Best Creatine 2026: 7 Powders and Gummies Compared

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It’s the scoop you stop thinking about: stirred into the morning coffee before a lift, shaken into a bottle on the way to five-a-side, mixed into a smoothie after a long swim. Choosing the best creatine is less about hype and more about trust, because the ingredient itself is simple: creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied supplements in sport, and many athletes take it for strength, sprint and power training. What changes from tub to tub is testing, form and price. Here are the creatine powders and gummies worth a look in 2026, what each one actually contains, which are certified for sport, and how to choose.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

This guide compares products; it isn’t medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before you start creatine, especially if you have kidney problems, take medication, are pregnant or are under 18, and take it as the label says.

Our top picks

Creatine compared

Product	Creatine per serving	Servings	Certification	About (Oct 2026)	Per serving
Thorne Creatine	5 g monohydrate	90	NSF Certified for Sport	$44	about $0.49
Momentous Creatine Monohydrate	5 g monohydrate	90	NSF Certified for Sport	$43 ($32 subscribed)	about $0.36–$0.48
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine	5 g monohydrate	about 63	NSF Certified for Sport	$34.50 (maker list price)	about $0.55
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB	5 g monohydrate + 1.5 g HMB	30	NSF Certified for Sport	$50	about $1.67
Create Creatine Gummies	4.5 g (3 gummies)	30	NSF Certified for Sport	$55 one-time	about $1.83
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine	5 g monohydrate	120	Banned-substance tested (maker); not on the NSF Certified for Sport list	$24	about $0.20
Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate	5 g monohydrate	100	ISO-accredited lab tested (maker); not certified for sport	$19–$33 by size and flavor	about $0.20–$0.33

The best creatine supplements

1. Thorne Creatine: best overall

Thorne keeps it to one ingredient: 5 g of micronized creatine monohydrate per scoop, 90 scoops in a 450 g tub, unflavored, and free of gluten, dairy and soy. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so each lot is screened for substances banned in sport and checked against the label, which is why you see it in a lot of team and college locker rooms. Thorne suggests one scoop in at least 8 oz of water or juice a day.

• Good: nothing but creatine; certified for sport; easy to find at Amazon, Walmart and Thorne.
• Watch out: costs more per scoop than budget tubs with the same 5 g.
• Best for: tested athletes in any sport who want the simplest, most trusted option.

Check the Thorne Creatine price on Amazon

2. Momentous Creatine Monohydrate: best certified value

Same idea, a little cheaper on subscription: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop, 90 servings in a 450 g tub, no other ingredients, vegan and gluten-free. It’s NSF Certified for Sport. Momentous used to source Creapure and some retailer listings still say so, but its own page now says it no longer uses Creapure and makes the creatine to its own spec in a pharmaceutical facility. There are also lemon travel packets and creatine chews.

• Good: certified for sport at about $0.36 a serving on subscription.
• Watch out: if Creapure matters to you, it’s no longer in this tub.
• Best for: everyday lifters, runners and team-sport players who want certified creatine without paying extra.

Check the Momentous Creatine price on Amazon

3. Klean Athlete Klean Creatine: simplest label

Klean Athlete makes supplements for athletes who get drug tested, and every product in the line is NSF Certified for Sport. Klean Creatine is plain, unflavored creatine monohydrate, 5 g per scoop in a 315 g tub (about 63 servings), with no flavors, sweeteners or blends. Klean’s 2026 list price is $34.50; stores sell it for a little less or a lot more, so compare.

• Good: a brand built around certified products; nothing extra in the scoop.
• Watch out: smaller tub; we couldn’t find it sold by Amazon US, so buy from Klean or a supplement store.
• Best for: athletes in tested sports who want the cleanest label.

See Klean Creatine at Klean Athlete

4. Transparent Labs Creatine HMB: best flavored

If you’d rather drink something that tastes like fruit punch than chalky water, this is the one people mention. Per the maker’s label, each serving has 5 g of creatine monohydrate, 1.5 g of HMB (as myHMB), 12.5 mcg (500 IU) of vitamin D3 and 5 mg of BioPerine black pepper extract, with no artificial sweeteners. It comes in 13 flavors plus unflavored, and all of them appear in the NSF Certified for Sport database (the maker’s page also shows an Informed Choice logo).

• Good: lots of flavors; every ingredient is listed with its dose, no proprietary blend.
• Watch out: more than three times the price per serving of plain creatine; some Amazon listings describe different HMB and vitamin D amounts, so read the label on the tub you buy.
• Best for: people who won’t stick with an unflavored powder.

Check the Transparent Labs Creatine HMB price on Amazon

5. Create Creatine Gummies: best gummy (with a caveat)

Gummies are easy to throw in a gym bag or a tennis racket bag, but they have a testing problem. In 2024, NOW Foods bought 12 creatine gummy brands online and reported that half didn’t contain what the label claimed. Create was one of them. Since then Create’s gummies have been listed in the NSF Certified for Sport database, which checks that the contents match the label. Each gummy has 1.5 g of Creapure creatine monohydrate, so a 3-gummy serving gives 4.5 g, with 3 g of sugar (2 g added).

• Good: certified for sport now; nothing to mix; several flavors.
• Watch out: the priciest per serving here, a bit under 5 g per serving, and some sugar; the 2024 test result is worth knowing.
• Best for: travelers and anyone who simply won’t drink a powder.

Check the Create Creatine Gummies price on Amazon

6. Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine: budget brand name

One of the oldest names in sports nutrition, at a much lower price per scoop. Each serving is 5 g of micronized creatine monohydrate; the tub comes in 60, 120 and 240 servings, unflavored or in four flavors without artificial sweeteners. Optimum Nutrition calls it “banned substance tested,” but its page doesn’t name the program, and we didn’t find this powder in the NSF Certified for Sport database.

• Good: about $0.20 a serving for the 120-serving tub; easy to find everywhere.
• Watch out: if you’re drug tested, choose a product you can find in the NSF or Informed Sport database.
• Best for: recreational athletes on a budget.

Check the Optimum Nutrition Creatine price on Amazon

7. Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate: lowest cost

The cheapest way to get 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day: a 500 g tub holds 100 servings, and Nutricost sells it unflavored and in many flavors. Nutricost says it’s tested by ISO-accredited third-party labs and made in a GMP facility. That kind of testing looks for contaminants; it is not certification for sport, so it isn’t screened the way NSF or Informed Sport products are.

• Good: lowest price per serving; plain unflavored option.
• Watch out: not third-party certified for sport; flavored versions use sucralose.
• Best for: untested weekend warriors who want the basics for less.

Check the Nutricost Creatine price on Amazon

How to choose creatine

• Start with monohydrate. It’s the form behind most of the research. Fancier forms and blends cost more and aren’t better studied.
• Get tested, get certified. If you compete in a tested sport (college, pro, many amateur events), pick a product listed at nsfsport.com or in the Informed Sport database, and look up the exact flavor and size.
• Check the dose per serving. Most powders give 5 g per scoop. Gummies vary a lot, and tests have found some far below their label, so certification matters even more there.
• Compare price per serving, not per tub. A $24 tub of 120 servings is cheaper than a $50 tub of 30.
• Skip the “loading” marketing. Follow the label on your product, and ask a doctor or dietitian if you’re unsure what fits you.

Building your routine around training and recovery? See all our creatine coverage, the protein and hydration and electrolytes sections, our guides to the best multivitamin for athletes and the best magnesium supplement, and the gear in best recovery tools for athletes.

Creatine questions

Is creatine only for bodybuilders?

No. Many athletes in sports with short, hard efforts use it: sprinters, team-sport players, lifters, CrossFit and combat athletes, tennis and pickleball players. Research reviews find it most useful for high-intensity, repeated efforts and of little value for pure endurance.

What does NSF Certified for Sport mean?

NSF tests the product for a long list of substances banned in sport, checks that what’s inside matches the label, and audits the factory. Informed Sport and Informed Choice run similar programs. You can search both databases by brand and product.

Are creatine gummies as good as powder?

They can be, if they really contain the dose on the label. Independent tests in 2024 and 2025 found many gummies far below their claim, so if you prefer gummies, choose one that’s certified for sport and check how much creatine a serving gives.

Does micronized or Creapure creatine matter?

Micronized creatine has smaller particles, so it mixes more easily. Creapure is a branded creatine monohydrate made in Germany. Both are still creatine monohydrate; for most people, testing and price matter more than the brand of raw material.

Who should check with a doctor first?

Anyone with kidney disease, anyone taking prescription medication, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and teenage athletes. A doctor or registered dietitian can tell you whether creatine fits you.