Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition vs Myprotein Creatine: Dose, Purity and Price Compared
Ben Law
Reviewed by Sarah Law, Dip CNM, Naturopathic Nutritionist
Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition vs Myprotein creatine: all three sell plain creatine monohydrate, so the real differences are testing, grams per scoop and price. Thorne is the sport-certified option (NSF Certified for Sport, 5 g a scoop, about 49 cents a serving, sold in US dollars). Optimum Nutrition is the cheapest per gram in the US (5 g for about 34 cents) but gives only 3.4 g a scoop in the UK. Myprotein is the budget choice with Informed Choice certification and frequent sales. None of the three says where its standard creatine is made. Our pick, if you want a named German source with published batch results: Creavitalis creatine monohydrate, 5 g a scoop for 67p in the UK or 90 cents in the US. It costs more per serving than all three.
The Love Life Supplements figures on this page come from our own printed labels and lab reports. Each scoop of our Creavitalis powder is 5 g of creatine monohydrate made by Alzchem in Trostberg, Germany, the company that also makes Creapure. A 300 g tub holds 60 servings for £39.95 on our UK store and $54.18 on our US store. An independent Eurofins test of batch 41500291 in June 2026 measured 99.9 g of creatine monohydrate per 100 g, with lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic all below the limit of detection. The powder won three stars in the Sports Nutrition and Active Lifestyle category at the Nourish Awards 2026, is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 133 customer ratings, and is covered by our 60-day money-back guarantee.
Creavitalis creatine monohydrate: 5 g per scoop, made in Germany by Alzchem, 60 servings per tub, batch results published.
View product- Thorne Creatine: 5 g per scoop, NSF Certified for Sport, $44 for 90 servings (49 cents a serving). Sold in US dollars only on its own site. The best fit for athletes who are drug tested.
- Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine: 5 g per scoop in the US ($20.49 for 60), 3.4 g per scoop in the UK (£14 for 187 g). The lowest price per gram in the US. No certification or creatine source named on its pages.
- Myprotein Impact Creatine: 3.4 g per scoop in the UK, 5 g in the US, Informed Choice certified, heavily discounted most of the time. Myprotein's separate THE Creatine names Creapure.
- Love Life Supplements Creavitalis: 5 g per scoop in both markets, German creatine from Alzchem, independent batch results you can read. The most expensive per serving of the four powders, and not sport-certified.
Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition vs Myprotein creatine: the comparison table
Per scoop, Thorne, the US versions of Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein, and our Creavitalis powder all give 5 g of creatine monohydrate; the UK versions of Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein give 3.4 g. Only Thorne carries a sport certification that tests for banned substances (NSF Certified for Sport), Myprotein carries Informed Choice, and only Myprotein THE Creatine and our two products name the source of the creatine. Every competitor figure below was read from the brand's own product page on 17 October 2026. To make prices comparable we worked out the cost of 5 g of creatine monohydrate from the standard unflavoured pack, whatever the brand's own scoop size.
| Product (unflavoured) | Creatine monohydrate per scoop | Creatine source named | Certification or testing stated | Pack and list price | Cost per 5 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne Creatine (US site) | 5 g | No | NSF Certified for Sport | 90 servings, $44 | 49 cents |
| Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine, US | 5 g | No | None named on the page | 60 servings, $20.49 | 34 cents |
| Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine, UK | 3.4 g (3.0 g creatine) | No | None named on the page | 187 g, £14.00 | 37p |
| Myprotein Creatine Monohydrate, US | 5 g | No | None named on the page | 0.5 lb (45 servings), $11.99 sale, $19.99 list | 27 cents sale, 44 cents list |
| Myprotein Impact Creatine, UK | 3.4 g (3.0 g creatine) | No | Informed Choice | 500 g, £12.49 sale, £29.99 list | 12p sale, 30p list |
| Myprotein THE Creatine, UK | 3.4 g (3.0 g creatine) | Yes, Creapure | Informed Choice | 500 g, £42.49 | 42p |
| Love Life Supplements Creavitalis powder | 5 g (about 4.4 g creatine) | Yes, Creavitalis by Alzchem, Germany | Independent batch tests published (Eurofins, Certified Laboratories) | 300 g (60 servings), £39.95 / $54.18 | 67p UK, 90 cents US |
| Love Life Supplements Creapure capsules | 1 g per capsule, 5 capsules = 5 g | Yes, Creapure by Alzchem, Germany | Independent microbiology tests published | 150 capsules, £35.95 / $48.76 | £1.20 UK, $1.63 US |
Sources: thorne.com Creatine 90 servings, SKU SF903 [9]; optimumnutrition.com UK and US Micronized Creatine pages [12]; myprotein.com Impact Creatine and THE Creatine (Creapure) pages and us.myprotein.com Creatine Monohydrate page [13]; our own labels and lab reports. All read 17 October 2026. Cost per 5 g = list price divided by the number of 5 g portions in the pack (a 187 g bag holds 37.4 portions of 5 g). Myprotein's US page lists the 0.5 lb bag as 45 servings in the price box and 50 servings in the nutrition text; we used 45. Myprotein's UK unflavoured 500 g bag showed as out of stock on the day. Prices change often, especially on sale; check each brand's site before you buy.
How much creatine is in one scoop of Thorne, ON and Myprotein?
Thorne gives 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop. Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein give 5 g per scoop on their US sites but 3.4 g on their UK sites, which is 3.0 g of creatine once the water in the monohydrate is counted. Creatine monohydrate is about 88% creatine by weight [6], so 5 g of monohydrate supplies about 4.4 g of creatine and 3.4 g supplies 3.0 g. Our Creavitalis powder and Creapure capsules both give 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving in both markets.
The UK scoop size is not an accident. The authorised health claim on the GB register says creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise, and the claim may only be used for foods that provide a daily intake of 3 g of creatine [8]. A 3.4 g scoop of monohydrate delivers that 3 g exactly. In the US, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements describes a maintenance intake of 3 to 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day, or about 3 to 6 g a day without a loading phase [6], and US brands generally use a 5 g scoop. The International Society of Sports Nutrition reaches the same 3 to 5 g a day range [1].
| Reference | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Daily reference intake for creatine | No NRV. Creatine is not an essential nutrient, so it has no Nutrient Reference Value on GB labels [7] | No RDA or Daily Value. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements describes 3 to 5 g a day as the usual maintenance intake |
| Amount behind the authorised performance claim | 3 g of creatine a day (GB nutrition and health claims register) | Not applicable; US structure and function statements are not pre-authorised in the same way |
| Typical label serving | 3.4 g of monohydrate (ON, Myprotein); 5 g (Love Life Supplements) | 5 g of monohydrate (Thorne, ON, Myprotein, Love Life Supplements) |
UK claim wording and conditions from the GB nutrition and health claims register [8]. A second authorised claim, for adults over 55 doing resistance training, is also based on 3 g of creatine a day. US figures from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on supplements for exercise and athletic performance [6].
Either dose works for most adults; the point is to compare like with like. A UK bag of Optimum Nutrition that claims 55 servings holds 37 servings at 5 g, and a tub of ours that claims 60 servings at 5 g would be 88 servings at 3.4 g. Muscle creatine rises to the same level on 3 g a day as on a short high-dose loading phase; it simply takes about four weeks rather than one [4]. Our guide to whether you need to load creatine covers that choice in detail.
"When clients compare creatine tubs, I ask them to check the grams of creatine monohydrate in one scoop, not the number of servings on the front. A 3.4 g scoop and a 5 g scoop can both be sensible, but they are not the same daily amount, so the price per serving is not a like-for-like comparison."
Sarah Law, Naturopathic Nutritionist | Optimised Female
Which creatine is cheapest per serving?
Myprotein is the cheapest when it is on sale, and Optimum Nutrition is the cheapest at list price in the US. Our Creavitalis powder is the most expensive of the four powders at 67p or 90 cents per 5 g, and our Creapure capsules cost more again because capsules take longer to fill. Here is the cost of the same 5 g of creatine monohydrate from each, at the prices on 17 October 2026.
Our own calculation from the list prices above. Subscribing to our Creavitalis powder takes 10% off the first order and 15% off every order after that (£35.96 for a first UK order). Thorne, Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein run their own subscription and bundle prices, which we have not included.
So what does the extra money buy? Two things, both checkable. First, a named source: Creavitalis is made by Alzchem in Trostberg, Germany [10], the same company that makes Creapure, and the label says so. Second, published batch results: we send finished tubs to independent laboratories and post the reports on our lab results page. If neither matters to you and you are happy with an unnamed source, the cheaper brands give you the same molecule for less.
Does Optimum Nutrition or Thorne creatine use Creapure?
Neither says so. On 17 October 2026 the Optimum Nutrition UK and US creatine pages listed the ingredient as creatine monohydrate without naming a brand or the country of manufacture, and Thorne's page listed creatine monohydrate, micronised, with no source named. Myprotein's standard Impact Creatine also names no source, while its premium THE Creatine names Creapure. Our Creapure capsules use Creapure, and our powder uses Creavitalis, both made by Alzchem in Germany.
Why would the source matter if creatine monohydrate is one molecule? Because the way it is made decides what else ends up in the tub. Reviews of creatine and related compounds discuss manufacturing by-products such as dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazines, and point out that purity depends on how and where the creatine is made [5] [3]. Brands that name a manufacturer with its own specifications, or publish batch results, let you check this; brands that do neither ask you to trust the label. We are not saying any of the three brands here sells impure creatine; we have not tested their products and their pages do not give us the information either way.
Our Creapure and Creavitalis purity guide explains the difference between the two Alzchem brands, and our creatine monohydrate vs HCl guide covers why monohydrate remains the form with the evidence behind it [3].
Which creatine is third-party tested?
Thorne is the only one of the three carrying NSF Certified for Sport, which Thorne describes as testing for label claims and for nearly 300 substances banned by major athletic organisations [11]. Myprotein's Impact Creatine and THE Creatine pages say both are Informed Choice certified. We found no certification named on the Optimum Nutrition creatine pages. If you are subject to drug testing in sport, a sport certification is the deciding factor, and none of our creatine products carries one.
What we do instead is test finished batches at independent laboratories and publish the numbers. For our Creavitalis powder:
| Batch | Laboratory and date | Creatine content | Heavy metals | Microbiology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41500291 | Eurofins, Hamburg, June 2026 | 99.9 g creatine monohydrate per 100 g | Lead below 0.05 mg/kg, cadmium below 0.01, mercury below 0.005, arsenic below 0.10 (all below detection) | Clear |
| 41449682 | Certified Laboratories, February 2026 | 5,007 mg creatine monohydrate per 5 g serving | Below EU limits | Clear |
From our published lab reports; the full documents are on our lab results page. Every product also has a manufacturer's Certificate of Analysis linked on its product page.
A batch result is a different kind of evidence from a certification. NSF and Informed Choice certify that a product is screened for banned substances on an ongoing programme; a published batch report tells you what one specific batch contained. Tested athletes need the first. Everyone else can reasonably ask for either.
"Creatine monohydrate is the same molecule whoever sells it, so I look at where it was made and whether the batch has been tested. If a brand can show me the creatine content and heavy metal results for the tub I am holding, that tells me more than the logo on the front."
Sarah Law, Naturopathic Nutritionist | Optimised Female
Is Thorne creatine worth it?
Yes, if you live in the US or compete in tested sport. Thorne Creatine combines a 5 g scoop, NSF Certified for Sport and a list price of $44 for 90 servings, which is 49 cents a serving and cheaper than our Creavitalis powder in the US. Its ingredient list is creatine monohydrate alone, and its own FAQ recommends 5 g a day with loading optional, which matches the research consensus [2].
Outside the US it is a weaker buy. Thorne's own website sells in US dollars, and the UK version of its site showed the same US dollar page when we checked, so buyers elsewhere usually pay more through marketplaces and importers. Thorne does not name the source of its creatine. If you are not drug tested and want a named German source with published batch numbers, a tub of ours does that for 67p a serving in the UK.
Optimum Nutrition vs Myprotein creatine
For buyers who mainly want the lowest price, these two are the usual choice, and the difference between them is small. Both use unbranded creatine monohydrate, both give 3.4 g a scoop in the UK and 5 g in the US, and both sell flavoured versions with a smaller amount of creatine per scoop (Myprotein's US page says flavouring reduces the creatine content by about 15%). Myprotein adds Informed Choice certification and is cheaper when on sale; Optimum Nutrition prices are steadier. Optimum Nutrition's UK page carries a recommended use of one level scoop a day and a warning that the product is not suitable for children.
If you buy either, check the grams per scoop on the pack you actually receive, and work out the cost per 5 g rather than per serving. Our creatine buyer's guide walks through the label checks that apply to every brand.
Thorne, Optimum Nutrition, Myprotein or Love Life Supplements: which should you choose?
Choose by what matters most to you. On price alone the big brands win; on a named source with published batch results, ours does.
Pick by priority
Thorne Creatine (NSF Certified for Sport), or a Myprotein creatine with Informed Choice. None of our creatine products is sport-certified.
Optimum Nutrition in the US (22 to 34 cents per 5 g), Myprotein Impact in the UK when on sale. Check grams per scoop first.
Creavitalis powder, 5 g a scoop, 67p or 90 cents a serving, or Myprotein THE Creatine (Creapure) at 42p per 5 g in the UK.
Our Creapure capsules (1 g each, 3 to 5 a day) or Creapure chews (UK). Our gummies vs powder vs capsules guide compares formats.
Creapure capsules: 1 g of Creapure per capsule, no fillers, rated 4.8 out of 5 from 75 ratings.
View productWhichever you choose, take it every day rather than only on training days; consistency matters more than timing [2]. Our guide to how to take creatine covers timing and missed days, and does creatine cause bloating explains the small early weight change some people notice.
How we compared these products
We read each competitor's ingredient list, serving size, certification statements and list price from its own product page on 17 October 2026, using the unflavoured version and the standard pack size, and checked both the UK and US versions where a brand sells separate formulas. We did not use retailer listings or review sites. Where a page disagreed with itself, we said so and used the more conservative figure. Our own figures come from our printed labels and from the independent lab reports linked above. We have not lab-tested the competitor products and make no claim about their contents beyond what their own pages state. Prices, especially sale prices, change often, so read this as a snapshot of the day we checked.
Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition vs Myprotein creatine: frequently asked questions
Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition creatine: which is better?
Both are plain creatine monohydrate, so the difference is testing, dose and price rather than the molecule. Thorne Creatine is NSF Certified for Sport and gives 5 g per scoop for $44 per 90 servings (about 49 cents a serving). Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine gives 5 g per scoop in the US for $20.49 per 60 servings (about 34 cents), but its UK version gives 3.4 g per scoop, and neither ON page names a third-party certification. Choose Thorne if you compete in tested sport; choose ON if price per gram is the only thing that matters.
Is Thorne creatine worth it?
Thorne Creatine is worth it if you need a sport-certified product: it carries NSF Certified for Sport, which tests for close to 300 substances banned in sport. At $44 for 90 servings of 5 g it is also good value in the US. Its own site sells in US dollars only, so buyers outside the US usually pay more through third-party sellers.
Does Optimum Nutrition creatine use Creapure?
Not according to its own product pages. On 17 October 2026 neither the UK nor the US Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine page named Creapure or the country where the creatine is made; the UK page lists the ingredient simply as creatine monohydrate. Myprotein sells a separate product, THE Creatine, which names Creapure on its label.
Is Myprotein creatine any good?
Myprotein Impact Creatine is plain creatine monohydrate and is Informed Choice certified, which makes it a sensible budget choice. In the UK one scoop is 3.4 g (3 g of creatine), so a 500 g bag lasts about 147 days at that dose; in the US one scoop is 5 g. Myprotein does not state where its Impact creatine is made, and its prices move with frequent sales.
Why is creatine 3 g a scoop in the UK but 5 g in the US?
The authorised GB health claim for creatine is built on a daily intake of 3 g of creatine, and both Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein size their UK scoops to deliver exactly that (3.4 g of creatine monohydrate). In the US the usual reference is the 3 to 5 g a day maintenance dose described by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, so US scoops are 5 g. Our Creavitalis powder gives 5 g of creatine monohydrate (about 4.4 g of creatine) per scoop in both markets.
Does Thorne creatine cause bloating?
Thorne's own FAQ says some people notice mild water retention in the muscles when they start creatine, and that this is a normal effect. That applies to every creatine monohydrate, whatever the brand. Skipping a high-dose loading phase and taking 3 to 5 g a day keeps any early change on the scales small.
About the Reviewer: Sarah Law, Dip CNM
Sarah Law is a Certified Naturopathic Nutritionist and Functional Practitioner specialising in hormonal health, gut health, and evidence-based nutrition. She holds a Diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition from the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM, London) and is a Certified Functional Health Coach. Sarah combines naturopathic principles with modern functional nutrition science to help her clients make informed health decisions.
About the Author: Ben Law
Ben Law is the founder of Love Life Supplements and host of the Optimised Health Show. He is a qualified Advanced Dietary Supplement Advisor and Primal Blueprint Certified Expert, and has spent 14 years building transparent, research-led formulations manufactured to GMP and BRC standards. He wrote this comparison from each brand's published product pages and from our own labels and lab reports.
Thorne, Optimum Nutrition and Myprotein are trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with Love Life Supplements. Creapure and Creavitalis are registered trademarks of Alzchem Trostberg GmbH. Learn more about Ben.
References
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. PubMed
- Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):13. PubMed
- Jäger R, Purpura M, Shao A, et al. Analysis of the efficacy, safety, and regulatory status of novel forms of creatine. Amino Acids. 2011;40(5):1369-1383. PubMed
- Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232-237. PubMed
- Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, efficacy, safety, and regulatory status of creatine and related compounds: a critical review. Nutrients. 2022;14(5):1035. PubMed
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary supplements for exercise and athletic performance: fact sheet for health professionals (creatine section). NIH ODS
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Annex XIII (reference intakes), as retained in GB law. legislation.gov.uk
- Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register (creatine). GOV.UK
- Thorne. Creatine, 90 servings, product page and FAQ (read 17 October 2026). thorne.com
- Alzchem Trostberg GmbH. Creavitalis brand page. alzchem.com
- NSF Certified for Sport programme. nsfsport.com
- Optimum Nutrition. Micronised Creatine Powder, UK product page, and Micronized Creatine Powder, US product page (read 17 October 2026). optimumnutrition.com (UK), optimumnutrition.com (US)
- Myprotein. Impact Creatine and THE Creatine (Creapure) UK product pages; Creatine Monohydrate US product page (read 17 October 2026). myprotein.com, THE Creatine, us.myprotein.com
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