Category guide · Creatine monohydrate
5 reviewed products · Ranked by SuppSignal methodology
Best clean creatine monohydrate
ranked, not just listed.
Ranked by testing transparency, effective dose at 5 g, and real cost per serving. Five real products reviewed end-to-end with full editorial source trails. Best among reviewed products, based on available label and retailer data.
Educational, not medical advice · Scores cannot be bought
Quick verdicts
Five verdicts. One for every buyer.
- Best Clean × ValueCreatine Monohydrate Powder
Signal 91 · $0.24/5 g
NSF Certified for Sport claim at near-commodity pricing. The methodology's clearest 'you can have both' result.
- Best Premium PickCreatine
Signal 82 · $0.50/5 g
Premium clean-label brand with an NSF Certified for Sport claim. You pay roughly 2x commodity for the cert, which is a fair premium.
- Best Raw Cost
Creatine Monohydrate PowderSignal 90 · $0.23/5 g
Lowest verifiable cost per 5 g serving in our dataset. Testing is brand-claimed, so confidence is medium until a specific COA is linked.
- Best Mainstream OptionMicronized Creatine Powder
Signal 86 · $0.25/5 g
Widely available at retail, Creapure raw material is brand-claimed, transparent single-ingredient label. Verify cert claims before relying on them.
- Most Caution NeededCreatine Monohydrate
Signal 78 · $1.33/5 g
Highest Clean Signal in the dataset but the price premium requires you to genuinely need both NSF and Informed Sport coverage.
The ranking
Five passports, sorted by Overall Signal.
Each passport carries a serial, a testing status, a current price per 5 g serving, and a verdict stamp that reflects this product's actual evidence state, not aspiration.
- SIG-CR-004Creatine · Passport
3d ago
91
/ 100
SuppSignal ReadBUY909292- $0.24
- $21.99 · 90 svgs
- Brand-claimed only
- Not posted
- Disclosed
- None
- SIG-CR-001Creatine · Passport
3d ago
90
/ 100
SuppSignal ReadCOMPARE869294- $0.23
- $22.97 · 100 svgs
- Brand-claimed only
- Not posted
- Disclosed
- None
Third-party testing claimed by the brand but a specific COA has not yet been matched to this product family in our review.
- SIG-CR-005Creatine · Passport
3d ago
86
/ 100
SuppSignal ReadBUY789292- $0.25
- $29.99 · 120 svgs
- Brand-claimed only
- Not posted
- Disclosed
- None
Creapure raw material is brand-claimed but Optimum Nutrition does not publicly publish a specific NSF or Informed Sport certification for this exact product family. Verify in the Creapure customer registry and the NSF registry before treating these claims as third-party verified.
- SIG-CR-002Creatine · Passport
3d ago
82
/ 100
SuppSignal ReadWAIT949256- $0.50
- $45.00 · 90 svgs
- Brand-claimed only
- Not posted
- Disclosed
- None
Premium pricing. At $0.50 per 5 g serving you are paying roughly 2x a clean commodity monohydrate for the NSF Certified for Sport assurance.
- SIG-CR-003Creatine · Passport
3d ago
78
/ 100
SuppSignal ReadWAIT969238- $1.33
- $40.00 · 30 svgs
- Brand-claimed only
- Not posted
- Disclosed
- None
Among the most expensive creatines we have reviewed at roughly $1.33 per 5 g serving. The certifications are real value but the price premium versus other NSF-tested options is significant.
Per-product editorial
Why each product ranks where it ranks.
Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Signal 91 · Clean 90 · Dose 92 · Value 92
NOW Sports earns the #1 overall ranking on the strength of one specific pairing: an NSF Certified for Sport claim (the same testing standard used by Thorne and Momentous) at a price of roughly $0.24 per 5 g serving. Every other product in our review either has the cert at a much higher price or sits at this price without the cert.
- NSF Certified for Sport
- Single ingredient
- No proprietary blend
- No artificial colors
- Transparent label
None flagged in our review.
Testing: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified). COA: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified).
Certifications listed: NSF Certified for Sport (brand-claimed unless noted otherwise).
Almost anyone. NSF Certified for Sport assurance at roughly $0.24 per 5 g serving is one of the strongest Clean × Value combinations available.
$0.24 / 5 g serving · 90 servings per container
View signal breakdown →Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Signal 90 · Clean 86 · Dose 92 · Value 94
BulkSupplements has the lowest verifiable cost per 5 g serving in our review. The label is single-ingredient and transparent, but the brand publishes a general COA library rather than a specific batch we can link to this product family. Confidence is medium until a real batch is matched.
- Single ingredient
- No proprietary blend
- No artificial colors
- Transparent label
- Third-party testing claimed by the brand but a specific COA has not yet been matched to this product family in our review.
Testing: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified). COA: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified).
Cost-conscious lifters who want a single-ingredient monohydrate at one of the lowest verifiable price-per-gram benchmarks in our dataset.
$0.23 / 5 g serving · 100 servings per container
View signal breakdown →Micronized Creatine Powder
Signal 86 · Clean 78 · Dose 92 · Value 92
A widely-recognized retail brand with Creapure raw material as a brand-claim. Value math is strong at roughly $0.25 per 5 g serving. The testing posture is less explicit than the NSF-certified peers, so verify the 'Banned Substance Tested' claim against the Informed Choice registry before relying on it.
- Creapure source (brand-claimed)
- Single ingredient
- No proprietary blend
- No artificial colors
- Transparent label
- Creapure raw material is brand-claimed but Optimum Nutrition does not publicly publish a specific NSF or Informed Sport certification for this exact product family. Verify in the Creapure customer registry and the NSF registry before treating these claims as third-party verified.
Testing: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified). COA: Not found.
Mainstream lifters who want a recognizable brand, Creapure raw material at a competitive price, and don't require a specific tested-sport certification.
$0.25 / 5 g serving · 120 servings per container
View signal breakdown →Creatine
Signal 82 · Clean 94 · Dose 92 · Value 56
Thorne pairs an NSF Certified for Sport claim with the brand's broader clinical-supplement positioning. The price premium of roughly 2x a commodity monohydrate is fair if you specifically value the brand or need the NSF mark, and unnecessary otherwise.
- NSF Certified for Sport
- Single ingredient
- No proprietary blend
- No artificial colors
- Transparent label
- Premium pricing. At $0.50 per 5 g serving you are paying roughly 2x a clean commodity monohydrate for the NSF Certified for Sport assurance.
Testing: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified). COA: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified).
Certifications listed: NSF Certified for Sport (brand-claimed unless noted otherwise).
Tested-sport athletes, busy professionals, and anyone who values batch-level NSF Certified for Sport assurance over the lowest possible price per gram.
$0.50 / 5 g serving · 90 servings per container
View signal breakdown →Creatine Monohydrate
Signal 78 · Clean 96 · Dose 92 · Value 38
On signals alone, Momentous is a Clean Pick: the highest Clean Signal in our entire dataset, with both NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport claims plus a Creapure raw-material claim. The reason it lands in 'Most Caution Needed' is the price: $1.33 per 5 g serving requires you to specifically need both certifications, otherwise NOW Sports delivers the NSF half for roughly one-fifth the price.
- NSF Certified for Sport
- Informed Sport
- Creapure source
- Single ingredient
- Transparent label
- Among the most expensive creatines we have reviewed at roughly $1.33 per 5 g serving. The certifications are real value but the price premium versus other NSF-tested options is significant.
Testing: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified). COA: Brand-claimed (not yet independently verified).
Certifications listed: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport (brand-claimed unless noted otherwise).
Tested-sport athletes (NCAA, professional, military) who need both NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport coverage, and users who specifically want Creapure raw material.
$1.33 / 5 g serving · 30 servings per container
View signal breakdown →How the ranking is built
Four rules we apply to every creatine in this list.
- 1
Cost is normalized to a 5 g serving
The commonly studied effective dose for creatine monohydrate is 3 to 5 grams per day. We compare every product on cost per 5 g serving so a 100 g pouch and a 1 kg tub line up apples-to-apples.
- 2
Monohydrate is the baseline form
Creatine monohydrate is the most-studied form. Other forms (HCL, magnesium chelate, citrate) appear in the broader category but are not ranked here, where they would distort the cost comparison without delivering proven outcome differences.
- 3
Brand-claimed testing is not the same as verified testing
A brand can list 'NSF Certified for Sport' on its product page. We mark that as a brand claim until we can confirm the specific product family in the NSF public registry. Until that confirmation, the Clean Signal reflects the claim being made but the confidence badge stays at Medium.
- 4
Value Signal can differ from Clean Signal
A product can have an excellent label and a difficult price. Momentous is the clearest example in this list: it earns the highest Clean Signal of any product we've reviewed and still lands in 'Most Caution Needed' because the value math only works if you specifically need both NSF and Informed Sport coverage.
- 01
Label
- 02
Claims
- 03
Dose
- 04
Testing
- 05
Price
- 06
Signal
Full methodology lives at /methodology
Deal Watch · ticketed
Never overpay for clean creatine again.
A creatine alert fires only when a clean-label product clears two rules: a $0.35 per 5 g serving price ceiling, and a minimum Clean Signal that we set. Sticker discounts don't qualify on their own.
Example threshold
≤ $0.35 per 5 g serving · Clean Signal ≥ 80
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Affiliate disclosure
We may earn a commission when you buy through paid links. Scores are calculated using our published methodology and are not increased because of sponsorships or affiliate commissions.
How we score
Scores are based on available public information, product labels, retailer data, brand claims, and third-party evidence where available. Missing evidence may lower confidence but does not automatically mean a product is unsafe.
Medical disclaimer
This information is educational and is not medical advice. Supplements may not be appropriate for everyone. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition.
Price transparency
Prices and availability can change. Retailer prices should be confirmed at checkout. Price data includes a last-checked timestamp when available.