $10.00 |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 | Whey | 23 g | $2.33 | $10.13 |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 Natural | Whey | 23 g | $2.33 | $10.13 |
| Apollon Nutrition Isoblast Whey Isolate Protein | Whey | 24 g | $2.50 | $10.42 |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% WHEY | Whey | 24 g | $2.57 | $10.71 |
| RAW Nutrition Vegan Protein | Plant | 20 g | $2.40 | $12.00 |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 Clear | Whey | 22 g | $2.78 | $12.64 |
Dark bars are at or under the median. The cheapest on file, Apollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen Protein, gets 32 g of protein for $1.54 a scoop. The priciest, 1st Phorm Phormula-1 Clear, is 2.63 times that per gram.
The lowest price per scoop here belongs to Allmax Nutrition Casein-FX, at $1.30. It carries 25 g of protein, so per gram it comes in at $5.20 per 100 g. Scoops range from 19 g to 32 g of protein, which is why the scoop price misleads.
Casein came in cheapest per gram, plant the most expensive.
The median cost of 100 g of protein for each type with at least three powders, grouped by the words in the product's name.
Fig. 2 Median cost of 100 g of protein, by type
See the numbers
| Type | Powders | Median per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Casein | 5 | $6.72 |
| Whey | 12 | $8.80 |
| Plant | 3 | $10.00 |
The groups are small, so read them as a description of these labels rather than a rule about the market. 1 egg and 1 blend powders are left out of the chart for that reason; they are still in Fig. 1.
Choose the type for how you use it, then compare inside that type on price per gram.
A typical scoop is about 74% protein.
Protein grams against the serving weight printed on the same label, for 27 labels we have read.
Fig. 3 Protein as a share of the scoop, 27 labels
See the numbers
| Product | Protein | Serving | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHOST VEGAN V2 | 26 g | 44.5 g | 58% |
| RAW Nutrition Vegan Protein | 20 g | 34 g | 59% |
| GHOST WHEY | 25 g | 39 g | 64% |
| Six Star Pro Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Plus | 30 g | 46 g | 65% |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% Plant Protein | 24 g | 37 g | 65% |
| Allmax Nutrition Classic AllWhey | 30 g | 46 g | 65% |
| EHP Labs OxyWhey Lean Whey Protein | 25 g | 37 g | 68% |
| 1st Phorm Vegan Power Pro | 19 g | 27.8 g | 68% |
| 1st Phorm Level-1 | 23 g | 33 g | 70% |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% Casein | 24 g | 34 g | 71% |
| 1st Phorm Level-1 Natural | 24 g | 34 g | 71% |
| Apollon Nutrition Isoblast Whey Isolate Protein | 24 g | 34 g | 71% |
| Apollon Nutrition 50/50 Formula | 24 g | 33 g | 73% |
| NutraBio Micellar Casein | 25 g | 33.83 g | 74% |
| Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate | 28 g | 37.9 g | 74% |
| Apollon Nutrition Egg-cellent Egg Protein | 24 g | 32 g | 75% |
| Apollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen Protein | 32 g | 42 g | 76% |
| Allmax Nutrition Casein-FX | 25 g | 33 g | 76% |
| Optimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% WHEY | 24 g | 31 g | 77% |
| Alpha Lion SUPERHUMAN Protein - WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE | 25 g | 32.4 g | 77% |
| Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Casein Protein | 25 g | 31.8 g | 79% |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 | 23 g | 29 g | 79% |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 Clear | 22 g | 28 g | 79% |
| 1st Phorm Phormula-1 Natural | 23 g | 29 g | 79% |
| Kaged Casein | 25 g | 31.3 g | 80% |
| Kaged Whey Protein Isolate | 25 g | 31 g | 81% |
| Allmax Nutrition IsoFlex Chiller | 27 g | 32 g | 84% |
The rest of the scoop is carbohydrate, fat, flavor, sweetener and thickeners. The lowest share here is GHOST VEGAN V2 at 58%. The highest is Allmax Nutrition IsoFlex Chiller at 84%.
A low share isn't a flaw. Some powders are built as meal shakes. It just means you're paying for more than protein, which is why price per gram of protein is the fair comparison.
What a year of shakes costs.
One shake a day at the median serving of 24 g of protein.
24 g of protein a day
x $0.0880 per gram (the median)
x 365 days
= $771 a yearWhy most tubs can't be compared this way.
We track 131 protein powders. Only 22 have a price and a label that describe the same serving.
Fig. 4 Protein powders by what is on file, 131 tracked
- 22priced per gram
- 14label not read yet
- 95no price on file
- 0price and label count different servings
The last group matters most. A listing that sells a 2 lb tub and a label printed for a 5 lb tub describe different servings, and dividing one by the other gives a number that looks precise and is wrong. We leave those out rather than guess.
Do it yourself, in ten seconds
- Price of the tub divided by servings on the label. That is your price per serving.
- Divide that by the grams of protein per serving.
- Multiply by 100 to get the cost of 100 g, the number in Fig. 1.
Where to buy
Products in this article
Every product named above, with its dated label one tap away.
APOLLON NUTRITIONApollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen ProteinLowest-cost whey here: $4.81 per 100 g
ALLMAX NUTRITIONAllmax Nutrition Casein-FXLowest-cost casein here: $5.20 per 100 g
SIX STAR PRO NUTRITIONSix Star Pro Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Plus$5.37 per 100 g of protein
1ST PHORM1st Phorm Phormula-1 Clear$12.64 per 100 g of protein
OPTIMUM NUTRITIONOptimum Nutrition GOLD STANDARD 100% Plant ProteinLowest-cost plant here: $9.88 per 100 g
APOLLON NUTRITIONApollon Nutrition Egg-cellent Egg ProteinLowest-cost egg here: $8.00 per 100 g
APOLLON NUTRITIONApollon Nutrition 50/50 FormulaLowest-cost blend here: $8.92 per 100 g
As an Amazon Associate FormulaSignal earns from qualifying purchases. Every product named gets the same links, so a link is not a recommendation, and it cannot change a number in this article. A listing can show an older label than the one dated here, so check the Supplement Facts photo before you buy.
How we counted
Every number, and where it came from.
Price per gram is FormulaSignal's calculation: the observed price per serving on the brand's own store divided by the grams of protein on the Nutrition Facts panel. We only calculate it when the servings behind the price match the servings the label prints. Labels read from images count only when two independent reads agree, field by field.
Types come from the product name and are FormulaSignal's grouping. Prices move with sales, and we print the dated price on each product's Record. We did not taste, test or buy these powders, no brand paid to appear, and this is not nutrition advice.
Questions
Protein powder price: common questions
What is the cheapest protein powder per gram of protein?
Of the 22 powders we can calculate, Apollon Nutrition Body by K Isogen Protein costs the least per gram of protein, $4.81 per 100 g on the brand store price we observed. Prices change with sales.
How do you calculate price per gram of protein?
Divide the price per serving by the grams of protein per serving on the label. Use the servings the label prints, not the count on the front of the tub, and make sure the price is for the same size.
Is whey cheaper than casein?
Not reliably. The median per 100 g of protein is $6.72 for casein (5), $8.80 for whey (12), $10.00 for plant (3), and the ranges overlap.
How much of a protein scoop is actually protein?
On 27 labels we read, the median is 74% protein by weight, from 58% to 84%.
Know what your tub costs per gram.
Save the powders you buy to a free Locker. It keeps the dated label and price for each one, so the next tub has something to be compared against.