C4 vs Ghost Pre-Workout
Buy GHOST Legend. One scoop has 6 g of citrulline, five times what C4 Original has, and more beta-alanine. It costs $1.50 a serving, 33 cents more. Buy C4 Original if you want a full scoop with less caffeine (200 mg vs 300 mg) for less money.
By Erin Rose Updated October 26, 2026 How we score
Per scoop, side by side
| One scoop | GHOST Legend | C4 Original |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | 300 mg | 200 mg |
| L-citrulline | 6 g | 1.2 g |
| Beta-alanine | 3.2 g | 2 g |
| Betaine | 2.5 g | none |
| Creatine | none | 1 g (creatine nitrate) |
| Also in it | 2 g L-tyrosine, 1 g taurine, 100 mg theobromine | 1.2 g L-arginine, 100 mg PeptiPump lentil peptides, 5 mg Huperzia serrata extract (huperzine A) |
| Sugar and sweeteners | 0 g sugar; sucralose | 0 g sugar; sucralose, acesulfame potassium |
| Every amount shown? | Yes | Yes |
| On a testing list | No | No |
| Tub | 30 scoops, $44.99 | 30 scoops, $34.99 |
| Cost a serving | $1.50 | $1.17 |
How do the doses compare to the studies?
Citrulline. In a review of 8 small studies (137 people), 6 to 8 g of citrulline malate taken 40 to 60 minutes before lifting added about 3 more reps in total across an exercise’s sets taken to failure. The effect was small, and it was not clear for upper-body or lower-body lifts taken on their own (Vårvik 2021). Citrulline malate is citrulline joined to malic acid, so GHOST’s 6 g of plain L-citrulline holds at least as much citrulline as those doses. C4’s 1.2 g is far below them.
Beta-alanine. It works by building up over weeks, not in one dose. A review by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) found 4 to 6 g a day for at least 2 to 4 weeks helped hard efforts that last 1 to 4 minutes (Trexler 2015). GHOST’s 3.2 g and C4’s 2 g are both below that range. GHOST is closer. The skin tingle you may feel is the beta-alanine. It is the only side effect studies report.
Betaine and creatine. GHOST has 2.5 g of betaine; C4 has none. C4 has 1 g of creatine nitrate; GHOST has none. 1 g of creatine nitrate holds about 0.7 g of creatine. That is under a quarter of the 3 g a day the ISSN names (Kreider 2017). Creatine works with daily use, so take it on its own. See the best creatine.
How much caffeine is right?
The ISSN’s review found caffeine helps strength and endurance at 3 to 6 mg per kg of body weight, most often taken about an hour before exercise (Guest 2021). For a 150 lb person, that is about 200 to 400 mg. Both tubs fall in that range.
The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not usually linked to harm in healthy adults. One GHOST scoop is 300 mg. Both labels say not to have other caffeine with them. In one study, 400 mg of caffeine taken 6 hours before bed still cut into sleep (Drake 2013). Both labels say not to use them if you are pregnant or nursing. C4’s label also says not to take it with ED drugs like Viagra or with nitrate heart pills. If you have a heart condition or take other medicine, ask your doctor first.
What about half a scoop of GHOST?
GHOST’s own label tells new users to start with half a scoop. Half a scoop has 150 mg of caffeine, 3 g of L-citrulline and 1.6 g of beta-alanine, and costs about $0.75. That is less caffeine and more citrulline than a full scoop of C4 Original, for less money. You do get less beta-alanine (1.6 g vs 2 g).
Is either one third-party tested?
No. We searched five testing lists for both: NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173, Informed Sport, Informed Choice and USP Verified. Neither C4 Original nor GHOST Legend is on any of them. NSF lists other C4 products, such as C4 Sport, and GHOST’s canned energy drinks. Those are different products.
Sports supplements can carry banned substances, on purpose or by accident (Harty 2018). If you are tested for them, buy Kaged Sport (Informed Sport, 188 mg caffeine, $1.25 a serving) or C4 Sport (NSF Certified for Sport, 135 mg caffeine, $0.73 a serving). C4 Sport hides its creatine and beta-alanine amounts in a blend and has no citrulline.
Who should buy which?
You lift and already handle caffeine well: GHOST Legend. It has more citrulline, more beta-alanine and adds betaine.
You are new to pre-workout or sensitive to caffeine: GHOST Legend at half a scoop, or C4 Original at one scoop. Both land at or under 200 mg of caffeine.
You want the cheaper tub and a full scoop: C4 Original. It costs $34.99 a tub against $44.99.
You are tested for banned substances: neither. Buy Kaged Sport or C4 Sport (see above).
Buying GHOST Legend on Amazon: older tubs list 250 mg of caffeine and 4 g of citrulline in two scoops. The tub we link is the current one, with 300 mg of caffeine in one scoop.
Buying C4 Original on Amazon: some listings still say 150 mg of caffeine. That is the older formula. We link the 200 mg tub whose label we read.
Comparing more than these two? See the best pre-workout, where we compare six tubs.
Questions people ask
Is C4 or Ghost pre-workout better?
GHOST Legend, for most people who lift. It has 6 g of L-citrulline, 3.2 g of beta-alanine and 2.5 g of betaine a scoop. C4 Original has 1.2 g, 2 g and no betaine. C4 is cheaper and has less caffeine.
Which has more caffeine, C4 or Ghost?
GHOST Legend: 300 mg a scoop. C4 Original: 200 mg a scoop. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not usually linked to harm in healthy adults, and says that is about two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee. So one GHOST scoop plus one 12-ounce coffee goes past it.
Are C4 Original or GHOST Legend third-party tested?
No. Neither is on the five testing lists we searched. Kaged Sport and C4 Sport are.
Can I take half a scoop of Ghost?
Yes. GHOST’s label tells new users to start there. You get 150 mg of caffeine.
Do C4 or Ghost have creatine?
Only C4 Original, with 1 g of creatine nitrate (about 0.7 g of creatine). That is too little to replace a daily scoop of creatine; see the best creatine.
Do C4 or Ghost have sugar?
Neither has sugar. Both use sucralose. C4 Original also uses acesulfame potassium.
Sources
- Labels: C4 Original Icy Blue Razz, Supplement Facts panel on cellucor.com. GHOST Legend Blue Raspberry, Supplement Facts panel on ghostlifestyle.com; same amounts as the Welch’s Grape label in NIH’s database (label 334787). Read October 26, 2026.
- Vårvik FT, et al. “Acute Effect of Citrulline Malate on Repetition Performance During Strength Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2021. PubMed 34010809
- Trexler ET, et al. “International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015. PubMed 26175657
- Guest NS, et al. “International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021. PubMed 33388079
- 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. PubMed 28615996
- Harty PS, et al. “Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: a brief review.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018. PubMed 30089501
- Drake C, et al. “Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.” J Clin Sleep Med. 2013. PubMed 24235903
- US Food and Drug Administration. “Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?” fda.gov
- Testing lists: NSF Certified for Sport (searched October 26, 2026), NSF/ANSI 173, Informed Sport, Informed Choice and USP Verified.