Optimum Nutrition vs Nutricost Creatine (2026): Which to Buy
Buy Optimum Nutrition. It is the same 5 g of creatine monohydrate as Nutricost, and an outside lab tests it for drugs banned in sport. It costs $0.30 a day against $0.21, about $31 more a year. Nutricost is on no testing list we searched.
By Erin Rose Updated October 20, 2026 Methodology
Does your sport require NSF Certified for Sport? Neither of these is on it. BulkSupplements is, for $0.20 a day (Nutricost vs BulkSupplements).
If you are not set on these two brands, our pick for most people is Naked Creatine, at $0.18 a day, less than both. NSF/ANSI 173 confirms its tub matches its label, though that list does not test for banned drugs (best creatine).
How we checked
- 5
- testing lists searched for each tub
- 2
- labels read in NIH’s label database
- 2
- brand pages read for scoop and testing claims, Oct 20
- 4
- tubs priced on Amazon, Nov 6
One is on a testing list, one is not
Both companies say their creatine is tested. Only one lets you look it up. Optimum Nutrition is on Informed Choice. Nutricost says a lab checks it but does not name the lab or post results.
Who checks the tub, and can you see it?
Optimum Nutrition
Tubs bought from shops at least monthly, tested for banned drugs
Can you check it? Yes. Search the Informed Choice site for Optimum Nutrition, or for the batch number on your tub.
Nutricost
No public testing list
The brand says “an independent, accredited lab” tests it
Can you check it? No. Nutricost does not name the lab or post the results on its product page.
From each program’s list and each brand’s product page, read October 20, 2026.
What we found on the lists
Every list we searched
| Testing list | Optimum Nutrition | Nutricost |
|---|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Not found | Not found |
| Informed Sport | Not found | Not found |
| Informed Choice | Listed | Not found |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Not found | Not found |
| USP Verified | Not found | Not found |
A testing list does not make creatine work better. It means an outside lab checks the product and posts the result where anyone can see it. That matters most if you are drug-tested for sport or work.
What the labels say
Each label has a single ingredient, creatine monohydrate, at 5 g a serving: the form and amount most studies test (Kreider 2017). Nutricost says a 5 g scoop comes in the tub. Optimum Nutrition gives the serving as a rounded teaspoon.
What the price gap costs you
Optimum Nutrition costs $0.09 more a day than Nutricost. At 5 g a day, that is about $31 a year.
| Tub | Price | A day | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum Nutrition, 60 servings | $17.97 | $0.30 | $109 |
| Nutricost, 100 servings | $21.50 | $0.21 | $78 |
| BulkSupplements, 100 servings | $19.97 | $0.20 | $73 |
| Naked (our pick), 200 servings | $35.99 | $0.18 | $66 |
Found a different tub or a sale? Divide the price by the servings on the label to compare. All the creatine we track: creatine prices.
How the two scored
Optimum Nutrition scores 9.0 out of 10 and Nutricost 6.0. The 3-point gap is all testing, which is worth 3 of the 10 points: Optimum Nutrition gets them all for being on Informed Choice, and Nutricost gets none. They get the same marks for dose, label and recalls, and both get half marks for cost because neither is the cheapest creatine we score. How we score.
Who should buy which
- You are choosing between these twoOptimum Nutrition
Same creatine, on a banned-drug testing list, for $0.09 more a day. Check the price.
- You only care about price, and nobody tests youNutricost
$0.21 a day, with a 5 g scoop in the tub. Check the price.
- You are drug-tested in sportBulkSupplements
On NSF Certified for Sport, which tests by lot. $0.20 a day. Check that your bag’s lot is on the listing. Check the price.
- You want the lowest cost a dayNaked Creatine
$0.18 a day in the 1 kg tub, the cheapest of the four here, and our best creatine pick.
- You still have creatine at homeUse it up first
Plain creatine monohydrate from any brand does the same job. What the research found about creatine itself is on Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition.
Questions
Is Optimum Nutrition creatine better than Nutricost?
The creatine is the same. Each scoop of either is 5 g of creatine monohydrate and nothing else. Optimum Nutrition is the better buy because an outside lab tests it for banned drugs. Nutricost says a lab tests it but does not show the results.
Is Optimum Nutrition creatine tested for banned substances?
Yes. Informed Choice lists its Micronized Creatine Powder. The program buys tubs from shops at least monthly and tests them for drugs banned in sport. The Informed Choice mark is on the 300 g label. If your sport names one program, such as NSF Certified for Sport, check that list instead.
Does Nutricost creatine come with a scoop?
Yes. Nutricost says its 5 g scoop is in the tub. Optimum Nutrition gives the serving as a rounded teaspoon, about 5 g.
Is Optimum Nutrition creatine Creapure?
Not on its current label. Optimum Nutrition labels filed with the NIH up to February 2023 said “Made with Creapure” (2023 label). The label filed in December 2024 does not (2024 label), so an older tub may still say it. Nutricost’s plain tub does not name Creapure either. For brands that do, see Creapure creatine.
How much should I take?
5 g a day of either one. You do not need to load first. Timing and loading are in the creatine dosage guide. Check with your doctor first if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or nursing, or are under 18.
Sources
- Kreider RB, 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. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade group, paid to prepare it. PubMed 28615996
- Informed Choice certified products, searched October 20, 2026.
- NSF/ANSI 173 company searches for Nutricost and Optimum Nutrition, and the NSF Certified for Sport list, searched October 20, 2026.
- Labels: NIH DSLD 319465 (Optimum Nutrition, 300 g, filed December 2024), NIH DSLD 270141 (Optimum Nutrition, filed February 2023) and NIH DSLD 319643 (Nutricost, 500 g).
- Brand pages, read October 20, 2026: Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder and Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate.
- Prices: Amazon, checked November 6, 2026. Product photos: Amazon, shown under the Associates program licence.