Vital Proteins vs Sports Research Collagen 2026: Per Gram
Buy Sports Research: $0.66 per 10 g vs Vital Proteins’ $0.82. Both are screened for banned drugs. Only Vital Proteins is checked for metals.
By Erin Rose Updated October 20, 2026 Methodology
Better tested for metals: Vital Proteins. It is also on NSF/ANSI 173, which checks the label and heavy metals. What each list checks.
Sports Research is also our top collagen pick overall (best collagen).
How we chose
- 5
- testing lists searched for each product, August 25, 2026 to September 22, 2026
- 2
- NIH label records read, one for each tub we price
- 6
- tub sizes priced at each brand’s own store, September 29, 2026
Is it the same collagen?
Close to it. Both are unflavored, hydrolyzed collagen peptides from cows, with nothing else in the tub. Per 10 g, the two labels list nearly the same protein, calories and sodium. Their main amino acids differ by 10 to 17%:
| Per 10 g | Vital Proteins | Sports Research |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9.0 g | 9.1 g |
| Calories | 35 | 36 |
| Sodium | 55 mg | 55 mg |
| Glycine | 1,860 mg | 2,182 mg |
| Proline | 1,038 mg | 1,209 mg |
| Hydroxyproline | 1,029 mg | 927 mg |
Neither uses a branded peptide like Verisol or Fortigel. So at the same dose, we don’t expect one of these to work better than the other. What differs is how each tub is checked, and the price.
Who checks each tub, and for what
Both are screened for drugs banned in sport. The lists check different things:
What each testing list checks
Vital Proteins
NSF/ANSI 173 and NSF Certified for Sport
The label is accurate, metals stay under limits, and no banned drugs
Can you look it up? Yes. NSF files it under Nestlé Healthcare Nutrition, so search that name too.
Sports Research
Tubs bought from shops, at least monthly, for banned drugs
Can you look it up? Yes, by name or by the batch number on your tub. It lists the batches it tested. It does not check the collagen amount or metals.
From each program’s own description and list, searched August 25, 2026 to September 22, 2026.
Search NSF/ANSI 173 for each brand
Every list we searched
| Testing list | Vital Proteins | Sports Research |
|---|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Listed | Not found |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Listed | Not found |
| Informed Sport | Not found | Not found |
| Informed Choice | Not found | Listed |
| USP Verified | Not found | Not found |
What the labels say
The labels differ in serving size, source and how the powder mixes.
| On the label | Vital Proteins | Sports Research |
|---|---|---|
| A serving | 2 scoops, 20 g | 1 scoop, 11 g |
| Source | “Grass fed + pasture raised” bovine | Bovine hides from the USA, New Zealand and/or Australia; made in Korea |
| Types | Not stated | “Hydrolyzed type I & III” |
| Mixing | “Mix in hot or cold liquids” | “May clump in cold liquids”: mix into room-temperature liquid first |
| Allergen note | Made where milk, fish and tree nuts are processed | Not stated on the label |
Watch the serving size. Vital Proteins’ Supplement Facts use 2 scoops as a serving, so its tub lists about 27 servings against 82. That makes it look smaller than it is. Compare grams.
How big is the price gap?
Vital Proteins costs 24% more, or $0.16 more per 10 g. That compares its 19.3 oz tub with Sports Research’s 32 oz tub at list price. At 10 g a day, that is $300 a year against $241 for Sports Research.
| Tub | Price | Per 10 g |
|---|---|---|
| Vital Proteins, 5 oz | $15.00 | $1.06 |
| Vital Proteins, 9.33 oz | $27.00 | $1.02 |
| Vital Proteins, 19.3 oz | $45.00 | $0.82 |
| Sports Research, 3.9 oz | $12.95 | $1.17 |
| Sports Research, 16 oz | $32.95 | $0.73 |
| Sports Research, 32 oz | $59.95 | $0.66 |
The buttons go to Amazon, where prices differ from the brands’ stores. Every collagen we price: collagen prices.
How the two scored
Sports Research scores 10.0 out of 10 and Vital Proteins 9.0. They match on dose, testing, label and recalls. Vital Proteins loses a point on cost: $0.82 per 10 g, against $0.66 for Sports Research. Our score counts any public testing list the same way, so it does not show the testing gap. How we score.
Who should buy which
- You want to spend lessSports Research
$0.66 per 10 g in the 32 oz tub. It is also our top collagen pick overall. Check the price.
- You want the contents and metals checkedVital Proteins
The only one of the two on NSF/ANSI 173. $0.82 per 10 g. Check the price.
- You are drug-testedEither
Check which of the two lists your sport accepts.
- You already have a tub of plain collagen peptidesBuy nothing yet
Finish it. Switching between these two changes the price and the testing, not what you take.
Every collagen ranked: the best collagen, scored. What each testing list means: third-party tested collagen.
What the research found about collagen itself
The trials are about this kind of collagen, not either brand. Neither brand has a trial of its own tub.
- Skin. A 2023 review of 26 trials found hydrolyzed collagen improved skin hydration and elasticity against placebo (Pu 2023).
- Who paid for the trials. A 2025 review of 23 trials found that gain only in trials paid for by companies, and none in the best-run ones (Myung 2025).
Questions
How much collagen should I take a day?
Skin trials mostly used 2.5 to 5 g a day for 8 to 12 weeks, and trials that paired collagen with strength training used 15 g. One Sports Research scoop holds about 11 g. One Vital Proteins scoop holds about 10 g, so its 2-scoop serving of 20 g covers any of these doses. The collagen dosage guide has the dose for each goal.
How long does each tub last?
At 10 g a day, Vital Proteins’ 19.3 oz tub (about 547 g) lasts about 54 days. Sports Research’s 32 oz tub (about 907 g) lasts about 90 days.
Sources
- Labels: NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, 309504 (Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, 19.3 oz) and 326298 (Sports Research Collagen Peptides, 32 oz).
- Testing: NSF/ANSI 173 and NSF Certified for Sport listing 1792557 (Vital Proteins); Informed Choice (Sports Research). Searched August 25, 2026 to September 22, 2026.
- Prices: vitalproteins.com and sportsresearch.com, each brand’s list price for every size, checked September 29, 2026. Amazon is only where the buy links go.
- Pu SY, et al. Effects of oral collagen for skin anti-aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2023. PubMed 37432180
- Myung SK, et al. 2025. Am J Med. 23 skin trials, split by funding and quality. PubMed 40324552
- The 15 g training dose: Zdzieblik D, et al. 2015, PubMed 26353786; Jendricke P, et al. 2019, PubMed 31010031.
- Recalls: FDA enforcement (recall) reports via openFDA, checked October 24, 2026.