Research-based picks · Affiliate disclosure
Cheapest Creatine Monohydrate, by Servings and Seal
Count the servings and check the seal. Any dollar figure here is a dated snapshot, not a live price.
Pete's #1
BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate
BulkSupplements has 500 grams. One scoop is 5 grams. That's 100 scoops. It's NSF Certified for Sport, the stamp drug-tested athletes look for. On October 10, 2026 it was $0.22 per 5 grams. That figure is a snapshot, not today's price. The bag flops over.
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Choose by what matters to you
Our picks
Choose up to two products to compare. Prices and product details can change.
Budget pick
BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate
BulkSupplements has 500 grams. One scoop is 5 grams. That's 100 scoops. It's NSF Certified for Sport, the stamp drug-tested athletes look for. On October 10, 2026 it was $0.22 per 5 grams. That figure is a snapshot, not today's price. The bag flops over.
Is this the right fit?
You want 100 servings of 5 grams, with the NSF stamp.
Keep in mind: Skip it if you refuse to scoop from a bag.
Pete's take
BulkSupplements has 500 grams. One scoop is 5 grams. That's 100 scoops. It's NSF Certified for Sport, the stamp drug-tested athletes look for. On October 10, 2026 it was $0.22 per 5 grams. That figure is a snapshot, not today's price. The bag flops over.
Score breakdown
Value 9.6
Proof 9.5
Dose 9.5
Formula 9.5
Full specs
- NSF Sport
- Budget tier
- 5 g
More pros and cons
You get 5 grams of one ingredient, so the serving matches the dose I use, which is what I'd count for shoppers counting servings on a certified pouch.
For shoppers counting servings on a certified pouch, you can lean on an NSF Certified for Sport listing on the unflavored 500 g pouch.
The bag flops over in a gym bag, and measuring a half scoop out of it is annoying.
I'd pass if you refuse to scoop from a pouch, and I wouldn't pick it for shoppers counting servings on a certified pouch.
Budget pick
Nutricost Micronized Creatine
Nutricost has a 5 gram scoop. The label says a third party tested it and does not name the lab. On October 10, 2026 it was $0.22 per 5 grams. That figure is a snapshot, not today's price.
Is this the right fit?
You want a 5 gram scoop at the budget tier.
Keep in mind: Skip it if you need a program you can search.
Pete's take
Nutricost has a 5 gram scoop. The label says a third party tested it and does not name the lab. On October 10, 2026 it was $0.22 per 5 grams. That figure is a snapshot, not today's price.
Score breakdown
Value 9.6
Proof 6.4
Dose 9.5
Formula 9.5
Full specs
- Budget tier
- 5 g
- Lab unnamed
More pros and cons
You get a normal tub and a 5 g scoop at the budget tier, which is what I'd count for shoppers who accept a budget tub with no named lab.
For shoppers who accept a budget tub with no named lab, you can lean on one ingredient, which keeps the formula simple.
A Prop 65 lead notice has sat on the brand page, and nameless testing isn't a certificate.
I'd pass if you want a certificate you can open, and I wouldn't pick it for shoppers who accept a budget tub with no named lab.
Everyday pick
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine
Optimum Nutrition has a 5 gram scoop. It's tested by Informed Choice, a third-party lab.
Is this the right fit?
You want Informed Choice in a tub, and the October 10 dollar is not the point.
Keep in mind: Skip it if you only wanted the lowest tier.
Pete's take
Optimum Nutrition has a 5 gram scoop. It's tested by Informed Choice, a third-party lab.
Score breakdown
Value 8.0
Proof 8.0
Dose 9.5
Formula 9.5
Full specs
- Informed Choice
- Mid price
- 5 g
More pros and cons
You get a finer mix in a real tub, at 5 grams of one ingredient, which is what I'd count for shoppers who want a hard tub more than the lowest tier.
For shoppers who want a hard tub more than the lowest tier, you can lean on an Informed Choice listing on the unflavored micronized powder.
The finer grind and the batch program cost more than a plain pouch, and that pouch holds the stricter sport listing.
I'd pass if you need NSF Certified for Sport for a tested season, and I wouldn't pick it for shoppers who want a hard tub more than the lowest tier.
Budget pick
MuscleTech Platinum Creatine
MuscleTech stays last. It is a budget scoop, and the testing line does not name a lab. I don't have a container gram count for it, and I don't have an October 10 dollar in this file.
Is this the right fit?
You want a scoop at the budget tier after you have read the unnamed test line.
Keep in mind: Skip it if a tested season rules this tub out.
Pete's take
MuscleTech stays last. It is a budget scoop, and the testing line does not name a lab. I don't have a container gram count for it, and I don't have an October 10 dollar in this file.
Score breakdown
Value 8.5
Proof 6.4
Dose 9.0
Formula 8.5
Full specs
- Budget tier
- Scoop
- Lab unnamed
More pros and cons
You get a hard tub and a scoop at the budget tier, which is what I'd count for shoppers who want a cheap scoop after the unnamed test.
For shoppers who want a cheap scoop after the unnamed test, you can lean on an easy daily habit if a certificate isn't your bar.
Nameless HPLC language is a marketing sentence, so I wouldn't hand this to anyone in a tested sport.
I'd pass if you're in a tested sport, and I wouldn't pick it for shoppers who want a cheap scoop after the unnamed test.
Side by side
Your comparison
Choose one more product above to compare the essentials.
Compare their cost per 5 gHow we chose
By Peptide Pete. Updated .
I checked the ISSN position stand and the NSF Certified for Sport list. The method sits on how we research.
I compare the label, the testing line I can look up, what the same amount of creatine costs, and whether the format fits a daily routine.
Read our full research methodCost per 5 g on this shortlist
Amazon US, October 10, 2026, where a dollar was on file. Updated . Buttons show today's price.
| Product | Servings we can cite | Cost per 5 g that day | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| BulkSupplements | 500 g, 100 servings of 5 g, list price $21.97 | $0.22 | NSF Certified for Sport |
| Nutricost | 500 g, 100 servings of 5 g | about $0.22 | Lab not named |
| Optimum Nutrition | 5 g scoop, hard tub. No October 10 dollar here. | Use today's button | Informed Choice |
| MuscleTech | Budget tub. Container grams aren't in this file. | Use today's button | Lab not named |
Which tub wins on servings?
You want the lowest number that still has a name on the test. Cheapest creatine monohydrate here is the certified pouch, judged by servings and a program you can look up. On October 10, 2026 the Amazon US file had that 500 g BulkSupplements pouch at $21.97, or $0.22 per 5 g. Nutricost was about $0.22 per 5 g the same day and still doesn't name a lab. I don't have an October 10 dollar for Optimum Nutrition or MuscleTech, so those two stay on tier and proof. Buttons show today's price.
How they compare
Swipe for more
| Product | Pete Score | Value | Proof | Dose | Formula | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BulkSupplements Creatine |
9.5 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | See today's price › |
|
Nutricost |
8.6 | 9.6 | 6.4 | 9.5 | 9.5 | See today's price › |
|
Optimum Nutrition Micronized |
8.4 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | See today's price › |
|
MuscleTech Platinum |
7.9 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 8.5 | See today's price › |
Where the other price pages sit
The wider snapshot, including Sports Research at $0.28 and Thorne at $0.49 per 5 g that same October 10 day, is on the creatine price comparison. Type your own sticker into the cost calculator. The NSF-first ranking is best creatine monohydrate.
What a cheap tub still has to be
You still take 3 to 5 g a day. That range is the one I keep from the ISSN position stand (Kreider 2017). A low tier doesn't rewrite the grams.
A month at 5 g is 150 g. At 3 g the same month is 90 g. The 500 g pouch is 100 servings of 5 g, about 100 days, or about 167 servings at 3 g.
I still won't treat a nameless test line as a certificate. The dated dollars live in the table. The buttons are the live price.
Who should not buy the cheapest tub
- If your kidneys are already in trouble, or a medicine hits them, talk to your doctor before you buy. Read creatine and kidneys.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding? I won't pick a tub for you. Ask your clinician.
- If you're a teenager, don't treat this ranking as permission. A parent stays in the decision.
- A label that says third-party tested and never names the lab fails the test. Use the label checklist.
Cheapest monohydrate questions
What is the cheapest creatine monohydrate with a seal?
On the October 10, 2026 snapshot, the BulkSupplements 500 g pouch was $0.22 per 5 g and it carries NSF Certified for Sport. That's the certified option at the bottom of this file.
Is Nutricost cheaper than the certified pouch?
It was about the same $0.22 per 5 g that day, and it doesn't name a lab. Same ballpark, weaker proof.
Why don't Optimum Nutrition and MuscleTech have a dollar?
They aren't in the October 10 price file used here. Don't invent a sticker. Use the button.
Does a cheaper tub change the dose?
No. The daily amount is still 3 to 5 g. A bargain scoop doesn't shrink the serving.
The pouch I'd buy
If I could only buy one, I'd buy #1, BulkSupplements Creatine. For the next pick, get #2 if you want a hard tub and you've read the missing lab name. Get #3 if you want Informed Choice more than the lowest tier.
BulkSupplements Creatine, 9.5/10
Check Today's Price on AmazonSources for the cheapest monohydrate
Sources (6)
- Kreider and colleagues, 2017, is the dose note I keep coming back to. ISSN position stand.
- Jäger and colleagues, 2011, is the solubility note. PubMed 21424716.
- Ostojic and Ahmetovic, 2008, is why I split a big dose. PubMed 18373286.
- NSF Certified for Sport list, read on October 19, 2026. nsfsport.com.
- Labdoor creatine rankings, for the dated milligram numbers. Labdoor.
- Amazon buttons use tag creatinebuz00-20. Tiers stay words. I'm not printing a dollar figure.
What changed. October 26, 2026: new shortlist. The $0.22 figure is the Amazon US snapshot from October 10, 2026.
Disclosure. CreatineBuzz is reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands don't buy rank. The full note is on the disclosure page.
Not medical advice. I'm a gym nerd explaining research, and this isn't a doctor's visit. Kidney disease, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and medicines that affect the kidneys belong in a clinician's office. Teens shouldn't use these products off a blog.
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